The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Sanctify” it comes from the Hebrew Word “qadash” which means “to sanctify, to set apart as holy.”
Freed at last, Israel leaves Egypt with a cloud leading the way. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Exodus 13.
God commands Moses to sanctify every firstborn among Israel, both human and animal, “for it is mine,” since God spared Israel’s firstborn while striking Egypt’s. The Hebrew word for sanctify here is “qadash,” meaning to set apart as holy. Moses instructs the people to remember this day forever, and to keep the feast of unleavened bread annually as a lasting memorial of their deliverance from Egypt “with a strong hand.”
Rather than leading Israel along the shorter, more direct route through Philistine territory, which might have provoked war and caused the people to turn back to Egypt out of fear, God leads them a longer way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Moses carries the bones of Joseph with him, fulfilling Joseph’s own dying request from centuries earlier, that his family would carry his remains back to the promised land when God finally brought them out of Egypt.
The Lord Himself goes before the people visibly, “in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light,” so that they can travel both day and night. This visible, constant presence of God never departs from before the people throughout their journey.
God’s path out of Egypt was not the fastest route, but it was the wisest one, chosen specifically to protect the people from a battle they were not yet ready to face. Sometimes the longer road is exactly the one God’s presence, visible and constant, is leading us through for our own protection.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics