The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 13:1-2,
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.'"
When the Lord put to death all the firstborn males in Egypt, whether human or animal, he spared all the firstborn Jews in Egypt by passing over them when they applied blood to their doors. Now that the Israelites were leaving Egypt following their deliverance from bondage there, the Lord tells Moses that all the firstborn males among the Jews need to be consecrated to him.
The term "consecrate" means to dedicate something to a sacred purpose, to make or declare something sacred, to devote to a purpose. The purpose here, of course, is to be dedicated to God. God spared the Israelite's firstborn and now they belong to him.
The greatest "firstborn" in Scripture is the "firstborn" of God himself: Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:29 Paul says, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Here Jesus is the firstborn in God's family that all believers belong to. In Colossians 1:15 Paul says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." And in verse 18 he says, "And he [Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus God's firstborn as he quotes a version of Deuteronomy 32:43, "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" He also calls the church "the church of the firstborn" in Hebrews 12:23.
In John's salutation to the seven churches in the province of Asia, he calls Jesus Christ the firstborn from the dead, "Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Revelation 1:4-5.
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.'"
When the Lord put to death all the firstborn males in Egypt, whether human or animal, he spared all the firstborn Jews in Egypt by passing over them when they applied blood to their doors. Now that the Israelites were leaving Egypt following their deliverance from bondage there, the Lord tells Moses that all the firstborn males among the Jews need to be consecrated to him.
The term "consecrate" means to dedicate something to a sacred purpose, to make or declare something sacred, to devote to a purpose. The purpose here, of course, is to be dedicated to God. God spared the Israelite's firstborn and now they belong to him.
The greatest "firstborn" in Scripture is the "firstborn" of God himself: Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:29 Paul says, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Here Jesus is the firstborn in God's family that all believers belong to. In Colossians 1:15 Paul says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." And in verse 18 he says, "And he [Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus God's firstborn as he quotes a version of Deuteronomy 32:43, "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" He also calls the church "the church of the firstborn" in Hebrews 12:23.
In John's salutation to the seven churches in the province of Asia, he calls Jesus Christ the firstborn from the dead, "Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Revelation 1:4-5.
Jesus Christ is God's own firstborn!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment