Exodus 13
Summary for Exod 13:1-16: 13:1-16 a Like the Passover celebration, the practice of dedicating the firstborn memorialized what God did in the Passover event. Because he spared the firstborn, they now belonged to him and must be redeemed. The annual sacrifice and eating of the lamb symbolized what God would do in providing a substitute in his Son, Jesus Christ; we who deserve death must be redeemed with a price, the life of the Son.Summary for Exod 13:1-10: 13:1-10 b This rehearsal of the customs surrounding Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread sets the stage for discussing the dedication of the firstborn (13:11-16 c).
13:5 d A land flowing with milk and honey refers to a land that was agriculturally rich, where there was pasturage for cattle and crops with blooms from which bees could make honey.
13:9 e The annual celebration of the Passover was a visible sign to identify oneself as the Lord’s possession. It was a mark of his ownership, the physical reinforcement of a spiritual reality.
• Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: The second part of the verse may be interpreted either as a statement to be recited (as in the NLT text) or simply as a description of the Lord’s work.
13:13 f A firstborn son had to be bought back, or redeemed. He could not be sacrificed to the Lord, as child sacrifice is condemned throughout Scripture (see Lev 18:21 g; 20:2 h; Ezek 23:37-39 i).
13:16 j Like the annual Passover celebration (13:9 k), dedicating the firstborn to the Lord was like a mark, a visible way to identify oneself as the Lord’s possession.
Summary for Exod 13:17-14:4: 13:17–14:4 l The Lord’s redemptive power was demonstrated as he brought Israel into a place where they were completely helpless and had to either rely on him for rescue or die. Although at the time it must have seemed completely foolish, Israel would thank God for the rest of its history for maneuvering them into such a spot (see Ps 106:7-12 m; cp. Isa 12:2-6 n).
Summary for Exod 13:17-18: 13:17-18 o faced with a battle: The Israelites had not yet seen God fight on their behalf. Even though they left Egypt like an army ready for battle (13:18 p; see also 12:51 q), it was only an appearance. Until they experienced the Lord as fighting for them (14:14 r) in the crossing of the sea, they were not ready to face enemies in the Promised Land.
13:18 s roundabout way: There is disagreement among scholars about the identification of some of the sites mentioned (13:20 t; 14:2 u), so there is little consensus about the precise route the Israelites took.
• Red Sea: Literally sea of reeds. The Red Sea proper is too far south. The Sea of Reeds was part of the Red Sea, probably located at the northern end of the Gulf of Suez.
13:19 v Joseph had recognized that God would not leave his people in Egypt indefinitely because he had promised Canaan to them (see Gen 50:24-25 w).
13:20 x The locations of Succoth and Etham are uncertain, although the reference to the edge of the wilderness suggests that they were in the region southeast of the Nile delta toward the Gulf of Suez.
13:21 y The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were to be the Israelites’ constant companions for the next forty years.
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