Exodus 13:11-16: a reflection

11“It shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and will give it to you, 12that you shall set apart to the LORD all that opens the womb, and every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have. The males shall be the LORD’s. 13Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons. 14It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. 15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of livestock. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16It shall be for a sign on your hand, and for symbols between your eyes; for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

As Israel prepares to enter the land, God gives a command tied to memory. Every firstborn is to be set apart to the Lord, and the firstborn of the people are to be redeemed. Woven into the command is an expectation: your children will ask what this means, and you are to answer by telling the story of the exodus, how by the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The ritual exists to prompt the telling of the story.

God builds remembrance into the rhythms of family life. The practices are designed to raise questions in the next generation, what is this, why do we do this, so that parents will pass on the account of God's rescue. The sign on the hand and the symbol before the eyes are meant to keep the story alive, handed from parents to children, so that each generation knows it was redeemed by God's strong hand and not by chance.

Faith is meant to be handed on, and this passage shows one of the chief ways it happens: through telling the next generation what God has done. When those younger than you ask questions, whether children, or anyone newer to the faith, you have an opportunity to tell the story of God's rescue. Build reminders into your life that prompt such questions, and be ready to answer them with the account of how God has redeemed his people, and you. A story told is a faith passed on.

Lord, you built remembrance into your people's life so that children would ask and parents would tell the story of your rescue. Help me to keep the story of your redemption alive and to be ready, when the younger or the newer ask, to tell what you have done. Let faith be handed on through me, so that the next generation knows they were redeemed by your strong hand. Amen.