Last time, we took the time to reflect on happened after the Passover – the Nation of Israel walked out of Egypt, free, blessed, and no longer slaves while the Nation of Egypt mourned their horrific losses. God took the Israelites from slavery to wealth and freedom, demonstrating the “distinction” He had told them about – which all begin with trust. It was a sharp contrast which requires us to ask a few questions.
Why would God do this? Many people have struggled with this part of the Exodus story. When God created the universe, He created it to operate by natural laws and spiritual laws. In Genesis 8:22, we read, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” This is known as the law of reciprocity. In Exodus 4:22-23, God instructed Moses to warn Pharoah – how Pharaoh treated God’s firstborn (Israel) would determine how God treated Egypt’s firstborn. The law of reciprocity is real and undeniable. We see it repeatedly throughout Scripture (Jacob, David, Haman, and others).
In Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” The law of reciprocity described again – What are we sowing right now? Pharoah reaped what he sowed. The Israelites trusted God and reaped what they sowed, but it didn’t end there. In Exodus 13:1-2, God tells them the only thing He requires is their trust and trusting Him means God is first!
Why does God require this? The first is sacred and belongs to God (Exodus 13:11-12, Exodus 23:19). God did what he did in the Egyptians’ lives and in the Israelites’ lives for that reason. What is done with the first determines everything else. Why? The first portion carries the blessing. We see it throughout Scripture (Hannah, Abraham, Joshua, Jesus feeding the five thousand, and more). The first must also be sacrificed or redeemed (Exodus 13:1-2,13). God says the first of everything belongs to Him – the first born had to be redeemed or sacrificed, there was no third option. It is the reason Jesus, God’s firstborn, was sacrificed - so we could be redeemed. God gave Him first and sacrificed Him long before any of us opened our hearts to Him. It is what trusting God is all about – putting God first and trusting Him to redeem the rest!
Are you trusting God with your firsts? Your tithes and offerings to Him? May we trust God first with everything in our lives.