13:1-2 God is not finished leading the children of Jacob, not even today in our present time. This massive group of Jacob's descendants (our ancestors) is making their way out of Egypt and slavery. Spirituality for each of us is really a journey out of a slavery. We are all bound by something: a circumstance, an insecurity, an emotion, or even a person. Through the development of our spirituality, we enable God to do His work of dissolving those figurative chains. He is the Ultimate power and therefore, when we give Him authority over our lives, any person or thing else loses its control over our lives. He builds us up to be strong and free and He is able to do so the moment we consecrate ourselves to Him.
God speaks to Moses: Consecrate to Me all the firstborn...among the children of Israel; it is Mine. What is God saying here? Let me claim you as My own. Give Me the go-ahead to reign over you, to let My will organize and lead your life. God is so possessive of us, His children. He wants our love and attention so that He is able to pour His love and His intention into us.
God is aware that the children of Israel's journey has only just begun; they have years of spiritual development ahead of them. He knows their faith is weak but because His love is strong, He advises Moses to concentrate this group to Him. Let's look at the definition of consecrate: make or declare (something, typically a church) sacred; dedicate formally to a religious or divine purpose.
God has a divine purpose for this people and for each of us. All we have to do is step into it, into Him. God is telling Moses that if they commit themselves to him, every person, every head of house, elder and leader, He's going to lead them along a divine purpose. It is imperative that this declaration is made at the onset because this relationship they (we) have with God is a mutual and constant effort.
God has a straightforward path planned. A person cannot hop on and off of it intermittently because during that time off, they've wandered away from the path. It isn't near enough to hop back onto anymore. Every journey with Him begins at the beginning, at the place where He can establish us and equip us with the tools we need to endure the path. As we progress along the journey, it inclines; but those who walked all along are prepared, trained for the course as it gradually changes. One cannot simply hop in at the middle, it's too steep... the climate is too unfamiliar.
So God begins this journey by giving this directive: commit yourselves to Me. That is where each journey must begin: with a commitment to His will. Why? When we commit to Him we receive the pack. You know that huge backpack filled with all the necessary equipment? If we have it (Him) on our backs, we can access its contents at all times. If we are near Him, He is near enough to replenish it as well.
Life is a diverse course: peaks, valleys, varying climates. Just as a hiker would reach into their pack for a water bottle or insect repellent, a child of God reaches into their faith-pack for the provisions they need along the way: hope, endurance, patience, comfort. Committing to God, consecrating yourself to Him is that final, securing snap of the backpack across your chest.
13:3-4 Moses says to the people: Remember this day. The memory of this day, the day of their freedom, is packed full of emotions and occurrences they are going to need to remember in the coming phases of their lives. This is a group of hundreds of thousands without a physical home. There will be bumps along the way... more times in life when faith, trust in God, is required. Always remember this impossible, incredible miracle because if you do, you'll remember He is always able.
Moses instructs them to keep the tradition of unleavened bread in their first month, Abib. The tradition will help them to remember God's rescue.
13:5-7 Moses instructs them to keep the tradition in every land, in every point of their journey. Humans are a fickle and forgetful bunch. Often, we are only content until the next bump... and then we abandon everything we learned from our previous experiences. Remain steadfast in faith is the core of Moses' advice; faith rescued you before, keep it with you and it will do it again. This celebration ensures that at least once per year, people will reflect on their history and relationship with God.
13:8-10 Pass the faith onto the coming generations. God made an everlasting covenant with humanity... not just with a single group of men. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob established the covenant with God on our behalf. They dreamed of and prayed for our existence, their lineage carried out even into the end of times on earth. They wove with God the first threads of our fabric and it's necessary for us to keep on weaving. We aren't new or separate... these remembrances are to be carried on for a reason: we are part of them; they are part of us.
13:11-13 Moses passes on God's message of consecration to the children of Israel. The establishment of these sacrifices and traditions are meant for our well-being. We drift away so easily. God's hope is that with these annual and daily remembrances we might remain moored to Him.
13:14-15 Moses's directive from God continues: teach your children. After all, they were nearly born into slavery. Teach them of the One who freed them so that they will remain free. Inform them of the entire story: how unlikely it was that a corrupt and stubborn Pharaoh came to release them. Do not let the incredulity die; do not let faith wither. Every child deserves to know that their Creator loves them, claims them and rescues them.
13:16 Your faith should be able to be described in this way: A sign on your hand and as front-lets between your eyes. In other words, your faith should be alive and active in all the work that you do with your hands: In your greetings and goodbyes, in how you handle things and others, in how you trade with, interact with and direct others. Moreover your faith should be between your eyes, deep within your mind. It should always be your guidepost. Your center of wisdom. Your director. Present in every thought, word and action-command your brain sends to your hands.
13:17-18 This is how well God knows us and prepares for our nervous nature: He directs the children of Israel on the longer, further, seemingly less convenient path because He knows they could not weather the shorter, closer option. This is precisely why we do well to trust Him in outlining the path of our lives! We must not waste time worrying, wondering or despairing over the path He chooses for us. He can see ahead: He knows that to us, a certain way might appear to be easier or better in some way... and He also knows that once we get halfway into that way, we're going to get turned around.
He enables us to keep pushing forward, to never get turned around, to never waste time, to never waste energy. The children of Israel could have passed through that troublesome land because they walked with God... but out of compassion, God leads them another way. Their faith is not strong enough for that path and therefore they will not reap the benefits of it. Sure, it's shorter... but that doesn't really matter if they aren't able to even make it through.
There are so many circumstances in our lives that cause us to feel that we know better. If only "this" or "that" were a certain way, we think we know that we would be so happy and fulfilled. We see the opening of the shorter path and we declare it to be the best and easier one. Sometimes we whine or despair over being directed away from it.
Conversely, God sees the entire path. Because He can see the entire path, not just the opening, He is able to see if there is a lake in the middle...and He also knows if the traveler can even swim. He knows what paths with be over our head.
God's omniscience allows Him to see that the children of Israel would regress by taking that certain path. Out of fear and ineptitude for the course, they would turn around and walk right back into enslavement. This figuratively applies to our own lives. If you want to make consistent progress, allow Him to lead. You are not able to perceive as He is able to perceive. Do not let arrogance or laziness or ignorance convince you that you are.
If God tells you to take the long way, and He frequently does, listen to that advice. Follow it through. Know that He chose that way for you with your best interests in mind. He has claimed you because He knows you and loves you:
Isaiah 43:1
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
13:19 Moses carries the bones of Joseph with them. Joseph saved them, our ancestors. Joseph remained loyal to God through all of his tribulations and that enabled him to be a haven for his family. It is appropriate that Joseph would journey with them because we are each a part of this sojourn. Our soul's very existence traces back to these moments. As God's children, we sojourn together: sometimes we are havens for each other, sometimes we are providers and sometimes we a transporters of each other. We carry and are carried along.
13:20 So they begin their long journey. And where is God during this phase of their sojourn?
13:21-22 He is right above them, a pillar... a leading cloud covering their every movement and resting period. He is their warmth. Their light in the darkness. The interminable life within them. Present in day and night. It is made very clear here: He is never away from them.
He is never away from you. In the day, in the good and easy times He is your leader, your protector. In night, the tribulation, He is your source of Light and Life comforting you, fueling you back into day.
