After God brings you through something difficult, how do you keep from forgetting Him once the season changes?
Key Verse:
“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth…” —Exodus 13:9 NASB
Background Context:
In Exodus 12, God delivers Israel from Egypt through the Passover and brings them out exactly as He promised. The people leave bondage behind and begin their journey toward the land God promised them.
Now in Exodus 13:1–16, God immediately gives instructions about remembrance, consecration, and teaching future generations. Deliverance was never meant to become a forgotten event—it was meant to shape how His people lived going forward.
(Continued and expanded after scripture.)
Consecration of the Firstborn
1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”
3Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. 4“On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. 5“It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month. 6“For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7“Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders. 8“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. 10“Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
11“Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. 13“But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15‘It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16“So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
Reflection on Exodus 13:1–16:
After bringing Israel out of Egypt, God immediately tells them to remember.
This is significant.
God knows how quickly people can forget His faithfulness once the crisis has passed. In moments of desperation, people often cry out to God intensely—but once deliverance comes, it becomes easy to move on and slowly lose sight of what He has done.
So God establishes reminders.
He tells Israel to consecrate every firstborn to Him because He spared their firstborn during Passover. This was meant to create a continual reminder that their deliverance came from God alone.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also reaffirmed—not simply as ritual, but as remembrance.
Again and again, God emphasizes:
- remember this day
- teach your children
- tell future generations
- keep this before you
This reveals something important about spiritual life.
Faith is not sustained by occasional emotional moments alone.
It must be intentionally remembered and reinforced.
God was building rhythms of remembrance into the lives of His people so they would not drift spiritually after deliverance.
Moses repeatedly says:
“It is because of what the LORD did for me…”
This makes the deliverance personal.
Not just:
- what God did historically
- what God did for the nation
- what God did for others
But:
“What God did for me.”
This passage also shows that deliverance leads to consecration.
God did not rescue His people merely so they could continue living exactly the same way they had before.
They now belonged to Him in a special way.
The firstborn being set apart symbolized that their lives were now connected to God’s purposes and ownership.
This principle still matters today.
God’s work in our lives is not meant to produce temporary gratitude alone—it is meant to produce transformed living.
We also see repeated emphasis on future generations.
Parents were to explain:
- why these practices existed
- what God had done
- and why it mattered
Faith was meant to be shared intentionally.
This passage challenges us with an important question:
What are we doing to remember God’s faithfulness?
Because without intentional remembrance:
- gratitude fades
- spiritual complacency grows
- and people slowly drift
God knew Israel would need reminders.
And so do we.
The moments where God has carried us, delivered us, provided for us, and changed us should not become distant memories. They should shape:
- our worship
- our obedience
- our identity
- and the way we teach others
Deliverance was not the end of the story.
It was the beginning of a life centered on remembering and following God.
Application:
- Regularly remember and reflect on what God has done in your life.
- Build intentional habits that keep your focus on God’s faithfulness.
- Allow God’s deliverance to lead to deeper obedience and surrender.
- Share God’s faithfulness with the next generation and those around you.
- Guard against spiritual forgetfulness after difficult seasons pass.
Closing Prayer:
Father, help me never to forget Your faithfulness and the ways You have carried me through difficult seasons. Teach me to remember what You have done and to let those memories shape how I live today. Help me to walk in obedience, gratitude, and trust, and give me opportunities to share Your faithfulness with others. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda
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