Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Identity
- Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father. Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.
This is a great chapter to look at identity. At first glance, it seems like a harsh
chapter. God says that any time a woman’s
womb is opened, that act has to be redeemed.
In other words, every time a woman gives birth for the first time, that
act initiates a sacrifice to God. This
seems like such a harsh judgment from a particular perspective.
However, let’s look at what God is saying to the people. He is establishing a rule that will help the
people remember what He did for them in Egypt generation after generation. The people didn’t earn their freedom. They didn’t fight for their freedom. God gave them their freedom at the cost of
the firstborn of the Egyptians. Their
own firstborn were spared. As a reminder
of God’s incredible power, every firstborn opportunity is a time of reminding
the people of God’s power. It is their
identity. They are bought by God.
Of course, we as Christians have a similar identity established
under this precedent. We too have been
bought. We too have been redeemed. The difference is that we have been redeemed
by God’s one and only Son rather than through our own firstborn or even the firstborn
of the Egyptians. But the identity is
still the same. God has redeemed
us. We are His people. Our identity comes through His grace.
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