I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 13-15.

The beginning of today’s passage contains an explanation of why the Israelites practice regarding child sacrifice differed from those they lived among in the land they settled.  We know from later biblical accounts and from archaeological records that the people whom the later Israelites lived among offered some of their children as sacrifices to their gods.  I am not positive on this, but I believe that they sacrificed their first born sons.  This is one of several passages which make clear that the Israelites were not to do the same.  Here Moses tells them that they are to dedicate the first born male to God, both of their children and their livestock.  They were given the option of buying back a first born donkey, but they were required to buyback their firstborn sons.   Moses mentions just once that they have the option of buying back the first born donkey, but repeats the requirement to buy back first born sons.  This is one of several places where it is made clear that God forbids the sacrifice of children.

When the Israelites left Egypt Moses did not lead them by a direct route towards the Promised Land.  In fact, he led them by a circuitous route which made it seem to anyone tracking them that they were lost.  This served two purposes.  First, the Israelites were not prepared to face the battles which they would have faced on the most direct route. Second, it enticed Pharaoh to pursue them.  A study of Egyptian history, and even the Exodus account, suggests that the Pharaoh was likely to pursue the Israelites sooner or later.  Politically, allowing the Israelites to depart made him look weak.  Economically, their departure weakened the Egyptian economy, which weakened the Pharaoh. Personally, their departure would have felt like he had been defeated.  All of these factors made Pharaoh’s pursuit of the departing Israelites inevitable. By appearing lost, the Israelites drew Pharaoh’s pursuit after them while they were in a position to deal him a devastating defeat.  And once again, God’s power was demonstrated, both to the Egyptians and to the people of Israel.