Dr. Montia Setzler, Senior Pastor
May 29, 2016
Thanks for the Memories
Exodus 13:3–16 (HCSB)
Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of His hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you must carry out this ritual in this month. 6 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory.
8 On that day explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the Lord’s instruction may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10 Keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
11 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord’s. 13 You must redeem every firstborn of a donkey with a flock animal, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn among your sons. 14 In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘By the strength of His hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’ 16 So let it be a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for the Lord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of His hand.”
- REMEMBER WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU
Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of His hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten.” v 3
- All of us have blessings from God that we need to remember.
- Pausing to remember produces the foundation of gratitude.
- Acknowledging God’s activity brings perspective.
- ESTABLISH REMINDERS OF GOD’S ACTIVITY TO KEEP YOUR MEMORY FRESH vv 4-13
- Traditions can serve to remind us of where we came from.
- Forgetting what God has done for us is a dangerous game.
- Unexamined traditions can keep us living in the past.
- Keeping our memory fresh keeps us from making the same mistakes over again.
- TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION WHAT GOD HAS DONE AND HOW TO REMEMBER vv 14-16
Key Questions to Ask:
- What am I doing in the present to remember what God has done in the past?
- What reminders do I keep in front of me to keep me reminded of God’s activity?
- What am I doing to teach the next generation to remember the movement of God?
It is easy to forget what God has done for us. To prevent this happening to us and to those who come after us, we must create reminders to keep the activity of God fresh on our minds.
