Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, October 4, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God’s claim on God’s people is passionate and fierce.
God had been silent for nearly 400 years when God returned in voice and presence—in a big way. God heard the pleas of the Hebrew slaves and set in motion the deliverance of an entire nation. The first thing God did was claim God’s people. God first claimed them when speaking to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Ex. 3:6).” God established God’s claim on them as the God of their ancestors.
In today’s reading, God claimed the firstborn of every living thing in the land. God wanted the firstborns consecrated to God. Those that would not be consecrated would be sacrificed on the night of the Passover. By claiming the firstborns (who held most of the power and money within their families), God was ensuring that the entire nation would belong to God. Those who failed to follow God—mostly the Egyptians—would lose their entire infrastructure. The loss of the firstborns would have irrevocably altered the social, political, and financial landscape of Egypt. (Not to mention the loss of their entire workforce!)
God’s claim on God’s people is reminiscent of the birds in “Finding Nemo,” whose chirps made a delightful chorus of, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” I can imagine God looking at each and every child in Egypt and saying, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” Not in a selfish way, but in a parental and loving, yet fierce and passionate way. God would not be outshone in God’s passion for God’s people.
Jesus’ gift to the world was the expansion of God’s claim from the Hebrew people to the entire world. All people may now fall under God’s claim. God does not want only firstborns. God does not want only Israelites. God wants everyone. You and I are “Mine!” and God will show up passionately for us.
How does God show up passionately for you?
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