So Exodus 13 is similar to Exodus 12 which was why I am reluctant to read it and understand it. However, I realized that there's an important reason why we should be reading the entirety of Exodus, not just isolated passages. If I was to read this passage like I am now, I would think God is being unreasonable with all these rules and regulations. But if I read this passage as soon as I read about the plagues and Israel's deliverance, it would only be fair for God to instill these practices as ordinations under Moses' law.
So the point of this passage is to demonstrate how we appease God with seemingly useless rituals:
1. We perform actions or follow certain procedures because it serves as a reminder of our circumstances when we were saved. In communion, Jesus calls us to remember what He did on the cross for us by re-enacting and participating in the Last Supper, reciting the same words He said to His disciples. In the same way the Israelites were called to re-enact their escape from Egypt. They left in a hurry and so forgot to put yeast in the bread, and so God commands them to eat unleavened bread so they may remember that time they fled Egypt. They were also commanded to do it the same month that God had them flee Egypt every year to commemorate His grace and mercy.
2. We are only called to give to God was originally His. Just look at the Israelites. Why would it be fair for God to ask the Israelites for the first-born of every human and animal (or a substitute)? Remember how God spared the first-born of Israel from the last plague. It would only be fair for the Israelites to return to Him what He should have taken that night. And if we look at our own lives, why should we keep anything to ourselves if it all came to God. Even our souls were purchased by the blood of Christ on the cross, so why should we deny the true owner what He has bought with Himself by plunging ourselves in desires that are not Him (such as addictions, unhealthy/self-destructive behavior, etc.)? At some point in our lives, we deny God a lot of ourselves because we feel entitled to them. Whether it's time, a job, opportunities, money, even people in our lives, we feel we don't have to give any of it up to God because it is ours. And that's exactly why I think God enacted these laws to serve as a reminder, as a way to humble the Israelites towards the God who saved them and called them His. And the same applies to us, that the cross is the reminder that God is the one who has purchased us and is the rightful owner of ourselves and all that He has given us.
3. We are put in certain situations in life because God put as there. This is controversial in terms of responsibility, but if we look at all of Exodus, from God hardening Pharaoh's heart to God having the Israelites go around in circles in the desert, we can be sure of His providence over our direction. Look at the Israelites and how they are following God now, and how they will be following God later on: They have nothing but complete trust that God's the actor and mover. That's why they go to God when they're frustrated and when they get saved from whatever predicament they're put in. That's not to say frustrating with God is what we should strive for, but acknowledgement of His sovereignty is present at least in His people. In this passage, God's presence reminds them that it was He who was leading their lives and their direction. In this way, we can't be presumptuous in thinking that our own finite existence is what determines what will happen and how an infinite being responds to our nearsightedness.
If you see yourself thinking this way, see if you agree with this statement: "If Joseph really wanted to be buried in Canaan, he should've just left his post in Egypt and died there. I'm sure pharaoh would have granted that. Therefore, Joseph must not have wanted it enough and so he didn't really try to be buried in Canaan and settled for Egypt". We think of our jobs, opportunities, and our own lives in this regard. If only I try harder, if I put more effort into it, if only I really strive for it and want it enough, THEN I will achieve it. It's the same with prayer: If only I pray more, if only I will myself to go to church then it will all be good. How presumptuous of us to have this perspective in life. I'm not saying we shouldn't strive hard, but to presume it's all up to us is the pride that the Bible warns us against having. Look at the example of Jesus on the cross. It crushes any attempts of us to say "Oh God, if only I willed myself to a point where I was a little more righteous" or "If only I had a little more faith then I can do all these good deeds". By no means can we take credit for our salvation, and anything else, nor should we presume it's all up to us. You want to know why God enacted these laws that seem pointless and without aim? It's to remind the Egyptians that it was not by their hand, and not even Moses', that they escaped Egypt. In the same vein, we read Scripture, pray to God, spend quiet time,go to service, attend small groups, all so that we can be humbled that our faith is not our own, but God's and His alone. But these are not required of us so that we might not think that it's our actions in doing these things that make us His chosen people.
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