How to Teach People about God.

How to Teach People about God. Exodus 13:1-16.

The Lord was very gracious in passing over the homes of the Children of Israel. Not so fortunate were those of the Egyptians; they had lost all of their first born children and their flocks experience death too. However, God delivered His people.

The people knew of God, but how to relate to God was beyond them. They all were like the new family that comes into church for the first time. They know there is a God, but what do you do now?

In a church, the most important responsibility is to teach people how to relate to God. I have been to churches that teach their people only to attend all the functions, pot lucks, outings, and other social events. Therefore, their people, when asked about the scriptures, are lost.

People need to not only learn about God, but learn how to teach others about God. This is the first thing on God’s mind when tending to all these people who had just escaped the bondage of Egypt.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.” Exodus 13:1-2(NKJV)

The work consecrate means to sanctify, honor, and dedicate. God wanted the Israelites to know how fortunate they were to have escaped the angel of death and teach them that their obedience made the difference.

Sanctification is what we teach to those who come to church. We teach them that Christ died for our sins and in reverence, we sanctify or dedicate our lives to Him. This is the first lesson taught to a person coming to know about God.

And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. Exodus 13:3(NKJV)

For Israel, God saved them all from slavery in Egypt. Yet in our day, the New Testament writers teach that Egypt is a type of the world and the bondage we faced, in this world, is the bondage to sin. Therefore, we also teach people to reflect back to what Christ saved them from; for the life’s we use to lead would have led to spiritual death.

On this subject I must make one interjection. Each of us had been saved from various sins and where it is wonderful to speak about our salvation, the details of our sin should be spared from the ears of your children. We are training them never to sink to that level and live consecrated to the Lord; therefore, our delight for sin should not be a focus.

On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. Exodus 13:4-5(NKJV)

Repetition and holding an annual observance was top on God’s agenda for His people. This is why Roman Catholic Priests instituted the Christmas and Easter Observances; for creating traditions surrounding the goodness of God is a top priority to God.

Family traditions fit into this same thinking also. Families that have a stable event roster grow together and be it Easter, Christmas, or one a person made special, as long as the family reverences it, it will stand as a lesson for all generations that God is good to us.

In America our founding father instituted a day we call Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate our thankfulness, to God, for leading people to America and providing for our families. This is a most wonderful holiday.

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year. Exodus 13:6-10(NKJV)

Teaching your children how terrible sin can be, is as simple as teaching them about leaven. Leaven or yeast causes a whole lump of dough to rise. It can never go back to its original state again.

If the dough is to come into contact with other dough, that dough will rise also. Therefore, they had to sweep the house clean and get rid of all the leaven. They ate unleavened bread for seven days which is the number of perfection.

In this they can teach their children the principle of what it is to live a consecrated life. God wants his people to live without sinning. Though it is impossible to not sin, we can continue to sweep our lives clean of sin and that is essential to consecrating your life or dedicating one’s self to God.

“And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD’s. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.” Exodus 13:11-16(NKJV)

The allegories in the scriptures are vast and if we understand this, as we read Exodus a person can learn much about our own life with God. Through allegories, each of us can apply scriptures directly to our lives.

Do you fit the allegory of being a stubborn donkey? Pharaoh did; and so have many who resist God when God was speaking to their hearts. Many people refuse to listen and God will not pull a donkey to Him.

The blood of the lamb could sanctify even a dumb donkey, but if that lamb sacrifice does not cover the dumb donkey, its neck will be broken and it will die.

Three things we learn from this passage; first, consecrate your children to the Lord for the salvation of the Lord is precious.

Second, teach others to sweep the sin from their lives by having traditional remembrances of what salvation means.

Third, even a donkey can be spared and many of us were donkeys.

The Bible is a book for our learning and if we simply follow God’s direction for His people we can survive this earth with its dangers. Let us consecrate our lives daily to our God who loves us.