Transgressing God’s way of life had its wages in death. In the course of our history, humankind became debt slaves to destruction. During the era Israel was in Egypt, God’s “guilty as charged” judgment fell on both Egyptians and Israelites, for God’s chosen people were equal idolators as the Egyptians (Eze. 20:5-9). YHWH sentenced to death each family’s firstborn and the first of animals. Without a firstborn, a nation’s continuation of the generations symbolically came to a halt. Without a first, there is no other.

Emphasis on the Law of the Firstborn hallmarks Israel leaving Egypt by night on the first day of Unleavened Bread. Israel was the first of the nations to come out of bondage. Out of the twenty times “firstborn” is mentioned in Exodus, fifteen are in Exodus chapters 11-13. A firstborn is defined as the firstling, the eldest, the first of a mother’s offspring (H1060), and the forerunner or trailblazer. It figuratively means the most excellent, high standing, the beginning of a father’s strength. Having a unique relationship with the father, the firstborn was the continuation of his name and the beginning of a new creation. Practicing the Law of the Firstborn acted as a perpetual sign to the children of Israel that they belonged to YHWH, who brought them out from the house of bondage to death.

Similarly, a word from the same root (H1069, bakar, to burst forth) denotes the firstfruits devoted to God (H2061, Exo. 23:16). Considered sacred and dedicated to YHWH’s service, YHWH claimed the firstfruits and Israel’s firstborn children and animals. When the Israelites gave YHWH their first child and the first of the fields and animals, the entire nation became holy, YHWH’s possession. The firstborn represented the whole people belonging to the father’s name.

In Israel’s Ancient Near East (ANE) culture, parents treated the firstborn as special, teaching their eldest to use the inherited rights and privileges to care for the rest of the family. He bore responsibility for knowing God’s laws and traditions, even acting as a kinsman redeemer for his brothers. If the firstborn knew YHWH’s covenant laws and taught his siblings, the succeeding generations would live, and Israel would not cease to be a nation. He received a double portion of his father’s possessions to carry out his birthright duties. A father chose a wife for his son on how well she knew the Torah. As the family leader, the firstborn was “his brother’s keeper.” After his father’s death, the eldest son customarily cared for his mother and provided for his unmarried sisters. Since the ANE family culture was the nation’s economy, system of justice, and place of education and training, the firstborn spiritually led the family, serving as a priest and YHWH’s messenger (Mal. 2:7). YHWH designed Israel to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo. 19:6) to care for humanity in the wisdom of God by how they functioned within the family.

Since, by blood purchase, YHWH had spared Israel’s firstborn, both people and animals, He claimed all who opened the womb as His. If free from spot or blemish, the firstborn clean animals were sacrificed to Him after eight days (Num. 18:16), and the unclean animals had their necks broken, but donkeys could be redeemed with a lamb. Israelite families bought back their firstborn sons by offering a lamb in his place. (Later, YHWH accepted Levites in place of the redeemed firstborn, Num. 3:45). The Law of the Firstborn required a redemption payment of five shekels on the thirtieth day of the eldest child’s life. Redemption in the ANE meant to buy back from a creditor a family member sold into servitude to pay a debt. YHWH purchased Israel from death. Since the first from the womb was the strongest, the child symbolized the family’s continuing generations, its might or wealth dedicated to and entwined with YHWH.

Israel’s exodus story is bound to the memory of the death of Egypt’s firstborn and YHWH’s protection of Israel’s firstborn under the lamb’s blood. “Israel is My son, My firstborn, and I say to you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and if you refuse to let him go, behold I will slay your son, your firstborn” (Exo. 4:22-23). The Passover lamb was the substitute for Israel’s firstborns and thus held the firstborn place itself. YHWH’s unique claim on the eldest of humans and beasts (Exo. 13:11-13) meant that each firstborn in Israel had special privileges and responsibilities to serve Him.

The pattern of the firstborn losing the right to lead the family fills the Scriptures. Cain was not his brother’s keeper. Of Noah’s three sons, Shem, rather than the eldest Japeth, continued Noah’s genealogy. God chose Abraham over the eldest son of Haran, Lot. Isaac was appointed over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and Ephriam over Manasseh. The birthright blessing of the firstborn fell to Yeshua, the second Adam, since the first Adam forfeited his role as keeper of the family. Mary brought forth her firstborn Son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren, conformed to His firstborn likeness. Yeshua was the Passover Lamb of God, the blameless firstborn Son of God, led to the slaughter and sacrificed on our behalf so that we might be free of sin’s dominion to serve the living God. He was the image of the invisible God and the preeminent elder over all creation, the firstborn from the dead who is the head and keeper of the family or the church of the firstborn. With all authority given to the Lamb of God, He is the ruler over the kings of the earth, having deposed the fallen gods of the nations.

Takeaway:
Because a blameless firstborn was dedicated and given to God along with the first unleavened grains of the field, the people of Israel and their land were holy, a fit dwelling place for a holy God. Yeshua was our Passover Lamb sacrificed for us and now is the firstborn from the dead. Under His blood, we are free to follow Him out of death’s bondage. He is the head of the family, His brother’s keeper, raising up offspring from the dead. And we are firstborns in His image, commissioned to go to all nations with what we bear in us. A new Israel has been freed from bondage to serve YHWH, a light to the countries that they also may serve Him.

Fun Factors:
Exodus 4:22-23 Israel is My son, My firstborn, letter sum 2160, the moon’s diameter and one month of the Precession of the Equinox Great Year; 2160 = 432 × 5; 432 is the sun’s radius number.

And I say to you, Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and if you refuse to let him go, behold I will slay your son, your firstborn, letter sum 3196, 4 × 17 × 47.

Verses 22-23’s total: 2160 + 3196 = 5356, 4 × 13 × 103, 5356 is the 103rd triangular number, the 52nd hexagonal number, and the 35th centered nonagonal number; 5356 = 1 + 2 + … + 103; 103 is the 27^th prime number. 53 is the letter sum for the garden; 56 is the letter sum for “day,” the name of light (Gen. 1:5). In number language, a garden of light is shaped as a cube, the Holy of Holies.

Exodus 13:1-2 Then YHWH 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.” Letter sum 2968, 7 × 8 × 53 or 53 × 56.

Exodus 13:11-16 the 100-word command to keep the Law of the Firstborn in the land has a letter sum value of 19774, 2 × 9887, 9887 is the 1220^th prime number (1220 is 14² + 32²); 9 × 8 × 8 × 7 = 4032; 9 + 8 + 8 + 7 = 32. The product of 19774’s digits is 1764, 42²; 42 is the number of YHWH’s commands given to Israel at Mount Sinai. The sum of 19774’s digits is 28, 4 × 7.