Mensa Otabil - Remember God's Portion
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Welcome to a brand new week. This week, we go back to the Book of Exodus as we study the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. It has been part of our study throughout the year and will conclude in the last week of this year. So, we turn to Exodus chapter 13, verses 1 and 2. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, «Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, of both man and beast; it is Mine.» So, God has delivered Israel from Egypt; He has protected His people throughout the plagues. Egypt has lost so much, but God’s people have been protected and preserved. So, what’s next? What does God want them to do next? These new sets of instructions are for Israel after deliverance. After God has set you free, what does He want from you?
So, three things that we’ll look at. First, He says, «Consecrate the first to Me.» The firstborn of every man and every beast is Mine. When we consecrate something, it means we’ve set it apart and dedicated it to God. So, why is God telling them to consecrate the firstborn to Him? Because He delivered the firstborn of Israel, of both man and beast, from the plague. Egypt lost their firstborn; Israel did not lose anything. And God says, «What I deliver belongs to Me.» Isn’t that amazing? Whatever God delivers belongs to Him. He doesn’t deliver us so we can live our own merry way; He delivers us so we can live for Him. And so He says the firstborn of Israel belongs to Me. They are going to serve Me; they are going to be dedicated to My work.
So, God delivers so we can belong to Him. The second thing God says is that the firstborn belongs to Him, so we must learn to give God’s portion to Him. You know, many times God does so much for us; He delivers us, He blesses us. Sometimes it even comes in the form of a promotion, or it may be some financial favor that comes to us-something works for us. And then, all of a sudden, we forget all the times we were praying and asking God, «Oh God, help me! Oh God, deliver me! Oh God, do this for me!» The moment the miracle happens, we tend to just want to enjoy the goodness of the Lord. But for everything God blesses us with, there is a portion that belongs to God. There is a part that we give back to the Lord, and that is a discipline we must develop in our lives.
That’s why we go to church and give offerings in the first place; because we believe that a portion of all that we have belongs to God. It is a principle in the Bible. Whatever God gives to you or does for you, remember that a portion belongs to God, and you have to learn to give God’s portion to Him. God’s portion is the firstborn son and the firstborn of every beast; they are God’s. You don’t touch it. Whatever belongs to God, you don’t touch it.
The third thing we want to learn is that whatever we give to God, God gives us back far more than we give to Him. You know, God doesn’t ask us to give to Him so that He will impoverish us. When He says, «Give Me the firstborn,» to Israel, He’s not impoverishing the nation; He’s not depopulating them. He’s actually using that as a covenant relationship with them so that they can increase more, become better, and become bigger. So, in giving, we don’t lose. When we give God’s portion to Him, we don’t lose; we gain. We gain God’s covenant relationship, we gain His blessing, we gain His favor, we gain His increase. And that’s what God is teaching Israel right after their deliverance. It’s not just about you being free; it is about you dedicating yourselves and your life to God out of this deliverance.
I hope that this will be the pattern of our lives: that when God sets us free, we dedicate our deliverance to Him. Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are my God. I promise to give You the first and the best of all that I have. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»