Exodus 13:1-6 New International Version (NIV)
Consecration of the Firstborn
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord.
When you dedicate something to someone, you consider it belonging to that person. The Hebrews were to dedicate their first born to God. This was to remind the people of their deliverance through God. The Hebrews were a unique people because they belonged to God. What do you do that marks you as a follower of God? When you believe in God, you belong to him and he belongs to you. Your actions leave visible markings in life for all to see.
