32
The Desire of Ages
Me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even
thy first-born.”
Exodus 4:22, 23
.
Moses delivered his message; but the proud king’s answer was,
“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know
not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”
Exodus 5:2
. The Lord worked
for His people by signs and wonders, sending terrible judgments upon
Pharaoh. At length the destroying angel was bidden to slay the first-
born of man and beast among the Egyptians. That the Israelites might
be spared, they were directed to place upon their doorposts the blood
of a slain lamb. Every house was to be marked, that when the angel
came on his mission of death, he might pass over the homes of the
Israelites.
After sending this judgment upon Egypt, the Lord said to Moses,
“Sanctify unto Me all the first-born, ... both of man and of beast: it
is Mine;” “for on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of
Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in Israel, both man and
beast: Mine shall they be: I am the Lord.”
Exodus 13:2
;
Numbers
3:13
. After the tabernacle service was established, the Lord chose the
tribe of Levi in the place of the first-born of all Israel to minister in the
sanctuary. But the first-born were still to be regarded as the Lord’s,
and were to be bought back by a ransom.
Thus the law for the presentation of the first-born was made partic-
ularly significant. While it was a memorial of the Lord’s wonderful
deliverance of the children of Israel, it prefigured a greater deliverance,
to be wrought out by the only-begotten Son of God. As the blood
sprinkled on the doorposts had saved the first-born of Israel, so the
blood of Christ has power to save the world.
[52]
What meaning then was attached to Christ’s presentation! But the
priest did not see through the veil; he did not read the mystery beyond.
The presentation of infants was a common scene. Day after day the
priest received the redemption money as the babes were presented to
the Lord. Day after day he went through the routine of his work, giving
little heed to the parents or children, unless he saw some indication of
the wealth or high rank of the parents. Joseph and Mary were poor;
and when they came with their child, the priests saw only a man and
woman dressed as Galileans, and in the humblest garments. There
was nothing in their appearance to attract attention, and they presented
only the offering made by the poorer classes.