Exodus 13

God summarizes many of the points He made in the last chapter for the benefit of people like me afflicted with poor auditory memory. I retain information longer if I read it--after all, I apparently did start reading before I entered preschool. On the other hand, I was able to hear as soon as I was born, so I don't know why it's harder for me to remember spoken statements unless I hear them repeatedly. (I'm better with remembering music.) So it may appear like I'm listening intently, but I know I have to--otherwise, I'll probably miss something. (I also suck at multitasking, but I think that's enough tangents for now.)

God does add some shiny new information about redeeming all the firstborn sons and firstborn males of all animals. The animals all have to be sacrificed--not such a thrill to be a firstborn male in this case, is it? However, the donkeys are spared, much to the relief of Eddie Murphy and his firstborn dragon-mule offspring. Instead, poor Lamb Chop has to give its life for a noble cause. Well, I guess someone has to take the fall for "The Song That Doesn't End," and it might as well be the very sheep who disseminated this malignant earworm.

Twice, God uses the vivid figure of speech "sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead" (verse 9, repeated in verse 16) to bolster the idea that the Israelites should remember what God has done for them. Our bodies live in the physical realm, so we often view corporeal sensations and concerns as paramount. The idea of a physical reminder of a spiritual truth does have appeal, as it uses an aspect of the temporary, fallen realm to point toward eternal, truly salient principles. We don't have to use phylacteries as some Jews do today, but we should remember that, in this relentlessly physical world, God still comes first.

Verse 17 notes that God takes the Israelites on a path away from the Philistines and other tribes, knowing that His people will skittishly run right back into the arms of Pharaoh if confronted. And sure enough, this presages the complaints the Israelites will make later. And how does God lead them? One if by land, two if by sea. A cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Bible doesn't say how big the pillar was. Although cinematic adaptations show a colossal, magnificent column, who's to say it wasn't the size of a pillar that would be more fit for a center for ants?

Of course, I'm being facetious, as God can create wonders more phenomenal than we can imagine. (Plus, a small pillar wouldn't do a very good job of leading 600,000+ people. But as 1 Kings 19 shows, God can also reveal Himself in the subtlest of ways.