While God kills the firstborn of all the people and animals of Egypt, God wants the Israelites to consecrate their firstborn to him in Exodus 13. This seems to be a change in the way God deals with his people. Up until this point the firstborn often seem to get the short straw, but now God asks for them to be dedicated to God’s care.

God also establishes a regular Passover festival that will begin when the Israelites reach the land flowing with mild and honey. At the Passover the firstborn males shall be redeemed to remind them of how God freed them from slavery.

Pharaoh lets the people go. And God leads them out of Egypt, but he leads them on a roundabout path because he thinks that they may change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war. This certainly is a prescient thought. Moses remembers to take Joseph’s bones with him to bury in the Promised Land just as he had asked. God leads the people with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The pillars never leave the people.

In Exodus 14 As God leads the people to the Red Sea (or Reed Sea, Sea of Reeds), Pharaoh realizes what he has done and takes an army to pursue the Israelites. The Israelites see the Egyptians coming and are afraid. They ask to be returned to the Egyptians just as God feared. But Moses tells the people to stand firm because the Lord will fight for them.

God tells Moses to stretch his staff over the sea and the waters divide. The Israelites cross over the sea on dry ground. The Egyptians follow the Israelites but God confuses them and they become mired in the mud. Moses stretches out his staff again and the waters of the sea cover the Egyptians until all are lost. The people of Israel saw the great work the God has done and they fear him. They believe in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.

In Matthew 23 Jesus explains to the crowds that the scribes and Pharisees teach the Law of Moses so they should obey what they say. However, he warns the people not to follow their example. They practice their religion for show but do not do the things they should do in living out justice, mercy and faith.

Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for not being on the inside the way they force others to be, for looking good on the outside, but being corrupt on the inside. He prophesies the killing of his righteous followers at their hands.

Jesus makes a distinction between the teachings of the scriptures and the teachers of the scriptures. He notes that the scriptures are true and should be followed even if the teachers are not true and are hypocrites in that their lives to not reflect their teachings. Often we in the church are called hypocrites because we do not live out the faith we profess. Despite our inability to be good examples the words of the scriptures remain true guides for living. Believers can count on them.