Exodus: Gift of Land, the Sabbath, and the Law

The children of Israel are becoming a sign for all nations of the one true God. They are becoming a people consecrated to the Lord, set apart for Him, “And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites (...), as He swore to your fathers, and shall give to you, you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the first-lings of your cattle that are males shall be the Lord's”[footnote:Ex. 13:11--12.] The gifts of God to the children of Israel are both signs of their consecration to Him, and ways to become effectively consecrated to Him. It is the wedding bond God will establish with Israel. The gifts of God are the gifts of a lover to a beloved: they anticipate an unconditional response of love and preference. The gifts of God come with expectations of love, the expectations of a total loving response from the one who receives them. When the gifts of God are received selfishly (ex. Is. 47:8,10) the jealousy of God is kindled. Receiving the gift without recognizing the giver cuts the gesture off at its source. The gifts of God are given freely, He does not revoke them, but they are given by Him so that the children of Israel might form a common life with him and establish a reciprocal relationship.