Exodus 13:13 (KJV)
“And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.”
My father was the pastor of Pilot Knob Baptist Church. At that time, the church was out in the country near Berea, Kentucky. We lived in the parsonage which was next door to the church. It was an old farmhouse. The church had a steeple, which housed the church bell. Dad would let one of us boys, either me or one of my brothers or one of the other kids in church, take turns pulling the huge rope and ring the church bell just before church started on Sundays. That was so much fun because as we pulled the rope down the bell would clang, but then as the bell swing in the other direction, the rope would lift us up off the ground until the bell swang back again, clanging each time as the bell would swing back and forth. For children, that was fun!
I remember, on one very special summer, my church had its annual Vacation Bible School (VBS). All the young children and their mothers who were helping would arrive. We would all get in line outside the church. My dad would choose three volunteers each day: one to carry the American Flag, one to carry the Christian Flag, and the other to carry the Bible. At the right time, we all would march into the church, following those who were carrying the flags and the Bible. My mother was the piano player and she would be playing a Christain marching song, Onward Christain Soldiers. In a single file, all of us children would march into the church and fill the church pews beginning with the front row until all children were seated. Dad would call us to order, and all children would amazingly get quiet to see what was next. First, we all stood up and gave our pledge of allegiance to the American Flag. Next, we gave our pledge of allegiance to the Christian flag, and then to the Bible:
After saying our pledges of allegiances, we would still remain standing to sing the Christian choruses we know or have learned. Songs like:
The B-I-B-L-E, Yes, that’s the book for me, I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E. ‘BIBLE!!!’
After our time of singing, Dad would have us all settle down so we can sit down quietly. Dad was not going to give us a VBS children’s sermon from the Word of God. I am 67 years old, and I have remembered this sermon preached by my dad. As a matter of fact, for all the sermons I’ve heard my father preach, I remember only two messages. This one was when God opened my heart and I became a Christain, and the other one was when I was ordained to be a deacon at my church in Talledega, Alabama, many decades after this.
Dad asked us to turn in our Bibles to Exodus 13. I could hear all the pages of the Bible being turned. Dad set the scene of the story. He told us this was God’s commissioning of the Passover Feast that would last for all generations after God, miraculously led Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He read to us children, just one verse, Exodus 13:13, which says,
“Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. “
Kentucky is called the Bluegrass State and it is the home of the Kentucky Derby. Where we lived there were many beautiful horse farms. Traveling on the road from Berea and on to Lexington, there would be miles and miles of white fenced farms with horses and their young colts. Every kid loved horses and we all wished we had a horse of our own. Dad told us a story, I know that I for one, was so attentive and hung to every word he said. The story was:
“There was a very poor man who lived in a poor little shack, he barely had enough food for himself to eat. But he had one precious treasure that gave him so much joy in his life. He owned a beautiful mare horse. He loved this mare horse and treated her as if she was his very own daughter. The poor old man named his horse, ‘Lady.” So appropriate and see was so beautiful. Her coat was a dark, reddish chestnut color. Her main and tail were as black as coal from the mountains of Kentucky. She had a white stripe on her face that went from the top of her main to the tip of her nose. And then she had white stockings on all four legs that went all the way up to her knees. Lady was the most beautiful possession this poor man had. On one cool summer evening, Lady gave birth to a handsome young colt. Yes, now the poor old man was extremely blessed. He prayed to praise God for his fortune. He thought to himself, maybe I will now become a wealthy horse farm owner. Maybe now I can buy and build white fences around my farm so my horses can run around and have fun. Maybe this young colt will grow and be a winner at the Kentucky Derby someday. The man was so thrilled and thanked God for blessing him so much. One day as the man was brushing Lady and her new colt, he looked up and saw the town’s priest coming to his house. The man, so excited to share his good news with the priest, ran to meet the priest at his front gate. The priest was somber looking and did not smile as the old man shared his good news with the priest. The priest opened his Bible and read to the man Exodus 13:13. The priest asked the man, “Do you know what this means? According to God’s law, the colt must be redeemed with a blood sacrifice, and if not, I, as the priest, will have to sacrifice the colt to God.” The old man was stunned and said, “I do not have a lamb or a goat. I do not have anything to redeem my colt.” So the priest led the colt away to the temple to be sacrificed. But, unknown to the old man, a wealthy landowner was passing by and gave the priest a lamb for the sacrifice. The lamb became a substitute and the colt was allowed to live. God was pleased with the sacrifice of the lamb; so the colt was brought back to the poor old man and to Lady, the colt’s mother.
After telling us this story, my father shared with us the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said that God, our Creator, created us to worship and praise him. But man rebelled against God. Because of that first sin, mankind continued to sin and was an enemy of God. But God who loved us so much, sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our substitute and redeem us from the curse of the law of God. God gave us his Son, as it says in John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
God used this message from our church’s Vacation Bible School to reveal to me my great need for a Savior. Ever since I praise and worship God because of His love and His atoning blood for my sins. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I know that in Jesus Christ I have the forgiveness of sins and free gift of eternal life.
I am also thankful that Pilot Knob Baptist Church in Berea, Kentucky, chose my dad to be their pastor during the early to mid-1960s. Because of them, I will always have my memories of the day when God opened my heart and Jesus came and has lived with me ever since. Many churches, shortly thereafter, became theologically liberal in their teaching and would not teach Jesus Christ as our penal substitute for sins. In Christ, my sins were paid. In Christ, I have the forgiveness of sin. In Christ, He gave me the free gift of eternal life. In Christ, I have been born from above!
I lay my sins on Jesus
1 I lay my sins on Jesus,
the spotless Lamb of God;
he bears them all, and frees us
from the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus,
to wash my crimson stains
white in his blood most precious,
till not a spot remains.
2 I lay my wants on Jesus;
all fullness dwells in him;
he heals all my diseases,
my soul he does redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
my burdens and my cares;
he from them all releases,
he all my sorrows shares.
3 I rest my soul on Jesus,
this weary soul of mine;
his right hand me embraces,
I in his arms recline.
I love the name of Jesus,
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
like fragrance on the breezes
his name abroad is poured.
4 I long to be like Jesus,
meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus,
the Father’s holy child.
I long to be with Jesus
amid the heav’nly throng,
to sing with saints his praises,
to learn the angels’ song.