13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.
As I read this verse I wondered if the next line said, “but if you do not redeem your son, break his neck.” Just so you know, it doesn’t say that. Redeeming is a costly endeavor. If you wanted to own a donkey, a basic transportation vehicle, you had to pay for its life with the life of a lamb. There was no freebie. But not everyone would have a donkey. You had to have a little bit more wealth, probably land, to be able to afford a donkey. You also would have the need for a donkey. If you didn’t need it, you wouldn’t take food from your family to feed a donkey. If you didn’t have a donkey, you carried those loads on your head or back. You became the basic transportation vehicle. The donkey was the pickup truck of the ancient world. You could build a deck without a pickup truck, but carrying all that lumber in your car would be very inconvenient. Necessary? No, but very nice to have. Remember, all the firstborn belonged to the Lord, because he spared them from the final plague. The life of the Passover lamb was given to provide protection from death. This principle of a needing a death to cover a life remains today. When Jesus died his death covers our sins. He paid the price. He redeemed us. We no longer need to shed our own blood because His blood has been shed. Our life is not required because He freely gave up His life. So today, recognize that the price has already been paid for your sin. You don’t need to extract a penalty from your life. You don’t need to ‘break a neck’ in order to live for the Lord. You can choose to live a life pleasing to the Lord out of gratitude for what He did. He gave up His life so that you could live a life of fulfillment and eternal worth.
The Arnold Journey 