We move on into Chapter 13 today where we'll find the Lord still giving further instructions regarding observing Passover for all the generations to come and speaking of the dedication of the firstborn males of Israel.
The Israelites did everything on the first Passover that they were commanded to do and the Bible says, "All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions." (Exodus 12:50-51) Had they failed to be obedient to the Lord in this matter they would not have gained their freedom. However, the Lord always knew they would fulfill the commands of Passover, so He was able to prophetically say during the centuries before their release that He would bring them out of Egypt.
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Consecrate to Me every firstborn male: the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, whether human or animal.'" (Exodus 13:1-2) To consecrate someone or something means to dedicate it, set it apart for a special purpose, to assign it special honor, or to ordain it to serve the Lord. It also means to redeem, which in the case of the firstborn males of Israel was accomplished by offering a lamb to the Lord in place of the firstborn. Of course the Israelites didn't sacrifice their firstborns to the Lord; they offered Him a lamb in honor of their firstborn---to "buy back" their firstborn, in other words.
Already in the Bible we've seen firstborn sons receiving preferential treatment. They were typically the primary heir of their father because they received a double portion of the worldly goods he left behind. A father could disinherit a firstborn son if the son's behavior and moral character warranted it, but in the majority of cases men were able to pass the largest portion of their estates on to their firstborn sons. A firstborn son was expected to take up the reigns of family leadership upon his father's death, so this meant he would become the head of the family. A lot of responsibility came along with this position, including fulfilling the duties of high priest for his family in the days before the priesthood of Israel was established by the Lord. So we see that the firstborn son received not only the greater material blessing but the greater spiritual blessing as well. He would be responsible for the financial prosperity, the safety and security, and the spiritual health of his people.
In the Bible we often find God referring to Israel as His firstborn, beginning in Exodus 4:22. Also in Exodus we find the firstborn sons of the Egyptians being exchanged, in a sense, for Israel. Until the firstborn Egyptian males perished in the tenth plague, Pharaoh would not set the Lord's firstborn (Israel) free. The Lord warned Moses it would take something as severe as the tenth plague for Pharaoh to relent. Before the Lord ever sent Moses to Egypt to bring the people out, He told Moses that a day would come in which Moses would have to say to Pharaoh on the Lord's behalf, "You refused to let him (Israel) go, so I will kill your firstborn son." (Exodus 4:23) The firstborn son was highly revered in ancient cultures and still is in some cultures today. The firstborn was considered the best and brightest of the family and the most deserving of honor, responsibility, and wealth. He was given special treatment from the moment he was born, including the most comfortable sleeping area in the house, the chair of honor at his father's right hand at the table, the finest cuts of meat from the serving platter at dinner, the best clothing, and so on and so on. From birth a firstborn son was groomed to be the head of the family and to expect and demand the respect of his younger siblings and the families that would descend from them. He was treated like a king and all his father's hopes and dreams for the future of the family would be placed upon him.
Taking all this into consideration, we can understand what a huge insult it was to God to have His firstborn (Israel) enslaved and persecuted and oppressed in Egypt. God's hopes and dreams for the future of Israel, and for the future of the entire human race, were pinned upon this firstborn because from Israel would spring the Redeemer---God's literal firstborn Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Anyone who wanted to persecute or wipe out the Israelites was persecuting God, by extension, because the existence of the nation of Israel was necessary for Him to put into action His plan of salvation.
We can see what a devastating blow it was to Pharaoh to lose his firstborn son and heir to his throne, for all his hopes and dreams for the future of his family and his nation were pinned upon his eldest son. This is why, on the night the death angel took the life of the king's firstborn son, Pharaoh was demoralized and defeated enough (though only temporarily) to at last obey the Lord and set the Israelites free.
A lot of emphasis is placed upon firstborns in the Bible and we will be taking a further look at the consecration of firstborn sons as we move through Chapter 13. For now we'll just keep in mind that God the Father gave His own firstborn Son in exchange for us. His Son was offered to redeem us, to buy us back from slavery to sin, and to set us free from the futility and fruitlessness of living lives apart from God.
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