Sacrifice of the first born

[donanobis]

How were firstborn sons bought back? Was their a penalty if they were not bought back?

Exodus 13:13 New Living Translation

A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the LORD by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son.

Exodus 13:10-13 New Living Translation

10So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year. 11“This is what you must do when the Lord fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live, 12you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him. 13A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son.

Dona

 

[crazzeto]

Well I guess first and foremost this isn’t discussing “sacraficing your first born child” as in child sacrafice. This is something which God abhors and something which would eventually get the Israelites into a whole mess of trouble (see Babaloyian exile).

First bore Calves and Lambs are sacraficed in this manner, when a human child is “offered to God” it is in the manner of a vow to God which the child can not break with out commiting sin.

Edit
With regard to animals sacraficed, no you couldn’t bring them back from the dead. “Get it back” would refer to getting another animal in it’s stead.

 

[Cachonga]

As the Scripture says, you can “buy back” a donkey by offering a lamb or a young goat in its place, otherwise you had to kill it by breaking its neck (it could not be sacrificed on the alter). However, you had to “buy back” your firstborn son. It appears that you would do this the same way you would buy back a donkey, that is, you would offer a lamb or a young goat in his place. The lamb or young goat would be sacrificed on the alter.

 

[donanobis]

As the Scripture says, you can “buy back” a donkey by offering a lamb or a young goat in its place, otherwise you had to kill it by breaking its neck (it could not be sacrificed on the alter). However, you had to “buy back” your firstborn son. It appears that you would do this the same way you would buy back a donkey, that is, you would offer a lamb or a young goat in his place. The lamb or young goat would be sacrificed on the alter.

Was there a penalty for not doing so, like eternal damnation, excommunication or ?

dona

 

[Cachonga]

donanobis:

Was there a penalty for not doing so, like eternal damnation, excommunication or ?

I’m working from memory on this (and I am far from infallible), but I believe that anyone who didn’t obey this would be “cut off from Israel”. That would be almost the same as being excommunicated (though it could involve losing your inheritance, and possibly even your life). You would definitely be barred from Temple worship (or the equivelant prior to the building of the Temple), as well as synogog worship (please do not take off points for spelling). Again, I am going from memory on this. I definitely recommend a careful reading of the Scriptures.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note that tomorrow’s celebration of the Presentation commemorates the buying back of Jesus as First-Born.

22* And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23* (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Luke 2:22-24