We are in chapter thirteen of Exodus with our word for today which is actually two phrases. לְא֜וֹת עַל־יָדְךָ֗ sign on your hand, mark on your hand. It is used 3 times in the Old Testament, twice in our chapter. And our other phrase בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ between your eyes is used also 3 time in the Old Testament, twice in our chapter. Let’s look at how these phrases work together. Exodus 13:9, 16. And it shall be to you as a לְאוֹת֙ עַל־יָ֣דְכָ֔ה sign on your hand and as a memorial בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֔יךָ between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt… It shall be as a לְאוֹת֙ עַל־יָ֣דְכָ֔ה mark on your hand or frontlets בֵּ֣ין עֵינֶ֑יךָ between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” It is interesting that we have two different words in Hebrew but similar meanings qualifying between your eyes. וּלְזִכָּרוֹן֙ memorial and וּלְטוֹטָפֹ֖ת symbolic ornament.
The elements and rituals of the feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover are to be like a sign or mark on their hand and a memorial between their eyes. All of this is basically saying these feasts will be right in front of you. God wants his people to slow down and focus on what is right in front of them. These feasts would take a lot to set up and prepare it would become their focus. So they would slow down and focus on what remembering again that God saved them delivered them out of slavery with his strong hand. This reminds me of Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. God knows that we need to slow down stop and rest in his love for us. We need to let God restore our soul. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment from God was he quotes from Deuteronomy where in the original context contains our phrase for today. Deuteronomy 6:4-8 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָsign on your hand, and they shall be as לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָfrontlets between your eyes. So you could say what God wants us to focus on is his love for us and our love for him.
