The Book of Exodus – Part One
I think it’s a great insight for many people, an ah-ha moment when they realize that the Bible is a story. It connects the dots. It opens the Bible to them in a new and deeper, and clearer way. The Bible story begins with the creation story in Genesis chapters one and two. It quickly proceeds to the harsh reality of the Fall in chapters three through eleven. Then something really great happens. God opens a new door of redemption in the call and covenant with Abraham. The unraveling devastation of the Fall begins to turn around. God is at work to save his broken world. The Abrahamic covenant continues on through the rest of the book of Genesis. Then something really great happens again in the call of Moses and the covenant through Moses to the children of Israel. The book of Exodus begins this second amazing God moment.
The exodus from Egypt by the descendants of Jacob is an epic story with a major impact in the amazing story of the Bible. The story of the spiritual conflict and God’s mission to redeem his fallen creation is played out on a grand stage. As one reads the book, it is important to feel the tension and the drama of the story. Pay close attention to each episode. God has much to say.
The book of Exodus, like the book of Genesis, has two main parts. First, we find Exodus from Egypt (chapters 1-18), and next, the Covenant at Sinai (chapters 19-40). Here we find the amazing story of God’s rescue of his covenant people and their pivotal part in the overall plan of God. The book of Exodus is a critically important book to understand in the overarching story of the Bible. It becomes a central theme in the development of the rest of the story. Redemption from bondage reverberates throughout the redemptive phase of the Bible storyline. In this article, which is the first of three, we will focus on the first half of the book, chapters 1-18.
Exodus at a Glance
1. Exodus from Egypt (ch. 1-18)
(1) Call of Moses (1:1-6:13)
(2) Plagues & Passover (6:14-13:16)
(3) Journey to Sinai (13:17-18:27)
2. Covenant at Sinai (ch. 19-40)
(1) Covenant Law (19:1-31:18)
(2) Covenant Breach (32:1-34:35)
(3) Covenant Worship (35:1-40:38)
Exodus from Egypt (1-18)
1. The Call of Moses (1:1-6:13)
In the early chapters of Exodus, we find the covenant people of God, the heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, under Egyptian bondage. Has the plan of God spun out of control? What about the promises the Lord made to Abraham? In this uncertain time, we see the long-term extreme sufferings of the Hebrew people, and yet their rapid population growth. The Egyptians, out of fear for this explosion of foreign peoples in their land, deal with them severely by an attempt to put to death the male children. Moses was born into this time of intense struggle and pain. The Lord rescued him by the love of his mother and the compassion of Pharoah’s daughter. In a strange turn of events, Moses, the deliverer of the Israelite slaves, grows up in Pharoah’s house, yet still, he must have experienced an overpowering longing for his people. This perfect storm places Moses in the position of killing an Egyptian to protect his people. In fear, Moses flees to the land of Midian, where he begins a new life with a new family.
Here in the land of Midian, far from the suffering of his people, the covenant people of God, we see the Lord call Moses many years later, to go back to Egypt to deliver his people. The Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush on Mount Horeb. This is a great moment in the story of God’s redemptive plan. In this amazing experience of the Lord’s presence, Moses is commanded to go back to Egypt with the incredible task of announcing to Pharaoh the Lord’s message: “Let my people go!” Moses initially resists the call of God, but the Lord reassures him by revealing himself as I AM (Yahweh), the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (though the patriarchs did not know God as Yahweh). Moses returns to Egypt, meets Aaron, and they go to Pharaoh for the first meeting. Pharaoh does not let the people go, but rather increases their workload, causing Moses to call out to the Lord in anguish. The Lord answers him with comforting promises of covenant fidelity.
There are seven episodes in this first section:
- Israel Under Egyptian Bondage (1:1-22): There is pain before the birth of a child. The children of Israel experience the pain of the plan of God before he rescues them.
- The Birth of Moses (2:1-10): The hand of the Lord moves in the birth of God’s miracle child, Moses.
- Moses Flees from Egypt to Midian (2:11-25): The Deliverer requires delivering from himself as he receives training in the desert.
- The Lord Meets with Moses (3:1-4:17): The gracious presence of the Lord in the burning bush challenges Moses and changes everything. Moses is called to go for the Lord but is reluctant.
- Moses Returns to Egypt (4:18-31): Engagement and stumble in the work of redemption. God is in control.
- Moses’ First Meeting with Pharaoh Leads to Harsh Treatment of Israel (5:1-21): The battle begins, and it seems the enemy wins, but waiting builds character.
- Moses Cries out to the Lord & Is Comforted (5:22-6:13): When following the plan of God causes things to get worse, prayer is in order. Covenant remembrance and covenant promise bring courage.
2. Plagues on Egypt & Passover for Israel (6:14-13:16)
Pharaoh rejected the Lord’s message to him through Moses. So the Lord showed himself mighty by bringing nine devastating plagues on Egypt through Moses and Aaron. In all this, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not release the people of Israel to go worship the Lord. The tenth and final plague was the darkest of all, the death of all the firstborns in Egypt. The ten plagues on Egypt by the Lord were an epic battle of wills. There is growing tension in the story as one plague follows the next, yet Pharaoh stubbornly refuses to let the people of God leave. But in the end, Pharaoh, nor any other power, is a match for the sovereign will of the Lord. The ten plagues are structured in two groups of nine plagues and the tenth plague. The nine plagues are structured in three sets of three that grow in intensity. This structure is seen in the way and time the Lord commands Moses to approach Pharaoh for each plague. In all the plagues, the Lord triumphed over Egypt, the Pharaoh, and the gods of Egypt, showing himself to be sovereign over all.
Then the Lord commanded Moses to have the people take an unblemished lamb and roast it and eat it. They were to take blood from the lamb and put it on the doorposts and lintel of each house so that the death angel would pass over that house and not take the firstborn. This was to be celebrated perpetually as the Passover feast. That night the death angel came and took the firstborn from every house not covered by the blood, including Pharaoh’s house. In this severe act of divine judgment, Pharaoh’s hard heart is subdued, and he lets the people of God go. God is in control to work his plan and bring glory to his name.
There are five episodes in this section:
1. Genealogy of Moses & Aaron (6:14-30): This is a transition between the call of Moses and the plagues on Egypt. It shows the covenant legitimacy to speak and act for the Lord.
2. Confrontation with Pharaoh (7:1-13): Before the plagues begin, Moses & Aaron confront Pharaoh with a display of power from the Lord. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened & he rejected the word to him, as the Lord had predicted.
3. Nine Plagues on Egypt (7:14-10:29): Moses brings nine increasingly devastating plagues on Egypt and Pharaoh at the Lord’s explicit direction. Yet, Pharaoh’s heart is continually hardened, demonstrating the glory of the Lord.
4. Tenth & Final Plague Promised (11:1-10): The Lord promises a final plague, greater than all the others, that will result in the exodus. All that has and will transpire is in the hands of the Lord.
5. Passover & the Tenth Plague (12:1-13:16): The greatness of God’s grace is seen in the Passover. God redeems his people with blood; the others fall under judgment. Pharaoh relents and lets the people of God go.
3. Journey to Sinai (13:17-18:27)
The people of Israel are out of the land of Egypt for the first time in 400 years. They are free to go where God leads them, but they are still slaves in their hearts. They then journeyed from Egypt to Mount Sinai. They hurriedly left the land of Egypt after they took much of its wealth with them. The Lord led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Along the way, he fed them with manna and gave them water from a rock despite their constant complaining.
When Pharaoh realized he had let his slave labor force go, he changed his mind and pursued the people of God, catching them between his army and the Red Sea. The children of Israel were frantic with fear as the chariots of Pharaoh neared. Again the Lord showed himself powerful by parting the waters of the Red Sea so that the people walked across on dry land. When the chariots of Pharaoh started to cross, the Lord brought the waters back down upon them. Thus the Lord again delivered his people and showed himself to be mighty. The Lord’s guidance, care, and protection are with his people despite their fear and failure to trust him. The plan of God moves on.
There are eight episodes in this final section of the first half of the book:
1. The Lord Leads his People from Egypt (13:17-22): The Lord leads the people towards the Red Sea because they are not ready for war. Moses fulfills the promise to carry Joseph’s bones back to the land of promise. The Lord leads the people by day with a pillar of cloud and by night with a pillar of fire.
2. The Lord Gives Victory at the Red Sea (14:1-31): The Lord is glorified when the fearful Israelites are trapped against the Red Sea as Pharaoh’e army attacks. The Lord shows himself mighty by parting the Red Sea to rescue his people while defeating Pharaoh and his army.
3. The Song of Praise to the Lord (15:1-21): Moses and the people sing the Lord’s praises, giving him glory for his rescue at the Red Sea. How does this song show the ways, the purposes, and the character of the Lord?
4. The Lord Provides Water at Mara (15:22—27): Bitter water turns the people bitter, and they complain against the Lord. The Lord makes the water sweet through Moses. The Lord is testing them, promising not to judge them if they trust and obey.
5. The Lord Provides Mana to Eat (16:1-36): The people again complain against the Lord by complaining against Moses and Aaron. The Lord provides them with mana from heaven by grace. The people must trust the Lord’s grace provision daily and especially for the Sabbath. The people continually fail to learn the lessons the Lord is teaching them.
6. The Lord Provides Water from the Rock at Rephidim (17:1-7): Again, the people complain about water in the wilderness. The Lord instructs Moses to strike the rock with his staff to provide water. The people again failed the Lord’s test.
7. The Lord Gives Victory over Amalak (17:8-16): The Amalekites fought Israel at Rephidim. The Lord gave them victory as Moses held up his staff. Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses as he became weary. They built an altar there and called the place, The Lord Is My Banner. The Lord again proves himself mighty and that he will provide for Israel, yet they fail to act in faith.
8. Jethro’s Wise Counsel to Moses (18:1-27): The responsibility for the people Moses carries is too great, so his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, gives him wise counsel on how to organize the people and give proper justice. Moses is to pray for the people, teach the commands of the Lord to the people, and provide trained and qualified leaders to do the same.
The first half of the book of Exodus dramatically shows how God redeemed his people for his purposes and sets the stage for the awesome revelation of the Lord to his people on Mount Sinai. This first part of the book calls God’s people to trust him in uncertain times when God brings them out of a painful preparation to journey with him. It shows us that when the Lord reveals himself and leads us in his mission, we must follow in faith, trusting his word and Spirit. But in this first part of Exodus (1-18), we see that the children of Israel do not follow the Lord in obedience. They are unfaithful to him. They complain and challenge him at every turn. Yet even in the rebellion of his covenant people, the Lord remains faithful. His judgment falls on them at times, but he remains faithful to his covenant promises.
God has a plan, and he is working out that plan in the world. As part of his plan of salvation, God has a purpose for each believer as they follow him in love and obedience. It is imperative that every believer trusts the leading of the Lord, even when they cannot see the way forward. He is working it all out in his time and in his way. We must be faithful to him as he is faithful to us.