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Well, we traveled verse by verse through Genesis, covered the essentials of Job and are now going to cover the essentials of the Book of Exodus. I recommend Grady Risely’s coverage of Exodus found on the Yeshuan site and for mine to serve as a general summation of principles and their application today to us as believers.
Introduction to Exodus
The Hebrew Title and Its Significance
And CHAPTER 1
December 3rd 2023
The Hebrew title of this book is not Exodus but is (we'elleh shemot) which originated from the ancient practice of naming a Bible book after its first word or two. "Now these are the names of" is the translation of the first two Hebrew words which have zero reference to the term Exodus. But since the book is, of course, a continuation of the Genesis account and speaks of the Nation that landed in Egypt during Joseph’s life and then Exited out from her grasp, that is the biggest scene in the book and therefore we call it after that event. We get the name Exodus from the Greek word and it is likely that the name came from the Septuagint.
Exodus overall represents an “exiting out from and an entering into” book. The whole Bible, quite frankly might be described as an “exiting out from and an entering into book.” Here, we have the exiting out of bondage for Israel and an entering into a much more direct relationship with YAHAVAH – one that has not existed before. It is believed that the Septuagint translators gave the book this title because of the major existing event in it, but for us, the “types and pictures” found herein are far more important (in my estimation) than the historical events recorded. Frankly, I don’t care much about the physical realities of the Nations past. So let’s learn their lessons without focusing on all the specifics of Judaism.
Authorship and Historical Context
Who recorded these events in Exodus? By all appearances, internal and external, it was Moses, who lived from about 1525 BC to 1405 B.C the same guy who penned Genesis. He may have written it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and wrote of the events after they happened (after about 1444 B.C. they think) or perhaps he was jotting down notes of inspiration the whole time. We don’t know. Many believe he wrote during the year the Israelites camped at the base of Mt. Sinai but some think it was an ongoing journal over their sojourning through the desert and Numbers 13-14 (written CIRCA 1443-1405 B.C.) seems to support this. Finally, he appears to have written it all out on the plains of Moab just before his death (according to Numbers 16:35).
Nevertheless, Exodus has been attributed to Moses since the time of Joshua (compare Exod. 20:25 with Josh 8:30-32). Additionally, other Biblical writers attribute Exodus to Moses too including David (1 Kings 2:3), Ezra (Ezra 6:18), Daniel (Dan 9:11), Malachi (Mal 4:4), the disciples of the Lord (John 1:45), and Paul (Rom 10:5). Yeshua himself also testified of Moses place in the creation of Exodus (Mark 7:10; 12:26; Luke 20:37; John 5:46-47; 7:19, 22, 23). Additionally, Jewish and Samaritan tradition consistently holds to Moses as authoring Exodus.
In terms of Internal Evidence from the Book itself, portions of Exodus are directly attributed to Moses including (Exodus 15; 17:8-14; 20:1-17; 24:4, 7, 12; 31:18; 34:1-27). It is clear from Exodus that the author must have been an eyewitness of the actual exodus events along with being an educated man familiar with Egypt (which Moses was having been raised 40 years in the House of Pharaoh). There is also a consistency of style and development of language that points to a single author. The antiquity of the book is supported by its frequent use of ancient literary constructions, words, and expressions.
Exodus covers about 431 years of history, starting with a rehearsal of the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt (ca. 1876 B.C.) and wrapping up with the creation of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). Now, the very first seven verses, however, is a review of Jacob's family and tribe. If we eliminate this section, the narrative resumes the story of the Israelites where Genesis ends which
Major Plots of the Exodus
The book of Exodus primarily focuses on a significant period in Israel's history. After Joseph's death, approximately 364 years pass before the building of the tabernacle. Interestingly, chapters 3 through 40 of Exodus cover only about two of these years, specifically the year before and the year after the Exodus from Egypt. Notably, the Apostolic Record from the Old Testament cites no other biblical book apart from Isaiah and Psalms.
The Liberation of Israel
God's preparation of Israel and Moses begins in chapters 1 through 4, detailing significant events such as the growth of Jacob's family (1:1-7) and the Israelites' bondage in Egypt (1:8-22). The Old Testament begins with a rough chronological order but becomes less straightforward as it progresses. The books follow a sequence, starting with Genesis and encompassing Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, before delving into the histories and prophecies represented in other books such as Joshua, Judges, the Samuels, and others.
One of the major themes in Exodus is God's miraculous deliverance of His people from slavery, which serves as a type for all God's past and continuing works. This narrative is crucial, underscoring the Lord's intervention for Israel, which is empowered by His love and commitment in keeping His covenant. Exodus also underscores the return of God's presence, distinguishing His people from others and establishing a covenant marriage.
The Exodus and Israel’s Covenant
The first major event is YAHAVAH leading Israel out of Egyptian bondage, a pivotal event reiterated throughout both the Old and New Testament records. This deliverance is seen as a testament to the Lord's love for His people and the promises kept with their forefathers. Passages like Deuteronomy 7:8 and Deuteronomy 26:8 emphasize the "mighty hand" with which God redeemed His people. The narrative highlights the role of Moses, God's miraculous intervention, and the ultimate victory over Pharaoh and Egyptian gods, celebrated in the first celebratory hymns within the Pentateuch (15:1-21; cf. Deuteronomy 31:30-32:43).
The narrative suggests that YAHAVAH adopts Israel as his firstborn son, designed to be set free for worship. However, the overall story more strongly aligns with a marriage covenant, as it's woven through instructions such as those given for Passover surrounding the Exodus event (12:1-28; 12:43-13:16).
Main Themes in Exodus
Annual celebration of the exodus and the consecration of the firstborn male serve as reminders of God’s rescue of Israel as His firstborn while protecting their own firstborns. All of that is depicted in the first major theme of the book.
The Divine Presence Restored
Second, the Divine Presence of Elohiym, lost in Eden, is now restored as the central feature of Israel’s existence. This theme begins with the call of Moses at “the mountain of God” (3:1), where he did not dare “look at God” (3:6). It is picked up again in chapter 19, where the people encamp “in front of the mountain” (19:2) and experience a spectacular theophany (a visible manifestation of God), accompanied by warnings against touching the mountain which the writer of Hebrews cites in comparison to what the people in that day were under which was the company of Saints.
The awesome nature of this encounter with the living God is further highlighted by the ascended and descending of Moses “up to God” (19:3, 8, 20) and “down to the people” (19:7, 14, 25) which is very much a type for the incarnation of Christ. The pivot nature of this motif can be seen especially in chapters 25-40 and helps to explain the repetition about the tabernacle one either side of chapters 32-34 as the tabernacle was to assume the role of the Tent of meeting (40:6) and was thus to function as the place where Israel’s God would dwell in their midst (after he left Eden and then sort of went “to the mountain,” as it were).
Moses’ Plea and The Glory of God
We will discover in chapter 32 how a debacle in the desert is followed by Moses’ pleading for YAHAVAH to not to abandon them, for the simple reason given: “if your Presence does not go with us … what else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” This is the same identifier all people of faith have with YAHAVAH in their individual lives as His presence “distinguishes them from all other people on the face of the earth!”
Notice, finally, that Exodus concludes with God’s glory covering the tabernacle or “Tent of Meeting,” which means the Israelites are now ready for their journey to the promised land. At the same time, these final chapters (25-40) prepare the way especially for the regulations for worship and sacrifices that will appear in the next book, Leviticus.
The Giving of the Law
Third, there is the giving of the law with its centerpiece of the Ten Word (ch. 20), followed by a rough rendering of what is called “the Book of the Law” (chs 21-24). These laws (together) focus on Israel’s relationship with God and with one another, the latter as an expression of their living out God’s character in those relationships. The first expression of the law in the narrative of Exodus therefore prepares the way for its further elaboration in the final three books of the Pentateuch, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
I am presently unsure how to even broach these books – if we broach them at all. Some scholars (and this is sort of standard) believe that these laws are patterned after ancient covenants known as “suzerainty (soo-zer-enty) treaties” which occurs when “a conqueror makes a treaty with the conquered” and typically where He benefits the people with his care as long as they would abide by the treaty stipulations. I suggest that in YAHAVAH’s economy, the marital covenant is far more meaningful and explains how He gives her a bill of divorce later where the soo-zer-enty relation does not.
So again, I tend to see what God is doing as a legal contract for marriage with a people instead of an open, “I can trust you” contract that was verbally established in Eden with the first couple.
Key Elements of the Covenant
Here in Exodus the key elements of the covenant are evident –
the revelation of who God is and what He wants from his people and
the overt enumeration of the marital covenant where loyalty ensures safety and blessings for them in the future.
Exodus accounts for many of the religious ceremonies and customs of Israel, the creation of the tabernacle, the formation of the priesthood, the Mosaic Law, and the sacrificial system. As such, Exodus is foundational for understanding the history of material Israel.
The very acts accomplished within its covers serve as a tremendous type for believers today who too are originally unaware.
The Bride and Salvation
of the living God by birth, are trapped in the ways and wiles of their flesh (bondage) by taskmasters (sin) and how God delivers them by engaging in a marriage contract. All of this is replicated in the Apostolic Record and rightly fulfilled as the Bride of Christ, who He comes back to take and save from destruction and ensuring forevermore a faithful and pure Bride that YAHAVAH was not able to get in and through Adam and Eve nor the Nation that followed thereafter.
I want to suggest here and now that while it's obvious that we are not part of that former model established in Exodus, it’s less obvious that we are we part of the latter model founded in the Apostolic record either. Hard as it is for many people to accept, we are the children of that Bride and Groom by faith, not the Bride herself. She was holy, pure, without spot or wrinkle, made of 144000 virgins and taken up to couple the New Jerusalem above. Today, believers enter into this marriage and engage in a world from a very different point of view or position, and this fact has almost been lost in the power and sway of religious tradition.
Salvation Role of Christ
God has been reconciled, Yeshua has His pure Bride, and the increase of His Kingdom (which is forever) will roll forward forevermore as a result.
I maintain that all souls are equipped by and through this victory with the Light of Christ, like Adam and Eve were equipped, and that every member of the human race ever since are in a place of choosing to receive what has already been given and is in them or to ignore it and live according to our own will and ways. There is no more being saved from hell but there is a willingness to receive God in faith through the work of His Son and then to choose daily to walk in love. This choice is the same as our first parents without all the fallout from choosing self-just rewards for not.
Remember, God so loved the world that He overcame and paid for all the self and selfishness in Man emanating from our first parents. All the evil. All of our nature. And we are free to choose. Having done this, we are all individually responsible for the very lives we each choose to live and will be rewarded in the heavenly realm as children of God if our choice has been Him via faith and love, and not rewarded in that same space if our choice has self.
Types and Portraits in Exodus
Exodus provides the framework for the rest of the Old Testament message to come as the Passover, the exodus, Moses, the Law, and the tabernacle will dominate Israel for centuries to come – at least in the literature – giving us perspective.
Interestingly, Exodus has no Messianic prophecies, but it is full of types and portraits of Christ. Here are seven:
Moses: In dozens of ways Moses was a type of Christ (Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses predicts Christ – a prophet like me). Both Moses and Christ were prophets, priests, and kings; both were kinsman-redeemers; both were endangered in infancy; both voluntarily renounced power and wealth; both were deliverers, lawgivers, and mediators.
The Passover: John 1:29, 36 and 1 Cor 5:7 make it clear that Christ is our slain Passover Lamb. There are many parallels between the Lamb of God and the Passover Lamb.
The seven feasts: Each of these feasts portrays some aspect of the ministry of Christ.
The Exodus: Paul relates the concept of baptism to the exodus event because baptism symbolizes death to the old and identification with the new (Rom 6:2-3; 1 Cor 10:1-2).
The manna and the water: The New Testament applies both to Christ (John 6:31-35, 48-63; 1 Cor 10:3-4).
The Tabernacle: In its materials, colors, furniture, and arrangement, the tabernacle clearly speaks of the person of Christ and the way of redemption. There is a progressive theology in object form developed in the tabernacle that takes us from suffering, blood, and death to beauty, holiness, and the glory of God. The tabernacle is theology in object form.
The high priest: In several ways the high priest foreshadowed the ministry of Christ, our great High Priest (Heb 4:14-16; 9:11-12, 24-28).
Because of the enormous insights and value to the Nations establishment that Exodus brings to us we are going to
Overview of Israel's Bondage and Deliverance
Once the Law is given, we will begin to truncate our overview to highlights again as anything more only takes us in the weeds of an ancient religion which serves to pull us backward instead of standing on what has been accomplished and moving forward.
Israel's Growth in Egypt
Exodus 1:1-7 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
We read that there were seventy souls (not including Joseph and his sons) but the Septuagint says 75 and one of the weedy items we are not going to stop on is the differences in calculations found in both the Old and Apostolic records. In many cases, the calculations from various sources are unfixable – and we don’t care.
Oppression Under Egyptian Rule
Exodus 1:8-14 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they (Egyptians) were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.
Now stop for a minute and think about this picture provided. This description. Note the language choices—
“they did set over them taskmasters”
“to afflict them with their burdens.”
“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.”
“And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor:”
And the coup de grace statement of all statements—
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.
Lessons from Israel's Bondage
Is this not the perfect description of every evil force that slips in and steals our personal liberties? Whether it's another country, substances, sinful addictions, evil organizations with demonic leaders and bosses?
Don’t all such forces of power wind up making our lives bitter with hard bondage, don’t most of them operate in mortar and brick, don’t most of them demand our precious life’s time and resources in the name of service “and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.” Three times in that last part the word, Service is used in a negative way. Three times!
This is the way and the goal of all manipulative controlling dogmatic institutions and their causes – serve, serve, serve. Very important set-up to illustrate the love of the Living God in coming to their rescue.
When Yeshua showed up on the religious scene in His day, His people were in serious bondage to serve the LAW. Every jot and tittle. In every way. They were enslaved to it. Captured by it and those who enforced it. It is super fitting that the following was recorded in Luke 4 where we read,
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there
Fulfillment of Scripture
was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The bondage was about to be broken by YAHAVAH here on behalf of the Nation and Yeshua arrived on their very scene hundreds of years later and would liberate the captives again. I want to suggest for what must be the millionth time but will be repeated a million more as we study through this ancient history –
God and Yeshua's Liberation
GOD liberated the Nation from Bondage. YESHUA liberated the same Nation from Bondage and
Anything, at all, that attempts to put people into bondage, slavery, captivity especially in the name of God today is evil, not good and not part of how God works – which is always by and through His Spirit which is love.
And where the spirit of Christ is there is LIBERTY. Plain and simple. LIBERTY.
Exodus Account
Exodus 1:15-22 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16 And he said, “When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them,”Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?” 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.” 20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
This sets us up for the arrival of one Moses next week. In concluding this chapter, we see that there were several attempts made to “reign-in” the Nation out of fear of her. The first attempt (verses 9-14) was to make the Hebrews toil in hard labor. But the hard labor increased their multiplying, so it failed (but it did crush their spirit – which is said in 2:23-24).
Because through their hard labor we read that they built the cities of Pithom and Raamses (Ramses), which the Egyptians used to store goods (1st Kings 9:19; 2nd Chronicles 8:6; 17:12) it is believed they endured this hard labor for a long while – like long enough to build two storage cities.
The second plan (15-21) was probably done by the next Pharaoh (Thutmose I) and consisted of the ordering of the Hebrew midwives to kill the Hebrew babes at birth. This is the first time they were called Hebrews which in Egyptian is ‘apiru’ and actually refers to a different inferior ethnicity.
It is believed that the two midwives mentioned were probably head midwives responsible for others under them. The midwives disobeyed Pharaoh because they feared God and the scripture says that He, called, elohiym still blessed them. And we can see that they were not yet introduced to His personal pronoun name. So, the second plan failed. They tried plan C (at verse 22) and that was to kill all the male babies, the ones that carried the family line.
The Nile was considered a deity so maybe he was giving an edict of worship in this order. This plan also failed for even his daughter did not follow through on his order. So Pharaoh, the most
God's Sovereignty
Powerful man on earth could do nothing to thwart God's purposes and this seems to be the point of relating these things.
We will stop here.
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