THE BOOK OF EXODUS
Exodus |ˈeksədəs| the second book of the Bible, which recounts the departure of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, their journey across the Red Sea and through the wilderness led by Moses, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. The events have been variously dated by scholars between about 1580 and 1200 bc.
The word Exodus comes from the Greek meaning departure—signifying God’s deliverance of the Israelites from their slavery to Egypt. Moses is the author of this 40-chapter book split into two major sections: the first half (Ch. 1-18) describes how Moses led the Israelites out of their slavery and the second half (Ch. 19-40) is when the Israelites wandered around in the desert for 40 years with highlights including the Ten Commandments and blueprints setting up the law of the Old Testament.
Moses starts Exodus by describing why God’s people moved to Egypt in the first place.
Remember the stories we read in Genesis when God made a promise to Abraham that through his family, all the nations of the earth would be blessed? Well now, 400 years later, his decedents (Isaac, Jacob, Joseph…) have become the nation of Israel—and are in captivity under an evil Egyptian Pharaoh.
Pharaoh could be compared to someone like Hitler. He wanted to destroy the Jews—and did so by killing every Israeli baby boy that was born.
Except Moses.
Moses’ mother trusted God and sent her baby boy down the Nile River in a woven basket, praying that God would protect him. And God did. This baby floated straight to the palace and into the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. She adopted him, protected him, and raised him as her own. Moses grew up in the palace but could not deny his DNA or the calling of God on his life. He was meant to be a deliverer.
God called Moses from a burning bush to rescue the Israelites from their slavery. He brought 10 specific plagues upon Egypt to display God’s power.
“But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” Exodus 9:16 (NLT)
The final plague did it, and Pharaoh let God’s people go. But not without one final battle at the Red Sea where God destroyed them once and for all by parting the waters for the Israelites to walk on dry ground.
But this beginning of “freedom” and the promise of the Promised Land was just the beginning. This desert season was where God would test the hearts of the Israelites and teach them the importance of obeying His commands.
It’s in this season that we receive the famous 10 Commandments found in Exodus Ch. 20 and the blueprints for how the Old Testament law would need to be. You see, at this time, Jesus had not yet come—so the Israelites had to make real-life sacrifices for their sins through offerings like a lamb or an animal of some kind.
But even still, God’s character remains the same. He is loving and kind, slow to anger and quick to forgive. Though His people are impatient and full of rebellion—God gives them chance after chance to repent and come back to Him. He saves them over and over from their enemies and provides water for them to drink through rocks in the desert. He provides food for them to eat through miraculous bread falling from the sky! God has been a good God for a long time…
“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin…” Exodus 34:5-7
Instead of giving them the punishment they deserved, God responded in LOVE, restating His covenant and promise to His people. Even when God's people were rebellious, impatient, and unfaithful—God’s character remained the same. He responded to their sin full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, and full of love and faithfulness—for 40 years as they wandered through the desert.
And He still does. This God—the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New. The God we worship today. His character is STILL the same—yesterday, today, and forever!
XO -
Sabrina