Israel's Exit From Egypt Series

Israel's Exodus from Egypt

Israel's Exodus from Egypt

As long as Joseph exercised imperial influence in the land of Egypt, the Hebrew people thrived. However, when a new king arose, who "knew not Joseph," the lives of the Israelites became "unpleasant and difficult" (Ex. 1:8,14). When the time came for Jehovah to act, He commissioned Moses to confront Pharaoh, the Egyptian king: "Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go" (Ex. 5:1).

Though the haughty ruler defied Moses and his God, the Lord's will prevailed in that remarkable event known as "the exodus." When the Israelites finally arrived at the promised land forty years later, the heathen tribes of Canaan were still quaking at the great deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt (Josh. 2:9-11). In this article, we wish to consider four aspects of this momentous event —the date of the Exodus, the visitation of plagues upon Egypt, the Passover, and the passage through the Red Sea.

The Date

The Exodus date is one of the critical controversies of Old Testament study. Generally speaking, conservative scholars place the event in the 15th century B.C., while liberal writers contend that the departure from Egypt occurred some 200 years later. Most of those who insist on a late date is committed to the "documentary theory" of the origin of the Pentateuch, i.e., that Moses did not produce these writings.

For those who accept the unadorned testimony of the Scriptures, the evidence for the early date is quite convincing: First Kings 6:1 discloses that from the time of the Exodus to the first year of construction on Solomon's temple (966 B.C.) was 480 years.

"And it happened in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Jehovah."

This would place the Exodus at 1446 B.C.

This corresponds with the statement that during the days of Jephthah (c. 1100 B.C.), the Hebrews had been in Canaan for about three centuries.

"While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not restore them within that time?" (Jud. 11:26).

Then there is considerable archaeological evidence that validates the early date. One scholar has noted: "All the accredited Palestinian artifactual evidence supports the literary account that the Conquest occurred at the time specifically dated by the biblical historians."

For example, in 1896, William Petrie, the renowned Egyptologist, discovered a "Merenptah's Victory Stele" (a stone slab with an inscription) at Thebes, which indicated that "Israel" had already put down roots in Canaan early in the 13th century B.C. This points to a much earlier date for the Exodus.

Moreover, recent studies on the artifacts taken from the archaeological site at Jericho, destroyed by the Hebrews after Israel's forty-year stopover in the wilderness (Josh. 6), appear to substantiate a mid-15th century B.C. date for the Exodus.

After careful consideration of both the early and late-date views, professor John Rea determined that: "the early date view can better explain the factual evidence; and to those who believe strongly in the inspiration of all Scripture, the statements in I Kings 6:1 (MT) and Judges 11:26 and supporting passages are conclusive for a date of the Exodus."

Unfortunately, some archeologists have yielded to the liberal viewpoint.

The Plagues

According to the book of Exodus, when Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt, God brought a series of devastating "plagues" upon the people of the Nile. The visitation of these judgments echoes down the corridors of Bible history (Psa. 78:43-51; 105:28-36; 106:21-22; Jer. 32:20-21; Neh. 9:10; Acts 7:36; Rev. 8:7-11, etc.).

Egypt was a land of thousands of gods, and the Israelite people were not unaffected by the idolatry of these polytheists. This is reflected in worshiping a golden calf at Sinai (Ex. 32:1-6) and later in Israel's history (1 Kgs. 12:28-29).

The plagues were intended to be a "smiting blow" (Ex. 9:15; 12:13) of judgment against the "gods" of Egypt, as well as "signs" or "wonders" of divine intervention (Psa. 78:43; 105:27). Each of the plagues was designed to neutralize confidence in the false deities of Egypt.

For example, several gods were associated with the Nile River. When the water was thus turned to blood, the reputation of the river deities was destroyed. When the cattle were afflicted with disease, it was a blow to Apis, the bull god. The sun was darkened for three days; thus, the light from Re and other sun gods was shut off.

The popular modernistic view that "a natural basis for the traditions of the plagues must be assumed" is without foundation and has been thoroughly refuted. The timing was crucial. The plagues came at the bidding of Moses and Aaron under Jehovah's direction, not at the whims of nature (7:19; 9:22, etc.). Also, Israel was unaffected by the plagues.