Introduction To Exodus Series

Tom Lowe

6/21/2021

GOD GIVES MOSES THE POWER TO PART THE RED SEA.

Title: INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS

Introduction to Exodus

Exodus, the second book in the Torah, begins where Genesis ended—with the children of Israel living in Egypt. The original Hebrew title of the book, "and these are the names," is taken from the first two words of the book in Hebrew. The title "Exodus" ("the way out") is taken from the Greek Septuagint, or LXX1 explaining the content of the book as being about the way out of Egypt. By the beginning of Exodus, the twelve brothers who settled in Egypt to escape from famine in Canaan had become a nation suffering in slavery at the hands of the Pharaoh. Exodus tells the story of God's deliverance of his chosen people from bondage in Egypt, the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Sinai, the giving of the law to Moses, and the dwelling of God's presence with his people in the Tabernacle, laying the historical, redemptive, and ethical/legal foundation for the nation of Israel.

The Book of Exodus

Content

The book of Exodus opens with the children of Israel in bondage in Egypt. Pharaoh attempts to control the Israelite population by enslaving them (1:10ff[1]), by having midwives kill all the baby boys at birth (1:16f[2]), and finally, by throwing the baby boys into the Nile (1:22). Moses is born to a Levite family. His mother hides him for three months before placing him in a basket in the Nile River, where Pharaoh's daughter finds Moses and adopts him (2:1-10). Moses grows up in Pharaoh's household, but he flees from Egypt after killing an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew. He settles in Sinai with the Midianites and lives as a shepherd (2:11-16). While tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro, Moses sees a burning bush and receives his call from the Angel of the Lord to return to Egypt and deliver the Israelites from bondage (ch. 3). The divine being(s) in the bush identifies himself by the title "I am that I am," which gives us the etymology of God's most sacred name, "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" as older English texts rendered it.

Along with his brother Aaron, Moses confronts Pharaoh and demands that Pharaoh release the Israelites. God uses the ten plagues2 to force Pharaoh to release the Israelites, showing himself to be Yahweh—the covenant-keeping God (7:5, 17; 8:22)— while emphasizing his supremacy over the gods of Egypt (12:12). After the first Passover and the death of the firstborn of Egypt, Pharaoh begrudgingly agrees to release the Israelites, who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The Israelites escape Pharaoh's pursuit, crossing the Red Sea on dry ground (ch. 14). Pharaoh's chariots are destroyed by the same sea that provided deliverance for the Israelites. Israel and Miram sing songs of victory in honor of the divine warrior Yahweh (ch. 15). As they journey through the wilderness of Sinai, God provides manna and quail for the people to eat (ch. 16) and water from a rock for them to drink (ch. 17).

Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrive at Mount Sinai. God's presence descends to the top of the mountain (19:20), and Moses ascends the mountain to receive the law and instructions for building the Tabernacle (ch. 20-31, 34:4-28). However, while Moses is on the mountain, the people ask Aaron to make gods for them (32:1). Aaron fashions a golden calf, and the people sacrifice to the idol, provoking God's anger to the point that God decides to wipe them out (32:10). Moses persuades God to relent (32:14), and the Israelites proceed to construct the Tabernacle—complete with its altars, laver, and the ark—according to the instructions Moses received so that God may "dwell among them" (25:8). The glory cloud of God's presence came down on the newly constructed Tent of Meeting or Tabernacle. The text ends with the consecration of the Tabernacle leading up to the need for instructions on carrying out the various rituals that would be performed in that holy environment. Leviticus provides instructions that would be required to maintain Israel as a theocratic nation in the presence of a holy God.

Tabernacle Schematic

Historical Concerns

Date of the Exodus

Many scholars disagree about whether the events described in the book of Exodus took place in the 15th or the 13th century BC. Arguments for a late date of around 1260 BC include the names of the Egyptian cities mentioned in Exodus 1:11 and burn lines found at Lachish, Debir, and Bethel dating to about 1200. On the other hand, arguments for an early date of around 1445 BC include scriptural evidence in 1 Kings 6:1 and Judges 11:26 and archeological evidence provided by the Merneptah Stele and the Amarna letters, all of which seem to indicate that the Israelites arrived in the land long before the time suggested by the late-date theory.