What do I need to know about Exodus
Having spilt some ink over the reasons why we are jumping into Exodus recently, we are now going to ask the question: OK, so what do I need to know?
This will be a brief introduction to the book, followed by some great recommendations for further study.
Who wrote it and when?
The book of Exodus does not include any claim of authorship, however is generally considered to be primarily written by Moses, like the rest of the Pentateuch. As for dating the events, there are two main theories: the first theory places the exodus around 1446 BC as per the record, while the second theory places it later - around 1260 BC.
What’s the backstory here?
Within the great story of God’s redemptive plan, Exodus contains incredibly significant forward steps from where things left off in Genesis. The first book of the Bible opened with the creation of the world (Gen. 1-2), followed by the tragic fall of the human race in the garden (Gen. 3). After the continued spiraling of humanity into darkness and depravity (Genesis 4-11), God reveals the first step of His plan of redemption: to create a people for Himself. In Genesis 12, Abraham is given a promise that he will become a great nation, and that through his line he would bless the whole earth. Fast forward generations and his family finds themselves in Egypt, where they begin to multiply and fill the land (Exodus 1:7). This sets the scene for the events of the book, where God steps in in the most dramatic of fashion.
Give me the short version – what happens in Exodus?
Pharaoh, fearing an uprising, brutally enslaves the rapidly expanding Israelites, inflicting on them heavy burdens and impossible expectations. His intentions were simple, he wanted to crush their spirits to dust. The chapters that follow tells the story of God’s great liberating acts, by which he frees the people, before constituting them into a nation with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
It begins with the calling of Moses to be God’s instrument in the people’s liberation – a conversation that took place through one famous burning bush. Moses confronts Pharaoh demanding that his slave army be released, a request Pharaoh rejects with derision. A dramatic back and forth follows, culminating the miraculous display of power in ten horrific plagues. Pharaoh finally relents after losing his firstborn son, but changes his mind and sends his army after the Israelites, resulting in the iconic scenes of the Red Sea parting, only to collapse once more upon the Egyptian soldiers.
God miraculously then supplies all the vital needs of the people in the desert – manna from heaven (manna translated literally means “what is this?”) and water from the rock – only to be confronted with the persistent grumbles of the people. God leads them to Mount Sinai where they receive the law, including the ten commandments, and He initiates a new covenant with the people through Moses (sometimes called the Mosaic Covenant). This is the moment that this family of Jacob formally becomes the nation of Israel.
The book ends with God revealing that He desires to dwell with the people. He didn’t simply rescue the people from slavery so that they might just be free from political oppression, He saved them so that He might be with them. Chapters 24 onward are God’s meticulously detailed plan for dwelling with the people through the tabernacle – a sort of traveling temple. The detail in these chapters might feel overwhelming, and it might feel anticlimactic after such a dramatic narrative for the first half of the book, but its significance is profound. God was going to dwell with them, be known by them. And in the detail, He is preparing them (and us) for all that Christ would do in the cross.
Outline
At its most basic, the book of exodus breaks into 2 sections:
1. Departure from Egypt (ch. 1 - 15)
2. Journey to and arrival at Mount Sinai (ch. 16 - 40)
A more detailed outline of the book, courtesy of the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible:
1. God Hears, and Remembers His Covenant (1:1–2:25)
2. God Comes Down and Calls His Deliverer (3:1–4:17)
3. God Redeems His People (4:18–15:21)
a. God redeems his people through his promise (4:18–7:7)
b. God redeems his people through his plagues (7:8–10:29)
c. God redeems his people through his Passover (11:1–13:16)
d. God redeems his people through his power (13:17–15:21)
4. God Leads His People (15:22–18:27)
5. God Instructs His People (19:1–40:38)
a. God instructs his people through the commandments (19:1–20:17)
b. God instructs his people through the covenant (20:18–24:11)
v. God instructs his people through the tabernacle (24:12–40:38)
Resources
Books
Tim Chester’s Exodus for You
“ The book of Exodus is key to understanding Jesus. It is an exciting story, a historical story and - as it points us to and inspires us to worship Jesus - it is our story.”
Reading Plan
You can find a great reading plan for Exodus on the Bible app by Spoken Gospel
Online Introduction Courses
The Gospel Coalition, in conjunction with Crossway, have put together some great digital resources to serve as an introduction to the book. These are definitely worth a look!
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/introduction-to-exodus/#overview
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/knowing-the-bible-exodus#week-1-overview
Also, the Bible Project have a few great videos that will serve as helpful introductions:
Final word of encouragement
I would love to encourage you to intentionally open yourself up to the book of Exodus. Get familiar with the story. Spend some time meditating on what you find in its pages. If you’re particularly unfamiliar and maybe daunted about digging into the Old Testament, let me give you this encouragement: Jesus sees Himself as the point of Exodus. In Luke 24:27, we read: “…beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Jesus sits down with these disciples and shows them how Exodus is about Him.
On the mount of transfiguration, where Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah, do you remember what Luke 9:31 says that he was speaking to them about? It says he “spoke of his departure (literally, exodus) which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem”! Jesus talks about his death as literally his exodus. Jesus Himself quoted Exodus on at least seven different occasions, making it one of His most drawn upon books. My point is, Jesus clearly loved and honoured Exodus.
I think we should too.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Mike