God Calls Us – Exodus 3

Posted on January 19, 2024 by dkoop

God is a God who calls people to Him.  God is a personal God and a knowable God and He desires a relationship with us.

In our passage, we see that we are called by God and are asked to serve for Him. What will you do? What will you say?

In review, Moses grew up very aware of his heritage. He may have been raised as a Prince of Egypt, but he knew injustice against his people when he saw it. As a young man he killed an Egyptian who was brutalizing another Hebrew.

Justified or not, word got out and this lapse in judgment put Moses in hot water with Pharaoh. When a king is out to get you, it’s time to leave the kingdom, so Moses ran until he found himself in a place called Midian, located in part of what is now Western Saudi Arabia.

Moses would go on to spend 40 years there – fully 1/3 of his life – as a shepherd for his father-in-law. It was at the end of this period of time that he received the call that would change his life.

Exodus 3:1-4

During the interview that would follow his words, “Here I am,” Moses would display reverence, fear, curiosity and plenty of excuses.

Like Moses, there’s no doubt that when we hear the call of God, we’ll experience a whole range of emotions. But the measure of encounter is bound up in our willingness to respond in obedience to that call.

God knew where Moses was. He knew the concerns, the frustration and the desires of Moses’ heart. God had also heard the cries of the Children of Israel. All of this time, Moses had been on a training mission. God was preparing him for bigger and better things and making him ready to carry out the call of God in his life.

When God called Moses, Moses had plenty of questions.  One that I find interesting is this one, “who shall I say sent me?”  Do you remember God’s response?   And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”    In short this is the covenant name of God, the personal name of God translated later as “Yahweh.”

This designation who God is has great importance to our lives today because it’s the same term that Jesus uses to describe Himself in John 8: 58 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 

Did you see it?  God says to Moses through the burning bush, “I AM.”   Jesus says that He is “I AM”  This is called a Theophany or more specifically a Christophany.  “What is a theophany? What is a Christophany?”

“A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament.”   A Christophany is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the Old Testament.  Jesus was speaking to Moses through the burning bush.  Jesus is still speaking and calling people to Himself.

I’ll never forget attending a revival service with my parents when I was 11 years old and through the evangelist, I understood that I knew about God, but I didn’t know Him personally and that through Jesus Christ, I could have a relationship with God.  I asked Jesus into my life that night.  My life changed from one of fear, uncertainty to one of feeling accepted and loved by Jesus, knowing my sins were forgiven and knowing that I was a child of God.  I’m thankful for Jesus calling me when I was 11.  Have you responded to Jesus call of salvation?  You can today by simply praying, “Thank you Jesus for loving me and dying on the cross for me.  I don’t understand it all, but I ask you into my life, turning from my sins and turning to you.”  Amen.

I also believe like Moses, that God calls us to serve him.   Moses had a task that God had called him to do. He was to lead God’s people out of slavery into the promise land.

As believers we are all called to ministry.  We are called to be a loving spouse.  No one can or should love Niki the way that I am called to. I have a responsibility to her, this is my ministry.  Going on a date and spending time with Niki is a ministry!  God has given me three children.  I am called to parent them, to bring them up to know God.  It is my responsibility.  Sure school, church and family may help me, but it’s my calling to parent my children.  Changing a diaper is a ministry!  We are called to be salt and light in a dark world, to make a difference where we live and work.  We have a ministry to our neighbors and co-workers.  It is our responsibility to help lead people to Jesus.  Your day to day job is a ministry! Will you accept the call to your spouse, kids, neighbors and co-workers?

We have a choice. We can make excuses like Moses did, which I have done plenty of times too.  Why wouldn’t we make excuses?  Its human nature to feel like we are out of our league, but God promises to be with us, and to teach us what to say.

Some of you are like me. I have often wondered why God would call a person like me.  I’m nothing special in my eyes; there are others who are smarter, stronger, better communicators, and better leaders.   I’m called to know Jesus, serve Jesus and another call I have had is to lead a church as a pastor.   I know that God has been with me to teach me and train me to be what he wanted me to be. All of my life has been a preparation time for this day, this hour, and this church.  And I’m still in training for the ministry that lies ahead.

Know this: God will not call you to go and give you a message and then leave you in the dark about how to get it out.  Wait on Him to finish. Moses received great detail from God concerning what he was to do and to whom he was to speak when he returned to Egypt.

We can expect similar direction. When we receive and listen to that guidance from God we won’t overreach and try to do things we’re not prepared for and we won’t underestimate what God wants to do and miss out on greater things.

When God Calls, We Must Do What He Asks of Us

There’s probably someone reading this, that has been hearing the call of God in your own life. Just like a bush that’s burning, there are unmistakable signs that He’s got your number.

Maybe you are hearing God calling you to give Him control of your life, experiencing a call to involvement in ministry or to helping people.  Wherever we are in life, if God is calling, listen to His voice. Come to him right now and find the fulfillment of being exactly where God made us to be.

I’m thankful for God’s call, that I know Jesus personally, that I have purpose as a spouse, dad and pastor.  I pray that you will answer God’s call too.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

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God Provides for His People – Exodus 2 (Birth of Moses)

Posted on January 10, 2024 by dkoop

God provides for His people:  life, freedom, provision, salvation, direction, His presence, hope and a future.  In the last chapter, things looked pretty grim for God’s people. The Pharaoh has afflicted the people with hardship, pain, and depicted them as traitors who may join their enemies. But for every problem, God has a solution or provision. For every trial, He has a triumph at hand. For every crisis, God has a provision.

God’s provision for Israel’s problem was found in a man named Moses. Moses is among the greatest heroes of the Old Testament. He was a prophet, priest, and king in one person.
The account of Moses now begins. God provided for His people and raised up Moses…

  • to deliver Israel from slavery (Exodus 3-11).
  • to lead Israel to the promised land, guiding them through the Red Sea and through the wilderness wanderings (Exodus 12-18).
  • to give the Law and the Ten Commandments to Israel and to the world at large; to establish Israel as a nation governed by law (Exodus 19-24).
  • to plan and draw the blueprint for the tabernacle, Israel’s house of worship, and to establish the priesthood and religion of Israel (Exodus 25-31).
  • to proclaim the Word of God to Israel and to intercede for God’s forgiveness when the people sinned and went astray (Exodus 32-34).
  • to construct the tabernacle and lead the people to obey God in all they did (Exodus 35-40).

Never has one man done so much for so many as has Moses, except of course for Jesus Christ. Moses was chosen by God to single-handedly save Israel. God was to use Israel to give to the world the two greatest gifts possible: both the Word of God and the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Moses is one of the few characters in Scripture whose life is sketched from infancy to death.

A look at Moses’ life presents a series of striking contrasts.

  • Moses was the child of a slave and the son of a queen.
  • He was born in a hut, and lived in a palace.
  • He inherited poverty, yet, enjoyed unlimited wealth.
  • Moses was the leader of armies, yet a keeper of flocks.
  • This man was the mightiest of warriors and the meekest of men.
  • He was educated in the court of the king and dwelt in the desert.
  • Moses had the wisdom of Egypt and the faith of a child.
  • He was fitted for the city but wandered in the wilderness.
  • This man was tempted with the pleasures of sin and he endured the hardships of virtue.
  • Moses was backward in speech, yet talked with God.
  • He was a fugitive from Pharaoh and an ambassador of Heaven.
  • Moses was the giver of the law and the forerunner of grace.

As we look into Exodus chapter two, we find a brief account of the infancy of Moses.

The theme of Exodus is deliverance, and you can’t have deliverance without a deliverer. That’s where Moses comes in, the great liberator, legislator, and mediator. God provides for His people.

The deliverer is born (Ex. 2:1-10)

Amram and Jochebed were Moses’ parents (6:20), and while the Exodus text emphasizes the faith of the mother, Hebrews 11:23 commends both the father and the mother for trusting God. Moses became a great man of faith, and he learned it first from his godly parents/Amram and Jochebed already had two children: Miriam, who was the oldest, and Aaron, who was three years older than Moses (Ex. 7:7).

From the very first, Moses was seen to be “no ordinary child” (Acts 7:20, niv; see Heb. 11:23), and it was evident that God had a special purpose for him. Believing this to be true, the parents defied Pharaoh’s edict and kept their son alive. This wasn’t easy to do since all the Egyptians were now Pharaoh’s official spies, watching for babies to be drowned (Ex. 1:22).

Jochebed obeyed the letter of the law when she put Moses in the waters of the Nile, but certainly she was defying Pharaoh’s orders in the way she did it. She was trusting the providence of God and God didn’t fail her. When the princess came to the Nile to perform her religious ablutions, she saw the basket, discovered the baby, and heard him cry; and her maternal instincts told her to rescue the child and care for him.

God used a baby’s tears to control the heart of a powerful princess, and He used Miriam’s words to arrange for the baby’s mother to raise the boy and get paid for it! The phrase “as weak as a baby” doesn’t apply in the kingdom of God; for when the Lord wants to accomplish a mighty work, He often starts by sending a baby. This was true when He sent Isaac, Joseph, Samuel, John the Baptist, and especially Jesus. God can use the weakest things to defeat the mightiest enemies (1 Cor. 1:25-29). A baby’s tears were God’s first weapons in His war against Egypt.

The princess adopted Moses as her own son, which means that Moses had a favored position in the land and was given a special education for service in the government (Acts 7:22). In the Egyptian language, Moses means “born” or “son” and sounds like a Hebrew word that means “to draw out” (of the water). Years later, his name would remind Moses of the God who rescued him and did great things for him in Egypt. On more than one occasion, Moses would rescue his people because he trusted the Lord.

The deliverer prepared (Ex. 2:11-25)

Moses spent his first forty years (Acts 7:23) serving in the Egyptian bureaucracy. (Some students think he was being groomed to be the next pharaoh.) Egypt seems the least likely place for God to start training a leader, but God’s ways are not our ways. In equipping Moses for service, God took several approaches.

Education. “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22, nkjv). What did that involve? Egypt had a highly developed civilization for its time, particularly in the areas of engineering, mathematics, and astronomy. Thanks to their knowledge of astronomy, they developed an amazingly accurate calendar, and their engineers planned and supervised the construction of edifices that are still standing. Their priests and doctors were masters of the art of embalming, and their leaders were skilled in organization and administration. Visitors to Egypt today can’t help but be impressed with the accomplishments of this ancient people. The servant of God should learn all he can, dedicate it to God, and faithfully serve God.

Failure (vv. 11-14). Though some people were confused about his racial identity (v. 19), Moses knew that he was a Hebrew and not an Egyptian, and he couldn’t help but identify with the plight of his suffering people. One day he made a courageous decision to help his people, even if it meant losing his noble position as the adopted son of the royal princess (Heb. 11:24-26). The pleasures and treasures of Egypt faded from view as he saw himself helping to liberate God’s chosen people.

It’s possible that the Egyptian officer wasn’t just disciplining the Jewish slave but was beating him to death, because the Hebrew word can mean that, so when Moses interfered, he was probably saving a man’s life. And, if the Egyptian officer turned on Moses, which is likely, then Moses was also defending his own life.

But if Moses was planning to free the Hebrews by killing the Egyptians one by one, he was in for a shock. The next day he discovered that the Egyptians were only part of the problem because the Jews couldn’t even get along with each other! When he tried to reconcile the two Jews, they rejected his help! Even more, he learned that his secret was out and that Pharaoh was after his life. There was only one thing to do and that was to flee.

These two incidents reveal Moses as a compassionate man who was sincere in his motives but impetuous in his actions. Knowing this, you would never suspect that later he would be called “the meekest man on the earth” (Num. 12:3). Moses’ failure to help free the Jews must have devastated him. That’s why God took him to Midian and made him a shepherd for forty years. He had to learn that deliverance would come from God’s hand, not Moses’ hand (Acts 7:25; Ex. 13:3).

Solitude and humble service (vv. 15-25). Moses became a fugitive and fled to the land of the Midianites, relatives of the Jews (Gen. 25:2). True to his courageous nature, he assisted the daughters of Reuel, the priest of Midian (Ex. 2:18), and this led to hospitality in their home and marriage with one of the daughters, Zipporah, who bore him a son. Later, she would bear another son, Eliezer (18:1-4; 1 Chron. 23:15). Reuel (“friend of God”) was also known as Jethro (Ex. 3:1; 18:12,27), but Jethro (“excellence”) may have been his title as priest rather than his given name.

The man who was “mighty in word and deed” is now in the lonely pastures taking care of stubborn sheep, but that was just the kind of preparation he needed for leading a nation of stubborn people. Israel was God’s special flock (Ps. 100:3) and Moses His chosen shepherd. Like Joseph’s thirteen years as a slave in Egypt and Paul’s three years’ hiatus after his conversion (Gal. 1:16-17), Moses’ forty years of waiting and working prepared him for a lifetime of faithful ministry. God doesn’t lay hands suddenly on His servants but takes time to equip them for their work.

God’s delays aren’t evidence of unconcern, for He hears our groans, sees our plight, feels our sorrows, and remembers His promises. What He has promised, He will perform, for He never breaks His covenant with His people. When the right time comes, God immediately goes to work.  God provides for His people.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources:

Rod Mattoon, Mattoon’s Treasures – Treasures from Exodus, Volume 1, (Springfield, IL: Lincoln Land Baptist Church, n.d.), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 19-20.

The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible – Exodus I, (Chattanooga: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “II. MOSES AND GOD: GOD RAISES UP A LEADER TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE (ISRAEL), 2:1-7:7”.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Pentateuch, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 180.

 

 

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God is in Control – Exodus 1

Posted on January 9, 2024 by dkoop

Does it every feel like everything is spinning out of control?  One of the truths about God is that He is control.  God was in control of the situation the His people were in, and He is in control of our situation as well.

At the start of Exodus, we find God’s people going through some difficult times as the slaves of Egypt.  It might seem like God didn’t know or didn’t care about their situation.  But God was with them the entire time, and He never forgot about them.   No matter what you’re going through God knows, He cares and as a believer, He is with you.

The very first passage of Exodus deals with the great theme of Exodus: deliverance. God had delivered His people in the past. God will deliver His people in the future. No matter what the trouble may be, no matter how terrifying and hopeless, no matter how helpless the circumstances may seem—God will deliver Israel again, deliver them just as He had delivered them in the past.  God is in control.

He will even work the terrifying circumstances out for our good. This is the promise of God to His people, to those who truly love and follow Him (Romans 8:28). God will deliver us; He will save us. This is the assurance of this introductory passage of Exodus.

God used Israel’s experiences in Egypt to prepare them for the special tasks He gave them to accomplish on earth: bearing witness to the true and living God, writing the Holy Scriptures and bringing the Savior into the world.  God is in control.

Notice what God is doing,

God Prospers His People

Blessing (vv. 1-7). During the years Joseph served as second ruler in Egypt, his family was greatly respected; and even after Joseph died, his memory was honored in the way the Egyptians treated the Hebrews. God kept His covenant promise to Abraham by blessing his descendants and causing them to multiply greatly (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:5; 17:2, 6; 22:17). By the time of the Exodus, there were more than 600,000 men who were twenty years and older (Ex. 12:37; 38:26); and when you add the women and children, the total could well be nearly 2 million people, all of whom descended from the original family of Jacob. God certainly kept His promise! He is in control.

But a new Pharaoh wasn’t happy with the rapid multiplication of the Jewish people, so he took three steps to control it.  We see these same steps today used by tyrants and oppressors, but God is in control.

Step #1—Oppressing the adults (vv. 8-14). With hard labor, heavy taxes- Do you ever feel overworked, with unrealistic demands or a heavy tax load? This is what oppressors can do.  God had told Abraham that his descendants would go to a strange country and there be enslaved and mistreated, but He had promised that He would set them free by His power at the right time (Gen. 15:12-14). God compared Egypt to a smoking furnace; see Deut. 4:20) where His people would suffer, but their experience in that furnace would transform the Israelites into a mighty nation (Gen. 46:3).

During the centuries the Jews had been in Egypt (Ex. 12:40-41), they had seen several Egyptian dynasties come and go; but who was the new king who was ignorant of Joseph and his family and tried to destroy “the people of the children of Israel”? The 17th Dynasty, the Hyksos, were foreigners and “strangers” in the land as were the Jews, so they were probably sympathetic with Israel; but the 18th Dynasty was Egyptian and their rulers expelled foreigners from the land. This may have been the dynasty that began the persecution of the people of Israel.

Why would the Egyptians want to make life miserable for the Jews? Israel was a source of blessing in the land, as Joseph had been before them (Gen. 41:39-57), and they weren’t causing trouble. Pharaoh’s stated reason was that the presence of so many Jews was a security risk: since the Jews were outsiders, if there were an invasion, they would no doubt ally themselves with the enemy. However, whether Pharaoh realized it or not, the real cause was the conflict announced in Genesis 3:15, the enmity between the people of God and the children of Satan, a conflict that still goes on in the world today.

No people in recorded history have suffered as the Hebrew people have suffered, but every nation or ruler that has persecuted the Jews has been punished for it. After all, God’s promise to Abraham was, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” (12:3, nkjv). God kept that promise in the way He dealt with Egypt and Babylon in ancient days and Stalin and Hitler in modern times. God is long-suffering as He sees nations persecute His chosen people, but eventually His hand of judgment falls on the oppressors.

The Egyptian taskmasters “worked them ruthlessly” (Ex. 1:13, niv), forcing the Jewish slaves to build cities and work in the fields. But the blessing of God caused the Israelites to continue to multiply, and this frightened and enraged their captors even more. Something else had to be done to keep Israel under control.

Step #2—Killing babies (vv. 15-21).  Sound like today?  Killing babies and abortion are not a modern invention.  This plan of evil has a long history.   If this plan had succeeded, Pharaoh would have wiped out the Hebrew people. The future generation of men would be dead and the girls would eventually be married to Egyptian slaves and absorbed into the Egyptian race. But Genesis 3:15 and 12:1-3 said that God would not permit such a thing to happen, and He used two Jewish midwives to outwit Pharaoh.  God is in control.

This is the first instance in Scripture of what today we call “civil disobedience,” refusing to obey an evil law because of a higher good. Scriptures like Matthew 20:21-25; Romans 13; and 1 Peter 2:11 teach Christians to obey human authorities; but Romans 13:5 reminds us that our obedience must not violate our conscience. When the laws of God are contrary to the laws of man, then “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). You see this exemplified not only in the midwives but also in Daniel and his friends (Dan. 1; 3; 6) and the apostles (Acts 4-5).

Were the midwives lying to Pharaoh? We do not know.  It’s likely the babies were born before the midwives arrived because Shiphrah and Puah had told their assistants to be late. What we do know is that their actions were right.  God blessed the two leading midwives for putting their own lives on the line in order to save the Jewish nation from extinction. However, He honored these two women: He gave them children at a time when it was dangerous to have children! Perhaps all their children were daughters, or perhaps God protected their sons as He protected Moses. However, this blessing from God shows how precious children are to the Lord: He wanted to give these two women His very best reward, so He sent them children (Ps. 127:3).

Step #3—Drowning the male babies (v. 22). When Pharaoh discovered he’d been deceived, he changed his plan and commanded all his people to see to it that the Jewish male babies were drowned in the sacred Nile River. It’s interesting that Pharaoh chose drowning as his method of death and that later he himself would be drowned by God. We reap what we sow.  God is in control.

Since Pharaoh’s police couldn’t check up on every Jewish midwife, he commanded that the Egyptian people keep their eyes on the Jewish slaves and report when a boy was born. But one boy would be born that Pharaoh couldn’t kill. God is in control.

We will look at his birth (Moses) in the next post.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

 

Sources:

The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible – Exodus I, (Chattanooga: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “A. The Past Deliverance of Israel: The Picture of God’s Deliverance and God’s Faithfulness, 1:1-7”.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Pentateuch, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 180-181.

 

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Out of Darkness – Exodus Invitation and Introduction

Posted on January 5, 2024 by dkoop

You’re invited to our new  message series, “Out of Darkness” from the book of Exodus!

Description:  Would you like to know God better? Exodus is the account of Moses, a burning bush, a stubborn Pharaoh, Ten Plagues, deliverance from slavery, Ten Commandments, a Golden Calf and God’s continual guidance and presence with His people. These are not only powerful events but teach us important truths for today.  From the book of Exodus, we will learn together how God calls, equips, delivers and directs His people and that He is always with us!  Join us in our new series “Out of Darkness.”

Dates                      Titles (Topic/Scripture)                        Events

Jan. 7 – God is in Control (Birth of Moses- Ex. 1-2)
Jan. 14 – God’s Call (Burning Bush-Ex. 3-4)

Jan. 21 – God’s Deliverance (Passover Ex 12.)                  Communion

Jan. 28 – God’s Direction (Ten Commandments Ex 20)
Feb. 4 –God’s Presence (Pillar of Fire Ex. 40)

Introduction to Exodus

Flee, leave… take off—these words sound good to those trapped or enslaved. Some resist their marching orders, however, preferring present surroundings to a new, unknown environment. It’s not easy to trade the comfortable security of the known for an uncertain future. But what if God gives the order to move? Will we follow his lead? Exodus describes a series of God’s calls and the responses of his people. Four hundred years had passed since Joseph moved his family to Egypt. These descendants of Abraham had now grown to over two million strong. To Egypt’s new pharaoh, the Hebrews were foreigners, and their numbers were frightening. Pharaoh decided to make them slaves so they wouldn’t upset his balance of power. As it turned out, that was his biggest mistake, for God then came to the rescue of his people.

Through a series of strange events, a Hebrew boy named Moses became a prince in Pharaoh’s palace and then an outcast in a wilderness land. God visited Moses in the mysterious flames of a burning bush, and, after some discussion, Moses agreed to return to Egypt to lead God’s people out of slavery. Pharaoh was confronted, and through a cycle of plagues and promises made and broken, Israel was torn from his grasp.

Mobilizing this mass of humanity was no easy task, but they marched out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness behind Moses and the pillars of cloud and fire. Despite continual evidence of God’s love and power, the people complained and began to yearn for their days in Egypt. God provided for their physical and spiritual needs with food and a place to worship, but he also judged their disobedience and unbelief. Then in the dramatic Sinai meeting with Moses, God gave his laws for right living.

God led Moses and the nation of Israel, and he wants to lead us as well. Is he preparing you, like Moses, for a specific task? He will be with you; obey and follow. Is he delivering you from an enemy or a temptation? Trust him, and do what he says. Have you heard his clear moral directions? Read, study, and obey his Word. Is he calling you to true worship? Discover God’s presence in your life, in your home, and in the body of assembled believers. Exodus is the exciting story of God’s guidance. Read with the determination to follow God wherever he leads.

Vital Statistics

Purpose: To record the events of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and development as a nation

Author: Moses

Original Audience: The people of Israel

Date Written: 1450-1410 B.C., approximately the same as Genesis

Where Written: In the wilderness during Israel’s wanderings, somewhere in the Sinai peninsula

Setting: Egypt. God’s people, once highly favored in the land, are now slaves. God is about to set them free.

Key Verses: “Then the Lord told him, ‘I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering…. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt'” (3:7, 10).

Key People: Moses, Miriam, Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s daughter, Jethro, Aaron, Joshua, Bezalel

Key Places: Egypt, Goshen, Nile River, Midian, Red Sea, Sinai peninsula, Mount Sinai

Special Features: Exodus relates more miracles than any other Old Testament book and is noted for containing the Ten Commandments.

The Blueprint

  1. ISRAEL IN EGYPT (1:1-12:30)
    1. Slavery in Egypt
    2. God chooses Moses
    3. God sends Moses to Pharaoh
    4. Plagues strike Egypt
    5. The Passover

    When the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, God heard their cries and rescued them. We can be confident that God still hears the cries of his people. Just as he delivered the Israelites from their captors, he delivers us from sin, death, and evil.

  2. ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS (12:31-18:27)
    1. The Exodus
    2. Crossing the sea
    3. Complaining in the wilderness

    After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites became quarrelsome and discontent. Like the Israelites, we find it easy to complain and be dissatisfied. Christians still have struggles, but we should never allow difficulties and unpleasant circumstances to turn us away from trusting God.

  3. ISRAEL AT SINAI (19:1-40:38)
    1. Giving the law
    2. Tabernacle instructions
    3. Breaking the law
    4. Tabernacle construction

    God revealed his law to the Israelites at Sinai. Through the law, they learned more about what God is like and how he expected his people to live. The law is still instructional for us, for it exposes our sin and shows us God’s standard for living.

Megathemes
THEME EXPLANATION IMPORTANCE
Slavery During the Israelites 400-year stay in the land of Egypt, they became enslaved to the Egyptians. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, oppressed them cruelly. They prayed to God for deliverance from this situation. Like the Israelites, we need both human and divine leadership to escape from the slavery of sin. After their escape, the memory of slavery helped the Israelites learn to treat others generously. We need to stand against those who oppress others.
Rescue/ Redemption God rescued Israel through the leader Moses and through mighty miracles. The Passover celebration was an annual reminder of their escape from slavery. God delivers us from the slavery of sin. Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with his disciples at the Last Supper and then went on to rescue us from sin by dying in our place.
Guidance God guided Israel out of Egypt by using the plagues, Moses’ heroic courage, the miracle of the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments. God is a trustworthy guide. Although God is all-powerful and can do miracles, he normally leads us by wise leadership and team effort. His Word gives us the wisdom to make daily decisions and govern our lives.
Ten Commandments God’s law system had three parts. The Ten Commandments were the first part, containing the absolutes of spiritual and moral life. The civil law was the second part, giving the people rules to manage their lives. The ceremonial law was the third part, showing them patterns for building the Tabernacle and for regular worship. God was teaching Israel the importance of choice and responsibility. When they obeyed the conditions of the law, he blessed them; if they forgot or disobeyed, he punished them or allowed calamities to come. Many great countries of the world base their laws on the moral system set up in the book of Exodus. God’s moral law is valid today.
The Nation God founded the nation of Israel to be the source of truth and salvation to all the world. His relationship to his people was loving yet firm. The Israelites had no army, schools, governors, mayors, or police when they left Egypt. God had to instruct them in their constitutional laws and daily practices. He showed them how to worship and how to have national holidays. Israel’s newly formed nation had all the behavioral characteristics of Christians today. We are often disorganized, sometimes rebellious, and sometimes victorious. God’s Person and Word are still our only guides. If our churches reflect his leadership, they will be effective in serving him.

 

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Source: Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearchCROSS e-book, 94-96.

 

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