Contents of this article
I. Introductory Remark
II. Outline of Exodus
II. Contents of Exodus
III. What the Scholars are saying
IV. Importance of Exodus
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:
The Book of Exodus tells of the birth and life of Moses and God’s calling for him to deliver the Israelites out of Egyptian Bondage. It tells of the struggle of power between Pharaoh and God (Yahweh) and God’s destruction of the Egyptians so the Israelites can be set free. After Moses leads the Israelites to the Promised Land, He gives them instructions for the building of His Sanctuary and Ark. He also gives His Covenant; instructions for Religious Laws; and instructions for the garments of the Priests. After the Israelites build a golden calf to worship, Moses tells them they have to choose which God they will serve. God then renews His Covenant with those who decide to serve Him and continues to lead the Israelites on their journey to the Promise Land.
II. OUTLINE OF EXODUS
I. Birth and Life of Moses (1-9)
II. The Deliverance of the Hebrew People (10-25)
III. God’s Provisions for the Hebrew’s in their Search for the Promised Land (26-27)
IV. Naming of Judges (28)
V. Hebrew’s Given God’s Covenant and Instructions for building of Ark, Sanctuary,
Religious Laws, and Priestly Garments ( 29-31)
VI. Building of Golden Calf and Recending and Renewal of Covenant (32-34)
VII. Sanctuary and Ark of Covenant Built for God’s Inhabitancy (35-39)
VIII. God Guides Hebrews Through Continuation of Journey (40)
III. CONTENTS OF EXODUS
The book of Exodus is very familiar to most Christians because it tells of how God chose Moses to deliver His people out of bondage. The book begins with an account of the Israelites, who traveled with Jacob to Egypt, because his son Joseph was made an overseer for the King of Egypt. During this time the Israelites grew in numbers and were very prosperous. After the death of Joseph a new King came into power who was intimidated by the fact that the Israelites were so numerous and strong. He feared that they would rise up against him one day so he sought to destroy them. The King then sent out a decree for all of the male babies to be killed at birth. When Moses was born his mother hid him for three months to save him from Pharaoh.
After his mother could no longer hide him, she devised a plan to save him. She put Moses into a basket and floated him down the river where the daughter of Pharaoh bathed, in hopes that Pharaoh’s daughter would find the basket. Pharaoh’s daughter took the baby and raised him as her own because she had compassion for him. After Moses was grown he decided to visit his people, because he did not forget that he was a Hebrew. He saw an Egyptian hitting a Hebrew. When he thought no one was looking, he killed the Egyptian and hid him. The next day he came back and saw two Hebrews fighting and tried to intercede. They, however, informed him that he really could not say anything to them. They asked him was he going to kill them also, like he killed the Egyptian. At this point Moses knew that his crime had been discovered. He fled Egypt so that Pharaoh would not prosecute him. He traveled to Midian where he met a priest named Jethro, married his daughter, Zipporah and had a son.
One day while Moses was looking after his father-in-law’s sheep he saw a bush that was burning but did not burn up. As he approached the bush the voice of God spoke to him and informed him that He was aware of the sufferings of His people in Egypt. God then informed Moses that he was chosen to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses gave all kind of excuses as to why he could not be the chosen deliver but God finally convinced Moses. He sent Aaron as his mouthpiece. He also revealed to Moses that His name was "I AM."
He gave Moses some miraculous powers to show Moses that He would be with him every step of the way. Moses then goes to Pharaoh and asks him to let the Israelites go.
Pharaoh refuses, which is all part of God’s plan. The book of Exodus then diverts away from Moses’ encounter with Pharaoh and gives a detailed account of the genealogy of Moses and Aaron. The book of Exodus then goes back to Moses imploring Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh refuses again and Moses then introduces all of the plagues to the land of Egypt, as instructed by God. The plagues are as follows: water into blood, frogs, mosquitoes, horseflies, horseflies, death of livestock, hail, locus, darkness and the final plague which is death of all of the first-born of Egypt. God, however, provides a way for the Israelites to avoid the death of their first-borns. He introduces the ritual of the Passover, as a reminder to them that He will pass over the homes of His people and would not bring death to their first born sons. God also introduces the feast of the unleavened bread as a remembrance of the Israelites departure from Egypt. After the death of Pharaoh’s son, and the other first-born sons, Pharaoh agrees to let the Israelites go. The Israelites pack all of their belongings and leave for the "Promised Land." While they were on route, God allowed Pharaoh to change his mind. Pharaoh led an army to go after the Israelites to bring them back to Egypt. God then destroys the Egyptians as they cross the Red Sea, in their attempt to follow the Israelites. The Israelites sing praises and dance a victory song for God for delivering them out of Egypt. As the people of Israel travel through the dessert they complain constantly. First they complain to Moses that the water was bitter, so God instructs Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water and the water becomes safe to drink. Then they complain that they did not have any food.
God sends manna from heaven with specific instructions as to how it was to be eaten and stored. Moses also strikes a rock at Mt. Horeb so that the Israelites can have water to drink. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro informs Moses that he was taking on too much . He encourages Moses to appoint some judges to help him to mediate minor disputes. God summons Moses and Aaron to come to him at Mt. Sinai, and tells them of His covenant between Himself and the people of Israel and gives details as to how they are to prepare for receiving His Covenant. Moses informs the Israelites of the Covenant and then goes back to the mountain to receive further instructions. God gives him specific instructions regarding: laws of worship, the Book of the Covenant, instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, the priestly garments and the consecration of the priests. Moses stays on the mountain for forty days. The Israelites grow impatient and decide to build a golden calf to worship, in place of their true God, Yahweh. God informs Moses of this and Moses returns back down from the Mountain. He is so angered by their betrayal that he throws down the Ten Commandments he had received from God while he was up in the Mountain. Moses then burns the calf and he asks the people to make a decision on which God they would serve. Those who chose not to serve God were destroyed. The Israelites are then ordered to leave Mt. Sinai and God tells them that He will no longer travel with them. Moses prays and God renews His covenant with the Israelites. Moses then passes on the specific instructions. After all instructions had been carried out according to God’ plans, He takes possession of the sanctuary and guide the Israelites to the Promised Land.
IV. WHAT THE SCHOLARS ARE SAYING ABOUT EXODUS
History: Merrill C. Tenney states that there is much in the book of Exodus that reflects the life, history, and background of Egypt although there is no specific indication of the precise time of events. There is also no mention of any of the Egyptian Monarchs by name although the King of Egypt is referred to as "Pharaoh" or the "King of Egypt."
Alexa Suelzer states that the events, persons involved, the date and the circumstances of the Exodus cannot at present be accurately determined. Some believe that the Exodus took place about 1438. Ms. Suelzer states that the consensus of modern critics is that "the Pharao of the oppression was Seti I (1302-1290) and that the long-lived Rameses II (1290-1224) was the Pharao of the Exodus." Others say a double exodus occurred. Lawrence Boadt, discusses the different positions argued about the Exodus. The two most common dates they suggest are (1) between 1450-1350 BC and (2) between 1300-1250 BC.
J. Lee Magness says that some say it took place in the Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty, about 1450 BC and some say the Nineteenth Dynasty, sometime after 1300 BC. They also state that there is no account of a company of slaves that escaped from Egyptian slavery, established as a racial and religious community by a man named Moses.
Terence E. Fretheim, talks about the concerns regarding "what really happened?" He states that the task has been made difficult, by the fact that "no extrabiblical sources document what the book narrates."
There is some consensus that some of later Israel’s ancestors lived in Egypt for a time and that the "times and places associated with the Exodus or the wilderness wanderings or the Sinai event are all the subject of scholarly debate but are based on little known evidence."
Godfrey, suggests that the first and important question about the origins of the book of Exodus concerns the nature of ancient Near Eastern literature and traditions. The most recent theory proposes that a "chain of peoples revolutions" spread across the Eastern Mediterranean world at the same period as the Exodus from Egypt in the second millennium BCE. Emphasis is also placed on the differences in scholars about the accounts and events surrounding the book of Exodus. He states that "it is now commonly assumed that those who escaped from Egypt were not a homogeneous group of ethnic Hebrews, but a mixed bunch of refugees, who collected various other peoples on their way to Canaan." Nahum M. Sarna suggests that the history of Exodus is presented as a "God centered interpretation of historical events." The text never gives proper names of Egyptian Kings, referring to each one as "Pharaoh." The Biblical text does not yield a "single explicit correlation or synchronism with any datable event in Egyptian history;" and we don’t know how much time lapsed between the death of Joseph and the onset of the oppression of the Israelites.
Authorship: The Anchor Bible suggests that the early thinking was that it was J E and P, based on its similarity to Genesis. Later it was assumed that there may be additional passages written by D, J and J K, L, N and G. Tenney, suggests that the Jewish tradition held that the entire book was written by Moses and divided between narrative and legal sections. Fretheim suggests that Exodus is a composite work, consisting primarily of three combined sources (J.E. and P) and probably with some Deuteronomic influence and some texts that have not been attributed to any major source.
The Harper’s Bible Dictionary’s authors also discuss the controversy surrounding the authorship of Exodus stating that "the men who centuries ago wrote and edited the J, E, E2, JE, and P documents all had independent points of view, sources of information , and locale," concerning Exodus. They also say that Moses could have conceivably but not certainly have prepared written documents. Durham states that "Moses cannot be defended as the author of Exodus, nor can any other author be defended." They state that "modern scholars subscribe to the view that the Pentateuch is a complex compilation of oral, written, and redaction source materials." Gaebikin and Poleyn, discuss the authorship and state that "there are several internal claims that directly ascribe the authorship of Exodus to Moses." They site the following examples: Moses told to record on a scroll the episode of Israel’s victory over Amalek; Moses told to write down the Ten Commandments; and Moses told to write down every thing the Lord had said including the book of the Covenant. The authors discuss three major sources of authorship; J. E. and P. McCarter also debates the authorship of Exodus and gives the follow accounts: 1) Yahwistic Account (J): God referred to as Yahweh; departure from Egypt as a continuation of the theme of the double promises made by Yahweh to Patriarchs; Yahweh commissions Moses to lead the people to freedom to safe guard his promise; and the goal of Exodus is the Promised Land;
2) Elohistic Account (E): God referred to as God in most accounts; Yahweh does not act through "natural agents; God speaks from the sky rather than descending upon mountain.
Route: Harper’s suggests that the traditional theory regarding the route is that they migrated across the North end of the Red Sea. The authors’ theorize that the "Red Sea" discussed in Exodus is really the Lake of Reeds, which was North of the present town of Suez in the marshy area between Suez and the Great Bitter Lake. Major Jarvis, an Exodus scholar, believed that the Israelites took a northern route and may have never visited the Southern tip of Sinai. He suggests that they came out of Egypt via Bardawil Lake, which he thought was the "Sea of Reeds."Durham discusses three routes: a) shorter Northeastern route going through the land of the Philistines; b) middle route heading across to Beersheba; c) southeastern route leading from east of modern Ismailia to the southern extremities of the Sinai Peninsula.
Exodus Departure: The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible brings up the possibility that all of the tribes did not take part in the Exodus. It also discusses which tribes made the Exodus and which ones didn’t. They also debate the manner of the Hebrew’s departure.
Some scholars say that Pharao granted permission for the Hebrew’s to leave after the death of his first born son, but other’s suggest that the departure was unknown to Pharao.
Relationship to the Pentateuch: The New Interpreter’s Bible gives three relational emphasis which are: " 1) relation between Genesis is important but uneasy; community of the Exodus has no direct (historical) connection to the "ancestors" of Genesis; the God known in Genesis is fully known by name in Exodus; the promises of Genesis are still operational in Exodus; 2) relation between Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers is different; the later books are the extended proclamation of the Torah and continue the work of Moses at Sinai; and 3) relation to Deuteronomy is different; Deteronomy restates the Ten Commandments which receive a full and belated exposition that is placed in the mouth of Moses; what is given is what Moses could have said in a later, different circumstance.
V. IMPORTANCE OF EXODUS
There are a number of reasons as to why the Book of Exodus is important particularly to the Christian faith. The first reason that comes to mind as to why this Book is important to the Christian faith is because it deals with God’s Promise of deliverance to his chosen people the Israelites. God had promised Abraham an "extraordinary increase in the number of his descendants so God was not going to permit a cruel and crafty King to interfere with the caring out of His designs, and the performance of His gracious promises." God is never death to our earnest prayers for deliverance and He revels this to us throughout the Bible, as well as our lives today. Just as He delivered the Hebrew people; the Jews from the Holocaust; and the Black Race from slavery; He is constantly delivering you and me from life’s perils and oppressions. The book of Exodus shows us how God uses persecution to make His chosen stronger. The Israelites were persecuted by the Egyptians because they were intimidated by their growth and prosperity.
They sought to afflict the Israelites, but the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied. Pharaoh thought that his plan to afflict them with heavy labor would thin the Hebrew population and He would not be held responsible for an uprising of the people.
But he was not counting on God’s interference. God enabled the Hebrew people to retain their health and strength even under these adverse circumstances. The Book of Exodus is important, because it shows that whatever plans man may have for good or evil they cannot supersede God’s plans. Pharaoh’s plan was to destroy the Hebrew race by destroying the Hebrew boys. God, however, had a plan of deliverance for the Hebrew nation. Exodus also shows that God can, and does, use anybody to carry out His plans for deliverance. God can use and requires a variety of gifts and people for, and in, His service. He began with the lowly midwives. Then he used the very daughter of Pharaoh to save Moses, the one person who would bring Pharaoh and his entire kingdom down. Finally God used Moses, who was preordained by God, to be the deliver of the Hebrew people. God protected him and prepared him for his future task. Exodus also shows us what can happen to us when we operate outside of God’s will. Moses believed that he was saved for the purpose of helping his true people, the Israelites. When Moses saw the Egyptian beating the Israelite he justified in his heart that it was right for him to slay the Egyptian. So confident was Moses that he buried the Egyptian and went back to business as usual. But his act was not sanctioned by God and it caused him to delay his role of the delivered of the people for forty more years. This act also shows how even though man is responsible for his own acts, once he has done them, God can shape the outcome.
The book is important because it introduces us to the omnipotence of God by His use of miracles to convince Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go. God could have struck Pharaoh down and destroyed his entire kingdom. Instead He reveals His power and authority to us by His use of the various miracles.
Exodus is important because it shows how faithful and merciful God is. So many times the Hebrews turned away from God, disappointed God, complained to God and lost faith in God. But because of God’s love for us and His mercy and compassion, He forgave the Hebrew people over and over again. The book of Exodus is significant because it revels to the Israelites that they were God’s chosen people and it revealed to the Israelites who God was "I AM, THAT I AM." After the Israelite’s experienced God’s power in deliverance for them they were ready to worship Yahweh" as their true God. The book of Exodus is importance because it gives us the Book of Laws "Ten Commandments" which gives us instructions as to how God wants us to live. It gives us the origins of the Hebrew festival of the Passover which is still significance in Christian worship today; It gives the ordinances of the Sabbath; the organization of the priesthood; and the establishment of the "movable community shrine, the Tabernacle." It also gives us detailed instructions as to how God wants His sacred Ark, and Sanctuary, to be built; how His Priests were to be selected and the garments they were to adorn.