TEACHING NOTES Introduction At the end of Genesis we learned that the 70 children of Israel are living in Egypt. The descendants of Abraham will live in Egypt for more than 400 years just as God told Abraham in Gen. 15:13-14. Exodus begins where Genesis left off. Israel is living well with the favor of Pharaoh for a while until a new Pharaoh comes to power that doesn’t know Joseph and enslaves Israel. The Literary Design of Exodus Movement #1: Israel Delivered from Egypt (Ex. 1-18) Movement #2: Israel at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19-40) Exodus Outline Exodus 1: Introduction & Background Exodus begins with a brief recap of the end of Genesis. We’re told the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) and that their 70 descendants have been in Egypt. At the end of Genesis Joseph and his family have favor with Pharaoh. As a result, the Israelites become a large multitude of people. Exodus 1:7 “7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.” But in Exodus 1:8 we learn that as time went on a new Pharaoh had risen to power that did not know Joseph. This new Pharaoh is afraid that the multitude of Israelites will attempt to overthrow him and take over the nation. So Pharaoh decides to enslave the Israelites. But this only increases the number of Israelites. Exodus 1:12 “12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.” Pharaoh decides to reduce the Israelite population by ordering the Hebrew midwives to kill every male Israelite newborn. However, the Hebrew midwives feared Yahweh and let the newborns live. As a result, Pharaoh commands that all male Israelite children be thrown into the Nile. Exodus 2: Moses & The Outcry of Israel Key Verse: Exodus 2:23-25 “23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” Exodus 3-4: Moses Meets Yahweh Key Verse: Exodus 3:14-15 “14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” Exodus 5-12: The 10 Plagues Key Verse: Exodus 12:12 “12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.” Yahweh’s Plagues on Egypt’s gods: *Note: It is commonly said that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. It’s implied that Pharaoh had no freewill in this story. However, if we just read the text we find that Pharaoh hardened his own heart and God hardened his heart. It seems that God is simply giving Pharaoh what he already wanted. After all, God gave Pharaoh ten chances to obey. Plague 1: Nile Turned to Blood (Ex. 7:20-25) The Nile was the source of Egypt’s power. There were several gods involved with this river. Khnum was the guardian of the river’s source. Hapi was the god of flooding and fish. Osiris was a god who drew his life from the Nile. God was showing that He had power over all of these Egyptian gods. In Ex. 7:22, the magicians (priests) of Egypt could also turn water to blood. However, that only made the problem worse not better. Since they could do the same as Yahweh, Pharaoh remained hard-hearted. Plague 2: Frogs (Ex. 8:1-15) Hekhet was an Egyptian goddess with the head of a frog. This goddess was responsible for the multiplication of frogs. Frogs were a vital part of the ecosystem of the Nile River. In Ex. 8:7, the magicians of Egypt did the same, which obviously only made it worse. Plague 3: Gnats (Ex. 8:16-19) Gnats can also mean lice. Geb was the god over the dust of the earth. Egyptian temples were sacred space that could not be contaminated with gnats or lice. Therefore, Egyptian priests would shave themselves every other day to avoid lice. When God flooded Egypt with gnats or lice, He was shutting down their temples and priests. God communicated to Egypt that their gods were out of business. In Ex. 8:18-19, we learn that the magicians can’t do this one. They can’t create gnats. So they tell Pharaoh that “this is the finger of God” at work. After this plague the magicians no longer try to reproduce what God is doing. Plague 4: Flies (Ex. 8:20-32) Khepri had the head of a beetle and was believed to help move the sun. Like the previous plague of gnats/lice, flies would have totally disrupted their religious rituals and everyday life. God was proving that His power and authority was supreme. Notice that in this plague we learn that God is protecting Israel during the plagues. In Ex. 8:22 God sets apart the land of Goshen where the Israelites live. God protects that region and no flies are sent there. This plague moves Pharaoh to tell Moses to sacrifice to Yahweh and plead with Him to remove the flies. Moses does so and God answers his prayer. But even with that, Pharaoh still hardened his heart and refused to let Israel leave. Plague 5: Cattle (Ex. 9:1-7) Hathor was a fertility goddess who had bull’s horns on its head. God kills all the horses, cows, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks to show that Egypts gods are powerless to protect even the animals. But God protects the livestock of Israel and none of their animals died. Plague 6: Boils/Sores (Ex. 9:8-12) Isis was the goddess of health and Imhotep was the god of healing. God is showing the Egyptians that Isis and Imhotep cannot reverse what He does. Even the magicians are afflicted with this plague showing that they no longer have power. Notice that in Ex. 9:12 it says that “the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.” In the previous plagues Pharaoh was hardening his own heart. Now God is going to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to finish the job. Plague 7: Hail (Ex. 9:13-35) Nut was the goddess of the sky and her father, Shu, was the god of wind and air. God is proving that those gods are now out of business. This plague is unique because it will afflict Pharaoh and his servants too. It is also unique in that God gives the Egyptians a way to avoid this plague by bringing in their animals and servants into safe shelter. Those who believed what Yahweh says avoided the hailstorm. Those who didn’t believe were killed. The hail also ruined the crops of the fields. At this point, Pharaoh realizes that he has sinned. But after Moses prays to end the storm, Pharaoh hardens his own heart again. He refuses to let Israel leave. Plague 8: Locusts (Ex. 10:1-20) Neper and Nepri were the god and goddess of grain and crops. God sends a strong east wind (Heb. ruach) all day and night. This wind brings the locusts and they devour every remaining food source in Egypt. Neper and Nepri are out of business. Plague 9: Darkness (Ex. 10:21-29) The most worshiped god in Egypt was Ra, who was the sun god. The Egyptians believed that each evening Ra would go into the underworld for battle and rise each morning victorious. Therefore, when Yahweh brought on three days of darkness the Egyptians would have believed that Ra had been killed. Plague 10: Death of Firstborn (Ex. 11-12:32) In Egypt, the Pharaoh was believed to be a descendant of the god Horus. Therefore, each Pharaoh was the successor of Horus himself. For Yahweh to kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son was to disrupt the succession of Horus. This would have told the Egyptians that Yahweh is greater than Horus. Pharaoh is no longer a godlike king. This is the basis for the Passover celebration of Israel. Yahweh says in Ex. 12:14 that “This day shall be for you a memorial day...” In other words, God says “Do this in remembrance of me.” Sound familiar? This is exactly what Jesus said when He instituted Communion while celebrating Passover with His disciples. Exodus 13: Consecration of the Firstborn and The Feast of Unleavened Bread All the firstborn of humans and animals must dedicated to Yahweh. This is a way of saying that the first of all they had belonged to Yahweh. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was intended to remind them of the story. Since the Old Testament wasn’t written yet, the feasts were the primary way they told the story to their descendants. Exodus 14-15: Crossing the Sea & The Grumbling Israelites Notice that God sends a strong east wind (Heb. ruach) to push back the waters. This recalls Gen. 1:2 where the Ruach of God is hovering over the waters. The Israelites walk through on dry ground. The Egyptians follow and are destroyed. Then Moses sings a song about God deliverance. Three days later the Israelites are already complaining about water. Notice that God turns bitter water sweet by telling Moses to throw a tree into the water. This section ends with Israel encamped at Elim where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. Exodus 16: God Provides Bread from Heaven & Quail This passage gives us insight into the meaning of the Sabbath. The Israelites were told not to gather manna on the Sabbath. God provided twice as much manna on the sixth day so they could rest on the seventh day. They could rest knowing that God provided enough. Exodus 17-18: Water, War, & Leadership in the Wilderness This chapter includes a couple famous stories. At Rephidim the Israelites complain about water again. God provides water by standing on a rock and telling Moses to strike the rock. Then Amalek (descendants of Esau) comes to fight against Israel. Here we find the first mention of Joshua in the Old Testament. During this battle Moses is told to hold up his hands and Israel would win. This section ends with Moses following his father-in-law’s advice to appoint godly men to help him deal with the people. We find out later that Moses chose 70 elders to manage the people. Exodus 19-24: God’s Covenant with Israel At Mt. Sinai God declares that He wants to be in covenant with Israel. Key Verse: Exodus 19:5-6 “5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”” God calls Moses up the mountain and gives him the 10 Commandments (Lit. the 10 words). These 10 are followed by other laws about altars, slaves, restitution, social justice, Sabbath, and festivals. The laws end with a promise to inherit the promised land and the covenant is confirmed. Exodus 25-31: The Blueprint for the Tabernacle This section details the design of the Tabernacle and all the furniture that will be contained in it. If we pay close attention we will notice that the Tabernacle is designed to remind the Israelites of the Garden of Eden. Exodus 32-34: Israel Breaks the Covenant Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and 40 nights. At the base of the mountain the Israelites are tired of waiting. They ask Aaron to make gods for them to replace Yahweh. Aaron collects all the jewelry and fashioned it into a golden calf. The Israelites worship the calf by offering sacrifices, getting drunk, and performing sex rituals. 3,000 are killed as a result of breaking the covenant. Moses goes back up the mountain and offers himself in Israel’s place. Key Verse: Exodus 34:6-7 “6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”” This section ends with God renewing the covenant with Israel. A new set of stone tablets are made of the 10 commandments (words). Exodus 35-40: The Tabernacle is Built This section mirrors the creation story with a garden-of-Eden-like tent structure that contains a basin of water (the sea) and priests being clothed is special garments. The section ends by saying, “So Moses finished the work” (Ex. 40:33), which echoes the seventh day of creation when “God finished his work” (Gen. 2:2). Exodus ends with the glory cloud of Yahweh filling the Tabernacle. But Moses is not allowed to enter the tent. This sets us up for the next part of the Torah, the book of Leviticus. After God instructs Israel in Leviticus on how to worship, we find out in Numbers 1:1 that Moses can now enter the tent. Why is the Exodus story so important? The Exodus story helps us understand the Jesus story. In Deut. 18:18, we’re told that God was going to raise up a prophet like Moses for Israel. This prophet would have God’s words in his mouth. At the end of the Torah we read in Deut. 34:10 “10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,” This tells us that Israel was waiting on a prophet like Moses who would deliver God’s people. The Old Testament prophets carry on this idea and add that this prophet will also be a king from the lineage of David (Jer. 23:5; 30:9; Amos 9:11; 1 Chron. 17:11). If we add up all the descriptions in the Old Testament, the Messiah would be a prophet, a priests, and a king, all in one. If we pay close attention to Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ story, we will see a big connection. For Matthew, Jesus was like a new Moses who was leading a new Exodus. In Jesus’ day God’s people were yet again under the power of an evil nation. In the New Testament, Rome is repeatedly called Babylon and even Egypt. Jesus has come to lead a new Exodus for God’s people. All humanity is under Satan’s rule and Jesus has come to crush Satan and deliver humanity. Exodus & Jesus Moses shamed the gods of Egypt using a piece of a tree - Jesus shamed the powers of evil on a piece of a tree. Moses delivered Israel through water - Jesus delivers us through baptism. Moses and Israel are tempted in the wilderness - Jesus is tempted in the wilderness. Moses delivers the Law from a mountain - Jesus delivers a new law from a mountain. Moses led Israel to become a kingdom of priests - Jesus made the Church a kingdom of priests. Moses built a place for God’s Spirit to live - Jesus made us a place for God’s Spirit to live. Moses leads Israel to celebrate Passover - Jesus creates a new Passover celebration. Moses offered himself in Israel’s place after they sinned - Jesus offered Himself in our place for our sins.