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#110 - Exodus (Bible Series 3 of 67) (Watt Thoughts) 9/28/2004
Exodus continues the history of the Israeli people and the forming of them into a nation. They developed as a separate and growing people in Egypt, and as has often happened in history as a separate people essentially became slave/servants of the Egyptians. This was how they came to Egypt, Joseph as a slave, and the rest of his family on his invite.
The Israelites grew in number over time and the Egyptians grew scared of this group. Joseph had, remember, risen to a high place in the government.
Through time their numbers grew. Moses was born and by that time Pharaoh had realized this power struggle and at the same time had ordered all baby Israelite boys killed (boys would become men who could fight Egypt). Exodus presents the story of how Moses survived this killing and was raised in Pharaoh’s household. In the New Testament a parallel story occurs with Jesus’ birth, the killing of babies to get rid of a king some saw coning and his family fleeing to Egypt.
There is a story of Moses recognizing himself as a Israelite and killing an Egyptian and fleeing to the desert and the years of living there. God spoke to him there through the burning bush and made him the nation’s leader. Although Moses recognized God as God, he still argued with God about the mission God was sending him on. Moses then returned to Egypt at 80 years old.
Moses confronted Pharaoh and requested freedom for the Israelites. This occurred ten times with each refusal God putting a plague on Egypt. These plagues were water turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock illness, boils, thunder and hail, locusts, darkness, and the last was the first male born died.
Before the last one Moses had the Israelites prepare for it so the plague would pass over them. This preparation was that they put the blood of a lamb on their doorpost, stayed in their house and had a meal. Because of God passing over their houses with the plague, the Passover feast was begun. This is the festival celebrated in the New Testament at the time of Jesus death.
After the last plague the Pharaoh freed the Israelites. Knowing the Pharaoh could change his mind quickly, they immediately fled and the bread they took with them had not leaven or risen, and to celebrate the actual leaving they began celebrating the festival of Unleavened Bread.
The first obstacle they hit when leaving was when the Israelites got to the Red Sea and there was no way to cross. With the Egyptians closing in, God parted the sea, they crossed on dry land, and he closed the parting, thereby stopping the Egyptians. With major miracles the Israelites left Egypt.
While in the desert God fed them with manna (bread) in the morning and quails tat came to the camp in the evening for the evening meal. However they were never allowed to stockpile this food (except a small amount added to the Ark of the Covenant) and had plenty during the entire 40 years.
At Mount Sinai Moses went to the top of the mountain to meet with God. At the bottom the people rebelled (which shows us even those who lived or are living major miracles lose faith quickly often). God gave the Ten Commandments here; the Ark of the Covenant was made to carry them and other historical artifacts. Throughout this time God gave the people many laws on how to live and worship and eat. These were part of the Old Covenant and many of the food laws we understand now with our science knowledge and their lack of science knowledge resulting in normally unsanitary lives, but these laws led to a much better sanitation. This gave the people the ability to eat well not knowing about germs and illnesses from poor or eating items not well prepared.
The Ark of the Covenant was built by directions from God that was to last them until the temple was built much later in Israel and could provide a more permanent place for these artifacts.
The Israelites have a keen sense of history there is much recorded here in this book to tell us about them and also their relationship to God. Exodus, as much of the Bible, is not just good news of what happened but the bad news also. We know the peoples’ peaks and valleys and the peaks and valleys of Moses.
Dwight
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