Author: Not stated but traditionally
attributed to Moses. In Exodus 34:27 God tells Moses, "Write
thou these words," and Jesus, in Mark 12:26, quotes from Exodus
as "the book of Moses."
Date: Approximately mid-1400s BC.
Ten Words or Less: God delivers His people, the Israelites,
from slavery in Egypt.
Details, Please: The Israelites prosper in Egypt, having
settled there at the invitation of Abraham's great-grandson
Joseph, who entered the country as a slave and rose to second in
command. When Joseph dies, a new pharaoh sees the burgeoning
family as a threat - and makes the people his slaves. God hears
the Israelites' groaning, remembering "his covenant with
Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (2:24) and raising up Moses
as their deliverer. God speaks through a burning bush, and Moses
reluctantly agrees to demand the Israelites' release from
Pharaoh. To break Pharaoh's will, God sends ten plagues on
Egypt, ending with the death of every firstborn child - except
those of the Israelites. They put sacrificial blood on their
doorposts, causing the angel of death to "pass over" (12:13)
their homes. Pharaoh finally allows the Israelites to leave the
country (the "Exodus"), and God parts the Red Sea for the
people, who are being pursued by Egyptian soldiers. At Mount
Sinai, God delivers the Ten Commandments, rules for worship and
laws to change the family into a nation. When Moses delays on
the mountain, the people begin worshipping a golden calf,
bringing a plague upon themselves. Moses returns to restore
order, and Exodus ends with the people continuing their journey
to the "promised land" of Canaan, following God's pillar of
cloud" by day and "pillar of fire" by night.
Key Verses: God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM:
and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I
AM hath sent me unto you. (3:14) | Thus saith the LORD, Let my
people go. (8:1) | When I see the blood, I will pass over you.
(12:13) | Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (20:3)
Unique and Unusual: God told the Israelites to celebrate
the "Passover" with a special meal of bread made without yeast
(12:14-15). Three thousand years later, Jewish people still
commemorate the event.
So What?: The story of redemption is on clear
display in Exodus as God rescues His people from their slavery
in Egypt. In the
same way, Jesus breaks our bonds of sin (Hebrews 2:14-15).
