AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS

TEXT: "For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you" (Exo. 12:23).

INTRODUCTION:

1. Exodus is the sequel to Genesis; where Genesis ends with Jacob's (Israel's) entrance into Egypt, Exodus is that calling of Israel out of Egypt.

2. God had made the pronouncement to the serpent (Gen. 3:15) and then a promise to Abraham (Gen. 22:18)--Exodus is God's keeping of the promise.

3. Israel has been sheltered and allowed to grow into a great nation--from those few that entered into Egypt they have grown into a mighty number.

4. This book is one great type within the scheme of redemption; for just as Israel needed deliverance from Egypt, so man even today needs deliverance from sin--the type is confirmed to us in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4:

"(1) Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; (3) And did all eat the same spiritual meat; (4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT EXODUS

A. TITLE: EXODUS

1. Hebrew title is shemoth, "Names," taken from the opening words, "These are the names...."

2. The English title is taken from the Greek title in the Septuagint version.

3. The Greek title is exodos, meaning "a going out" or "departure" or "exit."

B. AUTHOR: MOSES

1. What does Exodus say?

a. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Exo. 17:14).

b. "And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel" (Exo. 24:4).

c. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel" (Exo. 34:27).

3. The New Testament writers also affirm Moses as the writer: Mark 7:10; 12:26; Luke 24:44.

4. All of the evidence points to Moses as the earthly author.

C. DATE AND SETTING

1. Most likely composed during the wilderness wanderings it would date approximately 1,450 B.C.

2. It begins by the Nile in Egypt, shifts to Moses' exile in Midian, returns to the palaces of Egypt, and finally closes at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

D. AUDIENCE

1. It was written to the new nation, forming at Mt. Sinai--Israel.

2. It is a record of where God's appointed leader, Moses, came from and his qualifications as a leader.

3. It continues as a record of Israel's release from bondage and the establishment of a law for the nation.

4. It serves as the second "step" in becoming a full-fledged nation and sets the stage for the transition to the third "step."

5. Those three "steps" in becoming a nation:

a. Must have people--the Israelites will have grown from the few, 70 or 75, that entered Egypt into a people in excess of 1 million, possibly as high as 4 million.

b. Must have a law--this is what is delivered to the people while at Mt. Sinai.

c. Must have a land--this is the transition, the people have left Egypt, they have received a law, and now they will head for a land.

6. As a note to these numbers and to answer a seeming contradiction in Scripture--How many souls of Jacob's descendants entered Egypt?

a. Exodus 1:5 indicates there were 70.

b. Genesis 46:26-27 indicates there 66 and then adds Joseph, his wife, and two sons giving a total of 70.

c. But Stephen in Acts 7:14 indicates there were 75.

d. What is the correct answer? Or is there an explanation for this apparent contradiction?

e. One possible explanation is that the Septuagint (the Greek version referenced by Stephen in Acts) lists additions to the text of Exodus, namely: the two sons of Manasseh, two sons of Ephraim, and a grandson of Ephraim.

f. Another possible explanation, using the Genesis account as the basis: Jacob's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren amounted to 66. Adding Jacob himself and Joseph with his two sons we have 70. If to the 66 we add the nine wives of Jacob's sons (Judah's and Simeon's wives were dead; Joseph could hardly be said to call himself, his own wife or his sons into Egypt and Jacob is specified separately by Stephen) we have 75 persons.

g. Another possibility: a simple scribal error--a number is misread or copied incorrectly.

h. In any case it is not a contradiction that will lead to damnation, nor is it unexplainable in a perfectly acceptable and rational way.

E. PURPOSE

1. To show the people of God His willingness to be their God and to fulfill His promises.

2. The first half of the book records events that fulfill the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14:

"(13) And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance."

3. The second half of the book records the events surrounding the giving of the law--and just how quickly man can disregard God's will.

II. AN OUTLINE OF EXODUS

A. BONDAGE IN EGYPT (1)

1. The reason for persecution (1:1-12)

2. God's use of the persecution (1:13-22)

B. GOD RAISES UP MOSES (2-4)

1. Moses is born (2:1-9)

2. Moses is prepared in Egypt (2:10-11)

3. Moses sides with his people (2:11-12)

4. Moses is prepared in Midian (2:13-25)

5. Moses is called (3:1-4:31)

C. LET MY PEOPLE GO (5-12)

1. God's message is delivered (5:1-21)

2. God's promise is reaffirmed (5:22-6:27)

3. God's message is delivered (6:28-7:7)

4. God's message is confirmed (7:8-12:28)

a. Each plague is a direct attack on the Egyptian gods and their worship.

b. Each was designed to show the power of the One True God and deny the power of any and all false gods.

D. THE EXODUS (12-18)

1. The Passover established (12:29-51)

2. The firstborn are set apart to God (13:1-16)

3. The crossing of the Red Sea (13:17-14:31)

4. The celebration (15:1-21)

5. The first water problem: Marah (15:22-27)

6. The food problem: Manna (16:1-36)

7. The second water problem: Massah and Meribah (17:1-7)

8. The passage problem: Israel defeats Amalek (17:8-16)

9. The judgment problem: Jethro advises Moses (18:1-27)

E. THE GIVING OF THE LAW (19-24)

1. The law delivered from Sinai (19:1-25)

2. The Ten Commandments (20:1-17)

3. God's specifics for worship (20:18-26)

4. Detailed legislation (21:1-23:19)

5. Commands for the conquest (23:20-33)

6. The covenant affirmed (24:1-18)

F. THE TABERNACLE (25-40)

1. The call for free-will offerings (25:1-9)

2. The design of the tabernacle and its furnishings (25:10-27:21)

3. The priests (28:1-29:46)

4. The altar of incense (30:1-10)

5. The census offering for the tabernacle (30:11-16)

6. The bronze laver (30:17-21)

7. Oil and incense (30:22-38)

8. The craftsmen (31:1-11)

9. The Sabbath defined (31:12-18)

10. The people are impatient--they need a "god": the golden calf (32:1-34:35)

11. The Sabbath instituted (35:1-19)

12. The offering gathered (35:20-29)

13. The craftsmen gathered (35:30-36:2)

14. The offering ended (36:3-7)

15. The tabernacle and its furnishings constructed (36:8-39:43)

16. The tabernacle assembled and filled with the Lord's glory (40:1-38)

III. THE ONE WORD THEME OF EXODUS: ORGANIZATION

A. MOSES LEARNS ORGANIZATION:

1. As a national leader--the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

2. As a shepherd overseeing a flock in the wilderness--the son-in-law of Jethro in Midian.

B. GOD SHOWS ORGANIZATION:

1. God speaks to Moses, Moses speaks to Aaron, Aaron speaks to Pharaoh.

2. God's use of the plagues is organized, both in its attack against the Egyptian gods, but also in the severity of each plague.

3. God's plan for the final plague was organized: the plan must be done at the right time, in the right way, at the right place or death results.

4. God's method of leading was organized.

5. God's method of feeding was organized.

6. The nation is organized--they are governed by law.

7. The judging of the nation was organized.

8. Their camping around Mt. Sinai was organized.

9. God's desired worship was organized.

IV. THE PICTURE OF CHRIST IN EXODUS: THE LAMB OF GOD FOR SINNERS SLAIN

A. THE CHRIST AS SEEN IN MOSES

1. Both were born of average parents in a place that was not their homeland.

2. Moses was exposed to the wrath of Pharaoh; Jesus was exposed to the wrath of Herod.

3. Moses was appointed to deliver Israel from slavery to Pharaoh; Jesus was appointed to deliver mankind from slavery to sin.

4. Moses fasted forty days and nights while receiving the law; Christ fasted the same period of time at the outset of His ministry.

5. Moses' miracles confirmed his prophetic office; Jesus' miracles likewise established His work.

B. THE CHRIST AS SEEN IN THE MEDIATORIAL ROLE OF MOSES

1. Paul wrote concerning Moses that he was the mediator of the Old Law (Gal. 3:19).

2. The people requested that Moses stand between them and God (Exo. 20:19).

3. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 2:24).

4. As Moses was Israel's only mediator, so Christ is now the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5).

C. THE CHRIST AS SEEN IN THE PASSOVER LAMB

1. The choice of the sacrifice: the lamb was to be without blemish; Jesus is the Lamb of God without blemish (John 1:29; Heb. 4:15).

2. The Passover lamb must be taken from the fold of the Israelites; Jesus was the "seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3)--He was from the fold of the Israelites.

3. The lamb was to be a year old, in its prime; Christ as the Lamb was killed in His prime.

4. No bone of the lamb was to be broken; no bone of the Christ was broken.

5. The blood of that sacrifice was not to touch the ground or be trodden under foot; how much more so the blood of Christ should be esteemed.

6. The blood of that sacrifice placed on the door posts where God could "see" it and "pass over" that house; Christ's blood, met in baptism, is the active agent in justification so that God can "pass over" one's sins (Rom. 6:3-5; Heb. 9:12-14, 22; Rev. 1:5).

7. The Passover lamb was to be eaten in one house; the church is the one house in which we are to "feed" (be full partakers of His teachings) upon the Christ (John 6:35-65).

D. THE CHRIST AS SEEN IN "THAT ... ROCK" IN THE WILDERNESS

1. Paul clearly tells us that the "Rock" was a type of Christ (1 Cor. 10:4).

2. Samuel and Isaiah also refer to Deity as a Rock (2 Sam. 23:3; Isa. 28:16).

3. As that Rock produced the water of life freely for them in the desert, so Christ is that Fountain of the water of life freely available to all today (Rev. 21:6; 22:17; John 4).

E. THE CHRIST AS SEEN IN THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD

1. The Hebrews' writer confirms this type to us (Heb. 5:1, 5).

2. As Aaron was Moses' "mouth," so Christ is His Father's "mouth."

3. As the high priest of Israel blessed the people; Christ now is the blessing to all men today.

F. THE CHRIST AS SEEN IN THE TABERNACLE OF ISRAEL

1. The tabernacle was the dwelling place of God among His people; Christ "tabernacled" (dwelt) among man (John 1:14).

2. Aaron and the succeeding high priests entered the holy of holies once a year by passing through the holy place and its furnishings; this is typical of Christ passing through His church to enter Heaven (Heb. 9:7-25).

3. All of the tabernacle and its furnishings serve as types for the coming of the Christ, His gospel, and the church.

CONCLUSION

1. The Rock, the Lamb of God for sinners slain, the High Priest who has passed through the church and now is the anchor of our hope in Heaven--has established, organized, and bought a body on this earth.

2. Just as God did at Mt. Sinai for that physical nation, so He has done for this spiritual nation--He has declared the laws of organization for His church.

3. He revealed the pattern for the place of worship and prescribed the terms of entrance into that place and its elements in Exodus.

4. What does the Lamb of God, the Rock, the Root and the offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star say? To quote Jesus: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).