Exodus: God Appears With The Birth Of A New Nation

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. Exodus 2:23-25 (NLT)

The Old Testament book of Exodus describes a magnificent series of appearance of the true and living God. For over four hundred years, the Israelites (also called “Hebrews” and later called “Jews”) were enslaved by the Egyptians. These descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had grown from seventy people to over two million (Exodus 1:1-7; see also Genesis 46:26-27; Exodus 12:37; Exodus 38:26; Numbers 1). They were a large immigrant nation (see Genesis 46:3-4). Jacob’s descendants had many children and grandchildren and became extremely powerful. The Hebrews filled the Egyptian lands (Exodus 1:7). “The Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7, NIV). God had promised Abraham that his descendants would multiply greatly, and they did (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5). Jacob (also known as “Israel”) (see Genesis 32:24-30) moved to Egypt with his sons and their families: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Eventually, the Hebrews outnumbered the Egyptians and they were strong (Exodus 1:9).

To Egyptians, these Hebrews posed a grave threat and fright. So, the Egyptian Pharaoh decided to turn the Hebrew people into slaves (Exodus 1:11). But the more the Egyptians oppressed and hurted the Hebrews, the more the Hebrews multiplied, spread and grew strong. This abundant growth terrified the Egyptians (Exodus 1:12). So, the Egyptians decided to kill off Hebrew male children in hopes the Hebrew girls would marry Egyptian males to eventual destroy the Hebrew race (Exodus 1:15-16, 22). However, two courageous Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, disobeyed the Egyptian’s evil commands to murder the Hebrew male children at birth (Exodus 1:15-16). These courageous women obeyed, respected and feared God more than man (see Acts 4:19; Acts 5:29) and allowed these Hebrew male babies to live (Exodus 1:17-21). Shiphrah and Puah’s aim were not to oppose a bad law but to uphold reverential trust in God (see Psalm 15:4; Psalm 34:8-14; Proverbs 1:7). ALWAYS TRUST IN GOD FIRST AND FOREMOST!

One of the Hebrew male children that lived was a special Hebrew boy named Moses (Exodus 2:1-2). Moses was “no ordinary child” but was but a “fine child” fair in the sight of God (Exodus 2:2; see also Acts 7:20; Hebrews 11:23). Moses’ mother courageously hid Moses for three months from the evil Egyptians (Exodus 2:2). Eventually, Moses’ mother placed Moses in a watertight basket into the Egyptian Nile River (Exodus 2:3). Moses’ sister (Miriam) courageously stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to her younger brother Moses (Exodus 2:4). Moses’ mother and sister had no fear of fatal consequences, only the quiet expectancy that God would do something wonderful. Through God’s sovereignty, the special Hebrew boy caught the eye of Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:5-10). Pharaoh’s daughter retrieved Moses from the river and adopted Moses as her son. Ironically, Moses’ mother was hired and paid by Pharaoh’s daughter to care for Moses (Exodus 2:9). How gracious of the true and living God to reunite Moses and his mother. Moses’ mother not only got her son back, but she was paid to take care of him! The daughter of Israel’s enemy became Moses’ patroness. Moses’ parents’ names were Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20).

Adopted into the palace, Moses became a member of the royal household. Moses would eventually rise to Egyptian power and become a famous prince inside Pharaoh's palace (Exodus 2:10). Moses was the son of a slave, yet brought up in the seat of Egyptian power. In fact, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22, NIV). Through a series of prideful events, Moses would murder an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-14) and his murder caused him to flee into the Midian desert land for 40 years (Exodus 2:15; see also Acts 7:27-30). In Midian, Moses married Zipporah, gave birth to two children and became an unknown shepherd (Exodus 2:16-22; see also Exodus 18:3-4; 1 Chronicles 23:15; Acts 7:23-29). What a humbling experience! However in the Midian wilderness, God was preparing Moses for a leadership role as God would also make an active appearance to bring about the Hebrews’ deliverance.

Just when Moses felt his life was beginning to die, the true and living God visited Moses in the mysterious flames of a burning bush on Mount Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai) (Exodus 3:1-3). Moses was about 80 years old (see Exodus 7:7; Acts 7:23, 30). He stared in amazement as the true and living appeared to him inside a blazing fire from the middle of a bush (Exodus 3:1). Though the bush was engulfed in flames, the bush miraculously did not burn up (Exodus 3:2-3). As Moses came closer to the burning bush, the Lord God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” (Exodus 3:4). From the burning bush, the true and living God said to Moses “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:5-6). Moses approached God with worship – awe, respect, reverence, and humbleness (Exodus 3:5-6). God is our Friend, but He is also the holy and sovereign King of the universe (see 1 Samuel 12:14; Psalm 47:7-8; Isaiah 52:7). The God of Israel is the Creator and Possessor of the earth and everything in the earth (see Genesis 14:19, 22; Psalm 24:1-2).

God to Moses:  Then the Lord told him (Moses), “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey — the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached Me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead My people Israel out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:7-10 (NLT)

God had seen and heard the enslavement of the Hebrews by the cruel Egyptians (Exodus 2:23-25; see also Exodus 3:7-10). These verses show that God truly cares for His people and we must constantly cry-out to God for our help. Now, God was commissioning Moses for the task of not only prophet but a liberator (Exodus 2:15 -- Exodus 4:31). Moses became the first prophet of the Old Testament (Numbers 12:6-8). God gave Moses words to speak and reminded Moses that He “decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see” (Exodus 4:11-12). When Jesus Christ came as the great Prophet, Priest and Liberator, the New Testament book of Hebrews reached back to Moses for a comparison (Hebrews 3:1-6). Every true prophet was called by God (e.g. see 1 Samuel 3:4; Isaiah 6:8; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Ezekiel 2:1-8; Hosea 1:2; Amos 7:15; Jonah 1:1-2).

At the outset, Moses did not want the job assignment from God (see Exodus 3:11, 13; Exodus 4:1, 10, 13). Five times Moses tried to excuse himself from God's prophetic call and liberation. However, God assured Moses that He would be present during the deliverance (salvation) and that the nation would one day worship God at that very mountain (Exodus 3:12). Moses even pleaded with God not to send him back to Egypt. To give some assurance to Moses, God performed a number of miraculous signs for Moses (Exodus 4:2-9). Nevertheless, God also gave part of Moses assignment to his older brother Aaron (Exodus 4:14-17). Later, Aaron and his sons were chosen by God to serve as Israel’s priests down through the generations (see Exodus 28:1; Exodus 29:4-9). Moses' sister, Miriam, and brother, Aaron, were both older than Moses. With the true and living God on their side, Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt to bring freedom to the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. “This is what the Lord says: Israel is My firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22, NLT). Israel had a special relationship with the true and living God (see Jeremiah 31:9; Hosea 11:1).

At first, Pharaoh bulked and laughed at Moses and Aaron’s sovereign God. Pharaoh believed that his gods were stronger and mightier than Moses and Aaron’s God. A considerable amount of time and ten devastating plagues were used to gain the release of the Hebrews from Egyptian Pharaoh’s evil grip. But soon the true and living God of the universe revealed to Pharaoh, the Egyptians and the Hebrew people that He was the GREAT I AM or “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). This name for God describes God’s eternal power and unchangeable character as the dependable and faithful God who desires the full trust of His people (see Exodus 3:14-15). Yahweh (or Jehovah) is derived from the Hebrew word for “I AM.” Through a cycle of miraculous plagues and destructions, Pharaoh and the Egyptians succumb to the realization that Moses and Aaron’s God was truly stronger and mightier not only of the Egyptians gods but all the gods of the universe (Exodus 3:19-20; see also Exodus 5:1 -- Exodus 12:33). God unleashed a spectacle of might and power that brought the cruel Pharaoh to his knees. Pharaoh released the Hebrew people from slavery. The entire Hebrew nation set out with the riches of the Egyptians – gold and silver (Exodus 3:21-22; see also Exodus 12:34-36; Psalm 105:37). This fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 15:14. These items were used later in building the Tabernacle (Exodus 35:5, 22). Amazingly, throughout the early parts of Exodus, all the Pharaoh’s efforts to suppress and harm the Hebrew people were frustrated by women:  the midwives (Exodus 1:17), the Hebrew mothers (Exodus 1:19), Moses’ mother and sister (Exodus 2:3-4, 7-9), the Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:5). 

Moses and Aaron did not have an easy task to move 2 million people from Egyptian bondage. However, the true and living God was with the people as they marched out of Egypt, through the Red Sea as they headed towards the land promised to father Abraham (Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:13-14). God led the march from slavery to freedom, from Egypt to the Promised Land. The true and living God was with the Hebrews through the visual pillars of cloud and fire (Exodus 13:17-22) and miraculous provided for the people’s physical and spiritual needs with food, shelter and other rations (e.g. see Exodus 16:1, 13-15). God even sweetened the Hebrews’ water supply (Exodus 15:22-25) and miraculously provided water from a rock (Exodus 17:1, 5-6). The people also received protection from their enemy, the Amalekites (17:8–16). God made such appearances to encourage the people. The deliverance from bondage was a crucial event in the experience of the Israelites. Many authors of the Psalms and Old Testament prophetic books acclaimed this great deliverance as the most significant miracle in Israel’s Old Testament history. Yet, the true and living God’s visual presence was not enough for the Hebrew people. The people began to grumble, complain and worry despite God’s continual evidence of love and power. In fact, some Hebrews even wanted to return to Egyptian bondage and slavery and not trust God’s leading into a better land. So, God judged His people’s disobedience and lack of faith in Him for all their needs.

At Mount Sinai, God appeared to the people and gave His laws for right living. During this time, God gave the people His Ten Commandments as well as other laws for right living. Also, God gave the people His blueprint for building the Tabernacle (Exodus 19 -- Exodus 40). The Ten Commandments were the absolutes of spiritual and moral life. The other laws given helped the people manage their lives. Many great countries of the world base their laws on the laws of the book of Exodus. God was building a holy nation of priests devoted wholly to Him (Exodus 19:6; see also 1 Peter 2:5, 9). The true and living God wanted the people to trust and love Him first. Even more, God was building a nation as a source of truth and salvation for the entire world. Exodus is a wonderful story of God guidance for His people.

But Moses told the people: “Do not be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:13-14 (NLT)

The theme of the book of Exodus is redemption or salvation, in fulfillment of Abraham’s promise of Genesis 15:13-14. The heart of redemption theology is best seen in the Passover (Exodus 12). The Apostle Paul viewed the death of the Passover lamb as fulfilled in Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 5:7). Indeed, John the Baptist called Jesus Christ the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Moreover, Exodus records the birth of the nation Israel, the giving of the Law, and the origin of ritual worship. The appearance of God is dominant throughout Exodus. In the pages of Exodus, we see God controlling history (Exodus 1); revealing His Name and character (Exodus 3:13-15; Exodus 34:6-7); illuminating His sovereignty and faithfulness (Exodus 6:6; Exodus 15:13; Exodus 19:5); judging His people (Exodus 4:14; Exodus 20:5; Exodus 32:27-28) and the enemies of His people (Exodus 7-12). Exodus also reveals God as being transcendent (Exodus 33:20) yet He lives among His people (Exodus 29:45). The book of Exodus concludes with an extended account of the building of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle points to the grace of God. By means of the Tabernacle, the omnipotent, unchanging, and transcendent God of the universe came to “dwell” or “tabernacle” with the His people, thereby revealing His gracious nearness as well (see also John 1:14). God is not only mighty; He is also omnipresent. 

References

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