Why Is Exodus So Important?

The Old Testament book of Exodus is an essential and valuable resource for preaching, teaching, and counseling in the church and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Few events in history have had such far-reaching effects as Israel’s redemption out of Egyptian slavery. Clearly the crimson thread of redemption is woven into the fabric of Exodus. The theme of redemption and salvation are expressed in both the Passover and in the crossing of the Red Sea. The Exodus event is at the very heart of the Old Testament and fundamental to God’s faithfulness and grace (Exodus 2:24; Exodus 3:6; Exodus 6:4–8; Exodus 15:13). The Exodus is to the Old Testament what Jesus Christ’s passion and work of redemption at Calvary’s Cross to the New Testament. In fact, Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery and bondage was one of the defining moments in world history. The Exodus became the standard for later instances in which God delivered His people, especially the deliverance by Jesus Christ from sin. In reading Exodus, anyone who has longed to be liberated from oppression, from emotional or psychological bondage, or from slavery to sin will recognize the power in Moses’ declaration, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord!” (Exodus 14:13).

Even more, the book of Exodus describes the meaning of a personal relationship with the one true and living God, how to establish a relationship with Him, and how to stay faithful in this relationship. The book of Exodus not only provides what is required in a faithful relationship with God, but also what God had graciously done to make that relationship possible. Exodus addresses our great needs: to be set free from slavery (Exodus 1 – 18), to know who God is and God’s character through the covenant at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19 – 24), and to experience God’s presence and fellowship through the Tabernacle (Exodus 25 –40).

To properly understand the book of Exodus, one will need to read the book of Genesis. The book of Exodus continues the story of God’s dealings with His people. The opening chapters of Genesis described a good world created by the true and living God (Genesis 1 – 2). From the very beginning of creation, God’s plan was to share His life with humans He created and to allow humans the joy of fellowship with Him. However, the world God created fell under a curse due to human disobedience and rebellion against God (Genesis 3). Progressively, humanity became deeply corrupted (Genesis 6:5). Death, violence, and confusion were rampant in the world (Genesis 4:8, 23-24; Genesis 11:9) as humans alienated and abandoned God. Yet, the true and living God established a plan to restore falling humanity with Abraham. In Genesis 12 – 50, God’s plan to restore falling humanity began to unfold. God graciously chose Abraham and his descendants to be in a special covenant relationship with Him, promising to make Abraham and his descendants into a prosperous nation through which the whole world would know God and God’s grace (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham believed God’s promises despite the fact that his wife Sarah seemed hopelessly barren (Genesis 15:6; see also Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23), and God soon began to fulfill His promises (Genesis 21:1-7).

However as the book of Exodus begins, Abraham’s descendants were enslaved by the Egyptians. At this time, the Egyptians were a powerful and wealthy nation with great military power. Yet during the Egyptian enslavement, these descendants of Abraham 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). The Israelites (also called “Hebrews” and later called “Jews”) were a large immigrant nation (see Genesis 46:3-4) and they filled the Egyptian lands (Exodus 1:7). God had promised Abraham that his descendants would multiply greatly, and they did (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5). How would a group of enslaved people ever fulfilled God’s promises to Abraham? Did God really care for Abraham’s descendants and if not, then the promises of Genesis were of no real value?

In answering those questions, the book Exodus provides a glorious and magnificent series of appearance of the true and living God. The goal of Exodus is to make known Yahweh — “the Lord” as El-Shaddai — “God Almighty” (Exodus 6:3) and the true nature and character of God. The true and living God is altogether different from “all other gods” (Exodus 18:11). The true and living God is Almighty (Exodus 5:1-2; Exodus 6:3), the greatest being in existence (Exodus 3:5-6, 14-15; Exodus 6:3), superior to all human kings who think of themselves as gods and to all the forces of nature. Yahweh is the one true God, He is Almighty – El Shaddai (see also Genesis 17:1; Genesis 28:3; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 43:14; Genesis 48:3) and He is also the Redeemer (Exodus 6:6; Exodus 15:13; see also Job 19:25; Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 54:5; Isaiah 59:20). The name Yahweh was known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but God’s name as the One who would redeem Israel from Egyptian bondage was not known until the Exodus (Exodus 6:5). Redemption means not only release from slavery and suffering but also deliverance to eternal freedom and joy.

In Exodus, we learn that God cares about His people, and He faithfully seeks to deliver His people from bondage and slavery. God had heard the groans of the Israelites and He also remembered His promises to Israel’s forefathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelites needed more than rescue from Egyptian slavery. They needed a way out of their sin and a way into an intimate fellowship with the true and living God. The people of Israel had spent some 400 years absorbing Egypt’s mistaken pagan beliefs. Egypt had many gods and goddess they worshipped. The Egyptians even considered Pharaoh to be sovereign and divine, able to do whatever he pleased. Yet, God showed the Israelites that this was not true. There is only one absolutely independent “I AM,” and that is Yahweh (see Exodus 3:6-14; Exodus 6:2-8; Exodus 20:2; Exodus 34:6-7). Now the Israelites would have to unlearn the Egyptian way of life: There were not many gods, only one God and He is Almighty. The true and living God redeemed Israel, God’s firstborn son, from Egyptian slavery so they could worship Him only as their God (Exodus 4:23; Exodus 5:3; Exodus 7:16; Exodus 8:1, 20, 26; Exodus 9:1, 13; Exodus 10:7, 24; Exodus 12:31). The true and living God is holy, deeply ethical in all of His relationships, zealously loyal to His people, and desiring to do good for them (Exodus 34:5-6).

In the plagues and the Red Sea crossing, the Israelites learned of God’s unique and mighty power over all nature and creation. The real purpose of the plagues and the Red Sea crossing was to make God known — to the Israelites, to the Egyptian, and to the world (Exodus 6:3, 7; Exodus 7:17; Exodus 8:10, 22; Exodus 9:14, 29; Exodus 10:2; Exodus 11:7; Exodus 14:4, 18). In fact, the arrival of Jesus Christ into the world was to make God known (John 17:3-4, 18). The plagues and the Red Sea crossing revealed the true and living God’s absolute power and supreme superiority over all creation and all other so-called gods. The true and living God demonstrated to both the Egyptians and the Israelites that He alone is God. Exodus shows a greater proportion of miracles – direct supernatural acts of God – than any other parts of the Holy Bible except the Gospels. In Exodus, God is presented in several important roles: (1) He controls history; (2) He is the great “I AM”; (3) He is a holy God; (4) He is the God who remembers and is always faithful; (5) He is the God who acts in salvation and in judgment; (5) He is the God who speaks; (6) God is transcendent (supreme); and (7) God desires a relationship with His people.

In the wilderness, the Israelites learned about God’s providential care and concern for their spiritual and physical needs (Exodus 15:22 – Exodus 18:27). God graciously provided the Israelites heavenly food – bread (called manna), meat to eat and water. Then, God brought the Israelites to the holy mountain, Mount Sinai to establish a covenant. This covenant was a contractual agreement or treaty between God and the Israelites. Another word for covenant is “testament”. Exodus 24 shows the covenant’s confirmation. The rest of the Old Testament builds upon what took place at Exodus 19 through 24 as God personally gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments and the case law or regulations that flow from the Commandments. The covenant presented at Mount Sinai (Sinai covenant) was designed to teach the Israelites about God’s holy nature and ethical character. God used the covenant (Exodus 19 – 24) to teach Israel who He is and what their relationship with Him should be like. In the Sinai covenant, God called the Israelites to absolute loyalty and allegiance to Him as the only God and also to an ethical lifestyle that reflected His will and nature as sovereign Creator. In many cultures, ethics and religion were largely unrelated. By contrast, most of the requirements of God’s covenant at Sinai have to do with ethics and religion. Those who are in a covenant relationship with God must treat one another ethically and be holy (see Exodus 19:5-6; Exodus 20:3-17). A person in a relationship with God must not only participate in proper worship (religion), but also treat others with fairness, justice, mercy, humbleness, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion. The key words of the covenant were if Israel will obey only then would God fulfill all the promises for protection and favor. Only as the Israelites obeyed God could they truly enjoy the privileges of being a kingdom of priests, God's special treasure and His holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6; see also 1 Peter 2:5, 9). The ultimate goal for all people is to reverential trust and respect God and obey God’s commandments, which Jesus Christ summarized as love for God and love for one another (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; see also Matthew 22:34-40). Amazingly, Jesus Christ is seen as the embodiment of the true Israel and God’s obedient firstborn Son. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Sinai covenant by living completely devoted, faithful, and obedient to God and God’s commandments.

God redeems and saves His people from slavery, including slavery to sin, and calls us into a life of holiness in order that we may have a living and intimate relationship with Him. The Tabernacle (Exodus 25–40) reveals God’s desire to live in His holy presence with His people without His people being destroyed by His holy nature (Exodus 40:34-38). For if sinful humans were to come into the presence of God, His holiness would destroy humans. The Tabernacle provided a temporary means by which the Israelites could enjoy God’s holy presence without being destroyed (Exodus 25:8). The Tabernacle shows us in tangible ways what is required to enter God’s presence. Our redemption or salvation is not merely the forgiveness of sins. God’s goal for us is that, having been delivered from the bondage of sin, we might live daily in the glory of His holy presence and reflect God’s holy and good character to the world. Reflecting God’s holy character thereby making God known to the world (Matthew 5:13-16).