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PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

An Overview of the bible –Study 4 Exodus Chapters 1 to 15.

Exodus continues to focus on Abraham’s descendants now living in Egypt. They came to Egypt as a result of Joseph and the harsh drought that came to the Land God promised Abraham and his descendants. Over time, Joseph, and his brothers died and a new Pharaoh was appointed over Egypt who did not have a direct link with Joseph’s descendants now called Hebrews or Israelites. Israel’s population continued to grow according to God’s promise and Pharaoh saw them as a potential threat, so he made slaves of them. But they continued to multiply because God was with them. To counteract this, Pharaoh decided to kill all the new baby boys born among the Israelites, but again this did not work. In this setting one Israelite mother places her child in a basket in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter finds the baby and decides to keep it. The baby is nursed by his real mother an Israelite but grows up as an Egyptian. His name is Moses.

This dual background will be important for Moses and in the events that will unfold. When Moses grows up he sees the burden of the Israelites as slaves and being treated harshly. One day Moses kills an Egyptian soldier who was mistreating an Israelite and being afraid he flees to the hills.

Meanwhile Israel grown under the bondage of Pharoah and God hears their cry and remembers his promise that he gave to Abraham (See Chapter 2: verses 23 to 25). These 3 verses link together two great Old Testament leaders, Moses and Abraham. It shows what God is about to do is in direct response to God’s promises to Abraham. Other verses develop the same theme:

See Chapter 3:6, 13-17, 4:5, 6:2-8, 13:3-5, 13:11-12, 15:17-18.

Chapters 3 and 4 describe how God appears to Moses on Mount Horeb and explains his course of action to free his people from Pharoah’s grip. Moses feels completely inadequate for the task; (see Ch 3:11, 4:1, 10, 4:13) just like we often feel when it comes to representing and trusting God.

Moses job is to go to Pharaoh with his brother Aaron and to tell Pharaoh to let his people go otherwise the Egyptians will be hit with devastating plaques. What develops is a contest not just between Pharaoh and Moses, but more importantly between the gods of Pharaoh and the God of Abraham and Moses. The purpose of these plaques and contest is described continually throughout: “to establish God’s name in all the earth, to show there is no other like God; to show “I am the Lord”. See Chapter 7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 8:22-23, 9:14-16, 9:29, 10:1-2, 11:6-7, 14:1-4, 14:17-18.

The last plaque, the death of every first born son in Egypt is the final plaque where Pharaoh agrees to let the Israelites go. This miraculous deliverance and exodus will become a foundational event for the nation. The killing of a lamb and placing its blood on every Israelite door post will mean the angel of death will Passover their children and they will be safe. Israel and future generations will celebrate this every year and will be called the Passover. (See Chapter 12: verses12-20). This sacrifice lamb will become important to understanding the life of Jesus later on. This Passover would remind them of their slavery and of God’s mighty deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh.

Pharaoh’s heart again hardens after he let the Israelites go and he and his army pursue the Israelites who had left on foot in mass with food, children and supplies. They arrive at the Red Sea where God parts the waters for Israel to pass through and closes the waters again when they are safely through. Pharaoh and his army drown and the people of Israel are on their way to the land God promised to give to Abraham and his descendants.

Chapter 15 reveals a great song of celebration that is divided into 2 parts. Verse 1 to 10 recall the events of deliverance and verses 11 to 18 show the purposes of God’s mighty action; “Who is like you O Lord among the god’s”.

These 15 chapters of Exodus are basic to what happens in the rest of the Old Testament.  “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt” as a basis for faith and action is repeated countless times in the rest of the Old Testament. This deliverance belongs to the descendants of Abraham and is meant as a testimony to the world of God’s power and uniqueness. This nation that God has chosen is the place where God can be known.

It is at the Passover celebration that Jesus introduces us to a new Covenant and draws on this celebration to explain his coming death. Jesus is called in the New Testament “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. Jesus speaks of a deliverance of a different kind; one that we will explore when we come to the New Testament.

God’s people are now free to journey to the land of promise. On the way they will face the challenges of the desert and God will speak to them of his laws. This is the subject of our next study.

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