Weekly Sermons

The one word “beginnings” best describes the first book of the Bible, Genesis. Genesis showed both the beginnings of the whole world and of Israel.

It ended with the 12 sons of Jacob, who would become the 12 tribes of Israel, down in Egypt instead of the Promised Land.

Within the name Exodus is the word Exit, and that’s what this book is about, Israel exiting Egypt and being constituted as God’s nation. 

Ex in greek is out; hodos is way – Ex hodos is the way out!

Just like Genesis had two main sections, so does Exodus. Chapters 1-18 cover Israel’s exit from Egypt, and Chapters 19-40 cover Israel’s constitution as a nation.

In Genesis 15:12-14 God told Abraham of the coming exodus before his descendants were even in Egypt.

In Genesis 50:24-26, Joseph is confident of the coming Exodus before his own death.

Look at Exodus 1:1           

Exodus starts in the NKJV with the word “Now” – Leviticus and Numbers also start with that word, showing the continuation with the preceding books. Deuteronomy then retells Exodus through Numbers in sermon form.

Read Exodus 1:7-9

Israel went down with 70 people, now there are 600,000 men (Ex. 12:37). The 400 years God told Abraham about have passed.

The new Pharaoh does not know Joseph. The Pharaoh in Joseph’s day was delighted when Israel came down; this Pharaoh views this minority population in his midst as a threat.

He calls for his people to work the Israelites even harder so they’ll know who is boss and not have time to even think about a revolution or join Egypt’s enemies.

That’s always a bad idea!

Outline:

The Israelites exit Egypt and Passover is established                                Ch. 1-18

Israel is constituted, with 10 Commands and a Tabernacle                    Ch. 19-40

The first half of Exodus is getting the Israelites out of Egypt; The second half is getting Egypt’s ways out of the Israelites! OR: God getting His ways into them!

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The Israelites exit Egypt and Passover is established                               Ch. 1-18

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. -Romans 15:4

Midwives fear God and refuse to obey Pharaoh’s order to kill babies (1:15-22)

Their fear of God led them to be pro-life, and that will be true for us as well!

Chapter two introduces us to the first 80 years of Moses’ life story, and we see God’s providential leading in his life.

Exodus teaches us that Moses was from the tribe of Levi. His dad’s name was Amran, and his mom’s name was Jochebed. His brother Aaron was 3 years older than he was.

Moses was hidden 3 months by his parents before to try and keep him alive they put him in a little ark and placed him by the river bank, with his sister watching from a distance. Pharaoh’s daughter pulled him out of the water and named him Moses, which mean “drawn out.”

If his sister Myriam was the one who offered Pharaoh’s daughter to get a Hebrew nurse for Moses, she was older than both brothers. Because of her quick thinking, Moses was nursed by his mother, even as he was raised in Pharaoh’s court.

He probably learned from the very best Egypt had to offer, making him one of the most educated men in the world of his time (Acts 7:22)

As a grown man, he went out and saw an Egyptian beating a fellow Hebrew, and in his anger killed the Egyptian. That incident caused him to flee from Israel to Midian, where immediately he helped 7 daughters get water by driving some shepherds who were harassing them away.

He meets their father, Reuel, also called Jethro, the priest of Midian, and is given Zipporah in marriage.

Read 2:23-25

Note that God hears their cry in 2:23-25, and remembers the unconditional promises he had made in the Abrahamic Covenant!

In Chapter 3, Moses meets YHWH, the great I AM, at the burning bush.

Read 3:1-10

Unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.       -Jesus in John 8:24

Moses tries to get out of God’s plan for his life, but when God has a plan for your life, you can’t question your way out of it!

God was also working in his brother Aaron’s life, and brings him out to be part of this great work. 7:6 lets us know that Moses was 80 and Aaron was 83 when this call came to them!

Chapters 7-11 show ten plagues that hit Egypt until they let God’s people go.

Each plague probably addressed a god Egyptians had relied on.

We also see an interesting paradox: we read of Pharaoh hardening his own heart about ten times, and about ten times it says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Pharaoh did what he was bound and determined to do. God let him, and worked despite his hardened heart to accomplish His greater purposes.  

3 times in Romans 1, it says “God gave them over.” To what did God give them over? To do what they were bound and determined to do anyway, and experience the built-in consequences of their sin. God gave them over to what they had determined to give themselves over to.

Exodus 12:1-14 make clear the annual Passover celebration will serve as both Israel’s  July 4^th and New Year’s Day – the tribes are now a nation!

When God sees the blood applied, He passes us over in judgment. (Ex. 12:13)

Christ is our Passover Lamb       -I Corinthians 5:7

Exodus 14 gives us the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. The date of the Exodus was 1445 B.C. (I Kings 6:1)

How do we know?

I Kings 6:1 tells us that Solomon’s fourth year as king was 480 years after the Exodus. Solomon’s fourth year was 966/965 B.C.

The crossing of the Red Sea is the definitive miracle of the Old Testament!

The people soon complain about life in the wilderness. Between Egypt and the Promised Land there was a wilderness to cross. That’s true for us as believers as well (See Acts 14:21-22)

But God provided them manna and quail, and they were learning to trust him and have faith. And Moses was developing as both a man of God and a leader.

Read 17:8-15

Aaron and Hur supported Moses, so he could intercede as Joshua fought!

And their experience leads to a new name for God – The Lord is my banner.  

Exodus 18 shows Jethro giving Moses great principles of delegation!

Here the person doing too much is told they need to take time to teach, train, delegate, and empower!

Theologically, Exodus 1-18 is about God keeping His unconditional covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

Chapter 19 begins with the people arriving at Sinai/ Horeb, where God had told Moses the people would worship him.  

Israel is constituted, with 10 Commands and a Tabernacle                    Ch. 19-40

The Ten Commands of chapter 20 are the foundation of God’s Moral Law:

No other gods before Me                                    Sanctity of Ultimate Allegiance

Don’t make, bow to, or serve idols                   Sanctity of God’s Image

Don’t take God’s name in vain                           Sanctity of God’s Authority

Remember the Sabbath Day, keep it holy      Sanctity of Time

Honor your father and mother                          Sanctity of Parental Responsibility

You shall not murder                                            Sanctity of Human Life

You shall not commit adultery                           Sanctity of Marriage

You shall not steal                                                  Sanctity of Property (Stewardship)

You shall not bear false witness                         Sanctity of Truth

You shall not covet your neighbor’s…              Sanctity of Motives

Note the twin truths of 20:5-6 – Sin has intergenerational consequences BUT grace has even greater consequences.

3 Types of Old Testament Law:

1.        Moral Law (applicable for all time) “Thou shalt not commit adultery”

There is an easy way for the Christian to know what the moral law is: anything repeated as sin in the New Testament is Moral Law, always sinful.

2.        Priestly Law (Laws about priests, sacrifices, rituals – all fulfilled in Christ)

See Hebrews 7:25-28

3.        Civil Law (rules just for Israel until Christ came)

Romans 14:6

Gal. 3:19-25

Four recurrent themes from Israel’s Law:

1.        Respect                                22:1-28

Respect for God and God given authority

Respect for the inherent dignity all people have as created in God’s image, therefore special care for the very vulnerable.

2.        Responsibility                    21:28-29

Accidents happen, and should not be punished equally with pre-meditated acts.

However, if a person is criminally negligent, he is accountable for what happens due to his negligence.

Special care for the vulnerable, but not distorted justice (23:1-3); You don’t lie to help the cause of a poor person.

3.        Restitution                          21:19             22:1

If you are responsible for loss of some kind, you should make it right!

Do unto others as you’d have done unto you!

4.        Retribution                         21:23

Eye for eye a principle – the key was that punishment is proportionate to the crime. The one thing you can’t restore is life itself, so there a death penalty in the Old Testament Law for serious crimes.

Intriguingly, this made it possible for Old Testament Israel to avoid having prisons!

Sometimes in the law God regulates what He doesn’t condone to protect those who would be exploited by human sinfulness (Slavery, divorce)

Both Exodus 23 and Leviticus 23 sketch out Israel’s festivals. More on them next time in Leviticus.

Read Exodus 23:20-33

There are hints that the Mosaic Law/ Covenant is conditional, whereas the Abrahamic Covenant was unconditional.

The law shows our sin, the gospel shows our Savior!

Read 24:1-8

The Mosaic covenant is ratified with blood (24:1-8). The New Covenant Jesus brings is ratified by His blood (see Matthew 26:26-28). The Old Covenant refers to the Mosaic Covenant, not the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant.

Exodus 25-40 show how to build the tabernacle and clothe it’s priests!

The Courtyard the Tabernacle was in was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide.

Picture half of a half of a football field!

The Items in the Tabernacle are all types of Christ

Item in the Tabernacle:               Its Purpose:                         Jesus:

Ark of the Covenant                      God dwells with man        Became flesh (Jn. 1:14)

The Veil                                             Separation                           Direct Access (Jn. 14:6)

Altar of Incense                              Pleasing Aroma                  Intercession (Heb. 7:25)

Table of Showbread                      God’s provision                  Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35)

Golden Lampstand                        Light the holy place           Light of world (Jn. 8:12)

Laver of brass                                  Cleanse priests                    Cleansing (I Jn. 1:8-9)

Brazen Altar                                     Burn sacrifices                     Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29)

Read Exodus 28:36-40

Holiness is key to God – these priests will be set apart for His work

God takes into account both glory and beauty!

The Tabernacle’s work was funded by both a yearly tax all participated in (30:11-16) and the people’s tithes (more on this in coming books).

A one-time free will offering helped build it. The people gave so much they had to be told to stop giving!  (35:20-21 and 36:4-7)

Read 31:1-11

This is the first-time God says, “I have put My Spirit in someone.” He says this not bout prophets, priests, or pastors, but the builders of the Tabernacle!

Exodus 32-34 show the Golden Calf incident, reinforcing how sinful and idolatrous our hearts are.

Moses shows his spiritual growth by interceding for the people (32:7-14)

Christ intercedes for His people             -Hebrews 7:25

Read 32:30-35

Two Key things introduced in Exodus 32 show up in Revelation 20:11-15:

The Book of Life (32:33)

The Day God will settle accounts (32:34)

God responds to the first Tabernacle                         40:34-38