Have you ever felt trapped in a situation you couldn’t escape? Maybe not by chains or walls, but by guilt, fear, or circumstances that feel too strong for you. That feeling of captivity is something the people of Israel knew very well and it’s where the story of Exodus begins.
Before we open the first chapter, let’s take a few minutes to understand where we are in the Bible’s story — and what God is doing in the book of Exodus.
Exodus is the second book of the Bible, and the word Exodus literally means going out. Now the story picks up right where Genesis left off. Remember how Genesis ended? We had the family of Jacob, called Israel, now living in Egypt. Genesis opened with God living with his people, Adam and Eve, and they were fine and unashamed. But after the fall, God no longer walked and talked with his people. So God promised to send a solution to the problem of sin. Now as the story of Genesis unfolds, we see that the solution would come from the family of Abraham. God had promised Abraham three things: that he would become a great nation, that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, and that all the world would be blessed through him. But as Exodus opens, that promise seems very far away.
Sure by now Abraham’s descendants had grown into a great number of people, now called Israel, but they were slaves in Egypt. They certainly didn’t have the power to bless all nations, and they definitely didn’t live in Canaan.
So as Exodus opens, there are two questions that are being asked theologically. First, how will God live with his people if sin is still an issue, and second, how will God keep his promises to Abraham, when all of Abraham’s descendants are enslaved.
And so that is what we will be learning about as we enter into this book.
A bit about the structure of Exodus
The book has three main sections:
Chapters 1-18 is all about how God saves his people out of Egypt.
God raises up Moses, Moses confronts Pharaoh, God brings plagues upon Egypt, and God, through Moses, parts the Red Sea. This is the story of salvation by grace. Israel is saved not so much because Israel was strong or good, but because God is faithful to his promises. The Exodus becomes the defining picture of redemption in the Old Testament.
Chapters 19-24 are the Covenant making chapters.
Here we see Israel at Mount Sinai and God gives His law to his people. He shows them what it means to belong to him. Notice that he saves them first, and then he gives them the commands for how they are to live. This is how God always works: salvation first, obedience in response.
Chapters 25-40 then sets out to answer how God would dwell with his people.
This section is critical for our understanding of who God is, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense unless we think through this book theologically. These chapters lay out the design and use of the Tabernacle, and we will look into this in more depth later. But essentially this spells out how God would now again live with his people - something that hasn’t happened since the days of Adam and Eve.
So here is the key to understanding this book. This book isn’t just about getting out of Egypt. It is about God coming down to live with his saved people. And of course it is a book that points us directly toward Jesus.
Just as Moses was sent to deliver God’s people from Pharaoh, Jesus was sent to deliver us from sin and death. Jesus would be the ultimate fulfilment of the Passover. His blood will ultimately protect the true Israel. And he is ultimately the one who came and Tabernacled (dwelt) with us, Immanuel: God with us. Exodus shows us the gospel.
Prayer
Father in heaven,
Thank You for revealing Your redeeming power through the book of Exodus.
As we study these pages, help us to see not only what You did long ago, but what You are still doing today. Rescuing sinners, keeping promises, and dwelling with Your people.
Forgive us for our stubborn hearts and for the ways we still cling to Egypt.
Lead us again by Your strong hand, through Christ our Redeemer, into the freedom of Your grace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.