Exodus (which is Greek) literally means 'a going out' and this
book, the second of the five ascribed to Moses, deals with the 'going out'
('exit', or 'departure') of the children of Israel from Egypt. The Hebrew title
is taken from the first two words of the book: "ve'elleh shemoth" ("These are
the names of..."). [See Lesson, Pentateuch, Hebrew titles.]
Summary: Exodus records the great numerical growth of the
Israelites during their enslavement in Egypt. It introduces Moses and records
the plagues God brought upon Egypt to secure His peoples' release from the
bondage of slavery. This was a matter of some concern to the Egyptians, who saw
a threat to their own existence. In order to overcome this imbalance, the
Egyptians saw three possible solutions:
The placing of the Israelites into slavery (Exo
1:11). When this was not successful,
work in
slavery was made much harder (Exo 1:14), and
the
killing of every male child (Exo 1:16).
It was against this background that Moses was born (Exo 2:2),
educated in the Egyptian court (Exo 2:10), and selected by God to lead the
Israelites out of their slavery and towards the land that God promised them (Exo
3:17).
From this point, the people are given the proclamations of the
covenant of the Law at Mount Sinai. The book concludes with a description of the
order of worship centered around the Tabernacle and the Law of Moses. This is
the second book of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew
Scriptures.
As the people of God they had certain privileges and
responsibilities. The message from Exodus is clear to those under the new
covenant. God chooses whom He will. Continued blessing is dependent on obedience
and the carrying out of responsibilities. It is through Jesus' sacrifice that
the new covenant has been established and the new Exodus, the "going out" or
deliverance from the bondage of sin is possible.
It is in Exodus that God makes Himself known by His memorial
name (Exo 3:13-15). Even this revelation indicates His infinite
greatness.
OUTLINE
Exo 1:1 - 4:31: Background. The children of Israel become more
numerous. Moses is selected to lead deliverance.
Exo 5:1 - 15:21: Leaving Egypt.
* Exo 5:1 - 6:30 Harder bondage and promise of deliverance.
* Exo 7:1-25 Signs
* Exo 8:1 - 10:29 Plagues
* Exo 11:1 - 13:16 The Passover
* Exo 13:17 - 14:31 To the Red Sea
* Exo 15:1-21 Moses' Song of Thanks
Exo 15:22 - 19:2: To Sinai
Exo 19:3 - 24: 18: God's Laws
Exo 25:1 - 31: 18: Plan for the Tabernacle -- a place for God
to dwell -- a place for people to worship.
Exo 32:1 - 34: 35: Disobedience, punishment and God's
covenant.
Exo 35:1 - 40: 38: The construction of the Tabernacle.