INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS

Exodus - A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation

(KeyVerse= 19:4-6)

Exodus is the second book of Moses. It begins with Abraham's descendants in slavery in Egypt. They had become a great multitude, but their life in slavery was hell. Pharaoh represents all systems and men who oppress other men. The lives of the slaves in Egypt is a vivid picture of slavery to sin. The slaves in Egypt had secure jobs and enough to eat. But they had no hope and no direction. They learned to accept fatalistically an existence without freedom and without meaning.

Exodus 2:24 says that God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham (Ge 15). He saved and trained one man, Moses, and sent him to deliver his people.

The key verses of Exodus are 19:4-6. These verses provide an outline for the book. 'You have seen what I did to Egypt...' God performed ten acts of judgment on the Egyptians, and brought Israel out of Egypt (1:1-13:16). 'And how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself.' God enabled his people to cross the Red Sea as on dry land. He trained his people in the wilderness and brought them to Mount Sinai (13:17-19:25). There he gave them the law and made a covenant with them (20:1-40:38). His purpose was to make them a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. The first half of the book is about getting Israel out of Egypt; the second half, about getting Egypt out of Israel.

1. The Israelites filled the land (1-7)

God had brought Jacob's family--70 persons--to Egypt so that he might make them into a great nation. Now, 400 years later, they had become a great multitude. They could never have become such a numerous and homogeneous people if they had remained as nomads in Canaan. Furthermore, God used the furnace fires of Egypt to mold them into a nation.

2. Egyptian policies (8-14)

Joseph had been instrumental in saving Egypt, but when the dynasty changed, the new king did not remember him. The king only knew that the land was filled with Hebrews, and he feared them. Because of fear, greed and the desire for an easy life, the Egyptians enslaved and oppressed the Israelites. The Egyptians tried to reduce their numbers by using them ruthlessly to do hard labor. They wanted many weak Israelites to die. God was with the Israelites, however, and they continued to increase in number.

Application: Lord, in the darkest and most senseless times you are working out your purposes. Teach me to trust you.
One Word: The Sovereign God turns evil into good