Exodus - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

The word “exodus” means “exit” or “departure.” The book of Exodus describes the “departure”—the deliverance—of the ISRAELITES from bondage in EGYPT. As the Israelites multiplied during their four hundred years in Egypt, they came under increasing persecution from the kings of Egypt. But God remembered the Israelites (Exodus 2:23–25), and sent His servant MOSES to deliver them and lead them to the land that God had promised them.

The book of Exodus is a continuation of the book of Genesis; it is part of the five books that make up the “Pentateuch” written by Moses. For further discussion of the Pentateuch and its authorship, see Genesis: Introduction.

The Israelites’ exodus from Egypt took place in 1446 B.C. This is based on 1 Kings 6:1, which states that the Exodus occurred 480 years before the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, which was 966 B.C. Moses wrote the book of Exodus sometime during the Israelites forty-year journey to the “promised land” of Canaan.

Building on the book of Genesis, Exodus further enlarges our understanding of God’s nature and His attributes. The book of Exodus introduces three important theological concepts: REDEMPTION, LAW, and worship. The concept of the COVENANT, the relationship between God and man, is further defined at Mount Sinai.

In the book of Exodus, God’s mercy and His justice are revealed side by side. In mercy, He delivered His people in accordance with His promises to ABRAHAM. In mercy, He brought them into a covenant relationship with Himself; He instructed them in the building of a tabernacle, His dwelling place among them; and He appointed Moses to be His instrument in accomplishing all these things.

God’s justice is seen in His dealing with the Egyptians, in His giving of the Law, in His demand for HOLINESS and obedience on the part of His people, and in His punishing the Israelites after they had made a golden calf to worship.

But the supreme example of the mercy and justice of God in the book of Exodus is seen in the account of the PASSOVER (Exodus Chapter 12). God provided a means for the Israelites to escape the punishment of the destroying angel: namely, the sacrifice of a lamb in place of their firstborn sons. Justice was demanded, but in mercy God provided a way of escape—redemption.

The New Testament teaches that mankind’s final and permanent redemption has been made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Paul called Jesus our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), and John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The Passover account in Exodus thus prefigures the redemption made available through FAITH in Christ. The Passover is the focal point of the book of Exodus, where God’s mercy and justice intersect.

Throughout Exodus the eternal purpose of God continues to unfold. Through the mediation of Moses, God redeemed His people from earthly bondage, taught them how to live, and graciously agreed to dwell among them. All of this foreshadows the coming of Jesus, through whose mediation God redeems us from spiritual bondage, enables us to truly live, and graciously dwells within us.