Exodus Introduction

At a more basic level, some skeptics have suggested that there never was an actual person named Moses who led Israel from Egyptian slavery to freedom. For them the story of Moses presented in Exodus—Deuteronomy is a work of fiction created for religious and political reasons. According to these critics, the absence of any mention of Moses in the records of ancient Egypt or contemporary non-Israelite Semitic cultures, as well as the extraordinary claims about him in Scripture, are enough to convince them that Moses was the invention of an ancient Israelite storyteller.

Of course, throughout the centuries Christians have had no problem accepting Moses’s reality. As with many other controversial issues, the starting point for addressing this issue is considering the explicit claims of the Bible. Clearly the narratives in Exodus—Deuteronomy present Moses as a historical reality. Numerous passages in the rest of the Old Testament (e.g., Jos 1:1-7; 14:7-11; Jdg 4:11; 1Sm 12:6; 1Kg 8:9; 2Kg 18:4-6; 1Ch 6:3; 2Ch 5:10; Neh 1:7-8; Ps 77:20; 106:23; Is 63:11-12; Jr 15:1; Mic 6:4) as well as in the New Testament (Mt 19:7-8; Mk 12:26; Lk 5:14; Jn 3:14; Ac 3:22; Rm 5:14; 1Co 10:2; 2Co 3:7-15; 2Tm 3:8; Heb 3:2; 11:23-24) make it clear that the biblical writers believed that Moses really lived. Jesus also implied that Moses was an actual person (Jn 5:46-47).

In many ways the book of Exodus is the foundation stone upon which the rest of the Bible stands. Its laws established the outlines of Israel’s social life and provided the authoritative basis for the religious practices that informed Israelite culture for more than a thousand years. The events in this book prepare the reader for Israel’s conquest of Canaan and occupation of the land. Its regulations regarding the proper treatment of others serve as the core around which the teachings of Proverbs, the lyrics of many psalms, and the proclamations of the prophets were built.

From a New Testament perspective, this book is used in three main ways. First, it prefigures the life and ministry of Christ, especially in his role as our sacrificial lamb (Heb 9:12; 1Pt 1:19; Rv 5:8-9). Second, it provides examples that illustrate the Christian life. Finally, it presents the moral and ethical framework to guide Christians in their decision making.