Exodus - Introduction

PLUS

NEXT I. Preparing Israel’s Deliverer (Exodus 1:1–4:31)

Introduction

Author

THE BOOK OF EXODUS, LIKE THE other books of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) names no particular author. Early Jewish and Christian tradition, however, affirmed that Moses was the writer. In several places, the book indicates that Moses wrote down God’s instructions (see Exod 17:14; 24:4; 34:27-28). Thus, though the book is formally anonymous, there is every reason to accept the tradition that it was written by the main character in its storyline: Moses.

Historical Background

Exodus opens where the book of Genesis ends—with the death of Joseph in Egypt in about 1805 BC (see Gen 50:22-26). But by Exodus 1:8, the narrative has skipped forward three hundred years to the period of the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt. The first half of the book describes how Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt through the initiative and miraculous deliverance of God. The second half explains how God entered into a covenant relationship with Israel (in spite of their sins), gave them his law, and established the tabernacle.

Scholars debate the year of the exodus. But many conservative scholars arrive at a date of 1446 BC. In 1 Kings 6:1, the author indicates that Solomon began constructing the temple in the fourth year of his reign, which was “in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt.” Since this date is determined to be 966 BC, the math brings us to the year 1446 BC for Israel’s sojourn out of Egypt. If this is correct, then the Pharaoh who enslaved the Israelites would have been Thutmose III. The Pharaoh during the exodus would have been his son, Amenhotep II.

Message and Purpose

Exodus is the continuation of Genesis in that we see within it the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to make of him a great nation (Gen 12:2), the nation of Israel. To accomplish this, God brought the people of Israel—Abraham’s biological descendants—out from bondage in Egypt through the deliverance of Moses and the plagues that he called down on the Egyptians. Exodus shows how God kept Pharaoh from continuing to oppress the Israelites and from destroying them.

The book also shows how God moved the people of Israel into the wilderness to begin the process of developing them into the nation he wanted them to become. This is a reminder that after deliverance comes development. It was in the wilderness, in fact, that Israel would learn to walk with God, trust him, and receive their national constitution, the Ten Commandments. These familiar rules were guidelines God gave the Israelites regarding how they were to relate to him and to each other.

God also gave strict guidelines for constructing the tabernacle and placing it at the very center of the Israelite camp in the wilderness. This was to teach the people that he was to be at the very heart of their worship and their lives. Thus, Exodus is a book about what it means to worship God and keep him at the center of life. These principles are at the heart of kingdom living.

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