DBG - January 20 - Exodus 1-3

The Book of Exodus contains the narrative of God’s deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt.  The title literally means “a departure”.

A few quick facts about Exodus:

·       It was written by Moses, maybe around the time of his death in 1451 B.C.

In this chapter the enslavement and the harsh treatment of the Hebrews begin.

vs. 1-6 – We begin with a review of the family of Jacob, summarizing the information found in Genesis 46:8-27.

vs. 6-7 – Thanks to Joseph his family was honored and prospered, which would not last.

vs. 8 – I have thus far avoided getting too deep into Egyptian history and its connections to the Bible.  The truth of the matter is that it is extremely difficult, and likely impossible, to fully reconcile the two.  We know a lot about the history of Egypt and its rulers, so much so that scholars become overconfident in dealing with them.  The further we go back into history the murkier the details become.  What we do know is around the time of Joseph there was a group of foreign rulers over Egypt called the Hyksos, meaning “shepherd kings”, who ruled at least portions of Egypt for 100-150 years.  It is very likely with the timing and details that the Pharaoh who exalted Joseph was a Hyksos.  The pharaoh we meet in here in vs. 8 that “knew not Joseph” would be one of the Egyptian rulers that expelled the Hyksos and retook control of Egypt.  It would be understandable for him to be wary of another foreign people like the Hebrews in his land and would take measures to ensure they did not become the next Hyksos.  Some identify this pharaoh as Ahmose I of the 18^th Dynasty, including Reese’s Chronological Bible which I am following for these identifications.

vs. 9-10 – Thus begins the systematic oppression of the children of Israel.  The Egyptians who had just expelled the foreign rule of the Hyksos are not going to be kind to other foreigners that could threaten them.  This is about 100 years before the Exodus.

vs. 11 – The first projects that the Hebrew slaves were employed at were the building of two cities.  The location of Pithom is unknown but Raamses is often identifies as Avaris or Pi-Ramesses.  These were monuments and statements that the area was now under Egyptian control and the Hyksos were gone.

vs. 12-14 – The oppression of the Hebrews only grew worse as time progressed.  In spite of the hardships, they still multiplied.

vs. 15-21 – Pharaoh begins to a program by which he would end the Hebrew people by killing all the male babies.  He tries to force the two leaders of the midwives to implement his plan, but they refuse.  Their excuse is that by the time they show up the babies are already born.  God smiles upon their faithfulness and blesses their families.

vs. 22 – Pharaoh now makes it a public policy to kill all the Hebrew male babies.

In this chapter we see the history of Moses as God is preparing him to be the deliverer of Israel.

vs. 1 – The names of Moses’s parents are given later in 6:20 – Amram (“a teacher”) and Jochebed (“Jehovah is her glory”).

vs. 2-3 – Jochebed is desperate save her newborn son.  She builds a small boat to put him in and hides him among the papyrus plans on the river bank. I have thought about why they did this.  It is possible they thought that if anyone heard the baby crying they would assume it was another baby left to die in the river as Pharaoh had commanded.  Less likely, thought I think it humorous, would be they could say, “We put him in the river like the law said, but there was nothing in the fine print about putting him in a boat!”

vs. 4 – This is Miriam (“rebellion”) who may be about 10.

vs. 5 – Here is God’s hand of Providence at work yet again in a mysterious way.  Pharaoh’s daughter comes to bathe in the river, likely some sort of religious ritual, and discovers the baby in the boat.

vs. 6 – It was obviously a Hebrew baby because he would have been circumcised. 

vs. 7-8 – Yet another providential move.  Pharaoh’s daughter has compassion on the baby and Miriam fetches his very own mother to nurse it!

vs. 9 – Talk about a blessing!  Jochebed did all she could to protect her baby, and now she is paid to care for and raise him.  She must have poured all she could about her people and their religion into him while she had him.

vs. 10 – This likely occurs after the baby is weaned.  Pharaoh’s daughter gives him the name Moses, meaning “drawn from water”.

vs. 11-12 – Moses is 40 years old at this time.  The treatment of the Hebrews has only worsened.  He witnesses a cruel beating of a Hebrew slave by a taskmaster.  He then waits for an opportunity and kills the taskmaster and hides his body.   Acts 7:25 says this act was meant by Moses to be the catalyst for delivering the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. 

vs. 13-14 – Moses discovered that the murder he committed was not as secret as he had thought.

vs. 15 – Pharaoh (maybe Thutmose I at this time) hears of the murder and determines to kill Moses.  Moses flees to the land of Midian, which was east and north of the gulf of Aqaba.  Egypt controlled much territory at this time, including parts of the Promised Land.

vs. 16 – The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his third wife Keturah.  At least some of them at this time still held to the Abrahamic religion.

vs. 17 – For the second time in this chapter Moses see and injustice and intervenes, this time without killing anyone.

vs. 18 – Reuel means “friend of God”.  He is also called Jethro, meaning “excellency” which may be a title.

vs. 21 – Zipporah means “female bird”. 

vs. 22 – Gershom means “stranger or exile”.

vs. 23 – This could be referring to Thutmose II, whose wife Hatshepsut ruled after him and was co-ruler

vs. 24-25 – The time had come for God to move to fulfill His covenant promises to the children of Israel.  It was time to for the deliverer to be called.

In this chapter we begin Moses’s encounter with God in the burning bush at Horeb.

vs. 1 – Moses is eighty years old, having spent 40 years in Midian since he left Egypt (see Acts 7:23 and 30). 

vs. 1 - Horeb means simply “desert”.  Most associate this with a site in the Sinai peninsula.  The more I study I have studied this, the more I have become convinced that this is incorrect.  I have become convinced that Horeb and Mt. Sinai are located in modern Saudi Arabia on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba.  We will talk more about this when we get to the relevant portions of Scripture.

vs. 2 – This is another appearance of the “angel of the Lord” who is identified as God Himself (see vs. 4).   God uses the burning bush to get Moses’s attention.

vs. 5 – In ancient times footwear was considered quite dirty and defiled because of all the filth that was stepped in.  In the Gospels we see this concern with the practice of washing feet.  Removing ones shows was a picture of entering a very holy place by being careful not to carry anything in to defile its holiness.

vs. 6 – This is an important formula.  Abraham had many children that were not part of the promise, and only one of Isaac’s son were included in it. 

vs. 7-9 – The time had come to both deliver the oppressed Hebrews but also to fulfill the promise of possessing the land of Canaan.

vs. 10 – This Pharaoh may be Thutmose III. 

vs. 11 – Moses’s first excuse is that he cannot do it.  It is interesting to me that the bold Moses who acted so rashly 40 years priors is now timid.  Acts 7:25 says that Moses tried to deliver Israel in his own strength.  Now he is humbled and God can now deliver them through His strength.

vs. 12 – God offers Moses a promise and a confirmation of the call, that the nation of Israel would be led by Moses to worship on very mountain on which he stood.

vs. 13 – Moses’s second excuse is that the people will not listen. They had not responded well 40 years before, after all.

vs. 14 – A.C. Gaebelein writes on God’s revelation of His name: “In response to another question, God reveals His name. ‘And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM, and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel , I AM hath sent me unto you.’ God had made Himself known to Abraham as Jehovah (Genesis 15:7). But here He gives the explanation of His name Jehovah. The patriarchs knew the name Jehovah, but the blessed significance of that name was not known to them. He reveals Himself as the Self-Existing One, THE I AM THAT I AM. He is the One, which is, which was, which is to come (Revelation 1:4). And this wonderful Name of the Unchanging, Living One, the Eternal, the Name unsearchable in its depths is the Name of our Lord who has redeemed us. When about to act in the deliverance of His enslaved people to lead them out and to bring them in, He makes Himself known as the I AM. ‘Before Abraham was I AM’ (John 8:58). Our ever-blessed Lord is the I AM, who spoke to Moses. And what is Jehovah, the I am for His people? Well has it been said, ‘Jehovah, in taking this title, calling Himself ‘I AM,’ was furnishing His people with a blank check, to be filled up to any amount. He calls Himself I AM, and faith has but to write over against that ineffably precious name whatever we want.’”

vs. 15-22 – Here is the declaration that God commissioned Moses to proclaim.  God knew their afflictions and would soon deliver them to the Promised Land.  In vs. 18, they were to go first to Pharaoh and request to go a three day’s journey into the wilderness to worship God.  Pharaoh would refuse and God would powerfully deliver them from the grasp of Egypt.  They would leave with spoils of the victory God gave.

The twin themes of the Book of Exodus are redemption and deliverance.  God saw the plight of His people and moved in a mighty way to free them.  It is a wondrous picture of our own enslavement to sin.  Only God could deliver us, and He did so in a mighty way in the Cross and Resurrection.

Our hymn today, “I Am That I Am”, was written by William Appel.  I have not been able to find any biographical about him, though Charles H. Gabriel wrote the music to accompany the text.  It collects the wonderful promises of Christ with the much repeated “I am”.

I am the light by which men see,
I am the truth which manes men free,
I am the poorest sinner’s friend,
I am the life that has not end.

I am the shepherd good and wise,
I am the door to paradise,
I am the gift of God to thee,
I am the vine, abide in me.

I am the prophet, priest, and king,
I am the song redeem’d men sing,
I am the bread of life indeed,
I am enough for ev’ry need.

I am the Lamb of God for thee,
I am the savior, come to me,
I am forevermore the same,
Jehovah Jesus is my name.

Refrain:
I am, I am the truth,
I am the shepherd and the door,
I am, I am the light,
I am the same forevermore.