Exodus

In short

Jacob’s family now numbers 1-2 million people, and they are ready for their own land. But first, miracles, the Ten Commandments, and other laws.

Why it is important

MOSES! This is THE book about Moses and beginning of the Old Covenant. Memorize this book! It’s a continuous story (this happened, then this, then this), so it’s fairly easy to follow. Judaism 101 right here.

Main Characters

• Moses
• Aaron (Moses’ brother)
• Moses
• Pharaoh(s)
• MOSES!

What is in the book of Exodus

The first two chapters basically skim over 400 years of history.

• Chapter 1 starts with reminding us when Jacob’s family was 70 people that came to live with Joseph (the kid with the colorful robe).
• Chapter 2 ends with Jacob’s family numbering roughly 1-2 million people. That family is now a nation called Israel, but they do not have a land yet. Also by the end of this chapter, Moses is 80 years old.

The rest of the book (38 chapters) covers no more than a year, from my understanding, but what a year!

• God appears to Moses in the burning bush and calls him to lead his people
• God gets a name, “I am who I am,” translated from then on as the LORD or Yahweh or Jehovah
• Ten plagues, including The Passover (which becomes a Jewish holy day)
• An epic escape (or “exodus”) of those 1-2 million people from Egypt
• Moses goes up a mountain to meet God and be given THE LAW – the rules that Jews are supposed to live by for the next 1500 years or so
• The Ark of the Covenant and tabernacle are built

Theology and doctrine

Big thing to get out of Exodus is the OLD COVENANT, also known as the Law of Moses or simply “The Law.” It includes the Ten Commandments, but it’s so much more.

The Old Covenant is about:

• Who God is
• Remembering God’s goodness to Israel
• What is sin
• How to atone for sins (to be right with God)
• How to treat other people fairly
• And how to worship God, which includes sacrifices, holy days, priests and other servants, and building the altars, tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant

Where did you get those numbers?

• Jacob’s family of 70
  • That’s in Exodus 1:5 (and other places)
• Jacob’s family of 1-2 million people
  • Numbers 1:45-46 says the number of men in Israel age 20 and up was 603,550 (this census was the same year as the exodus, or maybe a year later)
  • Assuming one woman for every man, that’s well over 1 million people. Add in children and it could easily be close to 2 million.
• (About) 400 years of slavery in Egypt
  • It’s a prophecy to Abraham (Gen 15:13)
  • And it’s spelled out as 430 years total in Egypt in Exodus 12:40
• Moses’ age (80) at the exodus
  • He was 120 when he died and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years
  • Also, Steven’s speech says Moses was 40 when he went to Midian and 40 years later he saw the burning bush (Acts 7:23, 30)
• The rest of Exodus is only a year
  • Not only that! 38 chapters of Exodus, all of Leviticus and the first 9 chapters of Numbers all covers one year!
  • Num 10:11 marks the date as “In the second year, in the second month…” since the exodus, as I understand it.