Introduction to
Exodus
19 August 2012
What is Exodus?
Meanings:
 “departure”
 “out-going”
From what?
 Egypt
 Slavery
Who wrote Exodus?
 Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible
 These have different names:
 The Torah
 The Five Books of Moses
 The Pentateuch
(Greek for "five containers," which refers to the
scroll cases in which books were being kept.)
The Pentateuch
1. Genesis – traditions of the origins of mankind
and the Hebrew race
2. Exodus – history of Israel’s deliverance
from Egyptian bondage and their
establishment as a nation at Mt. Sinai
(when the Law was given)
3. Leviticus – more laws to govern the nation
The Pentateuch
4. Numbers – 1st census and genealogy of Israel
– 12 spies sent out scout the land
– unbelief at Kadesh Barnea that
caused 40 years of wandering
– Balaam will not curse Israel
– Israel curses itself thru idolatry
– 2nd census
5. Deuteronomy – a series of sermons by Moses
shortly before he died and
before Israel went into Canaan
to take the land
When did Moses write
the Pentateuch?
 During Israel’s 40 years
of wandering in the desert
 Probably toward the end of
his life
Pentateuch Time Period
 About 2400 years
 From creation
(about 3975 B.C., according to the
genealogies given.)
 Until the time of Moses’ death
When was the Exodus?
 The further back in time, the less certain
we can be of the dates of events.
 Thus, the safest way to date the Exodus
is to go backward from more certain
dates to less certain dates.
 The best reference date is the beginning
of the construction of Solomon’s temple
When was the Exodus?
And it came to pass in the four hundred
and eightieth year after the children of
Israel were come out of the land of
Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's
reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which
[is] the second month, that he began to
build the house of the LORD.
– 1Kings 6:1
When was the Exodus?
 If the construction of Solomon’s temple
began in around 1000 BC (rough
estimate), then the Exodus was around
1500 BC (1000+480, rounded up)
 This was about 3500 years ago
 Note: Some people say that Planet X,
a.k.a. Nibiru or Gabriel’s Fist, also last
passed near the earth around this time
and is due to come again soon.
Genesis Outline
 Gen. 1:1 - 11:9
 Beginning of the human race
 About 3975 – 1967 B.C.
 About 2000 years
 Gen. 11:10 - 50:26
 Beginning of the Hebrew race
 About 1967 – 1606 B.C.
 About 360 years
Exodus Outline
 Ex. 1
- Growth and slavery of God’s people
 Ex. 2-4
- Preparation of God’s deliverer, Moses
 Ex. 5-12 - 10 plagues, 1st Passover & the exodus
 Ex. 13-18 - Journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai
 Ex. 19-31 - Mosaic Law given to a new nation
 Ex. 32
- Impatience and idolatry (golden calf)
 Ex. 33-34 - Regiving of the Law on Mt. Sinai
 Ex. 35-40 - Construction of the tabernacle
& Making of ritual objects
Clarification on “430 Years”
Now the length of time the Israelite people
lived in Eqypt was 430 years.
– Ex. 12:40 NIV
(based on Masoretic Hebrew text)
Now the sojourning of the children of
Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, [was] four
hundred and thirty years.
– Ex. 12:40 KJV
(based on Masoretic Hebrew text)
Clarification on “430 Years”
And the sojourning of the children of Israel,
while they sojourned in the land of Egypt
and the land of Canaan, was four hundred
and thirty years.
– Ex. 12:40 Brenton
(based on Septuagint Greek text)
Clarification on “430 Years”
And this I say, [that] the covenant, that
was confirmed before of God in Christ,
the law, which was four hundred and
thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it
should make the promise of none effect.
– Gal 3:17 KJV
Clarification on “430 Years”
What we learn from Paul in Galatians 3:17
1. The 430 years was the time span between
two important covenants:
 God’s covenant with Abraham and they
which are of faith (a promise of
righteousness)
 God’s covenant with Israel (Mosaic
Law for regulating the nation until
Christ fulfilled it)
Clarification on “430 Years”
What we learn from Paul in Galatians 3:17
2. The 430 years included the time in both
Canaan and in Egypt.
3. When in doubt about the Old Testament,
see what the New Testament says.
4. For serious Bible study, do not rely on
the NIV translation. It is an ecumenical
work that has completely removed 17
verses and 64,576 words. For more info,
see http://www.av1611.org/niv.html.
Who was with Jacob?
(Gen. 46:8-27)
 12 sons
Total 70 persons,
including Jacob,
 1 daughter
but not including all
 55 grandsons
the wives and
 1 granddaughter
slaves, who were
either Canaanite or
 3 of Jacob’s wives
Egyptian
 Jacob’s sons’ wives
 Jacob’s grandsons’ wives
 Perhaps some slaves
Who was with Moses?
(Num. 1:1-46)
 603,550 men 20 years old and above who
were able to go to war from 11 tribes
 An unknown number of Levites
 An unknown number of women & children
 An unknown number of old men
 An unknown number of slaves
 An unknown number of Egyptian converts
Total = 2 million to 6 million
Exodus Outline
 Ex. 1




Growth and slavery of God’s people, Israel
From about 1606 (death of Joseph)
To 1542 B.C.
About 64 years (2 generations)
 Ex. 2-4
 Preparation of God’s deliverer, Moses
 About 1542 – 1462 B.C
 About 80 years (2 generations)
Exodus Outline
 Ex. 5-12
 10 plagues, 1st Passover and the exodus
 About 1462 B.C.
 Ex. 13-18
 Journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai
 A 3 month journey – in 1462 B.C.
Exodus Outline
 Ex. 19-31
 The Mosaic Law given on Mt. Sinai
 The beginning a new nation, Israel
 Ex. 32




Impatience and idolatry (golden calf)
God decided to kill all of Israel
Moses asks God to change His mind
Levites kill all the idolaters
Exodus Outline
 Ex. 33-34
 Regiving of the Law on Mt. Sinai
 Ex. 35-40
 Moses instructs Israel
 Tabernacle constructed
 Priestly robes and other ritual objects made
Bible Lands Overview
Bible Lands Overview
Bible Lands Overview
Mediterranean Sea
Potiphar
& Pharaoh
© EBibleTeacher.com
Canaan
Joseph sold
to caravan
Nile Delta
Egypt
Joseph’s Journey to Egypt
Joseph’s Journey to Egypt
Sinai
Joseph’s Family’s Journey
to Goshen Due to the Famine
Joseph’s Family to Goshen
Fertile Nile Delta
©
Egypt
Canaan
Route of the Exodus
Route of Exodus 1
Route of the Exodus
Route of Exodus 2
Route of Exodus 3
13km
Underwater
land bridge
ApproachEgyptian
throughChariot
valley Wheel
to the sea
Approach through valley
Why Israel feltEgyptian
trappedChariot
by theWheel
sea
Trapped
Gulf of Aqaba
 About 1,500 meters deep for most of its length
 Has a steep 45 degree slope to the bottom.
Gulf of Aqaba
13km underwater land bridge
Underwater bridge 1
 About 900 meters wide by 13 km long
 300 meters deep at the deepest point
 Has a gentle slope of about 6 degrees to bottom
13km underwater land bridge
Underwater bridge 2
13km underwater land bridge
Underwater bridge 2
How did the waters
back?
Egyptianstay
Chariot
Wheel
Water stayed back
When Moses raised his rod over the sea and God caused
a strong east wind to blow, perhaps what happened was
that the water quickly froze into a thick mass of ice on
either side of what became a channel or trough over this
13 km land
bridge.
Diving in search of
chariot remains
Diving
Found under water
on the land bridge
Chariot Wheel 1
Egyptian chariot wheels with axle
Chariot Wheel 2
Chariot Wheel 3
Chariot from King Tut’s Tomb
King Tut chariot
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai
Exodus Themes

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

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Redemption
Deliverance
Birth of Israel as and nation
Falsehood of idolatry
Conditional Mosaic covenant
Redemption and Deliverance
Therefore tell the children of Israel,
‘I am Yahweh, and I will bring you
out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians, and I will rid you out of
their bondage, and I will redeem you
with an outstretched arm, and with
great judgments. - Ex. 6:6
Redemption and Deliverance
 Redemption – accomplished through the
blood of the passover lamb
 Deliverance – accomplished through the
power of God
Birth of Israel as a nation
 Formalized at Mount Sinai when the Law given
 Every nations needs a law to govern its people
 Israel is the only nation in the history of the world
to receive its law directly from God
 Most countries today base their laws on the
Mosiac civil law
Falsehood of Idolatry
 Most of the 10 plagues made one or more
Egyptian gods lose face
 This helped both Israelites and Egyptians see
that Jehovah was the one true God
 Even some Egyptians believed in Jehovah
 Golden calf incident in Ex. 32
Plagues attack on gods
Plague
Egyptian god attacked
Nile turned
to blood
Khnum: guardian of the Nile
Hapi: spirit of the Nile
Frogs
Heqt: frog god
Plague on cattle
Hathor: cow god
Apis: bull of god Ptah
Mnevis: sacred bull
Plagues attack on gods
Plague
Egyptian god attacked
Hail
Nut: sky goddess
Isis: goddess of life
Seth: protector of crops
Locusts
Isis: goddess of life
Seth: protector of crops
Plagues attack on gods
Plague
Egyptian god attacked
Darkness
Re, Aten, Atum, Horus
(all sun gods of sorts)
Death of firstborn
The deity of Pharaoh
Osiris: the giver of life
Golden calf incident of Ex. 32
 Good example of God being a jealous God
 Impatience and idolatry of some people
 God decided to kill all of Israel
 Moses asked God to change His mind
 Levites killed all the idolaters
Christ in Exodus
Giving of law
Giving of Holy Spirit
O.T. & N.T. Contrasted
 O.T saints were saved by faith
in Him who was to come in the future.
 N.T. saints are saved by faith
in Him who has come already.
If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according
to the promise.
- Gal. 3:29 NKJV
O.T. & N.T. Contrasted
 The O.T. teaches us about God
by showing us how He worked
in and through the lives of
individuals and nations, and what
He expected of His people then.
 The N.T. tells us about God and
what He wants of Christians today.
O.T. & N.T. Compared
 Both promise blessings for obedience
 Both promise curses for disobedience
Blessings and curses
“See, I am setting before you today
a blessing and a curse
- the blessing if you obey the
commands of the LORD your God
… the curse if you disobey.”
- Deut. 11:26-28 NIV
Blessings and curses
“Therefore everyone who hears these
words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his
house on the rock. The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew
and beat against that house; yet it did
not fall, because it had its foundation on
the rock.”
- Mt. 7:24,25 NIV
Blessings and curses
“But everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built
his house on sand. The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew
and beat against that house, and it fell
with a great crash.”
- Mt. 7:26,27 NIV
Eternal importance of
obeying God’s commands
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into
judgment, including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
-Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 NIV
What commands to obey
 O.T. saints: O.T. commands
 Timeless moral commands
 Commands given through
special revelation
O.T. commands
“For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven
and earth pass away, not even one smallest
letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any
way pass away from the law, until all things
are accomplished.” - Mt. 5:18
This means that 100% of the O.T. law was
expected to be obeyed until Jesus
accomplished His work on the cross.
What commands to obey
 N.T. saints: N.T. commands
 Timeless moral commands (mentioned in
both the O.T. & N.T)
 Other revealed commands (unique to the
N.T., but given by Jesus and the apostles)
 Exclude obsolete O.T. commands
(those not repeated in the N.T., like
circumcision, animal sacrifices, visiting
Jerusalem three times each year, not
working on Saturdays, etc.)
Obsolete O.T. commands
When there is a change of the priesthood,
there must also be a change of the law.
- Heb. 7:12 NIV
In that He says, “A new covenant, ” He has
made the first obsolete. Now what is
becoming obsolete and growing old is
ready to vanish away. - Hebrews 8:13 NKJV
Benefit of the O.T. today
These things happened to them
as examples and were written down
as warnings for us, ...
So, if you think you are standing firm,
be careful that you don't fall!
- 1 Cor. 10:11,12 NIV
Be careful you don’t fall
Therefore consider the goodness and
severity of God: on those who fell,
severity; but toward you, goodness,
if you continue in His goodness.
Otherwise you also will be cut off.
- Rom. 11:22 NKJV