Egypt and Exodus – Part I
Exodus 1-18
Timeline Information
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Period Name:
 Egypt and Exodus
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Center of Jewish history
“Exodus” means “to leave” or “exit”.
Narrative Books:
 Exodus
Supplemental Books:
 Leviticus
Development in God’s Family Plan
 Preparation for “One Holy Nation”
Timeline Information
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Where the action is:
 Egypt and the South (Sinai Desert region)
Time Period:
 1700-1280 BC
World Power at the Time:
 Egypt
Secular History:
 1600 BC: First urban civilization in China
 1450 BC: Greek Language first written
 1300 BC: Building projects - Seti I and Ramses II
Plot Summary
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Oppression of Israelites
Israelite Nation grows for 430 years
Ramses enslaves them: he is afraid
of their numbers (Israel Enslaved for 430
years - #15 on timeline)
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Ramses orders all male babies drowned
(Ex 1:22)
Birth of Moses
Nile River
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(Ex 2: 1-10)
Found by Ramses’ daughter
Plot Summary
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Moses as an adult (Ex 2: 11-22)
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Moses kills an Egyptian who is abusing an
Israelite
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Moses runs to Midian
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It is here that he is called by God…
God Reveals Himself
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(Exodus 3)
The Burning Bush (#16 on timeline)
Near Mt. Horeb, Moses sees a bush
burning (p. 103-107)
God then speaks to Moses:
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Tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites
Lead them to Canaan (Promised Land)
Tells Moses His name:
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YHWH (pronounced “Yahweh”)
“I AM WHO AM” (Ex 3:14)
God Reveals Himself
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(Exodus 1-4)
Significance of “YHWH”
 Personal
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Faithful
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I have come down to deliver
Works through His People
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God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Intervening
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God of your father
Come, I will send you
Desires worship
God Reveals Himself
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(Exodus 1-4)
Significance of “YHWH”
 God exists in the now. There is no tense to
His name.
 God makes Israel his next of kin and will
redeem them.
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Israel becomes his FIRST-BORN!
God Reveals Himself
Moses – not a good speaker… Aaron (Ex 4:
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10-17)
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Aaron - first Jewish priest (rod)
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All other priests will be from the tribe of Levi
(Levitical Priesthood)
Moses Confronts Pharaoh
(Ex 5:1-9)
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The Message:
 YHWH wants us to go for 3 days to
worship Him
Pharaoh refuses and Moses responds
 Pharaoh responds by giving MORE work
to the Israelites
 “Let my first born (Israel) go or I will
kill yours.”
God Delivers Israel
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Battle with Pharaoh (Ex 7: 1-13)
 Turns Aaron’s rod into a snake
 His snake eats Pharaoh's magicians’ snakes
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Plagues are miracles of God that defeat a god of
Pharaoh and Egypt
 This is to show the Israelites and Egyptians
that YHWH is the one true god
God Delivers Israel (Ex 7:14-11:10)
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The 10 Plagues
(#17 on timeline)
God commands, Moses obeys, Pharaoh refuses
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1.
2.
3.
4.
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Nile changes to blood
Frogs
Mosquitoes
Flies
Death of livestock
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6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness (3 days except in Goshen)
10. Death of the first-born
The 10th Plague
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The Egyptian firstborn die that night
 Pharaoh calls Moses and sends the Israelites
out of Egypt
Blood of covenant
Angel of Death
The Passover (#18)
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Israel will be spared of the 10th plague
 The people will be free
Paschal Lamb
 Blood of lamb is put on doorpost of the
Jewish house as a sign so the angel “passes
over” the Jewish homes
Passover
 Pesach (Hebrew)  “Passage”
 Pasch (Aramaic)  “Passage”
The Passover – A Memorial of God’s Love
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A commemoration of
God’s love (OT)
Death  life (firstborn)
Slavery  freedom
Egypt  Promised Land
OT Lamb sacrificed – blood
saves and body nourishes
(physically)
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Jesus = Lamb of New
Passover (NT)
Death  resurrection
Sin  life with God
Mortality  immortality &
everlasting life
“Lamb of God” Jesus Christ
sacrificed – blood saves &
body nourishes (spiritually)
Holy Eucharist – our
“Passover to Christ”
The Passover – A Liturgical Meal
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Jesus is celebrating the Passover at the
Last Supper
The Passover Meal:
 Lamb – animal of sacrifice
 Bitter herbs – reminder of slavery
 Haroset (sweet sauce) – clay colored –
reminder of brick making days
 Matzos (unleavened bread) – recalls their
fast departure (no time for bread to rise)
The Flight (Ex 12: 37-42)
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600,000 men (plus women and children
leave Egypt)
Escape 430 years that Israelites dwelt in
Egypt
Bones of Joseph
Journey to Sinai
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(Ex 13: 21-22)
The Israelites leave to the Sinai Peninsula
 God protects the people by a pillar of cloud
by day and a pillar of fire by night
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Pharaoh changes his mind… he needs slaves…
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Parting of the Red Sea (Ex 14: 10-21) (#19)
 The greatest miracle of the Old Testament
 This is the proof that God is caring for the
Israelites
 Baptism – freeing from sin
 The Song of Moses celebrates this (Ex 15: 1-21)
The Desert of Sin
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As the Israelites complain, God provides:
 Manna (#20) is the bread of heaven and
quails (Ex 16: 1-8)
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They must learn that God is a faithful provider
 God is beginning a massive amount of
revelation about holiness
The Desert of Sin
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As the Israelites complain, God
provides:
 Water is provided from the Rock
(Meribah) (Ex 17: 1-7)
 God helps them against the Amalekites
(Ex 17: 8-16)
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Israel wins as Moses extends his arms in
prayer
This shows the battle against evil that can
only be won with prayer
Egypt and Exodus-- Part II
Exodus 19-40
Rules to Live By
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Mt. Sinai
 At campsite, God promises Israel…
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A kingdom of priests to represent God to all
A holy nation
 They will be “set apart” to have a special role
Rules to Live By
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Moses Meets with God (Ex 19:16-19)
 Theophany: An appearance of God to a human; a
divine manifestation
 Moses is called to the top of Sinai to meet with God
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Thunder and lightning and smoke
 God is all powerful
Since the Israelite experience of religion has been the
Egyptians, God must “cure” them of an expectation of
polytheism and idol worship
Rules to Live By
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(Ex 20: 1-17)
The 10 Commandments (The
Decalogue) (#21)
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The first three commandments deal
with how Israel relates to God
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The remaining commandments deal
with others and flow from the first
three
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These rules describe how redeemed people
live
SEE SPECIAL SHEET
Nation Established
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“All the words YHWH has spoken, we will do!” (Ex
24: 1-8)
 With this, the Israelites confirm the covenant
 Moses then writes the words of the covenant
 Builds an altar
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Sacrifices oxen on the altar
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12 Pillars = 12 Tribes
This is a holy animal from Egypt
Sprinkles half the blood on the altar and half on the
people
Blood seals the covenant (fulfill the promises of
Abraham)
Covenant Broken
God calls Moses up to the top of Mt. Sinai
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A Cloud covers the mountain for 6 days (Ex 32:1-35)
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On the 7th God invites Moses into the cloud
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Moses is with YHWH for 40 days and nights
The people demand Aaron make a god
Golden Calf (#22 on timeline)
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Covenant Broken
God calls Moses up to the top of Mt. Sinai
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God tells Moses about the calf
Moses comes down, shatters the tablets (breaking
the covenant) and melts the calf
God only punishes the guilty… and HOW?
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Levitical Priesthood (#23 on timeline)
Rules for Worship
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Moses again goes to God
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God orders the Tabernacle (#24 on timeline) and
Ark of the Covenant be constructed.
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Tent of Meeting = portable temple
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God dwells wherever the Ark of the Covenant
is located
Rules for Worship
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Ark of the Covenant = (Throne of God on
Earth) (Ex 37: 1-9)
 Manna
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Testimony
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Permanent remembrance of the bread of God
Stone tablets with the commandments
Aaron’s Rod
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Priestly authority (added later)
Rules for Worship
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The Ark
 Held Manna, bread
from heaven
 Holds the Word of God
in the Testimonies
 Aaron’s rod
 God is present
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Mary
 Held Jesus Christ, the
Eucharist
 Held the Word made
flesh
 Jesus is High Priest
 Emmanuel: God is
with us