Exodus Teaching - 2020 - Slide

Historical-Theological Introduction
Even though we have a new book that begins with chapter one and verse one, there is no literary
break between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus.

First, the Hebrew text begins with “And these are the names” which is dropped off in both
English and Khmer. Additionally, the list of names reminds us of the seamless transition from
Gen. 46.34. Slide 2

Second, the note of 70 persons shows us that the world is being reconstituted through Israel; they
are a new table of nations (cf. Gen. 10). Additionally, the meager number of 70 gives us the
gauge by which to measure Israel’s incredible numerical growth. Slides 3 - 4

Third, Israel’s multiplication is the result of 1) Joseph’s wise political maneuvering in Gen. 45 -
47, and 2) God’s faithfulness to the promises he made to the patriarchs about multiplying them.
Slides 5 - 6

Fourth, on the topic of God’s faithfulness, we cannot forget that God promised Abraham that his
offspring would spend 400 years as servants in a land not their own. The gap in our Bibles
between Ex. 1.7 and Ex. 1.8 is far bigger than the page allows. Slide 7

Transition - Back to Eden, Then To Egypt - Slides 8 - 9

These notes of Israel’s fruitfulness and multiplication draw the reader back to Genesis 1 - 2.
There, being fruitful and multiplying were the means by which Adam and Eve, the royal couple,
were to extend God’s rule, to have authority over and subdue the land required more people, thus
families. The family, however, was frustrated by sin, and a cosmic struggle between the snake
and the seed began.

As we transition from Ex. 1.7 to 1.8, we are reminded of the struggle. We have Israel, the
woman’s seed, through Abraham, now in battle with a new king who is committed to Israel’s
destruction. Thus, we are to read Exodus with Genesis in mind. We know that the woman’s
seed will crush the snake, but we must let the narrative tension build throughout the opening
chapters of Exodus.

The Hyksos (“Rulers of Foreign Lands) Period - Slides 10 - 11 - Handout Material

There is one very important historical period that helps us understand the beginning of Exodus, it
is known as the Hyksos Period.

The Hyksos Period was somewhere between 1800 - 1500BC where various peoples from modern
day Syria and Jerusalem trickled into Egypt and eventually overthrew the Egyptian government

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due to in house political rivalries. It is likely during this time that Joseph, a non-Egyptian, came
to be second in all of Egypt. Over time, the Hyksos people were able to build up an army that
controlled both Upper (Southern) and Lower (Northern) Egypt.

Quote - Slide 13 - Handout

One ancient Egyptian historian memorialized the Hyksos Era as, “[They] burned our cities
ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of our gods, and treated all the natives with a cruel
hostility.” (Manetho)

The Hyksos enjoyed their rule until they were forced out by Pharaoh Ahmose.

Ahmose slide w/ dates (1800 - 1500) - Slide 14 - Handout

Ahmose drove the Hyksos peoples to the north and subdued that region over 17 military
campaigns. Ahmose also defeated enemies to the south, which allowed him to re-establish
Thebes as Egypt’s political capital. With all northern and southern enemies defeated, all borders
fortified and all Egypt united, Ahmose was able to usher in Egypt’s New Kingdom period, which
was one of Egypt’s most prosperous times ever.

Egyptians long celebrated Ahmose’s defeat of the Hyksos and there was a revival of Egyptian
nationalism that played out through a harsh distrust of any foreign peoples in their land. Egypt
began using the defeated Hyksos peoples as slaves to rebuild Egypt, which weakened any
attempts of another uprising.

Slide 15 - Ex. 1.7 - Hyksos - Ex. 1.8 - Handout

All of this is what happens between Ex. 1.7 and 1.8 and thus explains the transition from Israel in
a privileged position in Goshen to an oppressed people. Thus, with all of the Hyksos period still
fresh in Egypt’s mind, the king “who did not know Joseph,” should be taken to understood, “the
king who could not have cared less about any deals made by that the non-Egyptian ruler who
helped to bring about Egypt’s defeat in their own land.”

In Israel’s history, we have the serpent biting the heel of the seed.

Exodus 1 - 2 - Setting The Narrative Stage - Slide 16

The first two chapters of Exodus break down pretty neatly into a handful of contained stories,
each with their specific points. The goal of these first two chapters is to set the redemptive stage
for the rest of the book.

Israel had come peacefully into Egypt and multiplied there (cf. Gen. 46.3), but then everything
changed with a new ruler. Hundreds of years of affliction had passed, just as God said it would
(Gen. 15.13), but God was watching and waiting, and finally the time has come for the rest of
God’s promise, that he would judge that nation and bring out his people (Gen. 15.14).

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Setting The Redemptive Stage - Slides 17 - 18
I. 1.1 - 7 Transition from Genesis to Exodus
II. 1.8 - 21 Pharaoh & The Midwives
III. 2.1 - 10 Moses’ Birth & Protection
IV. 2.11 - 22 Moses In Midian
V. 2.23 - 25 God Remembered

1.8 - 21 - Pharaoh & The Midwives - Slide 19

There are a few observations I want to point out to you

1. We said earlier that in the Pharaoh and Israel, we see the war between the snake and the
seed, right?
a. What is happening in vv. 9 - 12? Who is winning the war?

2. The Pharaoh is making the Israelites built him a city in his own name, or the name of one
of their gods, and making them build it with mortar and brick (បាយអ និងឥដ្ឋ, 1.14).
a. These are the same materials used in Gen. 11.3 when the tower of Babel was
being built. What’s the connection?

3. One of the difficulties for many people in Exodus is that we don’t really know which
Pharaoh’s are being referred to throughout the book.
a. However, the author tells us the names of two Hebrew midwives in 1.15 whose
names never appear anywhere else in the Bible.
b. Why would the author leave out such historically important information as the
Pharaoh’s name, yet give us the names of such historically unimportant people
like the Hebrew midwives? What values are on display here?
c. These midwives are the heroes of ch. 1! Because of their fear of the Lord (1.17)
these women put their lives on the line, and in response, God deals well with them
(1.20), the people multiply (1.20), and God blessed the women with families
(1.21).

4. Lastly, are the midwives lying in vv. 18 - 19?

a. Durham (WBC, 10) seems to think so since he translates 1.19 as, “Thinking fast,
the midwives said to Pharaoh…”
b. Stuart (NAC, 81) can’t reconcile God blessing a lie (Ex. 1.20) but suggests that
the midwives could certainly take their sweet time to the Hebrew women, so that

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 when they arrive, the baby has already (conveniently) been delivered.

5. Chapter one shows that no matter what the Pharaoh throws at God’s people, he will be
met with frustration. We are off to the races with that view of the book.

2.1 - 10 - Moses’ Birth & Protection - Slide 20

Moses’ birth narrative rides directly on the frustrated heels of Pharaoh in 1.22 about killing all
the baby boys in the Nile.

1. Pay attention to Moses’ unnamed sister in 2.4, 7 - 9. She watches to see what will
happen to her baby brother (sweet gesture), and then she arranges it so that her mom can
nurse Moses for a time (2.9), probably until he’s 3 - 4 years old.
a. Don’t lose sight of the goodness of God in that situation.

2. The Khmer (ទូក) has a better translation from Hebrew in 2.3 than does English. The
Hebrew word used for a basket (ទូក) in 2.3 is only used in one other place in the Bible,
and that’s in Gen. 6 - 9, Noah’s ark. Consider the following similarities
a. Noah and Moses escape a watery disaster
b. Noah’s ark and Moses’ basket are made out of the same materials
c. Noah preserved God’s family (descending from Shem). Moses preserves God’s
people, leading them out of Egypt.
d. What sort of creation themes does the author intend for us to draw by portraying
Noah as a new Moses figure?

2.11 - 22 - Moses In Midian - Slide 21

Doug Stuart (NAC, 94) suggests that Moses was around four years old when he entered into
Pharaoh’s family, and now we’re 36 years past that. This is based on Stephen’s help (Acts 7.23 -
30) in telling us that Mo went into Midian when he was 40 and 80 when he started his encounters
with Pharaoh (Ex. 7.7). Stuart also gets those numbers from Jubilees 47.1 and 48.1 which place
Moses at 42 years old when he goes into Midian. The two-year difference is unexplained.

The “struggling” Hebrews (3.13) seem to understand Moses as one of them (3.14), yet when he’s
on the run and rescues Reuel’s daughters (3.16 - 17) he is referred to as the Egyptian who did it
(3.19).
For many people, the birth of their first child is an amazingly grounding experience. That is, you
are aware that another life is dependent on you and you are now living to sustain someone else.
For Moses, his son is a reminder that he belongs somewhere else. I’m probably reading too
much into that.

Getting To Know My Man Moe

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I think this story gives us short glimpses of what we will see throughout Moses’ life in the
Pentateuch.

Moses is impulsive - Slide 22

Impulsive is put negatively, but decisive is a much more positive way to put it.

Notice that in 2.12, all of Moses’ planning to murder a man is contained in, “he looked this way
and that.”

Durham basically ratchets this up to an unfortunate incident (WBC, 19) whereas Stuart suggests
that Moses followed the Egyptian until he was alone and then killed him (NAC, 95), which is far
from an impulsive act.

Moses is emotional - Slide 23

Moses is no mere stone. Moses is angry enough at injustice to kill a man, yet immediately
scared enough to run for his life.

Moses is bold - Slide 24

Moses knows nothing about the shepherds who are threatening the women, nor anything about
the women. That’s not enough to stop Moses from intervening to save these women.

Though Moses’ decision to stay in Midian and start a new life seems like resignation, there’s
more wisdom to it than fear since his life in Egypt has ended.

2.23 - 25 - During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned
because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up
to God. 24) And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with
Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25) God saw the people of Israel - and God knew.
There are a few things we need to point out here.

First, whereas God acted on the behalf of Shiphrah and Puah as individuals, God’s hearing,
remembering, seeing and knowing here are all covenant words.
God’s seeing and hearing can both g back to his encounter with Hagar (Gen. 16.13 - 14; 17.20).
God’s hearing can go back to the birth of Israel’s sons (29.33; 30.6). God’s remembering can be
tied back to Noah (8.1; 9.15), the birth of Israel’s sons and Rachel’s barrenness (30.22).

Second, God’s “remembering” is not there to show that God previously forgot about his
covenant. Rather, to say “‘God remembered his covenant’ is to say, ‘God decided to honor the
terms of the covenant at this time.’” (Stuart, NAC, 102)

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Third, since God expands the covenant from Abraham to both Isaac and Israel, we are now
talking about the covenant on a national level, not just individual or for one particular family, as
it was in Genesis.

Fourth, these verses bring all of chs. 1 - 2 together. Whereas the opening bracket (1.1 - 7) lists
the names of Israel’s sons, the closing bracket (2.23 - 25) lists the names of their father,
grandfather, and great grandfather. The narratives in between introduce us to the new sons of
Israel, oppressed under brutal rulers, and a deliverer, one specific seed who will be the first to
crush the head of the snake.

Exodus 3 - 6 - Calling on Moses - Slide 25

We’ll outline a few of the broad strokes of this narrative and try to go into depth on just a few
things.

Broad Outline - Handout

According to Acts 7.23, 30, as we read Ex. 2.11 - 6.13, we watch 40 years of Moses’ life go by.

Moses encounters God in the most unexpected of ways, a continually burning and talking bush
that never stops burning nor gets burned. God plans to make good on his promise to Abraham
and return Israel to the Promised Land (Gen. 15.14), and Moses will be his mouthpiece.

Moses is to go to Pharaoh, who will not listen to Moses because God will harden his heart (4.21),
and ask him to let the Israelites go into the desert to worship God. Pharaoh will say no and make
life worse for the Israelite slaves (ch. 5), and it’s all a part of God’s plan (6.1 - 13).

I’d like us to dive into four specific topics here.

The Names of God - Ex. 3.13 - 14; 6.2 - 3 - Slides 26

First, God’s name in 3.13 - 14, I Am. After God gives such grand promises to Moses in 3.7 - 12,
Moses asks the perfectly reasonable question, “Who should I say you are?” Remember all that
has transpired between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus, and even what has
happened between Ex. 1.7 and 1.8. There have been no words or dreams or divine blessings.
After 400 years, Moses is talking to functional Egyptians that can’t seem to shake their old
Hebrew heritage. God’s answer, however, is cryptic, “I am who I am.” Tell them “I Am” has
sent you.

Slide 27 This name is a noun form of the verb ‫ ָהי ָה‬, which means “to be.” This is where we get
“I am” from. However, in the second instance, when God tells Moses “Tell them that I am has
sent you,” the form of the verb is slightly different. There, the verb (Niphal) denotes the

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causation of an action. Thus, “to be” is “I Cause To Be.” We have both the eternal nature of
God in view here (I Am) as well as the view of God as creator (I Cause To Be).

Durham (WBC, 38) wrote, “The answer Moses receives is not, by any stretch of the imagination,
a name. It is an assertion of authority, a confession of an essential reality, and thus an entirely
appropriate response to the question Moses poses.”

In this name of God, we continue the idea of creation and re-creation in Exodus. God is forming
a new people; it is fitting that he would reveal himself by this name. I am making things new. I
am bringing about the next stage in my plan of redemption. I am making good on my promises
to the Patriarchs.

Second, God’s name in 6.2 - 3 is the source of some debate. The phrase “by my name the Lord I
did not make myself known to them,” is not the best translation

The Hebrew is vague enough to where “by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to
them,” could just as easily be translated, “by my name the Lord, did I not make myself known to
them?” With this interpretation, God did make himself known to the patriarchs by the name ‫י ְהוָה‬,
and now he’s telling Moses that just as God was with them in their day, he is now with them,
with his covenant, in Egypt.

I’m inclined to land with this group.

The significance of the name of God here is that God is just as much watching over Moses’
affairs as he was Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s affairs. Moses, and now all of Israel, are just as
much a part of the covenant as any of the patriarchs.

Unbelief - Signs - God’s Plan - Slide 28

The narrative tension in this section arises from the fact that the only thing that poses a threat to
God’s promises are God’s people. Thus far, we’ve only seen the Shirphah and Puah take the fear
of the Lord seriously, even though their lives were at stake in it.

We can look at Moses, Israel, and Pharaoh as a whole here, and the only thing that the three have
in common is that none of them trust Yahweh.

We should not fault God’s people here. It has been 400 years since God has done anything in
their history. It is for these reasons that God gives Moses three signs that will prove to the
Israelites that he can do what he says he will do.

Signs - Slide 29

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In the first sign, God turns Moses’ staff into a snake, has him pick it up by the tail (dumb idea),
and then it turns back into a staff.

Next, God takes Moses’ healthy hand and makes it leprous, only to turn it back again. Slide 30

Slide 31 - The third sign, however, is when God turns a little bit of the Nile river from water into
blood...and it stays that way. There is an ominous foreshadow for readers of Exodus, as well as a
clear sign for Moses that God is working for Israel’s protection and Egypt’s death.

Mo’s Unbelief - Slide 32

Moses’ unbelief is played out in fear (3.6), his own perceived inadequacy (3.11; 4.10),
expectation of the peoples’ unbelief (4.1), and seems to culminate in Moses’ outright ask for
another person to do it (4.13), which brings on God’s anger (4.14). In my opinion, the ultimate
display of Moses’ unbelief is when he uses the same word for evil (5.22, 23) to describe what
God has done (5.22) and what Pharaoh has done (5.23).

Even after God’s beautiful assurances in 6.6 - 8, Moses responds with unbelief in 6.12, and tries
to pass it off on his inability to speak well (6.12b).

It’s not clear what kind of “stern charge” God gave in 6.13, but it was enough to get the job
done.

Israel’s Unbelief - Slides - 33

Israel’s unbelief is expected (4.1), which is why we’re surprised to hear of their initial response
of belief and worship (4.31). Moses’ expectations are confirmed in 5.20 - 21 when the people
call out for God’s judgment on Moses and Aaron.

Pharaoh’s Unbelief - Slide 34

When Moses first talks with Pharaoh, Pharaoh flat out rejects the God of the Hebrews (5.2),
accuses the Hebrews as lazy (5.4), and proceeds to make Israel’s live significantly more difficult
by requiring the same amount of bricks to be made each day, but also making them go find their
own straw (5.6 - 9).
It’s important to catch how this all trickles down. Pharaoh tells the taskmasters and foremen
(5.6), who, in turn, tell the Hebrew slaves (5.10).

Israel’s foremen take a beating since they didn’t produce the right amount of bricks (5.14). One
of the Egyptian taskmasters seems to be the one speaking in 5.17 and since he takes creative
license on what Pharaoh said back in 5.7. The foremen are unaware of Moses and Aaron’s
conversation with the Pharaoh. That is, as soon as they hear from the taskmaster in v. 17, they
know that their increased difficulty is the direct result of Moses and Aaron.

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God’s Plans, Israel’s Frustration & Pharaoh’s Heart - Slide 35
One of the greater debates in the Book of Exodus is how to understand the hardening of
Pharaoh’s heart. We’ll talk more about the theology of that later; for now we will talk about the
role it plays in the narrative of chs. 3 - 6.

As we come to the close of this section, it ends unexpectedly. God gave his grand plans of
deliverance to Moses, who related them to Israel, who bowed in worship when they heard (4.31).
Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh, however, didn’t go as he planned. Rather than Pharaoh
letting the Israelites go, he makes life significantly harder for them.

In response, the Israelites call for God to judge Moses and Aaron and Moses likens God’s work
to Pharaoh’s, evil (5.22, 23).

Even after God’s amazing promises in 6.6 - 8, Israel remains unbelieving and broken (6.9) and
Moses is full of doubts (6.12). What has happened here?

Hardening Precedes Delivery - Slide 36

As soon as God begins talking to Moses, he’s very clear about Pharaoh’s unwillingness to let
Israel go. There must be a mighty hand that moves him to let Israel go (3.19). Though God calls
Moses to talk to Pharaoh, God promises to harden Pharaoh’s heart specifically so that the
Pharaoh won’t let the people go (4.21).

There is a plan that God is putting into place, and it seems like the Israelites have only heard the
deliverance part of Moses’ speech, not the hardening part.

Bridegroom of What? Slide 37

Who caught the strange story in 4.24 - 26? The difficulty in this very odd story is who the
pronouns refer to. There’s all the “he said to him and gave him his thing but he gave him that
other thing,” kind of language that keeps us in the shadows.

Over the years, I’ve come to two general ideas here.

1. God is coming to kill Moses because he didn’t circumcise Gershom. Circumcision is

certainly the case given v. 26. The feet to which Moses’ wife touches her sons foreskin
are either literal feet, or they might be a euphemism for his genitals (cf. Dt. 28.57; Isa.
7.20).
2. God is coming to kill Gershom because he is not circumcised and because the threat best
fits the context given the threat of killing Pharaoh’s firstborn son in 4.23.

Why the genealogy? - Slide 38

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The genealogy has two main purposes.

1. This is a narrative way to slow the story down and increase our anticipation.
2. Second, this genealogy goes no further than Levi, Jacob’s third son, and the father of the
Levitical tribes. Levi leads us to Amram, who is Moses and Aaron’s dad. The point here
is to show that what Moses will be doing in the next stories, he will be a priest, as a
mediator between God and Israel.

The Plagues & The Exodus - Slide 39

The Plague Narratives in Exodus are among the most exciting narratives in the entire Bible.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working through the plague narratives and I find them to be a great
way for us to practice our inductive method.

Important Observations - Slide 40

Locations - Time references - Connectives (by this you will know, that they may, etc) - Who is
talking - Emotional responses - Summary statements

You’ll notice lots of repetition throughout the plague narratives, and the things that are repeated
most are usually the bigger points.

Examples of Repetition - Slides 41 - 43

1. “That they may serve me” - 7.16; 8.1, 20; 9.1, 13; 10.3
2. “That you may know that I am the Lord” - 7.5, 17; 8.10; 9.16, 29; 10.2
3. “As the Lord had said” - 7.13, 22; 8.15, 19; 9.12, 35

In just these three examples, we have so much of the theology of the plagues laid before us.

Structure in the Plagues - Slide 44 - Handout

The way I see it, we have three cycles of plague progressions.

Plagues 1, 4, 7 begin with Moses meeting Pharaoh in the morning and at the Nile (though not
clear in 9.13, 7th plague).

Plagues 2, 5, 8 begin with Moses meeting Pharaoh in his office.

Plagues 3, 6, 9 are public, but in Pharaoh’s sight (9.8).

God’s Sovereignty Over The Plagues - Handout

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This is the primary purpose for the plagues. Egypt was a land of many gods, many were
represented by various animals and many parts of the created order were worshiped as gods (sun,
Nile, etc). The Egyptian magicians are able to reproduce two of the plagues, but they quickly
realize God’s hand at work (8.19), are affected by the plagues (9.11) and beg Pharaoh to let the
people go since the plagues are ruining Egypt (10.7).

God’s power is seen in the fact that not only does he bring the plagues, but that he also protects
his people from the fourth (8.22 - 23), fifth (9.4), seventh (9.20 - 21, 26), ninth (10.23) plagues.

The Plagues are a showdown between Yahweh and Egypt’s deities (Ex. 12.12). This idea is
introduced before the first plague, when Moses and Aaron come into Pharaoh’s office. They
throw the staff on the ground and it turns into a snake, and the Egyptian magicians do the same
thing, but Aaron’s snake eats theirs (7.8 - 12).

In Egypt, the power of your deity resided in your staff. Thus, when Aaron’s staff eats their staff,
it’s showing that his god just killed theirs.

Yahweh vs. Egypt’s gods - Slides 45 - 48 - Handout

In Exodus 12.12, Yahweh makes very clear that in the 10th plague, the Passover, he will execute
judgment on all the gods of Egypt. Taking that for what it is, scholars have seen a bit of a range
of Yahweh judging other Egyptian gods in the first nine plagues. Some scholars see little to no
interaction (Durham, WBC), some see moderate interaction (Enns, Stuart), while others connect
every plague to an Egyptian deity. In my study, I think there are good reasons to see interaction
in plagues 1, 2, 5, 9.

Plague 1 Hapi Represented by the Nile - Slide 45

Plague 2 Heqet Represented by a frog - fertility goddess - Slide 46
Plague 5 Hathor Represented by a cow - sky goddess - Slide 47
Plague 9 Ra Represented by the sun - Chief Egyptian deity - Slide 48
Plagues In The Flow of the Narrative
As we read and study the plagues, we have to keep the whole story in mind. In ch. 3, God tells
Moses that he will deliver the Israelites from Egypt (3.8, 12, 17) by having Moses speak to
Pharaoh (3.10).

God knows ahead of time that Pharaoh will not let Israel go “unless compelled by a mighty
hand” (3.19) and will therefore strike Egypt with many wonders (3.20). Though God will
accomplish these miracles through Moses (4.21), God will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will
not let them go (4.21).

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is, therefore, pivotal in the narrative, and this brings us to the
complex theological discussion regarding Pharaoh’s heart.

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What the issue IS and IS NOT - Slide 49
The issue in this discussion IS NOT whether or not God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. It is clear
that God promises to harden Pharaoh’s heart and it’s clear that God actively does it. God
hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

Slide 50 - Handout of every instance of “harden”

The issue is who hardened Pharaoh’s heart first.

First Camp - Slides 51 - 54

The most common interpretation is that God begins actively hardening Pharaoh’s heart in the
sixth plague (9.12), and all the “hardening” verses prior to that are either Pharaoh hardening his
own heart (8.14, 32) or a passive hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (7.13, 14, 22; 8.19; 9.7).

Thus, people will say that Pharaoh’s heart was already hard to begin with, and beginning with
the sixth plague, God increasingly hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Where I think this ultimately fails is that in 4.21 and 7.3 God says that he himself will harden
Pharaoh’s heart, and then in 7.13 and 7.14 Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. Pharaoh’s heart is hard
because God hardened it.

Second Camp
This is my camp. The text clearly says that Pharaoh hardens his own heart, I’m fine with that.

It is the “passive” hardenings of Pharaoh’s heart that I want to address here (7.13, 14; 8.19; 9.7,
35). In these cases, there is no direct subject, but I would like to say that this is God’s work.

In each case (except 9.7), the neutral hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is followed by “as the Lord
had said” (7.13, 14; 8.19). This forces the question, “when the Lord said what?”

I take God’s promise to harden Pharaoh’s heart in Ex. 4.21 to stand behind each of these
instances. Thus, in all but one occurrence of the passive hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, and in
two of three occurrences of Pharaoh hardening his own heart (8.15, 32; 9.34), it is as the Lord
had said (8.15; 9.35).

Some would say that the “as the Lord said” passages refer only to Pharaoh not letting the people
go and not the hardening of his heart. I think this fails as an interpretation because not letting
people go is the result of Pharaoh’s hardened heart (4.21). Thus, there’s no need to separate the
effect from the cause.

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Why This Matters
First and foremost, this matters because we are talking about what God has done, and there’s
nothing more important to talk about.

Second, God makes it very clear that what he’s doing in the plagues, including the hardening of
Pharaoh’s heart, is that Pharaoh and all others would know that he alone is the only God worthy
of worship.

Third, when we talk about God, we want to do it as accurately as is possible. Take the following
example from Job. Throughout Job, we listen to Job’s conversations with his three friends. At
the end of the book, the friends are judged by God but Job is not. Why? “My anger burns
against you...for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42.7; cf.
1.22; 2.10). In these two cases, Job charges God with taking away his family (1.20 - 21) and of
receiving evil from God (2.10a), things that are unsavory for many to say.

God takes seriously how his people talk about him.

Fourth, there are pastoral implications. People will experience dark and disastrous and difficult
times, and they need to know how they can trust in God when such things happen. Knowing
God rightly, especially in the context of suffering, is incredibly important.

How To Interpret - Handout

There are 19 passages in Exodus that deal with Pharaoh’s heart.

God’s Promise - 4.21; 7.3, (7.14?); 14.4, 17

Passive - 7.13, (7.14?), 22; 8.19; 9.7, 35
Pharaoh - 8.14, 32; 9.34
God’s work - 9.12; 10.1, 20, 27; 11.10; 14.8

Throughout these passages, there are three different Hebrew words used, but each word basically
means the same thing. By using three words that mean the same thing, the author is simply
adding style to his writing and keeps it from being boring by repeating the same word over and
over. The English translations didn’t find that too important.

In addition to this, we have Paul’s comments on Pharaoh’s heart in Romans 9.14 - 18. You will
need to revisit that chapter as you seek to work out the nature of God’s sovereignty in the
hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.

Interpret in order to know God, know how to speak well about him, and to give him the glory for
all of his work.

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Pharaoh’s Bartering - Slide 55
In the plague narratives, there are two places where Pharaoh seems to repent

Second Plague
Pharaoh asks Moses to plead with the Lord (8.8), which Moses does successfully (8.9 - 14), but
Pharaoh pulls back on his promise (8.15), and Moses later calls him a cheat for it (8.29).

Fourth Plague
Pharaoh allows them to sacrifice to Yahweh, but inside of Egypt (8.25), which Moses refuses
since it would get them in trouble with the locals (8.26 - 27). Pharaoh allows for the wilderness,
but not far away (8.28), and then asks for Moses to plead for him again (8.29), which Mses does
(8.30 - 31), but Pharaoh hardened his heart (8.31).

Seventh Plague
This is by far the longest discourse yet (9.13 - 35). God could have smoked Pharaoh by now
(9.15) but is waiting so that his name can be proclaimed (9.16). Once the hail strikes and the
divisions are seen, Pharaoh confesses of sin (9.27) and asks for Moses’ intercession (9.28), but
Moses calls it for what it is, lacking fear of the Lord (9.30). Once the plague lifts (9.31 - 33),
Pharaoh sins by hardening his heart (9.34) and thus it was hardened (9.35).

Eighth Plague
In this plague, Pharaoh allows for all the men to go out and worship the Lord (10.10 - 11) but not
the children. Before the plague has finished (10.12 - 15) Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron again
(10.16), confesses his sin and asks for forgiveness (9.16 - 17), and asks for the death of the
plague to be removed from him (9.17b). Once the plague was lifted and the locusts taken out,
God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.

This is the difficult one because it leaves open the possibility that Pharaoh’s heart may not have
been hardened if God had not hardened it. This one seemed like genuine repentance.

My take on this is that when Pharaoh asks for the plague to be lifted (10.17), he only asks for the
plague to be removed from him (10.17). His repentance seems to be as genuine as the locusts
were around. Once the locusts were gone, so too was his repentance.

The plain fact is that however we interpret Pharaoh’s repentance in 10.16 - 17, Yahweh is not yet
done with Pharaoh (10.20, 27; 11.10; 14.4, 8, 17).

The 10th Plague Threatened - 11.1 - 10 - Slide 56

Finally we get to chapter 11 and we see the final plague threatened. This is done in the hearing
of the people (11.2), including Pharaoh who leaves in hot anger (11.8), determined to not let the
Israelites go (11.10).

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This is the plague, at midnight (11.4) every firstborn child and animal will be killed (11.5), yet
not even a dog will growl at the Israelites as they leave (11.7). This final plague will be the final
straw and the Egyptians will send out the Israelites (11.8).

The threat comes to a narrative close with an angry Pharaoh (11.8), and a promise that he won’t
listen to Moses (11.9, 10b) that envelop the narration of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (11.10a).

The Action Stops: Passover Instructions

Now the stage has been set, the final plague has been threatened and we brace ourselves to hear
the waling and screaming of the parents of all the dead children throughout Egypt. We have 28
verses of instructions and calendar observances, 13 verses of narrative (12.29 - 42), and then
another long list of instructions and calendar observances (12.43 - 13.16), and only then to we
finally watch the Israelites cross the Red Sea (ch. 14).

Whenever something doesn’t have to be there, but is, we need to ask why.

Structure of Exodus 12 - Handout

Scene 1 - 12.1 - 28
I. God’s instructions to Moses - 12.1 - 20
II. Moses’ instructions to Israel - 12.21 - 28

Scene 2 - 12.29 - 42
I. The plague - 12.29 - 32
II. The Exodus - 12.33 - 39
III. Summary - 12.40 - 42

Scene 3 - 12.43 - 51
I. Who can and cannot eat the Passover - 12.43 - 49
II. Summary - 12.50 - 51

Summary of the Calendar - Slide 57

Month 1 - Day 14 - The Passover Lamb will be killed at twilight (12.6), its blood put on the door
(12.7) and its flesh eaten (12.8), roasted, not boiled (12.9), head, legs, and innards. It will be
eaten in haste (12.11), because as they are eating, Yahweh will go through Egypt, striking all the
firstborn and all the gods of Egypt (12.12). The lamb’s blood will be the sign to God that he may
pass over the house and that no plague will befall them (12.13).

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Connection Between Passover & Unleavened Bread
As we just saw, the Passover Lamb was selected on the 10th day and killed at eaten on the 14th
day of the month.

The 14th day of the month is the beginning of Unleavened Bread, which runs to the 21st day of
the month (12.17 - 18; 13.3 - 7). In these days, there is to be no work and no leaven is to be
found among any Israelites (vv. 17 - 20). Only unleavened bread may be eaten.

Why Is This Here? Slide 58

These detailed instructions are here because they are to be a continual reminder of God’s great
salvation (Ex. 12.14, 17, 24 - 27; 13.8, 10, 14 - 16).

That is, the significance of this great salvation event is highlighted by the strict observance of all
the details.

1. Notice that obedience is to be precise, not sloppy. They are counting days, hours,
numbering the amount of people by the amount of food, and reciting the same words year
after year.
2. Notice that this is communal. No one is alone, and if anyone was alone, they were
commanded to go to their neighbor’s house to share some of their food.
3. Notice the family aspect of this. God is forming Israel’s family culture. The father, there
on the night of Passover, experienced it firsthand. The father tells his son, and then his
son will tell his own son that “the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” To celebrate the meal
is to experience the power of that night.
Theological Aspects of the Passover

God As Destroyer and Protector - Slide 59

On the Passover night, two figures are described. We have Yahweh and the destroyer, but the
two are intertwined and we need to do the work to keep everything together.

Slide 59 - God will pass through Egypt to strike the Egyptians - 12.12, 23a

Slide 60 - However, when God sees the blood on the doorposts, he will pass over the house -
12.13, 23b

Slide 61- When God passes over the house, he does not allow the destroyer to strike the house -
12.23c

Slide 62 - God will strike the land of Egypt - 12.13

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Summary
So we have God passing through Egypt (12.12, 23a) and Yahweh/the destroyer passing over
Egypt (12.13, 23) and not allow the destroyer to strike the child in the house (12.23), yet God is
the one striking the land (12.13).

Conclusion - Slide 63
What we have here is God acting as both protector and destroyer. In God’s great covenant
mercy, he protects his people from his own wrath, and the only thing that causes God to pass
over them is the blood of a lamb.

Do we now have some NT foreshadows here?

Doug Stuart write, “God personally spared those who showed their trust in him by keeping the
Passover regulations. He restrained the angel that would otherwise manifest his personal
judgment against his enemies.” (NAC, 289)

Handout for the verses

He also wrote, “For Christians, the fact that Jesus Christ is the true and ultimate Passover Lamb
(Jn. 1.29, 36; 1 Cor. 5.9; 1 Pt. 1.19; Rev. 5.12), the firstborn of many brothers and sisters (Rom.
8.29; Col. 1.18; Heb. 12.23), the Redeemer of all of them (Lk. 1.68; Rom. 3.24; 1 Cor. 1.30; Gal.
4.5; Eph. 1.14), is a truth worthy of the powerful pause that draws it to our attention proleptically
in these chapters.” (Stuart, NAC, 270)

The Firstborn In Context of the Plagues

Next, we move to Ex. 13.1 - 2, 11 - 16 where we talk about the firstborn and redemption.

The idea of firstborn is crucial in understanding Exodus, and the way the NT develops what
begins here.

Culturally speaking, the firstborn got all the prominence, all the privileges, and all the rights. It
was expected that the firstborn, together with the father, would provide for the family’s future.

In Ex. 4.22, God declares Israel to be his firstborn son. They are heirs to all that God has (i.e.
everything), and they are expected to continue his work (i.e. Adam and Eve).

The firstborn, whether human or animal, was to be consecrated to God, not so that these families
would be devoid of their firstborn, but rather, “[Yahweh’s] desire was that the Israelites
recognize his right to ownership of the first and best. It is necessary and beneficial that human
beings recognize that God is superior to them, and the requirement of a ritual that reminded
every Israelite of this by insisting on receiving their firstborn from them helped create the

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spiritual attitude of submission so important for salvation, personal discipline, and blessing.”
(Stuart, NAC, 312)

Theology in 13.11 - 13
Enns (NIVAC, 252) draws out some rich theology in this passage. “We should understand this
ritual in light of the 10th plague itself: Israel as God’s son (4.22) was redeemed (delivered from
Egypt) by the death of Egypt’s firstborn sons. There is also a parallel between the 10th plague
and the...donkey in 13.13. Rather than being sacrificed itself, a donkey is to be redeemed
(replaced) with the sacrifice of a lamb, just as Israel was redeemed (replaced) with the blood of a
lamb. In fact, the parallel can be taken a step further. We may think of the Egyptian firstborn as
‘redeeming’ (replacing) the Israelites.”

The firstborn is a matter of great significance in the Law. Ex. 22.29 - 30 repeat the command
that the firstborn child and animal belong to God, and later the first harvest is to be given to God
(Lev. 23.9 - 14). All of this is foreshadowed in Gen. 22 when God commands Abe to sacrifice
Isaac, but then provides a substitute, a means of redemption.

The firstborn belongs to God as a special relationship. With all of this in mind, to re-read Ex. 1
is to see Pharaoh killing God’s own firstborn, and by throwing them in the Nile, Pharaoh is
taking that which belongs exclusively to Yahweh and offering it up to a false god/no god.

The biblical theological significance of this passage is hard to overstate. Jesus, God’s only Son,
was the redemption payment for the rest of the sons of God. Rather than be redeemed himself,
Jesus was sacrificed on behalf of those who would become his adopted siblings.

Back To The Story

So now, having taken care of those things, we conclude our day with the 10th plague and the Red
Sea crossing.

The 10th Plague - 12.29 - 32 - Slide 64

As promised, God goes through/over Egypt at midnight and strikes down all the firstborn
children and animals throughout Egypt, causing a great cry to ripple through the country.

Is God Just?
I can read this and find it as incredibly harsh. What kind of God would do this? This, however,
would be unintelligible to the Jews of that day. There was a previous Pharaoh who got all of the
Egyptians, not just soldiers and crooked cops, but all of them (1.22), involved in killing every
Israelite son, not just the first born, but every son. Though the Pharaoh of Ex. 12 is not the
Pharaoh of Ex. 1, judgment on the nation is deserved, which is what happens in 12.29.

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Says Stuart (NAC, 291), “This...was a case of divine retribution, justice meted out to those who
deserved it, a judgment against an entire society and their absurd religious beliefs that led them
to practice the horrible treatment they had given the Israelites in the past, thinking it appropriate.
God, no Israelites, did this killing of the Egyptian firstborn, however, and did so within the
bounds of his righteous judgment against evildoers.”

12.33 - 42 - Leaving Egypt

The Israelites leave Egypt, fully loaded (12.36) which is a testimony to God’s faithfulness (3.22),
and thus ended their 430 years of captivity in Egypt (12.40 - 42), something that is still
remembered by faithful Jews to this day.

Mixed Multitude - 12.38

The “mixed multitude” of 12.38 has been the subject of some debate. Some see it as the result of
God’s missionary heart (Stuart, NAC), while others see it as a recapitulation of when Abraham
came out of Egypt with Lot, which ended terribly (Sailhamer, Pentateuch as Narrative; Durham,
WBC, 172). I take the latter interpretation.

14.1 - 31 - The Lord’s Salvation - Slide 65

14.1 - 9 - Pharaoh Overtakes Israel

14.1 - 3 - These commands have to sound insane to Moses and to the rest of the people, which is
probably one reason why Moses’ words and Israel’s response aren’t recorded. This is
intentionally a bad plan that is meant to show Pharaoh that the Israelites don’t know what they’re
doing. This plan makes the Israelites as bait in God’s plan to “get glory over Pharaoh.”

14.10 - 20 - Commands to Divide The Sea

There is fear and crying out (v. 10) and accusations of murder (vv. 11 - 12). The Israelites say
that it would have been better to serve (‫ ) ָעבַד‬the Egyptians, which is the same word Moses used
for how they were to serve God in the wilderness (Ex. 3.12; 4.23; 7.16; 8.1, 20; 9.1, 13; 10.3, 7,
11*, 24*, 26[2x]; 12.31*, *indicates Pharaoh speaking), which is always in the context of
worship. While this Hebrew word does not always have a worship meaning, it is clear that the
Israelites are certain of their death and would rather continue in servitude than end in death.

14.15 - God’s question to Moses is pretty surprising given Moses’ moving speech in 14.13 - 14.
Either Moses cried out to God somewhere in 14.10 - 14, and God is rebuking him for it, or
Israel’s cry in vv. 11 - 12 is attributed to Moses as their leader. If this is the case, we have an

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instance of a representative leader, having done nothing wrong but declare God’s truth, being
punished (though lightly) for the sins of those whom he leads.

14.21 - 31 - Salvation At The Sea - Slide 66

God hardens the hearts of the Egyptian soldiers (v. 17a), which will get played out in their
decision to follow the Israelites into the Red sea (v. 17b), which will be the means by which God
gets his glory over Pharaoh (Ex. 9.16; 14.4.; Rom. 9.17 - 18, 22 - 23). There was no other means
by which Israel would be saved except for the extravagant power and faithfulness of Yahweh; he
alone is to be attributed with their salvation.

Let’s not lose the creation language that has been so rich throughout Exodus. The plagues are a
“de-creation” narrative, and with the strong wind blowing over the sea that separates the waters
and allows dry ground to appear, we are now back to the first moments of all creation. In new
creation, there is salvation, and it’s all the result of God’s work.

Skipping Exodus 15 - 18
We have covered enough narratives that you should be able to connect the dots in the stories here
in the middle.

Exodus 19.1 - 23.33 - Introduction to Israel’s Laws - Slide 67

Structure - Handout
I. 19.1 - 15 Preparations for God to Descend on Sinai
II. 19.16 - 20.17 God’s Appearance & The 10 Words
III. 20.18 - 21 Israel’s Fear
IV. 20.22 - 26 How to Worship Yahweh
V. 21.1 - 23.33 Covenant Code

Overview of Israel’s Laws

Before we continue, I want to spend a few moments giving an overview of Israel’s laws.

First, we should consider the structure of narratives and laws that will play out from Exodus 20
through most of the book of Numbers.

John Sailhamer (PAN) has gone to great lengths to show that almost all of Gen. 1 - Ex. 19 is
narrative, with bits of genealogies and poetry scattered throughout. In Exodus 20, however, the
narrative comes to a crashing halt and will not resume until Num. 11, when the Israelites finally
leave from Sinai.

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If we are to understand the entire Pentateuch as one unified story, we must have a way to account
for the heavy load of laws through Ex. 20 to Num. 10, with only a few narrative bits sprinkled in.

Sailhamer, (PAN, 47) has developed the following structure that I have found helpful. Handout

I. Narrative - Ex. 1 - 19
A. Law - Ex. 20.1 - 17 - Decalogue

II. Narrative (Failure) - 20.18 - 21

A. Law - Ex. 20.22 - 23.33 - Covenant Code

III. Narrative (Covenant Ratified) - Ex. 24

A. Law - Ex. 25 - 31 - Priestly Laws/Tabernacle

IV. Narrative (Failure/Golden Calf) - Ex. 32 - 34

A. Law - Priestly Duties - Ex. 35 - Lv. 16

V. Narrative (Failure/Goat demons) - Lev. 17.1 - 9

A. Law - Lev. 17 - 26 - Holiness Code

With this structure in place, we are able to see how each time the laws are given, stories are told
that illustrate Israel’s inability to keep the laws. Within the strategy of the Torah as a whole, the
author is driving us to the point that though the law is good and holy and from God, the Israelites
need new hearts (Dt. 30.1 - 10), and complete trust in God’s faithfulness (Gen. 15.6), as was
displayed by Abraham in Genesis. It is worth noticing that in the Pentateuch, Abraham is the
only person whose righteousness is displayed through his trust in God. Consider the contrast
then, between Abraham, who dies in the land without the law, yet righteous through faith, with
Moses, who dies with the law, yet outside the land.

Second, what kinds of laws are these. Doug Stuart, and many others, have written that Israel’s
laws, as are many others in the ANE period, are paradigmatic laws. What Stuart is saying here is
that from the laws that are given, Israel was expected to know how to handle situations that arose
for which there were no laws. More than anything else, the OT laws are meant to provide
wisdom for how Israel ought to live.

Third, if these are paradigmatic laws, how should we conceive of the laws throughout the
Pentateuch? Many people have long pointed out that there are a total of 611 total laws
throughout the Torah. John Sailhamer (PAN, 64) was the first to show me that these laws are
probably not all of Israel’s laws. For example, note that there are no laws anywhere in the
Pentateuch for a formal marriage; only laws about Levirate marriage, or when people have sex

21
outside of marriage. Additionally, why are there laws about what to do when you encounter
birds on the road, but not marriage?

Since there are some very basic laws missing, we should consider why we have these laws.
Sailhamer points out that the Hebrew language, at this time, had certain numerical values
attached to each consonant.

For the spelling of the word Torah in Hebrew

400 = ‫ת‬
6=‫ו‬
200 = ‫ר‬
5=‫ה‬
You get a total value of 611.

Further, the block of laws in the Covenant Code (Ex. 21.1 - 23.12) give 42 laws (7 x 6). The
opening Hebrew words of 21.1 read ‫שׁ ָּפטִים‬
ְ ‫( ְו ֵאּלֶה ַה ִּמ‬And/Now these are the judgments), and the
first phrase ‫ וְאֵ ּלֶה‬totals out to 42

6=‫ו‬
1=‫א‬
30 = ‫ל‬
5=‫ה‬

Sailhamer makes clear what he thinks is and is not happening here. “This is not to suggest that
secret numerical codes were intended to conceal mysteries within these texts. The use of the
numerical values of titles and catchphrases was a common literary device at the time of the
composition of Scripture.” 64

A final example is given from Proverbs, where Solomon’s proverbs (10.1 - 22.16) number 375,
which totals out the value of Solomon’s name in Hebrew
300 = ‫שׁ‬
30 = ‫ל‬
40 = ‫מ‬
5=‫ה‬

Fourth, if we have a collection or sampling of Israel’s laws, not all of Israel’s laws, we need to
consider what the purpose or purposes of these laws may be. For the Israelites’ relationship with

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God, keeping the law is their righteousness (Dt. 6.25), which is variously defined as a personal
relationship with God (Craigie, NICOT, 175), an expression of faithful devotion to Yahweh
alone (Merril, NAC, 175), a display of our covenant commitment, as well as the privilege of
salvation, God’s presence with us, the knowledge of God’s will, and is done with delight (Block,
NIVAC, 123).

For the Israelites’ relationship with those around them, keeping the law had evangelism in its
heart. Deuteronomy 6.4 - 6 shows that when Israel lived in the wisdom of the Law, it would be a
display to those around them of the wisdom of Yahweh in creating such laws, such a wise way to
live. Obedience had evangelism at its core.

Finally, how should we interpret and apply the OT Law. There is a simple process we have that
helps us get at the heart of the laws. Handout - Slide 68

1. Observation - What is the specific command?

2. Interpretation - What is the underlying principle?
3. Application - How does this help Israel (and us) love God and neighbor?

Important Observations - Slide 69

1. Conditional statements - If someone does a, then b will be the punishment/blessing
2. Contrasts - But, if someone does x, then y will be the punishment/blessing
a. These two observations follow from the situational aspect of Israel’s law
3. Who - Often the laws will reference two or three people, follow who is being referred to,
especially when there are only pronouns (He borrowed his tool from him because he said
he could get it back from him)
4. Connectives - So that, that you may, etc.

19.1 - 15 - Preparations
The third new moon tells us that we are three months to the day into Israel’s journey.

In this chapter, you’ll want to make sure you are seeing what God tells Moses each time he
comes up the mountain, and what Moses tells the people each time he comes down the mountain.

Slide 70
The big thrust for this chapter is in 19.5 - 6, where God tells all of his people that if they keep the
covenant, they will be a Kingdom of Priests to God.

What is the role of a priest? To stand before man and God, to offer sacrifices on behalf of guilty
sinners to God, and to pronounce God’s blessing of forgiveness to the person. A priest conducts

23
worship and teaches the law, declaring clean and unclean. In short, the priest conducts and
facilitates a relationship with God.

Since Israel’s life is to be lived out in the display of Yahweh’s wisdom to the nations around
them, God intended to use Israel as his priests to the whole world the way that the Aaronic
priests functioned in Israel’s society. Through Israel, the nations would have their relationship
with Yahweh...if they obeyed.

Lastly, observe that in 19.13, God intends for all of his people to come up the mountain. This
will come into play when we get toward the end of ch. 20.

19.16 - 20.17 - The 10 Words - Slide 71

God eventually descends on Sinai and it is a defining moment in Israel’s history, celebrated in
many Psalms.

When Moses goes down the mountain, God begins to speak (20.1) first of himself (20.2a), then
of his relationship to Israel (20.2b), both of which form the grounds for the 10 Words to follow.

The 10 Commandments are better translated as the 10 words (‫ )דָ ב ִַרים‬and function more as a sort
of constitution, which isn’t just a mere collection of laws, but rather the sort of values that
provide the foundation for all the other laws.

Ex. 20.3 - You shall have no other gods before me. Slide 72
The presence of other gods is already entrenched in this general historical period, at least as early
as Gen. 31 and Laban’s search for his gods. In Exodus, the plagues were meant to be an attack
on Egypt’s gods (Ex. 12.12). Thus, the first commandment allows for the existence of other
gods, but calls for Israel to devote themselves to Yahweh exclusively.

Ex. 20.4 - You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation
of those who hate me 6) but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and
keep my commandments. Slide 72
20.4 - 5 are concerned with images of worship. For example, the tabernacle and temple are
models of heaven, but they are allowed because they are not means of worship.

Later, in 20.23, other gods, made of silver or gold, are not to be put alongside of Yahweh. This
is an obvious foreshadow to the golden calf incident and thus relates directly to this second
commandment. There, the golden calf is not set up as a separate deity, but rather is meant to
represent Yahweh, the God who brought Israel out of Egypt.

24
For God to be represented by a physical and knowable object is to take away some of his
divinity.

God is a jealous God, which is directly tied to his visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children, and steadfast love to generations of obedient families.

Stuart (NAC, 453), “...this oft-repeated theme speaks of God’s determination to punish
successive generations for committing the same sins they learned from their parents. In other
words, God will not say, ‘I won’t punish this generation for what they are doing to break my
covenant because, after all, they merely learned it from their parents who did it too.’”

Slide 73 - Ex. 20.7 - You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord
will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
This has more to do with using God’s name to add validity to your words than a collection of
ways to not speak of God’s name.

The greatness of God’s name can be seen in Exodus 32 - 34 when God promises to pass by
Moses and declare to Moses his name (Ex. 33.19) which is synonymous with his glory (33.18).
God’s name is not given as Elohim or Yahweh, but rather is a description of God’s nature,
gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, forgiving, and just (34.6 - 7).

To take God’s name in vain is to claim God’s name in such a way as to diminish his nature.

There is no specific punishment given to this, but the promise that one will incur guilt when they
take God’s name in vain.

Slide 74 - Ex. 20.8 - 11 - Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9) Six days you shall
labor, and do all your work, 10) but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or
your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11) For
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on
the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Every seventh day is a day of rest for everyone, people and animals because by God resting on
the seventh day he made it holy. Rest creates holiness. The entire pattern of work and rest is an
invitation for Israelites to be like God, working for six days in creation, and stopping his work
and resting in it, filling it to rule over it.

Slide 75 - Exodus 20.12 - Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long
in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

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Israel’s parenthood has its ultimate source in Yahweh taking Israel as his firstborn son. Yahweh
has protected and provided for Israel, and now is instructing them in wisdom. So too ought a
parent do toward their children.

There are no specifics given here in how to honor, which actually makes a child’s honor
comprehensive. That is, in every way a child can consider honoring their mom and dad, though
ought to.

Slide 76 - Ex. 20.13 - You shall not murder.

Here we need to do some work with vocabulary, especially in Khmer.

The OT will list commands that, if broken, Israelites are to put the offender to death.
Additionally, Yahweh himself declares that he kills (2 Sam. 2), and there are stories of God
wiping out nearly 200,000 soldiers (Isa. 36).

The simple idea here is that the sixth commandment prohibits the plotted murder of an
individual, which is different than killing someone as a result of obeying God.

In Hebrew, English, and Khmer, we have all these different words (murder/kill, សំ
លាប់/ឃាតកម្ម).

The idea here is that life belongs to God and to take someone’s life is to act with God’s authority
over that person.

Slide 77 - Ex. 20.14 - You shall not commit adultery.

This was not new territory for the ANE world; many societies considered adultery a great sin.

This command/word has its roots also in Genesis, namely that sex creates a “oneness” between a
husband and wife. Later, in Ex. 22.16 - 17, if a man seduces and sleeps with a virgin/young
woman (or vice versa), he is to marry her. The idea is that since they have become one through
sex, they are to remain as one. The fact that there is a law for this specific situations is evidence
itself that this was not the way marriage should be conducted, especially the role of sex in a
marriage.

Slide 78 - Ex. 20.15 - You shall not steal.

If all things belong to Yahweh, to steal is another form of murder, to take for oneself what
belongs first and foremost to Yahweh. The real shame in stealing, at least in the case of Jacob
and Esau, is that Jacob plotted to steal what God planned to freely give.

To steal is to consider yourself worthy of someone else’s possession than they are, and thus to
remove their right to have a given thing.

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Slide 79 - Ex. 20.16 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
A person would be acquitted or found guilty based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
To bear false witness is to willingly distort the truth for the sake of personal benefit.

One could twist the truth in order to have an enemy declared as guilty, though he is truly
innocent, or twist things in such a way as to get a guilty family member declared as innocent. In
either case, justice has been subverted by means of selfish gain.

Slide 80 - Ex. 20.17 - You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or
anything that is your neighbor’s.
Here the paradigmatic nature of Israel’s law is clearly seen in the final “or anything that is your
neighbor’s.” There is nothing at all which is good to covet.

There does remain, however, a fine line between sinfully coveting something and righteously
wanting to have something. For instance, Isa. 53.2 speaks of the Messiah in that there was
nothing about him that would make us desire him.

“The entire verse is a prohibition against any sort of coveting of what someone else already
rightfully has, with enough examples given as to leave no doubt that nothing properly owned by
someone else can be coveted.” Stuart, NAC, 466

20.18 - 21 - Israel’s Fear

As God concludes his 10 Words, and possibly as he speaks them out, there are the phenomena of
thunder and lightning and trumpet blasts and thick clouds of fire and smoke (20.18, also 19.16,
18), causing the people and the mountain itself to tremble in fear (19.16, 18; 20.18). Rather than
go up the mountain, as they were supposed to (cf. 19.13), the Israelites stand far off (20.21)
while Moses draws near to God on their behalf (20.19 - 20).

Some have taken this paragraph as narrating Israel’s healthy fear of the Lord (Stuart, NAC), but
I’m persuaded that this short narrative is here to record Israel’s failure to obey.

In my understanding, all that Israel initially needed were the 10 Words for them to become the
kingdom of priests that God desired them to be (19.5 - 6). That is, upon hearing the 10 Words,
the Israelites were to ascend the mountain and join into God’s covenant. Their fear, however, is
that which creates the next block of laws, known commonly as the Covenant Code (Ex. 21 - 23)

Introducing the Covenant Code - Slide 81

As you work through these laws, you will want to really pay attention to 1) conditional
statements, 2) the people involved in each aspect of the law, 3) connectives, 4) commands.

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Sailhamer (PAN, 290) writes, “The purpose of the selection [of laws] was to provide a basis for
teaching the nature of divine justice. By studying specific cases of the application of God’s will
in concrete situations, the reader of the Pentateuch could learn the basic principles undergirding
the covenant relationship.”

My Plan
I’d like to go over a few of the more tricky laws with you, and then let you loose to work on
some of these laws on your own.

Slide 82 - 21.7 - 11 - Selling Daughters Into Slavery

While this law starts off about as bad as we could imagine, we do need to remember the times
there. The word “slave” occurs more than 1,000x in the OT, which means that what we typically
think of about slavery is not what the OT peoples thought about it. The same word for slave is
also translated in other places as something like an employee.

There are lots and lots of people around the world today who are bought and sold, and no one
cares...because they are athletes. Athletes are bought and sold and agree to work for a given
number of years.

When we read slavery laws in the OT, someone having a job is much more the context that what
we are typically assuming.

Thus, for a father to sell his daughter as a slave means that he is approving of her employment in
the home of a wealthy landowner. If you pay attention to the conditional statements here, you
will see that the girl is well protected by the law. Thus, the Law is not endorsing families giving
children away, but rather making sure that when it happens, there is wise protection.

Slide 83 - 21.23 - 25 - Eye for an eye

We can get into lots of trouble if we work this too hard. First off, how many physical
altercations, be it fights, car wrecks, or anything else, result in the loss of an eye? Losing a tooth
may be more common in a fight, but not an eye.

Thus, in the ANE time these sayings “were understood idiomatically to mean ‘a penalty that
hurts the person who ruined someone else’s eye as much as he would hurt if his own eye were
actually ruined also.” Punishments could range from being cut off, losing property, financial
penalty, or any combination of such things.

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What we have in vv. 26 - 27, then, is a practical example of the “eye for an eye” law. If a man
beats his slave, and severely damages his eye, the slave goes free on account of his eye. The
same follows for the loss of a tooth. In these cases, the master doesn’t lose his own eye or tooth,
but he does lose the slave who was harmed so severely. Thus, he is punished to the degree with
which he harmed another human being.

Slide 84 - 21.20 - 21 - Beating Slaves

This is another of Israel’s more offensive sounding laws, especially the final part where a master
doesn’t need to pay for his slave if he beats him and the guy recovers in a day or two.

First off, the master doesn’t need to pay the man back because the man’s money is his master’s
money.

Second, if the master beats the guy and he doesn’t die, but he is severely injured, the master
would probably then have to pay the man back on a 1 for 1 basis as laid out in vv. 18 - 19 and vv.
23 - 25).

Thus, there were laws in place that protected slaves and gave necessary punishment to violent
offenders.

Slide 85 - 23.1 - 3 - Impartiality

There’s not much that’s difficult to understand here, but it is good to point out in order to see
God’s impartiality. No one is to bear false witness (23.1) and be partial to the rich or to the poor
(vv. 2 - 3). Thus, here we see God’s commitment to justice, no matter the social standing of an
individual.

Exodus 24 - The Covenant Confirmed - Slide 86

In this Covenant Confirmation ceremony, Israel’s commits themselves to obedience, which is as
beautiful as it is the clear grounds of their eventual condemnation, in part in chs. 32 - 34, and in
whole in Num. 14, where they flatly choose to disobey.

In 24.7 - 8, Moses sprinkles the blood of the sacrificed animals on the people in order to
formalize the covenant. The Torah will make clear that no one may stand before God on their
own merits, since God is holy and they are not. The death of another in the place of the one is
required. Atonement must be made, and Yahweh provides a way.

In vv. 12 - 13, the commandment written by God is almost certainly the 10 Commandments (Ex.
32.15 - 16; 34.1; Dt. 4.13; 5.22; 10.2 - 4).

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The big thing to see here is that the blood sacrifice is that which confirms the covenant. This,
then, forms the basis for the weight of Jesus’ last supper with the boys, enacting the blood of the
New Covenant.

Exodus 25 - 27 - The Tabernacle & Furnishings - Slide 87

As I’ve thought about it this week, there are possibly more chapters dedicated to the tabernacle
and its furnishings than there are given to the plagues, and certainly more than the Passover and
Red Sea crossing.

The tedium of the chapters, however, makes people want to write them off.

In Ex. 25.2 - 7, we see that the Israelites are to give various materials as they feel led for the
tabernacle’s construction.

There is a clear pattern that Moses is given (25.9, 40; 26.30), and God has filled specific men to
oversee the construction project, Bezalel and Oholiab (31.2, 6a), as well as other men to execute
the project (31.6b).

Purpose of the Tabernacle

The overarching purpose of the sanctuary is that it will be God’s dwelling place (25.8), which is
why there are so many exact details given (25.9). Prior to this, God was there and knew what
was going on, but aside from the pillar of fire and cloud, Israel didn’t know if God was there.
The tabernacle is visual testimony to the presence of God among them. Secondarily, with the
tabernacle and specifically with the altar (27.1 - 8), sacrifices can be made that will enable Israel
to dwell with Yahweh.

Inside of the tabernacle complex is the general court where people mill around and talk about the
weather. The tabernacle itself is divided into two parts, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place,
which is to the west (26.22, 27), which means you enter into the tabernacle complex from the
east. When you couple this with the fact that the priest has to pass through the veil with
cherubim on it in order to approach God, we have the ideal, the entrance back into Eden.

While this is the ideal, it is still something that is only for the high priest, and not all of Israel,
and even the high priest may die if he does not follow the plan (Ex. 28.35, 43; 30.20, 21; cf. Lv.
10).

Lastly, if you pay attention well, you’ll notice that everything that is to be made requires God
given talent and skill (26.1, 31; 28.3[2x], 6, 8, 15, 27, 28; 29.5; 35.10, 25, 26, 31, 33, 35; 36.1, 2,
8; 39.5, 8, 20, 21), and that the priests’ clothes are made for beauty as much as they are for glory
(28.2, 40). In addition to this, the oil used for the incense and anointing the temple furnishings is
made with 500 shekels (100x the amount given for each person’s temple tax) and is only to be

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used in the tabernacle. If anyone tries to replicate that oil, he will be cut off and no longer
considered an Israelite.

No expenses were spared, no corners were cut, and nothing less than the best was fit for God’s
presence. Why on earth would we settle for anything less in our lives, whether it’s our
appearance, our work, our charts or our teachings, why would we settle for second or “good
enough” when it is a gift to God himself?

Inside the tabernacle, there were four main items, the ark, the mercy seat (a part of the ark), the
bread table and the lampstand.

The Ark of the Covenant & The Mercy Seat - 25.10 - 22 - Slide 88
The Ark of the Covenant was a relatively small box (47” long, 27” wide, 27” high) made of
wood (25.10), covered inside and out with gold (25.11) and contained the testimony (25.16),
which is a reference to the tablets with the 10 commandments (cf. 31.18). Later, manna and
Aaron’s rod would be placed in the ark.

Notice that in v. 12, there are feet that are to be attached to the ark, but no description. Some has
suggested that the lack of description here allows for the builders to work their creative juices in
making the feet as best fitting for the rest of the ark.

There are two implications here. First, there are not as many details as there could be. Second,
God values creativity.

Atop the ark was the Mercy Seat (25.21), made of pure gold (25.17) and two cherubim with
outstretched wings facing each other (vv. 18 - 20). Above the Ark with the accompanying
Mercy Seat, God will dwell with and speak to his people (25.22).

Thus, the Ark/Mercy Seat was a symbol of God’s presence with his people. Israelites later
confused the symbol with the reality, thinking that the box was God’s presence. In Samuel, the
Israelites, full of sin and unrepentance, drag the God box to battle expecting to be granted
victory, yet are destroyed by the Philistines who end up taking the Ark and putting it in the
temple to their god, Dagon.

The Israelites were wrong in thinking that God’s presence would bless them in their sin. They
were right, however, in linking God’s presence to the ark, for, when the ark is in Dagon’s temple,
God destroys him, accomplishing on Israel’s behalf what they were unable to on account of their
sin.

The Bread Table - 25.23 - 30 - Slide 89

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The table was also made of wood and covered with gold (vv. 23 - 24), made to hold all the dishes
connected to the incense (v. 29) and the bread of the Presence (v. 30), 12 loaves of bread (Lv.
24.5 - 9), probably one for each tribe.

Doug Stuart (NAC, 574n347) has helpfully pointed out that this bread was given as a gift that
recognizes Yahweh as king, and kings usually eat bread and drink wine inside their homes.
There was nothing magical about the bread itself, but it was in God’s presence since it is closer
to the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence dwells neat.

The commentary to the Jewish Study Bible ([New York: Oxford, 2004]) cogently expresses the
difference: “This partition between God and the table makes it clear that the bread of display is
not actually consumed by God but is only a token gift—this is also underlined by the fact that it
was eaten by priests. That its purpose was display, not consumption, is also indicated by the fact
that it is replaced weekly, not daily as elsewhere in the ancient Near East.”
Stuart, D. K. (2006).

The Golden Lampstand - 25.31 - 40 - Slide 90

The lampstand also was to be made out of 75lbs of pure gold (25.31, 36, 38), with six branches
come out of it, three on each side (25.32), each branch have specific decorations (v. 33).

No dimensions are given here, but if this is a 75lb lampstand, it’s a rather burly lampstand.
Additionally, each branch has a cup/lamp on the top of it, which probably, when lit, made the
Holy Place one of the best lit places in the camp.

Thus, with the bread, the incense, the wine (25.29), and this beautiful lamp, we have the living
room in God’s house.

The oil used for this lamp is set in 27.20 - 21, and the jist is that the lamps were to always be
burning, which is why the people needed to always offer oil. You’ll notice in 27.21 that this is to
be set up in the tent of meeting, which was probably a small tent used while the real one was
being built (Stuart, NAC, 600).

The Tabernacle - Slide 91

All of ch. 26 is taken up with the descriptions of the various elements of the tabernacle its
curtains (26.1 - 6), tent covering (vv. 7 - 14), frames (vv. 15 - 30), and the veil that separates the
Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (vv. 31 - 37).

The Court of the Tabernacle is described in 27.9 - 19, but we won’t concern ourselves much with
that here.

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In our introduction, we talked about the key theological underpinnings of the tabernacle
complex. In a short reminder, there are three sections of the tabernacle, each with increasing
levels of holiness, proceeding from east to west.

The courtyard is for all people, and is entered from the east. This is where the bronze altar is
(the description is straightforward in 27.1 - 8), and thus where sacrifices are made. Additionally,
the priestly wash basin is in the courtyard, since it prepares them to go inside the Holy Place and
do their work.

The Holy Place, wherein the Golden Lampstand, the Incense Altar, and the Table For Bread are
located. This is where the priest’s do the bulk of their work, and where they will eat their foot.
Because of its proximity to the Most Holy Place, certain cleansing rituals are required before
entrance. This place is reserved exclusively for priests.

The Most Holy Place, where only the High Priest is allowed entrance, and that once per year. In
the Most Holy Place is the Ark and the Mercy Seat/Atonement Cover. This was the Most Holy
Place because here is where God’s unmediated presence was.

Theology of the Tabernacle

While I said somewhere above that the Holy place is God’s living room and the Most Holy Place
is his bedroom, Blackburn (Exodus, NSBT) points out various places in Kings and the Psalms
where the ark/tabernacle is God’s footstool. If God rests in the tabernacle, between the
cherubim, and the ark is his stool, this is all kingly language. This is Yahweh’s courtroom, from
where he issues out his commands (ex. 25.22).

We will not explore in detail the contents of chs. 35 - 39, since they are a repetition of chs. 25 -
31, but we will cover a few of the theological highlights.

Creation of The World/Tabernacle

1. God saw everything he made and it was very good (Gen. 1.31). Moses sees all the work
of the tabernacle construction, they had done it (Ex. 39.43).
2. Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished (Gen. 2.1). Thus, all the work of the
tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished (Ex. 39.32)
3. On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done (Gen. 2.2). So Moses
finished the work (Ex. 40.33)
4. God blessed the seventh day (Gen. 2.3) Moses blessed them (Ex. 39.43)
5. Before creation, the earth was tohu vabohu (Gen. 1.2), a desert place (Dt. 32.10), but his
Spirit organized the chaos. Here, in the desert place, God fills people with his spirit, and
they create the tabernacle, much like the land of Gen. 1.
6. Gold and onyx stones fill the land (Gen. 2.12) and are used for several parts of the
priestly garments (28.9, 20; 35.9, 27; 39.6, 13)

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 7. Cherubim guard the way back into Eden (Gen. 3.24). Cherubim protect people from
approaching Yahweh’s presence.

Theologically, what we have happening here is God re-establishing Eden through the work of his
people. So long as God’s people live by God’s ways, they will enjoy this real, but limited,
access to him.

Exodus 28 - 31 - The Priests - Slide 92

We’re not going to spend much time on the priests. I want to hit one simple point, give us some
application, and move on to the golden calf.

In Ex. 28.12, 29, 30, 38, 43, we see that the priests will bear the names of the tribes of Israel on
the various pieces of their clothes. This has one primary role.

When the priest stands before God, he is standing as Israel’s representative. By wearing these
pieces, the priest is bringing Israel to God.

Remember, the Israelites are called to be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19.5 - 6), which means that
what the priests to on Israel’s behalf, the Israelites are to do on behalf of the nations. That is,
they are to bring the nations to God by means of prayer, worship, and sacrifice.

As we extend this beyond Exodus, we will later see a suffering servant, who comes to bring
everlasting light (Lampstand) to the nations, but he does it by the shame filled sacrifice of his
own flesh, not the flesh of an animal

In 2 Corinthians, the message and ministry of Jesus is given to his followers, to you and I.
Therefore, our regular habits of worship, prayer, and intercession are not to terminate merely on
ourselves, but will be the means by which we usher the nations into God’s presence.

The Golden Calf - Slide 93

32.1 - 6 - Idolatry On The Ground

The Israelites have some very revealing things to say.

First, they want gods who will go up before them. They want some sort of divine being on their
side, even if it’s one of their own making.

Second, they attribute Moses to being the one who brought them out of Egypt (v. 1). This is
consistent with other passages in the Torah (Ex. 3:12; 33:1; Deut 9:12) and thus they are not
implying that Yahweh was uninvolved in their delivery from Egypt. What is probably

34
happening here is that 1) they’re ready to get going, and 2) they probably assume that Moses has
died on the fiery mountain after being there for more than a month.

Third, creating an image of God to guide their worship created joy and celebration among the
Israelites.

32.7 - 29
First, though Israel is God’s firstborn son (4.22), they are also Moses’ people to lead (v. 7), and
Yahweh gives Israel the task of addressing their sin. Don’t let the practical leadership lessons be
lost here. As a leader, it is your God given responsibility to call out sin in the lives of those you
lead.

Second, it is Moses’ intercession that turns God’s anger away (vv. 11 - 14), but only a little bit.
When Moses assigns the sons of Levi the job of going through the camp in vv. 27, 29, they are
going through systematically, probably talking to each person involved and questioning their
repentance. Those who were active in the calf worship and not repentant were the 3,000 who
died that day.

In whether or not God changes his mind, yes God does, and no God does not. Even if God were
to have killed everyone that day (v. 10a), God planned to make a great nation of Moses (v. 10b),
he planned to recreate Abraham’s line through Moses. God’s covenant plans never change, but
his present will may be swayed by the prayers of his people.

Third, observe that the tablets are broken (32.19), which represents what the Israelites have done
in worshiping the golden calf; they have nullified the covenant to which they previously agreed.

32.30 - 35
First, once Moses gets his hands on the calf, he burns it, grinds it into powder and scattered it on
the water and made the people drink it. Drinking the powder from the calf was a way to bring a
final destructive punch to Israel for their sin. If they drank it, the powder had to come back “out”
one way or another, and once it did that there was no way it could ever become an idol again.
(Stuart, 677).

Second, note that in the Lord sending a plague on Israel, the Israelites have become as the
Egyptians were earlier in the book (v. 35).

Third, don’t lose the theological significance of vv. 31 - 33. Moses’ intercession. Moses’ heart
to see his people restored. Moses’ unwillingness to lead a stubborn and sinful people.

Mo Won’t Go - 33.12 - 16

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First, observe that in v. 13 Moses pleads for God to show Moses his ways 1) so that Moses may
know God, 2) so that Moses may find favor.

To have God’s favor is to know God’s ways and live accordingly. Moses is here begging to
know God, to know how to please him, and indeed, he is granted favor (v. 17).

Second, observe Moses’ urgency. He begs for God’s presence, and God says that he will indeed
go with Moses (v. 14), and Moses doubles down, “If you won’t go with me, don’t bring us up”
(v. 15)! God has already promised his presence, but Moses wants to make sure because he
knows that Yahweh’s presence is the only thing that makes them distinct from the other peoples
around them.

God’s Name & Nature - 34.5 - 8 - Slide 94

Observe that God says that he will declare his name and glory to Moses (33.21 - 23), and when
God actually passes by, his name is his nature (34.6 - 8). God’s nature is his name, and his name
is his nature. God is known by what he does and how he treats people.

This is precisely why we need to work so hard in knowing our Bibles, for in it the acts of God
are revealed, and they are enough to make us wise for salvation, for training, rebuke,
righteousness, to equip us for every good work.

You cannot love what you do not know.

God Fills The Tabernacle - Ch. 40 - Slide 95

Slide 96 - Handout
First, let’s deal with matters of chronology. In 40.1, it’s the first day of the first month. Then, in
40.17, the tabernacle is put up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

Finally, when we read Numbers 10.11, it is the twentieth day of the second month in the second
year when the people begin to leave Sinai.

Thus, after nearly a year of being at Sinai, the tabernacle stands for a month, and then it’s time to
go.

So, then, chronologically, Ex. 40 happens closer to the time of Numbers 10. This shows us that
all of what Moses is receiving on Sinai is also the content that will fill the book of Leviticus.

Second, in 40.1 - 15, you simply want to follow all the commands and connectives.

Slide 97

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Third, in vv. 16 - 33, you want to observe the general statement in v. 16 that Moses did all that
God commanded him, which is then followed by seven specific examples of Moses’ obedience,
each one concluding with the explicit reference to Moses’ obedience (vv. 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29,
32).

Slide 98
Fourth, you want to catch the narrative dissonance in v. 35 with the statement that Moses is
unable to enter the temple because of God’s glory. Consider all that we’re read and all that has
been said of Moses. Moses has seen God’s glory (Ex. 34), speaks with God face to face (33.11),
prays and changes God’s mind (32.11 - 14), just had seven acts of obedience listed and a
conclusion that makes Moses sound like God (40.33) and is a prophet without equal throughout
all of Israel’s history (Dt. 34.12). How is it possible that this guy cannot go into the tabernacle?

The simple fact is that in the completion of the tabernacle, the house now belongs to God and no
one may enter while his glory fills it. There will later be provisions for Moses and the priests to
enter and work, but in this moment when God’s glory fills the tabernacle, the house is uniquely
and definitively his, no matter the holiness of any human.

Theology of Exodus – Slide 100

What shall we say about the theology of the book of Exodus?

Father & Son

In its own context, Exodus develops Israel’s knowledge of Yahweh by means of the unveiling of
his covenant name, and by means of relationship; Yahweh is Israel’s father and they are his sons.

Yahweh’s power is unmasked before Israel as God decreates creation with the plagues in Egypt,
leaving all of Egypt’s gods in his wake as he passes through and over Egypt.

Israel’s redemption is by God protecting his people from his own wrath. When God sees the
symbol of the lamb’s blood on a house, he protects its people from his destroyer. God protects
his people from God.

God’s faithfulness to the Abrahamic covenant is described in various ways. First in the
multiplication and increase of Israel in Egypt (Gen. 15), and in his punishment of the oppressive
land and deliverance of Israel from there. Second, the tabernacle is a mini Eden created in the
desert so that while Israel journeys, they do so in the good land in the midst of the wilderness.

In giving the various feasts and festivals to Israel, God is creating a national calendar for his
people, and it all centers around his gracious acts of creation, rest, and salvation. Israel is to stop
working and remember God’s salvation.

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Exodus in the NT
What shall we say about the way Exodus is used by the NT writers?

Jesus is the Great High Priest. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain so that God’s wrath could be
satisfied, and his people left unharmed.

In Jesus’ incarnation, he comes as the tabernacle, the presence of God among his people.

The temple is no longer standing, yet in each person who has been redeemed by the blood of the
lamb, God’s presence fills him as it previously did the tabernacle.

Exodus recounts the provision of God in the wilderness as the people approach the Promised
Land. Now, in the days after the NT, we wander around as exiles, being provided for by God, as
we wait to enter into the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem has no temple because the whole
thing is one great Most Holy Place wherein we bow to the lamb, where we worship God in his
fullness with nothing between us.

How amazing is the book of Exodus!

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