Page 40 - Pentateuch - Student Textbook

Study Section 6: The Pentateuch Part III
Bringing Israel our of Egypt: Exodus 1:1-15:21

6.1 Connect.

It is one thing for God to work with one person: Abraham, Jacob, or Joseph. It is another
matter entirely to work with an entire nation. How can God rescue an entire people from
bondage? How can God purify these same people from years of living in a completely pagan
culture? They know only Egypt. Who really is this God that they have heard about only in
stories from parents and grandparents?

Exodus backs up in time to remind us of events in Genesis. In total seventy people moved to Egypt in the
days of Joseph. The number included the eleven brothers and their families. They are called “the sons of
Israel” (Exod. 1:1) and “the descendants of Jacob” (1:5) as if to remind us of the dual nature of the
nation. Like their father ancestor Jacob/Israel, they are both deceivers and those who wrestle with God.
God’s desire for the nation is the same as it was for Jacob, to refine them and bring them to himself.

God’s goal in the beginning chapters of Exodus is two-fold. He wants to bring Israel out of bondage. He
had promised Abraham the land of Canaan to succeeding generations. The greater goal is to teach both
Israel, and Egypt, about Himself. When Moses first asks Pharaoh to let Israel go into the desert to
worship their God, Pharaoh responds, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do
not know the LORD (5:2).” As the plagues progress, this becomes the key issue. This is the lesson for
Israel. “Then you will know that I am the LORD your God (6:7).” This is the lesson for Egypt. “And the
Egyptians will know that I am the LORD (7:5)” The lessons come in rapid succession (8:10, 22; 9:13-14,
29-30; 10:2; 11:7; 14:4, 18).

6.2 Objectives

1. You will be introduced to the conflict between the true God, Yahweh, and Pharaoh of Egypt.

2. You will see how God uses Moses and Aaron to demonstrate the nature of a prophet.

3. You will be further taught about the concept of “holy.”

4. You will make connections between the plagues and the gods of Egypt.

5. You will evaluate the balance between human responsibility and God’s sovereignty in heart issues.

6. You will get a sense of the size of God’s miracle.

6.3 Yahweh is a completely different God.

Within the time space of about four hundred years (Gen. 15:13), these original families are
fruitful and multiply until they become a threat felt by the king of Egypt. The years are passed
over silently, in contrast to the detail we read in Genesis about three or four generations. The
focus is on their growth, a record that reflects the promises God made to Adam (Gen. 1:28),

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