Exodus: ‘Names’ & ‘Departure’

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Happy New Year! As we continue our journey through the Bible, we come to the second book, Exodus. Interesting as we depart from one year and enter another – so see this in the Book of Exodus.

Exodus: ex·o·dus /ˈeksədəs/  noun --- Meaning a mass departure

The author of this book is Moses (Exodus 17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27). With the author known, we can conclude that this text was probably written between 1440 and 1400 B.C. The name of the book brings with it two definitions. The name of Exodus is a Greek word that means “going out” and points to the content of Israel leaving Egypt. However, this book was not originally written in Greek. So Exodus is not its original name. To Hebrew readers, this is the book of Sh’mot, which means “names”, as found in the first verse: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household…” - Exodus 1:1. To the ancient Hebrew mind, a name was not just a unique or identifying title of a person, but spoke of someone’s character or destiny. Moses means drawn out — His life was used to draw Israel out of Egypt. Elijah means The Lord is my God, and His life was marked by bold and uncompromising stands for the Lord. The most important of them all – Jesus means salvation. Names have valuable meaning. The first thing God wants us to understand in this book is that He knew the names, or the character and destiny, of His people in Egypt. Not just one person, but “each one with his household.” In the beginning of the book, we read the names of those who came down to Egypt. Each of the sons of Jacob is named. Those are the same names that later become names of the Israeli tribes. The entire “Book of Names” describes the struggles and many turns in the life of Israel. But from the beginning, God knew and He was watching over them.

It may be helpful, as well, before giving an overview that we must look at the text alone, as best we can without influences from Hollywood “remakes” of this historical story. So, leave the cartoons and Charlton Heston aside for now.

Exodus begins where Genesis leaves off as God deals with His chosen people, the Jews. It traces the events from the time Israel entered Egypt as guests of Joseph, who was powerful in Egypt, until they were eventually delivered from the cruel bondage of slavery into which they had been brought by "...a new king...who did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8). Chapters 1-14 describe the conditions of oppression of the Jews under Pharaoh, the rise of Moses as their deliverer, the plagues God brought upon Egypt for the refusal of their leader to submit to Him, and the departure from Egypt. God’s sovereign and powerful hand is seen in the miracles of the plagues—ending with the plague of death of the firstborn and the institution of the first Passover—the deliverance of the Israelites, the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction of the Egyptian army. The middle portion of Exodus is dedicated to the wandering in the wilderness and the miraculous provision by God for His people. But even though He gave them bread from heaven, sweet water from bitter, water from a rock, victory over those who would destroy them, His Law written on tablets of stone by His own hand, and His presence in the form of pillars of fire and cloud, the people continually grumbled and rebelled against Him. The last third of the book describes the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and the plan for the Tabernacle with its various sacrifices, altars, furniture, ceremonies, and forms of worship, showing that God is concerned with how we worship Him.

SO WHAT? The overriding theme of Exodus is: Redemption. When times are hard, we often feel forgotten by God, but this is not the case. Regardless of where we are or the time that time that has passed, any great deliverance happens because God knows our names. He calls us by name and comes for us, just as He did for Israelites in Sh’mot (Exodus). Like the Israelites who left Egypt, all believers in Christ are redeemed and consecrated to God. Under the Mosaic Covenant, people annually sacrificed unblemished animals according to specific regulations in order to have their sins covered, or atoned for, by that animal. The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us, “Like the Israelites who left Egypt, all believers in Christ are redeemed and consecrated to God. Under the Mosaic Covenant, people annually sacrificed unblemished animals according to specific regulations in order to have their sins covered, or borne, by that animal. The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us, “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3–4). Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the Law. As the perfect Lamb of God, He took away our sin permanently when He sacrificed Himself on our behalf. “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Jesus has fulfilled the Law and thus made a way for us to be redeemed and reconciled back to God (Matt. 5:17; Romans 5:8-11; Colossians 1:13-14). The God of heaven knows your name, go to Him in faith, and be reconciled to Him through Jesus.

Next month, we will look at the Book of Leviticus – the Law for the people of God. Blessings and grace in this New Year!