The book of Exodus provides for us the epic narrative of Yahweh's rescue of his people who were oppressed. While Moses is the protagonist and a central figure of the story, the Exodus story is the powerful reflection of a God who cares about, who listens to, who rescues and who leads his people. Our journey through Exodus will help us to see that God not only directs his people toward the right way, but reveals to his people that He is the way. Specifically, He is the way out! The book of Exodus employs rich storytelling and vivid imagery to describe the plight of the Israelites and the power and majesty of Yahweh's abiding presence. As we reread this grand story, let's pray that we will be reminded that the only remedy to our ill-fated captivity to sin, systems or circumstances is Yahweh (The LORD). He is "the way out"!
Important to the Exodus story is the introduction and rise of Moses. God used a flawed individual to lead the liberation of his people. It is also important to highlight God's use of regular individuals in his purposes. Their actions demonstrate more power than the unnamed Pharaoh.
While we are mesmerized by the burning bush story, the presence of the Lord is communicated on a much larger scale than the bush. The call of Moses introduces us to the covenant name of the Lord. We will explore his name and the overwhelming blessing of his divine presence with his people.
The greatness of Moses cannot be understated. His birth and miraculous saving from infanticide foreshadows the larger work of salvation in the story of Exodus. What do we learn from the call of Moses in Exodus?
Moses follows the call of God. They tell Pharaoh that the Lord said to "Let my people go!" This request upsets the king and he increases the workload and struggle. In the face of increased hardship, how did God reassure Moses regarding his mission? How are we reassured in life when things become overbearing?
See more of Shaina's story on Dr. Phil.
The plagues described in Exodus heighten our sensitivity to the mystery of God and his plans. The phenomena that are displayed range from bizarre to preposterous. Yet the first nine plagues all help highlight that YHWH is the true God of land, air and sea. To that end, the plagues were commissioned to convince both Egyptians and Israelites that YHWH is GOD!
The Passover reveals so much of the narrative of the Israelites. Its immediate context is drawn from the events of the tenth and final plague in Egypt. The instructions on how to participate in the Passover reveal the story of God and his people.
The filmmakers who have tried to recreate Israel's escape through the Red Sea attempts to visually capture one of the most fantastical events to ever take place. But visual recollection cannot capture the overwhelming significance of this salvation event. This event would be the subject of songs of faith and praise for generations. As we walk through the text, let's join Israel as they are delivered from Egypt.
After the miraculous deliverance of Israel, Moses and his Sister lead the congregation in songs of praise. Our story is one rich and replete with songs that reflect God's movement in our lives. This motif represents a consistent movement in the life of God's people. The appropriate response to God's activity is worship. What song will you sing in response to your personal liberation?
Video courtesy of YouTube.
The human condition is revealed so prominently immediately following the liberation of Israel. It started with grumbling abut food and water. It progressed into expressing a desire to go back to slavery. What is the alternative of living a life of faithless and hopeless identity?
The Ten commandments stand as the ultimate and iconic display of rules for God's people. But instead of categorizing these ten rues as a list of "to-do's" or "not-to-do's" we will look at this revelation as God's desire to consecrate his people and set them on a different course than the ethos of Egyptian living. In terms of contemporary understanding, the goal is not to fight for the display of these commandments in the public square, but to embrace an understanding of Holy living in the name of the Lord.
God continues to reveal his law to Moses and Israel. The focus of the laws that followed the Ten Commandments (The Decalogue) is justice. After a harsh treatment of the Israelites by the hand of Egypt, YHWH intends for his people to cleanse themselves of injustice and perform acts of justice, love and mercy.
The tabernacle with its grandiose architecture provided a physical reminder that God dwelled in the midst of his people. Again, we are presented with YHWH's intent to communicate his perpetual divine presence with his people. Do you feel his presence? How does the church communicate the message of God's continual Divine Presence?
The episode of the Israelites worshiping a golden calf continues to expose the flaws in the human condition. After witnessing the mighty acts of YHWH, in a moment of fear Israel turns to an idol. Here we also witness the "jealousy of God". What are our modern day idols? How have we angered the Lord with our worship of idols?
We conclude our walk through Exodus. We will briefly revisit themes like liberation, divine presence, justice, faith and covenant. As we end, we seek to invoke a spirit at church that desires to encounter the living God in every aspect of our daily living.