Exodus

The book of Exodus presents a powerful portrait of God's deliverance of His chosen people, the Israelites. In bondage by the Egyptians, God's people cry out for a savior and deliverer and God calls Moses to respond to the task. From the Israelites' miraculous protection from the devastating plagues to their miraculous flight from Egypt, we see God's hand at work. He parts the Red Sea for the community to cross and provides food for them despite their ongoing grumblings. He gives His Law, the Ten Commandments, to Moses. We witness His abiding presence and glory with the Hebrew nation as He tabernacles with them.

His chosen nation, the Israelites, were hand-picked by God through Abram's people. We witness a foreshadowing of God's future plan of redemption for mankind. He sends Moses as a savior and deliverer of His people in the book of Exodus just as He sends Jesus Christ as the Savior and Deliverer of humanity in the New Testament. And just as many today reject God's Word and disobey, so we witness the Israelites gravitating between obedience (blessings) and disobedience (curses) throughout this narrative.

Moses rises to the occasion as God's chosen instrument to lead the exodus of His people from slavery. Moses emerges as a faithful leader, interceeder, and servant. His mother and sister Miriam contribute to Moses' surviving Pharaoh's orders to kill all Hebrew babies. Moses' brother Aaron becomes Moses' spokesman and prophet. Moses and Aaron were obedient to God's call and purpose for their lives. We must also recognize Pharaoh as the antagonistic character of this account. He is against God's people and God hardens Pharaoh's heart in disobedience to God and to Moses' multiple requests.

Throughout the Book of Exodus, we see the repeated theme of God's deliverance of His children, His provision for them, the giving of the law, and the worship of the Most High God as He dwells in their presence. God provided for the Israelites despite their constant complaining, much like He provides for His unappreciative children today. We witness the glory of God and His presence in their midst when the Israelites are obedient and conversely, we witness His wrath and anger at their disobedience and practices of idolatry.

Of personal meaning to me, are the following Scriptures from Exodus:

--Exodus 3: 10: "So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

--Exodus 14:14: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

--Exodus 15:2: "The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him."

--Exodus 25:18: "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them."

--Exodus 33:14: "The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest."

I treasure these verses as they remind me of the personal God we serve. He continues to personally call men and women to do His work here on earth. He is simply looking for willing servants who will answer His call as Moses did. He will fight my battles if I will remove my flesh from situations. I can find rest as He fights the battles of life for me. God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. There is nothing that the Hebrew children asked of Him and He accomplished for them that I can't ask of Him today.