The Israelites are soon in conflict with various other kingdoms, and king Balak of Moab attempts to have the seer Balaam curse the Israelites, but Balaam blesses the Israelites instead. Early Christians saw the Exodus as a typological prefiguration of resurrection and salvation by Jesus. Moses receives the law as well as the instructions for building the tabernacle. Two reasons in my opinion: 1. Archaeology, unfortunately, cannot directly contribute (yet?) I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. [24], The second half of Exodus marks the point at which, and describes the process through which, God's theophany becomes a permanent presence for Israel via the Tabernacle. God assists the Israelite exodus by parting the sea and allowing the Israelites to pass through, before drowning Pharaoh's forces. The Bible is Art is the website to accompany the YouTube channel that explores the literary art of the Bible. [11], The story of the Exodus is told in the first half of Exodus, with the remainder recounting the 1st year in the wilderness, and followed by a narrative of 39 more years in the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the last four of the first five books of the Bible (also called the Torah or Pentateuch). [91] Egyptologist Jan Assmann proposed that the story comes from oral sources that "must [] predate the first possible acquaintance of an Egyptian writer with the Hebrew Bible. They accept. Exodus: Fact or fiction? It is recounted daily in Jewish prayers and celebrated in festivals such as Passover. [12] Kenton Sparks refers to it as "mythologized history". They were written for a particular church or individual and often addressed several topics. [100] In the Hagaddah of the Seder it is written that every generation is obliged to remind and identify itself in terms of the Exodus. [26] A covenant is a legal document binding two parties to take on certain obligations towards each other. law, instruction), and in return he will give them the land of Canaan. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. , God also said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, The LORD, the God of your fathersthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacobhas sent me to you., This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. The goal of the divine plan in Exodus is a return to humanity's state in Eden, so that God can dwell with the Israelites as he had with Adam and Eve through the Ark and Tabernacle, which together form a model of the universe; in later Abrahamic religions Israel becomes the guardian of God's plan for humanity, to bring "God's creation blessing to mankind" begun in Adam. One Hebrew child, however, is rescued by being placed in a basket on the Nile. Most scholars agree that the Exodus stories were written centuries after the apparent setting of the stories. As the perfect Lamb of God, He took away our sin permanently when He sacrificed Himself on our behalf. It is mentioned in this book that God rescues and then delivered his people while guiding them into the unfamiliar desert. God then plagues his people with all manner of elements including raining down fire and delivers his people through the sea. However, in Moses's absence the Israelites sin against Yahweh by creating the idol of a golden calf, and as retaliation Yahweh has the Levites kill three thousand people (Exodus 32:28), and Yahweh sends a plague on the Israelites. [8][9], It tells a story of Israelite enslavement and eventual departure from Egypt, revelations at biblical Mount Sinai, and wanderings in the wilderness up to the borders of Canaan. Yahweh also speaks to Moses's brother Aaron; they both assemble the Israelites and perform signs so that they believe in Yahweh's promise. One strong possibility is that it is a diptych (i.e., divided into two parts), with the division between parts 1 and 2 at the crossing of the Red Sea or at the beginning of the theophany (appearance of God) in chapter 19. [103], Shavuot celebrates the granting of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai; Jews are called to rededicate themselves to the covenant on this day. The Israelites arrive at the mountain of God, where Moses's father-in-law Jethro visits Moses; at his suggestion, Moses appoints judges over Israel. (2015). For example, the text reads: Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said, (Exodus 24:4 NIV). [92] There is general agreement that the stories originally had nothing to do with the Jews. [13] Some scholars such as Benjamin J. Noonan have pointed out that the presence of Egyptian cognates in the Exodus and wilderness traditions entered Hebrew during the Late Bronze Age, precisely when we would expect them to have been borrowed if the events of these narratives really occurred, challenging the assumption of a post-exilic tradition. The main ones include Moses, who was the main character of the book of exodus. He is found and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, who names him Moses. Exodus picks up where Genesis, the first book of Pentateuch, leaves off, and traces how God builds a nationIsrael, his chosen peopleout of the descendants of Genesis's patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These sources are now known as the Yahwist and the Priestly Source. [108] John also refers to Jesus as manna (John 6:31-5), water flowing from a rock in the desert (John 7:37-9), and as a pillar of fire (John 8:12). Read | 6 Witty Prayer Activities for Children. Yahweh commands Moses to take a census of the Israelites and establishes the duties of the Levites. [93], Commemoration of the Exodus is central to Judaism, and Jewish culture. All these are gathered together into one harmonious architecture, adorning the interior of Gods home. Exodus begins in the Egyptian region called Goshen. Some Israelites begin having sexual relations with Moabite women and worshipping Moabite gods, so Yahweh orders Moses to impale the idolators and sends a plague, but the full extent of Yahweh's wrath is averted when Phinehas impales an Israelite and a Midianite woman having intercourse (Numbers 25:7-9). Moses and Aaron return to the pharaoh and this time ask him to free the Israelites. [72] Joel S. Baden noted that "[t]he seams [between the Exodus and Wilderness traditions] still show: in the narrative of Israel's rescue from Egypt there is little hint that they will be brought anywhere other than Canaan yet they find themselves heading first, unexpectedly, and in no obvious geographical order, to an obscure mountain. Yahweh tells Moses to ascend Mount Nebo, from where he sees the promised land and where he dies. Some of the traditions contributing to this narrative are older, since allusions to the story are made by 8th-century BCE prophets such as Amos and Hosea. However, once the Israelites have left, Yahweh "hardens" Pharaoh's heart. Thus, a span of around 40 years is considered to be the exact period in which this great book was written. So the literary structure looks like this. There is evidence cited which states that "Moses usual procedure was to record events soon after they occurred in the form of historical annals." (The Open Bible:80) The key people in the lesson is Moses and Aaron. [28] Biblical covenants, in contrast to Eastern covenants in general, are between a god, Yahweh, and a people, Israel, instead of between a strong ruler and a weaker vassal. They begin by building for Pharaoh, remember the storage cities of Pithom and Ramses, and conclude by building Gods house. Updated: May 22nd, 2020. The Mosaic Covenant, unveiled initially through the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), provides the foundation for the beliefs and practices of Judaism, from common eating practices to complex worship regulations. The book covers a period of approximately eighty years, from shortly before Mosess birth (c. 1526 BC) to the events that occurred at Mount Sinai in 1446 BC. The people then traveled out of Egypt and, it is traditionally believed, moved toward the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Sign up to receive e-mail from Insight for Living Ministries. Moses, in Midian, goes to Mount Horeb, where Yahweh appears in a burning bush and commands him to go to Egypt to free the Hebrew slaves and bring them to the promised land in Canaan. Sinai, one location to another miles away. [110] In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reverses the direction of the Exodus by escaping from the Massacre of the Innocents committed by Herod the Great before himself returning from Egypt (Matt 2:13-15). (Chapter 4). Yahweh tells Moses to summon Joshua, whom Yahweh commissions to lead the conquest of Canaan. The identification of Osarseph with Moses in Manetho's account may be an interpolation or may come from Manetho. While I agree that it is most likely that there was such a group, I must stress that this is based on an overall understanding of the development of collective memory and of the authorship of the texts (and their editorial process). We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (10:10 NIV). Israel complains about the food and God provides them with manna, bread from heaven. [20] The covenant is described in stages: at Exodus 24:38 the Israelites agree to abide by the "book of the covenant" that Moses has just read to them; shortly afterwards God writes the "words of the covenant" the Ten Commandments on stone tablets; and finally, as the people gather in Moab to cross into Canaan, the land God has promised them, Moses makes a new covenant between Yahweh and the Israelites "beside the covenant he made with them at Horeb" (Deuteronomy 29:1). Many characters are mentioned in the Second book of the Bible. On the journey back to Egypt, God seeks to kill Moses as he has not circumcised his son, but Zipporah saves his life. [e] William G. Dever cautiously identifies this group with the Tribe of Joseph, while Richard Elliott Friedman identifies it with the Tribe of Levi. And the central idea is that the physical journey symbolizes a moral, spiritual, intellectual, or theological journey where the travelers begin in one moral or spiritual place and move to another. As it was mentioned in various sacred texts and books that the god delivered the people of Israel, they entered into the desert by moving from the red sea and then finally ending up in the Mount Sinai, which was present in the Sinai Peninsula. In the Bible, the Exodus is frequently mentioned as the event that created the Israelite people and forged their bond with God, being described as such by the prophets Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. After He rescued them from slavery, God provided the Law, which gave instructions on how the people could be consecrated or made holy. SPECIAL TOPIC: OT HISTORICAL NARRATIVE. Written in a clear and accessible style, this major, up-to-date, evangelical, exegetical commentary opens up the riches of the book of Exodus. Please note, our website requires JavaScript to be supported. The Israelites then journey with the prophet Moses to Mount Sinai, where Yahweh gives the 10 commandments and they enter into a covenant with Yahweh, who promises to make them a "holy nation, and a kingdom of priests" on condition of their faithfulness. And lastly, in the holy of holies you have Gods glory cloud resting on the mountain as well as inside the holy of holies. [81] The books containing the Exodus story served as an "identity card" defining who belonged to this community (i.e., to Israel), thus reinforcing Israel's unity through its new institutions. The 10th plague then comes that night, causing the death of all Egyptian firstborn sons, and prompting Pharaoh to command a final pursuit of the Israelites through the Red Sea as they escape Egypt. The traditional (i.e. Horizontally they move from Egypt to Mt. The Amalekites attack at Rephidim, but are defeated. Yahweh commands the Israelites to destroy the Midianites, and Moses and Phinehas take another census. "In every generation a person is duty-bound to regard himself as if he personally has gone forth from Egypt, since it is said And you shall tell your son in that day saying, it is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt." So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And the symbolic structure works both vertically and horizontally. The Israelites now accept the covenant, which is reestablished, build a tabernacle for Yahweh, and receive their laws. [2], The consensus of modern scholars is that the Bible does not give an accurate account of the origins of the Israelites, who appear instead to have formed as an entity in the central highlands of Canaan in the late second millennium BCE from the indigenous Canaanite culture. This book describes the relationship of the god with Moses and his other devotees and also the belief that if the people trusted the god, then they will always end up at the right place and at the right time. The strong consensus of biblical scholars` is that Exodus was written for the main part by two anonymous authors, now known as the Yahwist and the Priestly Source.