Exodus

In the Beginning

Israel’s status as a covenant people of God can be traced to the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But following the death of Jacob nearly two centuries passed before God appeared to Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. Thereafter the Israelites would meet God at Mount Sinai and receive their divinely-given law. This would guide them through the centuries until the appearance of Jesus, their Messiah, a millennium and a half from the days of Moses. This momentous turning point in the history of Israel is the subject of the Book of Exodus.

Throughout this book the experiences of Moses, God’s chosen leader for Israel, are at the center of attention. In this we see a foregleam of our greater deliverer, Jesus of Nazareth, God’s chosen leader to deliver the saints during this Gospel age, and the world during the approaching kingdom.

The opening article, 120 Years, considers the life of Israel’s deliverer, Moses, noting that his one hundred twenty years breaks into three distinct periods of forty years, each with a different purpose and a different meaning. The article also considers the character of Moses, and notes similar features which we are called to develop as followers of the “greater than Moses.”

Seven Ascents is a detailed look at the seven times Moses ascended Mount Sinai on the occasion of the giving of the Law. This helps us grasp the flow of events during this many-week episode, which included wonderful, awe-inspiring scenes that induced Israel’s reverent worship, followed by a brief period of apostasy and judgment, then repentance.

Descending in Glory considers the last momentous descent of Moses with his face beaming with glory, giving to Israel the second set of tablets of the law, and the various spiritual lessons which are therein contained. The Faces of God explains the interaction of God with Moses and Israel through their experiences at the holy mount.

Israel’s Guiding Light discusses the cloud by which God’s presence was manifest to the Israelites, from early in their flight from Pharaoh, through their years of following the leading of God.

Finally, The Book of Exodus summarizes the narratives in this important book, extracting a variety of lessons useful for us as spiritual Israel, following the leading and instruction of Jehovah. May the lessons of this second book of Moses prove instructive, helpful, and encouraging in our Christian walk.

May this brief review of the life and ministry of God’s only-begotten son, our Lord and our Redeemer, enhance our meditations at this special time of the year.