The Exodus

Literary Context

Moses is the writer of Exodus, the second book of five that he wrote: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

These five books together are referred to as “Torah” by the Jews, the “Pentateuch” by the Greeks and Romans, and the “Book of Moses” by others.

The Torah is the first of three sections of the Jewish Old Testament canon.

The title was assigned in the LXX because the Israelite departure from Egypt is the dominant narrative in the book. The genealogy aligns with Joseph at the end of Genesis, which is why is is the second book in the Canon.

The genre of Exodus is Historical Narrative.

Exodus records real events involving real people.

While some of the things God does in Exodus have spiritual or typological significance, the book is not to be understood as a myth or allegory.

Historical Context

The historical setting of Exodus occurs during the Eighteenth Dynasty, or New Kingdom period of Egyptian history.

The Pharaoh who reigned during the Israelite oppression in Egypt was probably Thutmose III, who was also known as the “Napoleon of Ancient Egypt.”

When Moses returned to Egypt to deliver the Israelites, Amenhotep II would have been the Pharaoh of Egypt.

The Exodus occurred in 1445 B.C. around 400 years after Joseph ruled Egypt under Pharaoh.

Joseph’s smaller family grew to over 600,000 men by the time Exodus begins. As immigrants to Egypt, the new Pharaoh believed that there were so many Israelites that they may have risen up against him and disrupted his kingdom, so he enslaved the Israelites and ordered that all of the young boys be killed.

In the midst of this population control effort, God delivers baby Moses and will eventually use him to deliver all of the Israelites from Pharaoh’s oppression.

Theological Context

Exodus is the story of God fulfilling His promise to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 NASB95

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

In the Old Testament, God developed Israel into a nation with a theocratic government, which was different from all of the other surrounding nations.

Why is Exodus important?

1. Exodus shows us the attributes of God.

2. Exodus reminds us of God’s power to save.

3. Exodus teaches us how to love God and each other.

4. Exodus paints a picture that helps us understand the Gospel.

THEME OF EXODUS:

God is able to deliver (1-18), and He always keeps His promises (19-40).

Send me your questions and thoughts as we begin our study of Exodus.