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- Old Testament
Book of Exodus
Pronunciation:
Authorship and Origin:
Exodus is the second of the five Old Testament books ascribed to Moses. It picks up the story
where Genesis stopped, about 430 years after Israel's entry into Egypt. Exodus lays the foundation
for understanding salvation, in that through God's mighty acts, He wins the freedom of His people.
In the eyes of the Old Testament people, these events are more important than creation. Again and
again the thoughts and songs of Israel's people will return to the time of Exodus.
Prior to the time of Solomon (970 B.C.), it is impossible to correlate biblical events with known
dates from Egypt or other ancient empires. Inscriptional evidence does not exist. However, that
is not surprising, since Egyptian monarchs did not record defeats, as the story of Exodus tells.
Most speculation about the dates of these events, then is that they occured between 1450B.C., and 1290B.C..
Overview and Significant sections
Exodus is comprised of half narrative, giving an historical account of Israel's delivery from
Egyptian slavery, and the other half outlining a system of laws by which God sought to shape
the delivered slaves into a holy unified nation. Exodus contains five important themes which
are the basis of Israel's faith and lifestyle in the Old Testament. 1) God's mighty acts to
save Israel and set it apart. 2) The establishment of the Passover as an annual feast to be
performed in rememberance of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, 3) Law as a covenant relationship
for the people, 4) The details of the Law, and 5) the establishment of Worship as a priestly and
sacrificial system. Through these themes and acts, God reveals Himself in more detail to
Israel, and across the ages to us today. He is more than just Creator and moral Judge. He is now 'ever present', a God of miracles,
a Savior, faithful, and holy. These attributes that are revealed about God are never-changing.
Significant sections:
For more detailed study:
Read Chapter 1. (the entire book is available starting here.)
The Concise Matthew Henry Commentary on this book.
bible.org introduction of this book.
the World Wide Study Bible has Dictionary, Commentary, Scripture and sermons available
on this book.
