EXODUS: God Remembers His People and Teaches Them to Worship Him

Introduction to Exodus

We first hear about Exodus in Genesis (15:13-14): Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”

• When God promised the land of Canaan to Abram, every inch of it was occupied by other people.

• God proposed a 400-year probation period for the Canaanites. If they failed, the land would pass to Israel.

• During this period Israel will experience suffering and servitude in exile.

• What happens to Israel is part of God’s greater plan.

• God directs Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, to take the family into Egypt even though slavery lay ahead. “So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.” (Genesis 46:1-4)

• Jacob went to Egypt by the will and word of God.

• He went into a situation where the grace of God had anticipated Israel’s needs by sending Joseph ahead.

• Yet during the 400-year period that followed, Israel experienced slavery, suffering, and an attempted extinction of her people (Exodus 1:8-14, 22). During these long years, God remained silent. Why?

The revelation of God’s character that spans from Genesis to Exodus is expressed by the idea of the covenant. From beginning to end, God’s covenant relationship with his people is based on his grace and not their merits. The whole narrative of Exodus is a covenant narrative. God had made promises and intended to honor them.

In Egypt, the Hebrews managed somehow to retain their separate identity. We know that when Moses came to the Israelites in the name of the God of their fathers, he was welcomed by them as one speaking of a God they knew. What was their relationship with this covenant God during those 400 years? We do not really know because there is no written record. Yet the written record does continue with Exodus, which will be my new weekday devotional starting September 11!