|
|
ExodusSurvey of the Old Testament: The TorahFall 2004 |
[Previous Page: Introduction] [Next Page: Chapters 19-40]
Contents: |
Exodus is the sequel to Genesis. Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob ( Israel ), are living in Egypt . After their death, the Pharaoh of Egypt forgets Jacob and the Israelites grow in numbers. Fearing the growing number of Israelites, Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites.
Even in the midst of this enslavement, God blesses the family of Israel , causing their number to multiply rapidly. When the family arrived, there were 70 persons. Some 400 years later there is a nation of probably over two million.
To stem the tide of Israel 's procreation, Pharaoh now must institute the infanticide of all the males born Israelites. He requires that the midwives of Israel throw newborn boys into the Nile . Moses tells of two Israelite mid-wives, Shiphrah and Puah, who stand up to Pharaoh and refuse to obey him. In this very humorous encounter, the mid-wives tell Pharaoh that the Israelite women are so hearty that the babies are born before they can get there. The mid-wives fear God more than they fear Pharaoh
The command to kill the male offspring becomes very personal in chapter 2. A young Levite woman gives birth to a boy, and after 3 months of hiding the child, she “obeys” Pharaoh's command to toss the boys into the Nile River . However, she puts him into an miniature ark as she puts him in the Nile . She also places him into the river strategically, for the ark arrives at the location where Pharaoh's daughter is bathing.
Pharaoh's daughter opens the ark, takes pity on the child and decides to adopt the baby boy. Then, in another great irony, hires the baby's mother to nurse the babe. The princess names the baby Moses, which means “drawn forth,” for he was drawn forth from the river.
The adoption by Pharaoh's daughter provides Moses with the best education available in the world. He would have been trained in leadership, oratory, and warfare. From the human point of view, he becomes the perfect candidate to deliver Israel .
However, when Moses exercises his leadership skills, he finds himself alienated from his people and from Pharaoh. Moses has killed an Egyptian task master, and now his people have refused his leadership. In fear of Pharaoh's wrath, Moses flees from Egypt and settles in the land of Midian where for 40 years God will be prepared him to lead the nation.
Forty years later, while tending the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro, Moses discovers a bush which is on fire, but is not burning. As he approaches, God tells Moses that he has heard Israel 's plight and that he is calling Moses to lead his people out of Egypt .
Moses, however, unlike the Hebrew midwives, fears Pharaoh more than he fears God. In his hesitation he asks two profound questions: “who are you?” and “who am I?”
Moses' first excuse is that he doesn't know God's name. He asks, “who shall I say sent me?” God responds by revealing to Moses his memorial name- the name by which He wants to be known for all generations.
In our culture we do not place a great deal of importance on the meaning of names. We are as likely to name our children based on family traditions and the sound of the name as we are on the meaning of a name. However, in ancient Hebrew culture, names had great significance. Understanding the meaning of a persons name reveals something about the character of that person. For example, in Genesis, the name Eve means “mother of the living.” Abram is given a new name, Abraham, which means “father of a great multitude.” Jacob, whose name means “deceiver,” is also given a new name, Israel , which means “one who contends with God.” All of these names tell us something about the character of the person and their place in the God's narrative history.
The names of God in the bible have the same significance. In the English we typically refer to God by his titles (i.e. God, Lord, Almighty). But God has a name which has fallen into disuse through the millennia. This name has tremendous meaning and significance, both for the Israelites in the time of Moses and also for us today. God has a name and he wants us to know it!
Moses is concerned that if he tells the people of Israel that God has sent him, they will want to know the name of this god ( 3:13 ). Israel was living in the midst of a polytheistic culture, and it is likely that most Israelites were also polytheistic. In essence, Moses is saying that Israel is going to want to know which god sent him.
God responds by telling Moses his name in verses 14-15. This is God's “memorial-name” for all generations. This is the name by which he wants to be remembered by everyone for all time. But what is this name? From our English bible it is not clear.
God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel , 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. (Exodus 3:15)
In our English Bible, God's memorial-name is translated as LORD (note the small caps). This is not really His name, but is a substitute. As a result of this unfortunate translation, most people do not know God's real name.
There is a long standing tradition behind this translation. The post-exilic Jews, in reverence to God's memorial name, when reading scripture, substituted the Hebrew word “Adonai,” which means Lord. This reverence was founded in a desire to obey the 3 rd commandment, “you shall not take the LORD's name in vain.” Rather than risk taking his name in vain, they would always substitute “ Adonai” when reading the scriptures aloud.
The 2 nd century BC translators of the Hebrew scriptures in Greek substituted the Greek word for “Lord” whenever the Hebrew used God's memorial name. Our modern English translators have continued this long-standingtradition. However, to clarify for the modern reader as to when Lord means Master and when LORD means God's memorial-name, when God's memorial-name is translated, LORD is always placed in small-caps (LORD vs. .Lord ) .
However, the memorial name of God is not Lord . The truth of his name can be found even in English by looking at verse 14:
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel , 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14)
The name of God is actually based on the verb “to be.” God says, “I am who I am.” The name of God is the Hebrew word for the third-person singular of the verb “to be.” In English the name of God would be properly translated “He is.” In Hebrew, this is the word “Yahweh.”
This name has been corrupted through the ages however, due to a misunderstanding of the Hebrew language and culture. The ancient Hebrew writing system did not have any vowels. As such, the Hebrew name of God is represented by the letters YHWH. Later, as the writing system evolved, vowel sounds were added by putting accent marks next to the consents. However, by this time the tradition of substituting “ Ado nai” for “Yahweh” had been well established. Therefore, to remind the reader of this substitution, Hebrew scribes inserted the vowels for the word Adonai whenever the consonants for the word Yahweh appeared.
In 1520, the German bible scholar, Galatinus, unaware of this substitution, transliterated the Hebrew, combining the consonants of one name and the vowels of the other [1]. So YHWH became YaHoWaiH. As this German word moved to English, the Y sound became J and the W sound became V, resulting in the word Jehovah. However Jehovah is not a real name, but a mispronunciation of the Hebrew consonants YHWH.
Unfortunately, the actual vowel sounds for YHWH have been lost. Even today, our insertion of the vowel sounds to form the name Yahweh are only the best guess by Hebrew scholars. Nonetheless, this is God's memorial name for all generations. God has a name, and He want us to us it.
If Yahweh literally means “he is,” what does that say about the character of God? The answer is found in the context of chapter 3.
In God's response to Moses inquiry, He says, “I Am who I Am.” The name Yahweh reveals something of the transcendent nature of God. He is who He is, and He is not dependent on anyone or anything. The name indicates that God is eternal, omnipresent, and ind ependent from creation. The name connects the God of the burning bush with the God who created all things from nothing.
But the name also has a secondary meaning which is paradoxical to the transcendence of God. The name Yahweh also speaks to God's imminence. Most immediately in the context of verses 14 and 15 we see that the memorial name of God is being connected to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is not merely a transcendent God of creation, but the personal God of Israel 's patriarchs. This is the God of the covenant who promised to give the land, the seed and the blessing to His people.
Prior to the Exodus, the Israelites may doubt of if there is God of the covenant. It has been four centuries since the covenant had been given to the Patriarchs. If He really is the personal God of their fathers, why has He been so slow to fulfill the covenant?
The introduction to the burning bush narrative explains that God is not slow to fulfill the covenant, and His memorial name affirms that He is a personal God who provides for His people.
So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel , and God took notice of them. (Exodus 2:24-25)
Yahweh is the God who has heard His people. Yahweh is the God who remembers His covenant. Yahweh is the God who sees and takes notice of His people. Not merely a transcendent God, Yahweh is aware of the affliction of His people and will now come down to del iver them.
The Yahweh said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt , and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land… (Exodus 3:7-8a)
The name Yahweh is closely connected to the redemption of Israel and to the willingness of God to come down to deliver Israel and eventually to live with the nation (Exodus 33:14) ) [2].
The name Yahweh is closely connected with the name and claims of Jesus. Jesus, who's very name means “Yahweh saves,” is the fullest reflection of the meaning of the name Yahweh.
In John 8, Jesus is in a heated discussion with the Pharisees and other Jews. Jesus has been trying to show them their sinfulness and their own need for salvation. Furthermore that by believing in Him, they "will never taste of death" (v. 52)
The Jews respond by stating that Abraham and the prophets died, and question Jesus as to who exactly he thinks he is. Does he really regard himself as more than Abraham? (vs. 52-53) Jesus' response astounds these people. In verse 56 He states, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
This was a preposterous claim. Jesus was a relatively young man who was claiming to have seen Abraham. The Jews must think at this point that Jesus is nuts, and say so.
Jesus' response is an even more preposterous (or shall we say blasphemous) statement.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Jesus does not say that before Abraham was born, he was . He said I AM . He is specifically using this to assert his claim that He is Yahweh, the Great I AM. He is claiming to be God himself, in the flesh, having existed from eternity past, self-existent, independent. Lest we doubt that Jesus is actually claiming to be Yahweh, the reaction of the Jews affirms the boldness of such a claim as they to pick up stones to execute this blasphemer.
Just at Yahweh, the God of the Exodus left behind his transcendence and came down to deliver Israel , so also Jesus Christ left behind his transcendent nature and came down to earth to deliver all humankind from their sin.
God has addressed Moses first question, “who are you?” He then follows up with a second question, “who am I?” Moses, a man trained in Pharaoh's court for leadership, doubts His own abilities. Apparently, his first attempt to lead Israel ( 2:14 ) has greatly impacted his self-confidence.
God provides Moses with evidence that it He will provide Moses with the skills necessary to confront both Pharaoh and the Israelites (4:4-5, 8-9). Likewise, God will provide Aaron as Moses' spokesman ( 4:14 ). But God become angry at Moses, not for his self-doubt, but for his lack of faith in God's provision.
The answer to Moses' first question (“Who are you?”) has rendered the second question (“who am I?”) moot. If Yahweh provides what we need to accomplish His purposes, who we are and what skills we possess are irrelevant. Refusing to serve God when He has called us is not an act of humility or self-depreciation. It is a lack of faith in God's provision and care.
Moses decides to obey God, and after obtaining permission from Jethro, begins his journey to Egypt . But on the way we find an odd passage. Suddenly God seeks to kill Moses, his messenger. Moses has not circumcised his son. Moses' wife, Zipporah, must perform the circumcision in order to prevent God from killing him. Zipporah responds enigmatically, saying “you are a blood bridegroom to me.”
The tex t of this passage is unclear. The passage could just as properly be translated such that God is seeking not to kill Moses, but his son. Likewise, Zipporah may not be calling Moses as her bloody bridegroom, but instead is calling Yahweh her bloody bridegroom, referring to an ancient Egyptian practice of circumcising the groom prior to a wedding[3].
In either case, it is clear that Moses would not be qualified to lead the Israelites if he had not carried on the command of God to circumcise his son. Even in the end, it is not Moses who steps forward, but Zipporah who must take care of the issue. Moses is clearly not a perfect leader, and while an important man of faith, he is only God's agent. It is clearly God who will rescue Israel , not Moses.
After meeting with the leaders of Israel , Moses confronts Pharaoh. Moses, however, doesn't ask Pharaoh to emancipate the slaves. Instead, he asks Pharaoh to release the nation for a three-day feast to Yahweh in the wilderness. Although it may appear otherwise at first, Moses was not being disingenuous with his request. If Moses had asked for full emancipation, no one would have blamed Pharaoh for rejecting the request. By asking Pharaoh for a “more reasonable” request, he is demonstrating the stubbornness of Pharaoh.
The Egyptians had many gods. In fact, the Egyptians believed that Pharaoh himself was divine. Now Moses introduced this unknown god, Yahweh. But Pharaoh is not impressed. “Who is this Yahweh that I should obey him? I do not know Yahweh.” This becomes a significant question. Yahweh is going to make himself known to Pharaoh through the coming events.
Moses' response angers Pharaoh and he forces the Israelites to keep their quota of bricks, but now they had to supply their own straw.
Moses feared that the Israelites would not follow him. Now his fears were coming true. The people were angry with Moses and Aaron for angering Pharaoh. This is just the first example of the fickleness of the Israel ites.
In reaction to Israel 's anger, Moses asks God, “Yahweh, why did you send me?” God responds in chapter 6.
Under the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12, 15, 17), God promises Abraham that his descendents would inherit the land of Canaan . This was an unconditional covenant, and was not dependent on Abraham or his offspring meeting any conditions. In Exodus 6, God reiterates the Abrahamic covenant. If God has unconditionally promised the land to Abraham, then God is still obligated to fulfill the covenant. He promises to do so with this generation.
In the reiteration of the covenant, we find that God is reaffirming his personal nature. In fact, God is now closer to Israel than He even was to Abraham, for he did not reveal his personal name, Yahweh, to any of the patriarchs. But now God has revealed his name and again emphasizes his personal concern for his people. He will redeem Israel , He will be their God, and Israel will be His people.
God tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh's heart such that, even in the midst of terrible plagues, Pharaoh will refuse to let Israel go. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is often seen as unfair, as if God had preordained Pharaoh's stubbornness. While God has the right to preordain Pharaoh for this part in the drama (Romans 9:17 -21), there are two factors to consider in this discussion:
God does reveal however, his reason for hardening Pharaoh's heart. Through the events that are to come, the hardness of Pharaoh's heart will allow God to show great signs and wonders and, in so doing, reveal to the Egypt ians who Yahweh is. Pharaoh may not have known who Yahweh was before, but by the time God is done, Pharaoh will know all about Yahweh.
As Moses confronts Pharaoh the second time, the passage establishes a course of events which will repeat itself over the course of ten plagues. The pattern is as follows:
Just as notable, however, are the exceptions to the pattern. For example, on some of the plagues, Israel experiences the pestilence, while they are exempt for others. Some of the plagues are repeatable by Pharaoh's magicians, others are not.
There are some feasible natural phenomena explanations for the plagues. For example, the Nile turning to blood could be explained by a natural phenomena when silt from upstream regularly flows down to turn the Nile read like blood. While feasible as a natural phenomena, that doesn't eliminate the supernatural element. For example, there are many natural reasons for an over population of frogs. Yet, the timing, if nothing else, reveals a supernatural element. Furthermore, most of the need to provide a natural “explanation” comes from a anti-supernatural bias.
The reason God sent the plagues was to reveal to Egypt his power, and his supremacy over their gods. Each of the plagues directly challenges the jurisdiction of an Egyptian god, proving the power of Yahweh over the Egyptian pantheon. God is showing that not only does Yahweh have power over all the Egyptian gods, but that He is the one and only god, who rules over everything the Nile , the frogs, the flies, the cattle, and everything over which the Egyptians have ascribed a deity.
The Plagues |
||||
| Scripture | Plague | Israel Exempt |
Magicians Repeat |
Egyptian Gods Involved |
| 7:14-24 | Nile River to Bloods | No |
Yes |
Hapi – spirit of the Nile Khnum – guardian of the Nile> |
| 7:25-8:15 | Frogs | No |
Yes |
Heqt – form of a frog Hapi – spirit of the Nile |
| 8:16-19 | Swarms of Lice/Gnats | No |
No |
Uncertain “This is the finger of God.” ( 8:19 ) |
| 8:20-32 | Flies | Yes |
No |
Uatchit – a god who manifest himself as a fly. |
| 9:1-7 | Disease on the Cattle [4] | Yes |
No |
Apis bull revered; Sacred bulls and cows Ptah, Mnrvis, Hathor |
| 9:8-12 | Boils/Sores on Man and Animal | Yes |
No (plague afflicts magicians) |
Sekhmet – goddess with power to heal. Serapis – healing god |
| 9:13-35 | Destruction of Crops & Cattle by Hail | Yes |
No |
Seth – protector of crops Nut – sky goddess |
| 10:1-20 | Destruction of Crops by Locusts | Yes |
No |
Isis – goddess of life Seth – protector of crops |
| 10:21-29 | Darkness | Yes |
No |
Re – sun god. Atum – god of setting sun. |
| 11:1-12:36 | Death of the Firstborn | Yes – if blood properly applied |
No |
Osiris – giver of life Pharaoh also was considered deity |
The tenth and final plague starts with the same pattern as the previous nine. Moses demands that Pharaoh let Israel go, and Pharaoh refuses. But Yahweh assures Moses that the pattern will change; this is the last plague, and when it is over, Pharaoh will release Israel . Yahweh will finally demonstrate His power is greater than the divine Pharaoh himself, as he kills his first born offspring, along with the first born of the entire nation.
To remember this last plague, and Israel 's deliverance from the plague, God establishes the Passover Feast. The Passover takes place on the 10 th day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, which is late March through early April on our calendar. To commemorate the event, the Israelites are to:
The festival is called Passover, for the angel of Yahweh would only “pass over” those homes who have placed blood on the door post. This was the sign that the household had slaughter a year-old lamb as a substitution for the first born male in the home.
Of greater significance, Passover is the memorial to Yahweh, the God who heard the cries of His people. If only an Israelite family would show this simple act of faith, Yahweh will rescue them from slavery. Passover, then, is a reaffirmation of an Israelite's faith in the salvation of Yahweh.
For those, however, who do not trust in the blood of the Passover lamb, the first born are killed. When the Egyptians realized what had happened they, along with Pharaoh, demanded that all Israel leave immediately. The Egyptians wanted them out so bad that they gave them gold and riches just to leave. In that way, the Israelites plundered the Egyptians.
The first born of Israel are not passed over without payment however. First, the lamb must be sacrificed as a substitute. But further, God requires that all the first born males be paid for (“redeemed”) to remember that the first born belong to God. They are His to kill or to del iver. For the rest of the history of Israel the giving of the first born serves a memorial to this night.
The night before Jesus crucifixion, He and His disciples celebrate the Passover Feast. By this time in Judaism, Passover has become a detailed ritual full of symbolism and meaning. But now Jesus is going to extend that symbolism to himself as he declares the New Covenant.
As they began eating the unleavened bread, Jesus declares, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” Jesus body was broken in his death on the cross. Therefore, no longer do we need a lamb sacrificed on Passover, for Jesus himself is, as John the Baptist declared, the lamb of God. As the lamb gave its life in the place of the first born, now Jesus is giving his life in the place of all of us. Jesus, then, forever more is known as the lamb of God:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. (Revelation 5:12 )
Israel departs from Egypt in haste, for Moses and God knew the fickleness of Pharaoh. Israel had to get out of Egypt quickly before Pharaoh changed his mind. The shortest route for Israel to the Promised Land is through the north. But God directs them south because the nation is not ready for war, and the north would take them through the land of the militant Philistines.
As Israel leaves, Moses fulfills the faith of Joseph by taking his bones with them as they leave Egypt . For four hundred years Joseph's request for his remains to be buried in the Promised Land had been remembered by the people.
God lead Israel out of Egypt in a very tangible way. By day, Yahweh went before the nation in a pillar of cloud. By night, he was in a pillar of fire. To see the leadership of God physically manifest in this way must have been very assuring to Israel . Often we wish that God would lead us through your personal wilderness in such an obvious way. Yet, even when God's leadership was evident, it didn't produce obedience in the Israelites. It would be a mistake to think that our faith would be any stronger in light of God's obvious leadership in our life as well.
Yahweh leads Israel slowly across the desert. There are nearly two million people on the move, including women, children, the elderly, livestock, and all their possessions. This is not a rapid escape, but a slow exit. Then God has them camp with the Red Sea to the east. Pharaoh and his army are overtaking them from the west. God has encamp Israel in a place where they would be trapped between Pharaoh's army and the sea.
The nation of Israel is not ignorant of their plight. Why had God led them into a trap! What has Moses done? Slavery in Egypt was better than this. But Moses reassures the people that Yahweh would save them again, and that the Egyptian army would be defeated forever. All that would be required of Israel is that they stand and watch as God saved them.
Following God's instruction, Moses stretched his hand over the sea and the wind blew all night until a wall of water left a dry path. Israel was free to cross. However, it would take a long time to move 2 million people across the sea. God protected the nation while they crossed by moving the pillar of clouds/fire between Pharaoh's army and the Israelites. The pillar manifest itself to the Egyptians as a dark cloud, but as a pillar of fire to light the way to Israel . It took the entire night for Israel to cross.
The next morning, the pillar moved across the sea, and the Egypt ians entered into the dry path in the sea. But God frustrated the Egyptian by causing their chariots to become stuck in the mud. The whole army was in confusion while Israel watched. The army came to realize that they needed to retreat, for Yahweh was fighting for Israel . Moses stretched his hand back out over the sea, and the wall of water collapsed, drowning Pharaoh and his army.
The Israelites responded to their del iverance by singing and praising God. The nation, who just a few hours before had been in such despair about their entrapment against the sea are ecstatic about their del iverance by Yahweh.
But had Yahweh not lead Israel to the edge of the Red Sea , where the nation was trapped, they would have never seen the deliverance by God. If the situation had not seemed so desperate, Israel would not have recognized their need for God's salvation.
This reveals a key principle of God. God's deliverance often does not come to us until we recognize that there is no other way of escape but to “stand by and watch the salvation of God.”
Israel has just seen the deliverance of God, but not before they realized their desperate situation. Now, the nation faces another desperate situation. They were in the desert, but there had been no water for three days. The nation camps at Marah, but its waters are bitter, and soon the nation become bitter towards Moses and Yahweh as well. God uses Moses to sweeten the water and Yahweh again provides for the people.
After Israel has seen God provide water, they soon become hungry and grumble that God has brought them to the desert to starve.
Israel 's complaint against Moses is doubly ironic. First, they had just seen the power of Yahweh to deliver, in the Passover, in the Red Sea , and with the waters of Marah. Secondly, they remembered their enslavement in Egypt as preferable to their current plight. The people were longing for the “good ol' days.” The “good ol' days” were not as good as they remembered, and their attitude marginalized their redemption by God.
As soon as we forget how desperate we were before our salvation, we too will begin to marginalize God's del iverance. It is important for us to remember our del iverance, and reiterates how important it is to memorialize our salvation. It reiterates the importance of Passover and the Lord's Supper.
God provides food by a daily morning delivery of manna (Hebrew for “what is it?”). These “frost fla kes” provide daily sustenance for two million people. Each day, each person has a quart of manna for food, except on the day before the Sabbath. On this day, there would be double manna, so that people would not have to collect on the Sabbath.
If people collected more than one day's worth, the food would spoil. In so doing, God taught day-to-day reliance on His provision. This was also how God would remind the nation to observe the Sabbath, even before the law was given.
Manna was provided Israel for forty years until they came to the border of Canaan . Each day, the provision of God was lying on the ground waiting to be picked up. The daily manner of how God provided for the nation revealed his great care for his people, even when the complained and forgot about his provision and care.
In chapter 17, the Amalekites, descendents of Esau, rise up to battle against Israel . Israel was unprepared for war. This is a slave nation which has nev er had waged ward. Moses appoints Joshua as the general, and then he, Aaron and Hur climb to the top of a hill to watch the battle. As long as Moses' hands are raised, the battle went in favor of Israel . When his hands feel, the Amalekites would gain the upper hand. Aaron and Hur support Moses when his arms become tired.
Again, this is evidence of God's provision. It is not Joshua's military skill which has won the battle. It is Yahweh providing del iverance.
Finally, Israel arrives in the land of Midian , and Moses is reunited with his family and his father-in-law, Jethro. Jethro, the priest of Midian, praises Yahweh for his deliverance of Israel from Egypt . For Jethro, the exodus is finally poof that Yahweh is greater than all the other gods.
Jethro, however, is frustrated when he sees how Moses is governing the people. Moses was serving as the only judge for over 2 million people. This was an untenable situation which was exhausting both Moses and the Israelites. So Jethro steps in and offers advice: del egate or die!
This is the beginning of the structure of government for this fledgling nation. Up to this point, Israel is not yet a nation. It is just a rag-tag group of ex-slaves. God begins the process here of transforming this group of former slaves into a nation, with formalized government and hierarchical leadership.
In the coming chapters, government, leadership, and law are going to become more formalized as God provides Moses with the law. Thus the transition from a people of slaves to a real nation.
“Not absolutely every beast, for we find that there were still some left; but a great many died of each herd--the mortality was frequent and widespread.”
|
Visit the Grace Community Fellowship Home Page. © Copyright 2004 - Grace Community Fellowship |
