“… your nearest exit may be behind you.”
I am really enjoying studying these old testament books. There is so much to say about Exodus – so much going on… where to begin.
I always thought that the most important part of the book was the first half up until the chapter 15 when Pharaoh’s army goes into the sea. Then it gets into laws, covenants, the tabernacle, mount Sinai and the golden calf. Why is the rest of it in there (besides being historical information)?
The point of the book is to show that God desires relationship with his people. He is willing to go to great lengths to achieve it. The first half with all the plagues and a mean pharaoh shows the extent to which God would go to save his people. It also shows that he did not forget the promises he made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis. God used the Egypt detour to make his name famous in the world by defeating the Egyptian empire from the inside out. Back to the point: God saved his people, but just to bring them to the Promised Land? No, much more.
God provides for them in the wilderness. God protects them in the wilderness. God guides them in the wilderness… he is teaching them about himself throughout their journey. He is patient with their complaining continually. He is forgiving of their sin and unbelief. God makes to main covenants with the Israelites in the wilderness. The first is the covenant of the Principle and Case Laws (Ch 20-24). This is a Suzerainty Covenant requiring that Israel obey their end of the deal, basically it is conditional. The second major covenant is the covenant of the Tabernacle (29:42-46). This is a Promissory Covenant requiring nothing of Israel, it’s a gift.
The Israelites take no time in breaking three different laws of the first covenant. God forgives them and renews this covenant again with them in chapter 34, but this covenant still stands as a conditional covenant to their obedience. The promises of the first covenant are land, blessings of food and other things like that. But the cool thing is that the other covenant of the Tabernacle, promises relationship between God and his people. God did not want their ability to have relationship with him to be based on their own works. God could still have relationship with his people despite their sin. This is a shadow of what we were given through Jesus – an way to relationship not based on our own righteousness, but his.
