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Exodus Plague Cycle #1: Yahweh our Judge

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Moses has undergone training to be qualified as God’s mediator. He’s prepped and ready for the big fight with Pharaoh. The plagues make up the first three rounds, followed by a fourth round (Passover), and then a fifth (Red Sea). What does God want to teach us in round #1?

Observation of Exodus 7:14-8:19

Most repeated words: Lord (19 times), Nile (16x), Pharaoh (13), said (13), frogs (12), Moses (12), water (12), all (10), Egypt (10).

  • This is somewhat unusual, but the repeated words don’t immediately highlight major themes for me. I need to look elsewhere.

Purpose or result statements: the plague narratives are packed with them.

  • “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness” (Ex 7:16).
  • “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood” (Ex 7:17).
  • “…and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile” (Ex 7:18).
  • “Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Ex 8:1).
  • “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God” (Ex 8:10).

Structure:

  1. First plague: Nile waters turn to blood, making the Egyptians weary (Ex 7:18) so they have to work harder for stuff to drink (Ex 7:24).
  2. Second plague: Nile swarms with frogs and Moses asks God to take them away, so Pharaoh would know there no one like Yahweh our God (Ex 8:10).
  3. Third plague: When the Egyptian magicians cannot replicate the dust becoming gnats, they declare this to be the finger of God (Ex 8:19).

At the end of all three plagues, we’re told that Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and that he would not listen, as Yahweh had said (Ex 7:22, 8:15, 8:19).

Interpretation of Exodus 7:14-8:19

Some possible questions:

  1. Why are there so many purpose or result statements?
  2. Why do these first 3 plagues have these results?
  3. Why do all three plagues end with nearly identical statements about Pharaoh’s heart (which, looking ahead, are not repeated identically after the rest of the plagues)?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The narrator communicates his message not so much through what happens as through why it happens. For this reason, I wonder if it’s misguided to try to identify which specific Egyptian god or goddess is under assault in each plague. Of course, we can’t miss the obvious connections to some of the most revered Egyptians gods in the first (Nile) and last (Ra, the sun-god) plagues. And, yes, God does say that on Passover night he will execute judgments on all the gods of Egypt (Ex 12:12). However, we should be careful to note that, other than in Ex 12:12, the text nowhere draws attention to specific Egyptian deities. Instead, the text draws attention to why each plague happens, and to what result God desires from it. In addition, we must get the purpose behind the Exodus. God does not want to move people from slavery to (unqualified) freedom, but from service to Pharaoh to service to God. Let my people go, that they may serve me.
  2. The first plague makes the lives of the Egyptians harder with hard service; this is a just payment for how they’ve treated the Hebrews (Ex 1:11, 13-14). In Ex 5:2, Pharaoh wanted to know who Yahweh was, such that Pharaoh should obey his orders to release these people. The second plague begins to give Pharaoh a clear answer to his question (Ex 8:10). The third plague brings the magicians to the end of their power, causing them to declare the work of God.
  3. As highlighted in the prologue (Ex 7:13), God’s word must be vindicated. God has remembered his covenant (Ex 2:24-25). God told Abram he would bring judgment on Egypt and deliver his people with great possessions (Gen 15:14). God told Moses he would have to strike Egypt with a mighty hand to secure plunder for his people (Ex 3:19-22). God assured Moses that many miracles would not be enough; God would have to strike Pharaoh’s firstborn (Ex 4:21-23). God also said he’d have to harden Pharaoh’s heart to multiply his signs and wonders so Egypt would know he is Yahweh (Ex 7:3-5). In other words, God’s word is at stake. This is why we are told repeatedly that Pharaoh hardened his heart, as Yahweh had said.

Train of thought:

  1. Plague #1: The arrival of the plague proves that Yahweh alone is God.
  2. Plague #2: The removal of the plague proves that there is no one like Yahweh.
  3. Plague #3: Even the enemy sorcerers conclude there’s something special about this God.

Main Point: Yahweh is the only judge of all the earth, who both executes and removes judgments.

ssalonso (2009), Creative Commons

Connection to Christ: Because of his death and resurrection, God the Father has entrusted all judgment to the Son, Jesus Christ. We now know that this God who executes and removes judgment, this Yahweh, is none other than Jesus (John 5:22-29).

But what differentiates between those who have judgment executed on them and those who have judgment removed from them? We’ll have to wait for the second cycle of plagues to find out.

Application of Exodus 7:14-8:19

If Yahweh is the only judge, all that matters is that I be right with him. I can trust his word of deliverance, even when I feel like I’m living in a pit of judgment. I can’t find life and peace from my employer, parents, teachers, neighbors, or society. Only in Jesus.

And if Yahweh is the only judge, that means I don’t have to be the judge. I don’t have to punish others for their sins, even when committed against me. I don’t have to expose every act of wrongdoing. And I can turn aside from vengeance, letting the Lord have his way with people (Rom 12:19-21). For example, I’m not failing my children if I don’t assail them for every misstep.

And yet, the only judge of all the earth has chosen to share his throne with his exalted people, after a fashion (Luke 22:28-30, Rev 20:4). As Moses represented the heavenly Judge before Pharaoh, so, too, must churches represent their Judge by holding to the Lord’s standards of righteousness and truth (1 Cor 5:9-13). There remains real authority, in its proper social context, to execute and remove “judgment” by teaching, receiving, disciplining, or even excommunicating (Matt 16:18-19, 18:15-20).

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

How to Understand the Exodus Plague Narratives

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Exodus 5:22-7:7 is like the pre-bout buildup to a championship prize-fight. Moses has his doubts, but his trainer, God, is right at his side. This trainer massages Moses’ shoulders, squirts water into his mouth, and gets in his face with one pep talk after another. By passage’s end, Moses has his gloves tied, his robe draped, and his shoes tightened. He’s hopping from foot to foot, pumped and ready to rumble. He trots down the aisle up to the ring, he enters between the ropes, and the announcer proclaims his presence to the watching world.

The fight of the century is about to take place: Moses v. Pharaoh. Really, it’s Yahweh v. the Egyptian pantheon. Beginning with Ex 7:8, we’re made privy to every round of this legendary collision, and we don’t even have to rent it on pay-per-view.

Peter Gordon (2011), Creative Commons

Peter Gordon (2011), Creative Commons

Common Approaches to the Plague Narratives

Even the most casual reader of the plague narratives in Exodus can’t avoid a basic interpretive question: Why are these narratives so long? And if we treat Passover as a separate section, we’ve got almost 4 chapters of text to ‘rassle. In the ESV, the 9 plagues on Egypt go on for more than 3,200 words. How should we understand and study such an epic narrative?

Some readers take the children’s story Bible approach: Abridge the thing down to a manageable size and land on only the fundamental truths. God is powerful. Egypt got hit hard. Pharaoh would not relent. There is value in this approach, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the details. Every detail is inspired by God and there for a reason!

Other readers take the statistician’s approach: Map out the plagues in a large table or spreadsheet, showing all the fine comparisons and contrasts among the 9 plagues. When is Aaron’s staff used vs. Moses’ staff? When does Pharaoh harden his heart vs. God hardening it? How much is Pharaoh willing to grant the Israelites after each plague? Which plagues can the Egyptian magicians duplicate? There is value in this approach, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the big picture. Not every detail has deeply symbolic or spiritual meaning; the story as a whole was intended to have a certain emotional impact. Let’s not lose that impact to a statistical analysis.

How I Approach the Plague Narratives

Without demeaning either of the two approaches mentioned above—both have value and provide complementary insights—I’ve found a third approach to better highlight the author’s main ideas and do justice to why the story is given this much space. That approach is to follow the 3 cycles.

The narrator masterfully employs setting to help his readers receive his message. Observe:

  • In plagues 1, 4, and 7, God commands Moses to confront Pharaoh early in the morning (Ex 7:15, 8:20, 9:13).
  • In plagues 2, 5, and 8, God commands Moses simply to “Go in to Pharaoh…” (Ex 8:1, 9:1, 10:1).
  • In plagues 3, 6, and 9, there is no confrontation with Pharaoh. God commands Moses to perform some symbolic gesture and bring the plague unheralded. And these three plagues all have a reasonably short narrative (Ex 8:16-19, 9:8-12, 10:21-29).

What is the point of these observations? The narrative organizes the plagues into three 3 cycles of 3 plagues each. Plagues 1-3 have 3 different settings. Plagues 4-6 repeat the 3 settings in the same order. Plagues 7-9 repeat the settings once more.

This structure is reinforced by the fact that each cycle has a unique and climactic ending:

  • Cycle #1 ends with the Egyptian magicians being unable to replicate the plague and admitting it must be the finger of God (Ex 8:18-19).
  • Cycle #2 ends with the Egyptian magicians being unable to stand before Moses (Ex 9:11-12).
  • Cycle #3 ends with Moses being driven from Pharaoh’s presence (Ex 10:28-29).

This structure has a simple beauty about it, while also serving an interpretive purpose. With each new “Rise up early in the morning,” we hear a fresh start, a new round in the boxing match. And each cycle/round serves as a discrete unit with a particular point to make.

So over the next 3 Exodus posts, I will address the plague narratives in their three cycles. For each cycle, I will ask, what is the author’s main point in this cycle? This approach enables us to hear all the details and consider how they contribute to the unique main point of each cycle. And this approach also helps us not to drown in the details without collating them into a bigger picture.

Preliminary Round

But what should we make of the scene with the staffs and serpents in Ex 7:8-13? This episode stands outside the three cycles by introducing them.

This scene introduces the key players: Moses, Aaron, and Yahweh on one side; Pharaoh, his magicians, and their secret arts on the other.

This scene introduces the key conflict: “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle…'” Pharaoh will get his wish, and in a big way. If he won’t release these slaves without proof of the requesting party’s power, he’ll sure get it.

This scene foreshadows the inevitable outcome: “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs” (Ex 7:12). Pharaoh and his champions will not win this fight.

This scene also introduces the theme of the vindication of God’s word: “Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (Ex 7:13). Let God be proved true, and every man a liar. God’s glory is at stake in the economic status of his people Israel. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must be fulfilled. Therefore God’s glory and faithfulness must be vindicated. Game on, Pharaoh. Ding. Ding.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 1:1-7:7: Mediator’s Boot Camp

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Step Back

Many who study the Bible get so focused on each passage, one after another, that they find it difficult to step back and see how they fit together. But we must remember the Bible is a work of literature. It was not written to be scrutinized in bites; it was written to be devoured in gobbles. We should remember to read the Bible as we’d read any other book: moving through it at a reasonable pace, and recognizing ongoing themes, climax and resolution, and character development. When we hit milestones in the text, we should take the opportunity to survey where we’ve been and how it fits together.

Mark Stevens (2013), Creative Commons

Mark Stevens (2013), Creative Commons

So, now that we’ve reached the beginning of the end for Pharaoh, it’s a good time to catch our breath. Last week, I mentioned that from Exodus 7:8 to the end, Moses has no further relapses into doubt. And we should notice that Exodus 7:8 begins the long series of brutal confrontations that result in Pharaoh and his army meeting their end in the Red Sea (chapter 14), to the great delight and celebration of the Hebrews (chapter 15). But where have we been so far?

Review

Let me list the main points I’ve proposed for each section:

  • Exodus 1: The sons of God have many enemies, but none can prevent God’s promises from being fulfilled.
  • Exodus 2: God will deliver his people through the hand of his appointed deliverer…just not yet.
  • Exodus 3:1-4:17: God must deliver his people through the hand of a mediator, however hesitant he may be.
  • Exodus 4:18-31: One qualified to serve as God’s faithful and merciful mediator must be made like his brothers in every way. Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
  • Exodus 5:1-21: The LORD makes his people rest and stink.
  • Exodus 5:22-7:7: Yahweh is a God who provides not only a powerful mediator but also a great high priest to deliver his people and proclaim he is God.

In addition, my overview of the whole book led me to this overall main point:

Who is Yahweh, and why should you obey him? He is the God who 1) demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15), 2) prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18), and 3) builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

Pull It Together

Now what does this show us about the flow of thought in chapters 1-7?

  • Chapter 1 serves to introduce the major conflict and need: Nobody can prevent God from keeping his promises. But it left us with a question: HOW will God go about fulfilling his promises in such a dire situation as his people’s oppression and infanticide?
  • Beginning with chapter 2, the Lord answers this question by raising up a mediator for his people. Each section places another piece into this puzzle.
    • Exodus 2: The mediator is not yet ready for these people, nor are these people ready for him.
    • Exodus 3:1-4:17: The mediator must overcome his own hesitations.
    • Exodus 4:18-31: The mediator must become like his people in every way.
    • Exodus 5:1-21: For both the mediator and the people, things must get worse before they can get better.
    • Exodus 5:22-7:7: Moses himself is not enough to mediate for these people; even he needs a great high priest to make him what God wants him to be.

In a sense, these early chapters of Exodus serve as Moses’ boot camp. These chapters show us how much it matters to God to make sure his mediator is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance. And this boot camp serves as Part 1 of the book’s first act, the demolition of the house of slavery.

We can flesh out our outline of the book a little further:

Act I: Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15).

Introduction: Nobody can prevent Yahweh from keeping his promises, but we’re not sure how he’ll do it (Ex 1).

Part 1: Yahweh appoints a mediator and ensures he is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance (Ex 2:1-7:7).

Part 2: ??? [We’ll begin studying this part in a few weeks.]

Act II: Yahweh prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18).

Act III: Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

Gaze Upon Jesus

I hope you can already see the many connections to the work of Christ:

  • Like Moses, Jesus had to be made like his people in every way (Heb 2:17).
    • He also had to escape an evil king who murdered all the infant boys (Matt 2:16).
    • He also had to escape from Egypt (Matt 2:14-15).
    • He also had to experience a terrifying Passover (John 19:36, quoting Exodus 12), a crossing through water (Matt 3:13-17), and temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11)—all to reinforce his identity as God’s Son (Matt 3:17, 4:3, etc.).
  • Like Moses, Jesus encountered the glory of God—and Moses himself!—on a mountain (Luke 9:28-36).
  • Like Moses, Jesus had to work through his hesitations, submitting them to God’s will (Mark 14:36).
  • As with Moses, Jesus’ efforts made things worse before they could get better (Mark 3:6, 14:48-52, etc.).
  • Jesus didn’t need another high priest; he became a high priest far greater than Aaron (Heb 5:1-10).

Apply

Did you ever realize how much Jesus went through to win you? He couldn’t just snap his fingers to forgive your sins. He had some serious work to do—all to ensure he would be fully qualified and trained to serve as your mediator and high priest.

Marvel at this God who would become a man to do this for you!

Now you represent him to your world. Don’t expect it to be easy. As God sends you out to rescue sinners by preaching the gospel to all nations, he’s not yet finished with you. In fact, he’s probably just getting started on you. Some of your most significant growth in Christ will come only after you accept the call to go out and bring Christ to others. But God sent his Spirit to qualify and train you to this task.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 5:22-7:7: How to Deal with Excruciating Criticism

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In Exodus 5:1-21, Moses brings his message of rest for the enslaved people of God. And this message ends up making the people stink in the sight of their oppressors. They blame Moses for worsening their predicament, and they ask the Lord to judge him for it. What will Moses do now?

Observation of Exodus 5:22-7:7

Moses does what any of us might do in his place: find someone else to blame. Israel’s elders blame him (Ex 5:20-21), so he turns to blame God (Ex 5:22-23). It’s as though Moses’ objections from his conversation with the burning bush are coming true, and he wants God to know it. What will the Lord do with this?

Let me comment on why I’m ignoring two chapter divisions in this section. That is, why did I select a chunk of text from Ex 5:22 all the way to Ex 7:7? This choice came from observing the structure:

A. Moses complains to the Lord – 5:22-23

B. The Lord communicates his plan to Moses – 6:1-9

C. God commands Moses, who complains of his uncircumcised lips – 6:10-13

D. Genealogy of Aaron’s line – 6:14-25

C’ God commands Moses, who complains of his uncircumcised lips – 6:26-30

B’ The Lord communicates his plan to Moses – 7:1-5

A’ Moses and Aaron obey, just as the Lord commanded them – 7:6-7

Matthew Piper (2010), Creative Commons

Matthew Piper (2010), Creative Commons

First, I noticed the almost exact repetition of Moses’ “uncircumcised lips” in Ex 6:12 and Ex 6:30. Then I saw that the passage begins with Moses’ dire complaint and ends with Moses’ complete obedience. In between those sections came speeches from the Lord about his plans, each speech about the same length. The goal stated in God’s first speech is that the Israelites will know this God is Yahweh (Ex 6:7); the goal stated in the second speech is that the Egyptians will know this God is Yahweh (Ex 7:5)—these purposes have obvious parallels. And I couldn’t make sense of why the genealogy was “stuck in” this passage until I saw how the other sections mirrored one another around it.

I could list more observations, but observation and interpretation are so intertwined for me in this study, I find it difficult to distinguish them.

Interpretation of Exodus 5:22-7:7

Some possible questions:

  1. Why is the genealogy of Ex 6:14-25 stuck in the middle of this passage?
  2. How does Moses turn things around so completely from despair to obedience?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The structure of this passage takes the form of a “chiasm,” named after the Greek letter chi, shaped like an X. The outline above shows visually why the structure is reminiscent of the letter X. This literary form is common in ancient literature, including the Bible, and the form communicates some of the meaning of the passage. Usually, a narrator crafts a text in this form in order to highlight two things: 1) the change of affairs from the first part to the last part, and 2) the center of the structure as the crux or turning point to effect that change. In this case, Moses transforms from complaint to obedience. And the turning point for him is…a genealogy.
  2. The answer is closely connected to the genealogy. This genealogy at first seems to be a listing of the 12 sons of Israel, beginning with the firstborn Reuben (Ex 6:14) and proceeding to next-oldest Simeon (Ex 6:15) and Levi (Ex 6:16). But, instead of proceeding to Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, etc., the genealogy gets stuck at Levi and dives deeper. It follows the line down from Levi to his son Kohath (Ex 6:18), to his son Amram (Ex 6:20), to his son Aaron (Ex 6:23), to his son Eleazar and his son Phinehas (Ex 6:25). We also get a side branch in this family tree through Kohath’s son Izhar (Ex 6:21) to his son Korah (Ex 6:24). Interestingly, Moses is named as Aaron’s brother (Ex 6:20), but then he is ignored. The genealogist cares only about Aaron’s descendants, not Moses’.

What does that genealogy have to do with Moses’ turnaround from Ex 5:22 to Ex 7:6? Remember that when the book of Exodus was written and handed to the people, they were either camping at Mount Sinai or wandering in the wilderness. Either way, they would have immediately thought of Aaron, Eleazar, and Phinehas as the line of high priests. So at the center of this passage, the narrator reminds them of this high-priestly line as the turning point for Moses’ obedience. It is no coincidence that God’s speech right after the genealogy refers to Aaron as Moses’ prophet (Ex 7:1-2). In other words, Moses is not sufficient to carry out this deliverance from Pharaoh. Even he needs a high priest. Even he needs a prophet to speak on his behalf.

Train of thought:

  • Moses—God’s appointed mediator—hits rock bottom when the elders of Israel accuse him of making them stink to Pharaoh.
  • God counsels his mediator by reminding him of the promises and plans yet to be fulfilled.
  • Then, at the drama’s turning point, God (narratively speaking) inserts a glorious reminder of our great high priest.
  • Suddenly, Moses is like a new man, ready to obey completely.
  • From this point to the end of Exodus, Moses will have no further relapses into doubt—even in the face of further resistance and accusation (Ex 14:11-14, 17:2, etc.). In fact, he will even remind God a few times to keep his promises (Ex 32:11-14, 33:12-16).

Main Point: Yahweh is a God who provides not only a powerful mediator but also a great high priest to deliver his people and proclaim he is God.

Connection to Christ: In Christ we have both a mediator more perfect than Moses and a high priest better than the line of Aaron.

Application of Exodus 5:22-7:7

I’ve suffered my fair share of criticism as a leader, minister, and missionary. I’ve had the very people I serve turn against me and accuse me of doing them wrong. I know what it feels like to want—no, to need—someone else to blame.

My greatest need in that moment, as in any and every moment of my walk with God, is for a great high priest who will intercede for me before the throne of grace. I don’t need public vindication. I don’t even need to be right or understood. I just need Jesus. And as an under-shepherd of God, rooted in Christ, I also just need to obey.

This is not easy. But this yoke is lighter than any other.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 5:1-21: The God of Rest and Stink

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God has entrusted his mission to Moses, and he’s enabled Moses to relate to experiences of the Israelites. Moses is now ready to act as God’s mediator and deliver these people. But first, God has a little more work to do…1

Observation of Exodus 5:1-21

Repeated words:

  • If we look only at each word, the most repeated ones are some of the usual ones: people (12 times), go, Pharaoh, said (9x), Israel, Lord (6x).
  • But if we look at word families, a major theme jumps off the page
    • Words having to do with work or labor occur more than 70 times.
    • These words include: straw (9x), bricks (7x), foremen, make, work (5x), servants, taskmasters (4x), idle, reduce, task (3x), beaten, burdens, daily, gather, get, give, given, made (2x), complete, done, find, heavier, impose, labor, scattered, stubble (1x).

Names/titles:

  • Though Pharaoh is given his usual title 9 times, once in the passage he is referred to as “the king of Egypt” (Ex 5:4). In that verse, this king demands that his slaves return to their burdens.
  • God’s name (Yahweh, or “LORD”) remains prominent, especially as Pharaoh asks, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice?” and claims, “I do not know Yahweh” (Ex 5:2).

Structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 5:1-5): Alternating dialogue about the fate of the sons of Israel.
    • Moses & Aaron (Ex 5:1), Pharaoh (Ex 5:2), Moses & Aaron (Ex 5:3), king of Egypt (Ex 5:4).
    • Pharaoh then gets the last word (Ex 5:5)
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 5:6-9): Pharaoh increases the burdens on the people.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 5:10-14): Taskmasters pass along Pharaoh’s wishes and beat the Hebrew foremen for failing to meet quotas.
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 5:15-21): The foremen cry out to Pharaoh, and are accused of being idle. On their way out, they meet Moses and Aaron and blame them for worsening their slavery.
Alain (2012), Creative Commons

Alain (2012), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 5:1-21

Some of my questions:

  1. Why are these work-related words repeated so much?
  2. What makes Pharaoh think the people are idle? They’ve already built at least 2 cities for him (Ex 1:11)!
  3. Why have the people shifted so quickly from worship (Ex 4:31) to blaming Moses and Aaron (Ex 5:21)?
  4. Why would God begin the deliverance of his people by making their lives so much harder?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The narrator shows us this new Pharaoh’s gut reaction to the problem of the people being “many” (Ex 5:5). His predecessor enslaved them and tried to murder and drown their sons. This Pharaoh wants to keep control by giving them more work to do. Work, work, work. Labor, burdens, servants. Foremen, taskmasters, bricks, straw. Words are multiplied to an extreme to show Pharaoh’s chief strategy: let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words (Ex 5:9). But what are the “lying words” he fears so much? He shows his hand in his last word to Moses and Aaron in Ex 5:5: “You make them rest from their burdens!” The word rest occurs only here, in huge contrast to the 70+ occurrences of “work”-related words. Pharaoh perceives that Moses and Aaron (and therefore Yahweh) want to give the Hebrews rest. So his solution is to increase their work.
  2. Pharaoh’s problem clearly is not with the people, but with Moses and Aaron who want to make them rest. And especially with Yahweh, the God of rest (Ex 5:1-2).
  3. Of course, they’re upset by the increased workload. But even more, they are concerned “because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants” (Ex 5:21). Moses and Aaron led them to worship Yahweh (Ex 4:31), but Yahweh has proven to be a God who makes his people stink. That’s just not fair.
  4. God already said Pharaoh would not let them go unless compelled (Ex 3:19). God would have to strike Egypt with mighty wonders (Ex 3:20). (Perhaps this is why Moses and Aaron fear pestilence or sword against themselves in Ex 5:3.) God would harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill his son (Ex 4:21-23). We don’t exactly know why God would do it this way, other than perhaps to show his people that they can do nothing to deliver themselves. To learn that lesson, they must be in a situation that goes from bad to worsest.

Train of thought:

  • Yahweh wants to give his people rest.
  • This idea stinks to those who don’t respect such a God.
  • Therefore, God’s people stink to those who don’t know or respect Yahweh.
  • It is not easy for God’s people to go through this, but it is an important part of their eventual deliverance.

Main Point: The LORD makes his people rest and stink.

Connection to Christ: Jesus came to make God’s people rest from all their works (Matt 11:28-30, Hebrews 3:7-4:13). This plan of deliverance made Jesus stink (Mark 3:1-6), and it makes God’s resting people likewise stink to those who think they must work harder for God’s approval (2 Cor 2:14-17).

My Application of Exodus 5:1-21

Inward, head application: Why am I still surprised every time my faith in Christ makes me stink to those who are perishing (1 Peter 4:12-14)? I must expect to enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation (Acts 14:22). This stink is a crucial part of attaining my rest.

Outward, hands application: When I preach the gospel of Christ, I must preach a message of both rest and stink. The work of Christ’s salvation is done; there’s nothing more we can add to it. And the world will hate us for it; men love darkness rather than light.

1Much of my thinking on this passage was influenced by a marvelous sermon preached recently at my church by my colleague Tom Hallman. Tom explained this text so well, I may never again be able to think of it apart from the categories of rest and stink.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 4:18-31: Made Like His Brothers in Every Way

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God delivers Moses through a watery judgment to preserve him as a deliverer for his people. But those people reject God’s deliverance through Moses’ hand. Forty years later, God appears to Moses in a bush the burns yet is not consumed. And though he once again calls Moses to a compassionate deliverance of the afflicted people of God, Moses is understandably reluctant to commit. He’s willing to try (or at least not risk God’s further anger – Ex 4:14) and see if it just might work.

Observation of Exodus 4:18-31

Significant repeated words in ESV: Moses (12 times), him (9x), go, LORD/Yahweh (8x), he, said (7x), all (6x), back, Egypt, let, people, son (5x).

  • This list effectively comprises a good summary of observations: Moses and Yahweh go back to Egypt to let all the people/sons of Israel go.

Names/Titles:

  • Moses, Yahweh, and Pharaoh are all named multiple times.
  • Zipporah shows up again, with a feat of courageous valor.
  • Zipporah’s son is not named (unlike Ex 2:22). He’s just “her son.”
  • Aaron comes on-stage for the first time.

Structure: This passage takes the form of 4 short scenes marked by the changes in setting and characters:

  1. Paragraph 1 (Ex 4:18-20): Moses request Jethro’s permission to leave. God repeats the mission, and Moses departs with staff in hand.
  2. Paragraph 2 (Ex 4:21-23): Yahweh tells Moses what to expect: Do all the miracles, but I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and threaten his son.
  3. Paragraph 3 (Ex 4:24-26): By means of a sudden, bloody circumcision, Zipporah delivers him when God seeks to put him to death.
  4. Paragraph 4 (Ex 4:27-31): Aaron and Moses meet, gather Israel’s elders, speak God’s words, and perform God’s signs. The people believe and worship.

Interpretation of Exodus 4:18-31

Some of my questions:

  1. Why are the first 3 paragraphs here? The story would have made plenty of sense if Ex 4:17 was immediately followed by Ex 4:27-31. And it would have saved us many questions…
  2. Why does Moses say he wants to see if his brothers are alive (Ex 4:18)? Doesn’t he yet understand his mission to rescue them?
  3. What kind of God would harden someone’s heart (Ex 4:21)? Why would God make this deliverance any more difficult than it needs to be?
  4. What on earth is happening at the lodging place (Ex 4:24-26)? Why would God seek to kill Moses when he went through all the trouble of calling him as the deliverer?
Bob Kelly (2015), Creative Commons

Bob Kelly (2015), Creative Commons

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The terminology of this section has much overlap with Genesis 46, where Jacob and his family move to Egypt: go back to Egypt, see if my brother(s) is/are still alive, took wife and sons, describe what they rode on, preparing to meet Pharaoh, encounter with Yahweh at a lodging place along the way, repetition of “people” and “son,” brother coming the other way from Egypt to meet him, happy reunion. Really, you should read Genesis 46:1-34 back-to-back with Exodus 4:18-31. You can’t miss all the similarities.
  2. This question cements the connection to Israel’s descent into Egypt in Genesis 46 (see especially Gen 45:28, 46:30). I think there is much reason to believe the narrator wants us to see the parallels, and think of Moses’ descent into Egypt as parallel to Israel’s descent to Egypt. We’ve already seen that Moses has begun to experience what Israel will later experience (Ex 3:12). If he is to qualify as their mediator, he should understand what it’s like to be them, right? What better way to do that than to have Moses relive Israel’s experience?
  3. Unfortunately, I don’t think this text answers this question. We’ll have to hang on to it for another day. At this point, it seems all we need to know is that he is, in fact, this kind of God. And that he has some reason for increasing the difficulty level of this challenge.
  4. There is much mystery here. Some translations fill in names where there are none in the Hebrew. Yahweh met “him” and sought to put “him” to death (Ex 4:24). Zipporah cut off her son’s foreskin and touched “his” feet with it (Ex 4:25). So “he” let “him” alone. Many things are unclear, but a few are clear: At a place of lodging, God draws near to put someone to death. It has something to do with the son. The thing that causes God to let him alone is the flinging of blood (blood is even repeated two times). Do you get it? This sounds a lot like Passover, yet to come in chapters 11-13! Moses experiences his own Passover-type event as part of his preparation to be a mediator for the people. It’s easy for us to forget how tense and terrifying that first Passover night must have been for the people of Israel. But Moses had already been through it. He could relate to them, and he could help them through it. It takes a gruesome display of blood to rescue God’s sons and make them his true sons.

Train of thought:

  • Moses leaves the mountain and descends into Egypt, just as Israel did 400 years earlier.
  • God will defend his son, even if he has to harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill his son.
  • Moses must experience the worst of what Israel will soon likewise experience.
  • With Moses now able to both represent God and understand what his people are going through, all are ready for the great deliverance.

Main Point: One qualified to serve as God’s faithful and merciful mediator must be made like his brothers in every way. Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Connection to Christ: You’ll see I’ve already drawn heavily on Hebrews 2:17-18:

Therefore [Jesus] had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

It’s no coincidence that the very next verses contrast Jesus, the faithful Son, with Moses, the faithful servant (Heb 3:1-6).

My Application of Exodus 4:18-31

Outward, Hands application: When I want to influence others toward Christ, words are not enough. Of course, I must speak God’s words; I cannot make excuses to do away with that step. But I must also enter in. I must experience what they experience, suffer what they suffer, weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. My evangelism should be not as focused on packaging the message just right, as it should be focused on crafting the message to connect with the real-world hopes, dreams, fears, and histories of the people God has called me to serve.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

What to Expect of My Sample Bible Studies

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I’ve been posting a series of sample Bible studies through the book of Exodus. The purpose of this post is to let you into the dark recesses of my mind, so you may know what I’m up to and why. Instead of explaining my intentions and assumptions in every post—those posts are long enough already—I’ll list those intentions and assumptions here and link back here each time for reference.

Stefan (2014), Creative Commons

Stefan (2014), Creative Commons

What I’m Doing

With these sample Bible studies in Exodus, I’d like to show you how I go about my Bible study. When I sit down to blog, I’ve probably been thinking about the passage generally, but I don’t yet know what I will conclude about the passage’s structure, main point, connection to Christ, or application. So as I write, I’m coming to the text fresh, and I’m doing my study “out loud” by writing the post. So please read these posts as simply my thought process in working through observation, interpretation, and application.

I will show you how I observe a text for the first time—almost always by collecting repeated words. Then moving on to names & titles, then grammar & structure. I’ll mention other components (genre, mood, comparison and contrast, etc.) as they pop out to me.

I will show you how I work through interpretation—taking my list of observations and being as curious as possible. Asking a few key “why” questions, with some “what” and “so what” questions where appropriate. But I’m always working to assimilate and pull things together. I want to follow the train of thought (how the author gets us from the first verse to the last verse).

I will guess at the passage’s main point, and then I will connect that main point to the good news of Jesus Christ. After I’ve figured this out, I go back and craft a title for the blog post that highlights what I think may be the passage’s main point. [NOTE: In my personal study, this is the point at which I finally crack open some commentaries to check my work. Before then, I want only the inspired text—within its context—to speak loudest.]

I will let you in on how I must change in light of this text’s message. I can’t promise I’ll always have brilliant ideas for every one of the 6 boxes in the application matrix, but I’ll vary which boxes I land in each time.

What I’m Not Doing

I don’t claim to offer the definitive analysis of each passage. I have not spent hours crafting my ideas for written presentation. I probably haven’t read any commentaries or study guides yet, and I’m not trying to enter the scholarly conversations on these texts. With each post, I am not crafting a sermon or small group discussion guide. I’m not covering every possible question or thorny issue that may arise from the passage, nor am I stating which questions or thorny issues are the right ones to pursue. I’m not suggesting that your journey through observation, interpretation, and application should look exactly like mine.

Many things in the previous paragraph are good and right things to do. I’m just not doing them with these posts.

About Application…

My thoughts on application are usually much briefer than those on observation and interpretation. There are a few reasons for this:

  1. Application is really hard, and I’m happy to admit it is so.
  2. Application takes me longer than observation or interpretation, and I don’t have enough time to process it deeply every time I sit down to blog.
  3. There are many, many articles online that focus on applying the Bible to the various aspects of life. Just google whatever topic you’re interested in, and you’ll find a trove. But there are few articles that focus on how to properly observe and interpret the Bible. I’m trying to fill that niche here.
  4. Getting specific would require pages of context every time in order to prevent misunderstanding or over-generalizing (communicating that you need to change the same way I need to change). It’s much simpler to propose a few directions for potential application.

That said, I aim to make my application genuine each time. These paragraphs capture truly how the text impacts me, at my current stage of life, as I study it.

Why I’m Doing What I’m Doing

I find that most people don’t truly grasp OIA Bible study until they’ve been able to 1) see it done well, and 2) practice it themselves. I can’t do anything about the second point, but with these posts I’d like to help you with the first. I’ll do my best to do it well, but you’ll have to judge.

On this blog, we’ve written much about the principles of good Bible study, but those principles can still leave you wondering what it looks like to follow them in real-time. Hence, these posts on Exodus. Please let me know what would serve you as I let you into my head and walk you through my study of the book of Exodus.

Exodus 3:1-4:17: The Making of a Mediator

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Exodus begins with God’s people, the nation of Israel, becoming enslaved to a devilish king of Egypt. The narrator makes it clear that God sees, hears, and knows everything that is happening to his people, and that God has not forgotten his promises to make them a great nation. But in the opening narratives, God takes a back seat. He doesn’t do much as a character in the story…

Until you get to chapter 3.

Observation of Exodus 3:1-4:17

First, let me address why I’m tackling more than a single chapter. By portraying a single conversation, the passage compels us to ignore the (somewhat artificial) chapter division and to read Ex 3:1-4:17 as a single unit:

  • Moses meets the God of his father in a flame of fire – 3:1-6
  • The LORD reveals his plan to rescue his people through the hand of Moses – 3:7-10
  • Moses objects to this plan, and God responds to each objection – 3:11-4:17
    • Objection #1: Who am I? – 3:11-12
    • Objection #2: Who shall I say sent me? – 3:13-22
    • Objection #3: They won’t believe me – 4:1-9
    • Objection #4: I am not eloquent – 4:10-12
    • Objection #5: Please send someone else – 4:13-17

Repeated words in ESV: you/your (58 times), I (31x), God (28x), said (22x), Lord (18), Moses (15), out (14), hand (13), not (12)

  • Since the passage is a long Q&A between Moses and God, we shouldn’t be surprised to see words like “you” and “I” so often. But they also highlight the nature of the conversation: This discussion isn’t about merely “what” will happen, but about what “you” and “I” will do about it.
  • The repetition of “hand” is also striking. Whose hand will be mighty enough to care for these people (Ex 3:19)? Pharaoh’s (Ex 3:8)? God’s (Ex 3:20)? Or God’s hand as represented by Moses’ hand (Ex 4:2, 6, 17, etc.)?

Names and Titles:

  • God’s name—the LORD, or Yahweh—takes center stage. He is I AM (Ex 3:14), the God of their fathers (Ex 3:15), who has seen (Ex 3:16) and promises to do something (Ex 3:17).
  • Twice, the LORD repeats the list of 6 nations who must be dispossessed from the new land of promise (Ex 3:8, 17).
  • Four times, God calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex 3:6, 15, 16; 4:5).
  • Eight times, the people to be rescued are labeled the people/children of Israel (Ex 3:9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18)—connecting them to their forefather Jacob. And once—when Moses is to speak with the king of Egypt—they are labeled as Hebrews (Ex 3:18). This latter term likely connects their identity to their ancestor Eber, in whose days the nations were divided (Gen 10:24-25). Pharaoh wanted to build another Babel (Ex 1:10-11, 14; Gen 11:3-4); he’ll get it unexpectedly, when God splits nations apart once again.
Garry Wilmore (2006), Creative Commons

Garry Wilmore (2006), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 3:1-4:17

A few possible questions:

  1. Why does God appear in a burning bush?
  2. Why won’t God just save the people himself? Why is he so committed to doing it through Moses (Ex 3:10)?
  3. Why does Moses have so many objections?
  4. Why is it so important for Moses to have God’s name to give the people?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. Twice, the text tells us the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. First, the narrator states it (Ex 3:2). Second, Moses mentions it out loud as the reason he turns aside from his shepherding (Ex 3:3). This visual image clearly matters, as it pictures the nature of God: He who burns but does not consume. He is dangerous, but not destructive. You should come close, but not too close. Later, the book will unpack this image—on this very mountain—as the consuming fire dwells in the cloud (Ex 19:18, 24:17-18). And God will more fully reveal his name to Moses as grace and truth (Ex 34:6-7). The image in chapter 3 gives us a beautiful word picture: the bush burns (truth), but is not consumed (grace). This is the nature of God’s glory. Not grace OR truth, but both grace AND truth.
  2. This is how God has chosen to do it. God says both “I have come down to deliver them” (Ex 3:8) and “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people out of Egypt” (Ex 3:10). Moses clearly represents God to Pharaoh (Ex 3:10) and the people (Ex 4:16). And, by having this experience with this God on this mountain (an experience the people will share later in the book – see Ex 3:12), Moses is representing the people before God. In other words, God will save his people, but the only way to do it is through a mediator.
  3. Well, how would you feel if you had already tried to deliver these people once before? And they had utterly rejected your deliverance? And you had to flee Egypt as a result? And you’ve had 40 years to stew on all this (Acts 7:30)? And you’re very happy with your new life and your new family? And you’ve made peace with being a sojourner in a foreign land (Ex 2:22)? Notice, however, that God is very patient in answering all Moses’ objections…until Moses renders a flat refusal (Ex 4:13). Only then does God’s anger burn against Moses (Ex 4:14). These people are as good as dead to Moses; but this God is not God of the dead but of the living (Mark 12:24-27).
  4. Vast theological treatises explore the philosophical ramifications of God’s self-revelation in Ex 3:14-15. Those are all well and good, but we must not overlook the purpose of this revelation in the story’s context: Moses needs some way to verify his testimony. If he goes back to Egypt, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to these people who have already rejected him, and he speaks of a meeting with the God of their fathers on a remote mountaintop—they’ll want to verify he’s speaking about the right God. How will they know this is the same God who made those promises to their fathers? And God’s name, his self-existence, his eternality, etc.—all provide the required verification.

Train of thought:

  • At the beginning, Moses is cheerfully keeping his father-in-laws flocks (Ex 3:1).
  • At the end, he will request leave from these duties (Ex 4:18).
  • This conversation on the mountain of God transforms Moses from being indifferent to the people’s plight to being committed to rescue them. He gets there as God lays out the plan and addresses each objection.

Main Point: God must deliver his people through the hand of a mediator, however hesitant he may be.

Connection to Christ: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). And though this true mediator wished for some other way, unlike Moses he never refused his calling (Mark 15:35-36).

My Application of Exodus 3:1-4:17

Now that I am in Christ, I, too, have a mediatorial role (James 5:19-20, Jude 23). Am I willing to embrace it? “I’m not eloquent” or “Evangelism isn’t my gift” simply won’t cut it. Unless I’m willing to risk the Lord’s burning anger at my refusal.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 2: Do You Want Deliverance Or Not?

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Exodus 1 showed us a new devil attempting to take God’s place in the life of God’s people, and the chapter left us wondering what would come of his decree to drown the sons. The Lord will reveal something about himself in this chapter that none of us would ever have expected.

Observation of Exodus 2

As usual, though my list must be highly selective, I hope it still proves representative of the narrator’s intentions.

Most repeated words in ESV: Moses, said (each 10 times), child, daughter, when (each 8x), Pharaoh (7x), God, water (each 6x).

  • Because “said” repeats so many times, dialogue will become much more important in this chapter.
  • Pharaoh sought to stamp out the sons, but God will respond through the “child” of the “daughter.” Very sneaky.
  • At first, I’m inclined to overlook “when” as being significant. But upon further investigation, the repetition clues me in on an important motif: When x, then y. In other words, the event sequence matters. There is an order to things here, and God is facilitating events to happen just so.

Names/Titles:

  • It’s noteworthy that the narrator will later tell us the names of Moses’ parents (Ex 6:20) and sister (Ex 15:20). But for now, we’re meant to think of them only in terms of their literary roles: man, woman, mother, sister, and daughter.

Grammar/structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 2:1-10): A Hebrew woman delivers a fine child through the river and into the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter.
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 2:11-15): A Hebrew man rejects the deliverance Moses attempts, and Pharaoh’s vengeance squeezes Moses out of Egypt and into Midian.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 2:16-22): Moses (thought to be “an Egyptian” – Ex 2:19) delivers seven Midianite daughters through well water. they cheerfully receive his deliverance by extending hospitality, a family, and a new identity as sojourner.
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 2:23-25): The king of Egypt dies, and the God of the living knows his people and remembers his duty to them.
Steve Perin (2007), Creative Commons

Steve Perin (2007), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 2

A few possible questions:

  1. What does it mean for baby Moses to be “fine”, and why does this fact motivate his mother to hide him and save his life?
  2. Why are we given no names except Moses, Reuel (priest of Midian), Zipporah (Moses’ Midianite wife), and Gershom (Moses’ son)?
  3. Why is deliverance such a repeated theme?
  4. Why is water such a repeated theme?
  5. So what must we conclude about Moses’ behavior in murdering the Egyptian?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. A short jaunt into a Hebrew tool reveals that the word for “fine” is the same word in Genesis 1 translated “good.” The phrase is very similar to “And God saw that it was good”—”She saw that he was good.” So, as with Exodus 1, we see more connections back to Genesis. In addition, the word used for baby Moses’ “basket” is the same word used for Noah’s “ark,” and this word occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. With the birth of Moses, God is making a new creation, a new beginning for his people, and Moses is the firstborn of this new creation. This new beginning includes a new deliverance from water through water, just like Noah. This causes us to expect something earth-shattering will soon take place.
  2. The point is not so much who these people are, but what role they play. Pharaoh targeted the sons, so the daughters (including his own) work to undermine him. And with a “man” and a “woman” conceiving and bearing a son, we can’t help but think of the first man and woman at the first creation. This leads us to see the “new creation” idea even more clearly in Moses. And interestingly, Reuel may mean “friend of God”—the priest of Midian, who invites Moses into his home and family, stands in stark contrast to both the Egyptian and Hebrew people.
  3. God foreshadows his intentions. He will, no he must, deliver his people—because of his promises to their ancestors. Moses’ role in the story of Israel will be to deliver in God’s name. He experiences deliverance himself and takes a first stab at it.
  4. Water contributes to the “new creation” theme (see answer to question #1).
  5. Many (most?) modern readers and commentators are quick to condemn Moses’ actions here as being rash and sinful. That might be true, but the text never draws attention to the rashness or sinfulness of these actions. In fact, the chief point of tension occurs not when Moses kills the Egyptian, but when the Hebrew rejects Moses as a prince or judge over him. It is that rejection, and not the murder itself, which causes Moses to flee from Egypt to Midian. What might have happened if Israel had trusted that “God was giving them salvation by his hand”? We should note that the first martyr Stephen interprets this episode in just this way (Acts 7:23-29). We would do well to follow Stephen’s lead on how to read this story.

Train of thought:

  • Pharaoh’s decree to drown the sons has an unintended effect: the creation of a deliverer (aided and abetted by his own household!).
  • But the people who need deliverance reject the potential deliverer.
  • The deliverer must flee and take his deliverance to a different people-group, who, while outside the covenants of promise, are yet eager to receive God’s deliverance.
  • But God is not yet done with his covenant people. The people who reject and thus don’t deserve deliverance will find that their God is a God who ever hears their groaning, remembers his covenant, and knows what to do.

Main Point: God will deliver his people through the hand of his appointed deliverer…just not yet.

Connection to Christ: He came to his own, and even his own did not receive him (John 1:11). And even those who have received him, who have become children of God (John 1:12), still must wait eagerly for him to appear a second time to truly, finally save them (Hebrews 9:28).

Application of Exodus 2

Application should be as varied as the people who put it into practice. Here is mine for today.

Inward:

  • Head: Do I believe that I am delivered from sin’s penalty, but must wait eagerly to be delivered from sin’s presence once and for all?
  • Heart: Do I trust God’s appointed deliverer to be a prince and judge over me?
  • Hands: Choose eagerness instead of disillusionment when I bump into rejection and the pain of life.

Outward:

  • Head: Teach my children to trust in Jesus through the pain they face today.
  • Heart: Inspire my children to long to become agents of deliverance to the world around them, in the image of the firstborn Son of God.
  • Hands: Talk with my children about how they can present Christ to some of their friends.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 1: Though This World, With Devils Filled, Should Threaten to Undo Us

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If I am correct that the main point of Exodus is to ask, and then answer, the question, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?” (Ex 5:2)—we should expect chapter 1 to somehow set up this main idea. And in fact, it does so, by establishing the characters and creating the conditions under which the question must be posed.

Observation of Exodus 1

Of course, there are many, many observations to be made. For the sake of space, my list will have to be selective. But in these sample Bible studies, I plan to mention what appears to be most important.

Significant repeated words in ESV: Egypt (7 times), Israel (7x), people (7x), all (6x), midwives (6x), live/lives (5x), Hebrews (4x), multiply (4x), sons (3x).

  • This passage has much to say about the “people” and their experience in Egypt.
  • And the “people” are closely connected to the “sons.” They are called “sons of Israel” in Ex 1:1, but “people of Israel” in Ex 1:7 (though a quick look at an original language reference tool will reveal that the identical Hebrew phrase is used in both verses).
  • The passage ends with multiple attacks on the “sons” of Israel. God blesses the midwives with “families,” which presumably include sons.
  • In addition, the thread of “multiplication” carries through every paragraph.

Names and titles:

  • The most repeated words (see above) are specific names of the two primary nations.
  • The opening line highlights the names of characters: “These are the names of the sons of Israel…”
  • The narrator goes out of his way to name the two Hebrew midwives in Ex 1:15 – Shiphrah and Puah.
  • But he never bothers to name the hostile king. He’s referred to only as “king of Egypt” (4x) or “Pharaoh” (3x).

Grammar/Structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 1:1-7): Joseph, his brothers, and all his generation died in Egypt. But death could not prevent them from multiplying.
    • The language of these verses remind us of Genesis (sons of Israel, 70 persons, generation), especially Genesis 1: fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, land was filled with them.
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 1:8-10): A new king over Egypt wants to deal shrewdly in order to prevent further multiplication, and to keep the people of Israel in one place.
    • The language of these verses remind us of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9): unnamed figures hostile to God, “come, let us,” prevent multiplication and scattering.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 1:11-14): Shrewd dealing #1: Afflict them with heavy burdens. But they keep multiplying (Ex 1:12).
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 1:15-21): Shrewd dealing #2: Murder the sons. But they keep multiplying (Ex 1:20), and the midwives get families (Ex 1:21).
  • Paragraph 5 (Ex 1:22): Shrewd dealing #3: Drown the sons.
    • This final dealing leaves us with a lingering question: Will they keep multiplying?
Crossett Library (2011), Creative Commons

Crossett Library (2011), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 1

A few possible questions:

  1. Why are the names such an important part of the chapter?
  2. Why does it matter so much that the sons of Israel keep multiplying?
  3. Why does the king of Egypt want to prevent them from multiplying?
  4. Are the midwives lying to Pharaoh, and is it okay for us to lie to evil dictators?
  5. Will the king of Egypt succeed in his shrewd dealing?
  6. So what should God’s people expect as they live in God’s world and trust in God’s promises to the saints of old?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The new king of Egypt didn’t know Joseph (Ex 1:8). If we read Genesis—and this chapter seriously suggests we should read Genesis to understand what’s going on here—we can know Joseph. And God knows Joseph. And his father Jacob, and Isaac, Abraham, Noah, and Adam. God knows, and God remembers. But the king of Egypt? He’s nobody. He’s a no-name. We can’t remember him (scholars still debate over which Pharaoh this was). He can’t take God’s place or stand in God’s way.
  2. God’s people will complete God’s original mission to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28). If death can’t stop them (Ex 1:1-7), a devilish king of Egypt certainly won’t have any better success (Ex 1:8-22).
  3. Ex 1:8-10 portray him like one of the Babelites from Gen 11:1-9. He wants to take God’s place. He wants to have power over life and death, creation and recreation, justice and injustice. He wants the knowledge of good and evil (the authority to make his own decisions). He will work against God’s stated purposes, and keep these people in his land, in so far as it suits him if war breaks out.
  4. I have an opinion here. But, honestly, the question is so far removed from the author’s intention that it’s not worth as much time as we usually spend on it. Suffice it to say that one who deals shrewdly against God’s purposes will have shrewd dealings done against him. Such divine irony carries through the book of Exodus.
  5. You’ll have to keep reading Exodus, but (SPOILER ALERT) no. Pharaoh’s 3 shrewd dealings turn against him, as the Lord afflicts him with heavy burdens (Ex 7-10), murders his sons (Ex 11-13), and drowns his sons (Ex 14-15).
  6. There exist forces hostile to God’s promises and plans. But they will not succeed. Death cannot win. And devils (such as Pharaoh) run rampant and must rise up against us. Only in the context of such hostility will we truly find out who the LORD is, and why we should obey his voice!

Train of thought:

  • We pick up right where Genesis left off. Everyone dies, but God’s plans for fruitful multiplication prevail.
  • A new devil arises to claim God’s place.
    • He makes 3 attempts to bring an end to God’s plans for fruitful multiplication.
    • We’re waiting to discover what follows the decree to drown the sons

Main Point: The sons of God have many enemies, but none can prevent God’s promises from being fulfilled.

Connection to Christ: The Son of God himself had many enemies. None could prevent him from winning many brothers. If they had known what they were doing, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:8). Their own tactics (persecution and murder) have turned against them to bring about the Lord’s greatest triumph.

Application of Exodus 1

Here is my application. You’re a different person in a different context, so you may have to come up with your own. And if yours look very different from mine, that’s okay!

Inward: When I face trials of many kinds, do I allow them to shake my confidence in the Lord?

  • Head: Don’t be surprised when hostile forces (the world, the flesh, or the devil) work against my attempts to honor the Lord. Expect this to happen.
  • Heart: Fear the Lord God more than I fear any this-worldly powers.
  • Hands: Memorize Scripture, remind myself of the truth, and keep living the Christian life. Don’t stop doing what I know to do as a Christian, just because it becomes hard to do them.

Outward: When others face trials of many kinds, encourage them not to lose confidence in the Lord.

  • Head: Encourage my children and others I disciple to expect many trials. Help them learn to interpret these trials as having no power against God’s promises.
  • Heart: Train others to fear the Lord more than they fear this-worldly powers.
  • Hands: Keep preaching the gospel and making more disciples. It’s worth it to fight for traditional marriage, religious freedom, and the uniqueness of Christ. Political nations will rise and fall, but none can stop the gospel’s advance to all tribes and peoples

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.