S7
February; 1946
MONTH
THE
John A. Hubbard,,D. D.
The Book o f Exodus
overflow was necessary for the very existence of the people. Frogs were always a great menace to the Egyptians, who depended upon their goddess Heki to drive them away. Under the plagues, she is shown to be powerless, and Pharaoh is obliged to ask Moses to “Entreat Jehovah that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people” (8:8). The sun too was one of their deities so in the plague of darkness God showed His supernatural power by causing a thick darkness for the Egyptians, while the Israelites dwelt in light (10:21-23). There are tablets and inscriptions which show that the Pharaohs were objects of veneration and worship. In connection with the l a s t plague, Pharaoh was put in the same class with that of the l o w e s t prisoner (12:29). This was a severe blow to Egyptian idolatry. 5. Chapters 12, 13—Redemption. The redemption was of a twofold char acter: a. By blood, the Passover, Chapter 12 . The Passover was a type of Christ. “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). Of the many ways in which Christ was typified,'we men tion only three: (1) . The lamb must be unblemished. In 1 Peter 1:18, 19, we read that our redemption is accomplished by Christ “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (2) . The lamb must be slain. Its blood must be shed. We have “re demption through his blood” (Eph. 1:7; cf. Rom. 5:9; Heb. 9:22). it was absolutely essential that the Lord Jesus live a perfect life, but no one has ever been saved by His life. It was necessary that His blood be shed for our salvation.
body; during the second, he was learning to be nobody; and during the third, he was revealing what God could do with a man who had learned the first two things.' 3. Chapters 3-6—Moses called to de liver Israel. The trained man is now called to serve. The student should notice the various objections or ex cuses offered and the answers which Gad gave. For example, in verse 11 Moses is quoted as saying, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Moses here raises the objection of his inability, probably thinking of his failure forty years before (2:11-15). God answers: “Certainly I will be with thee.” It was not a question as to who Moses was, but whether he was really called of God, and would have the presence and power of God to carry out the commission. “It is not able men for whom God is looking, but willing men whom He can make able men.” 4. Chapters 7-12—The Ten Plagues. The student should read this passage carefully and make a list of these plagues. The main -object of the plagues was to teach Pharaoh who Jehovah was. In reply to Jehovah’s demand, “Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness,” Pharaoh answered, “Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, and moreover I will not let Israel go” (5:1, 2, R. V.). Now, care fully read Exodus 7:5, 17; 8:10,22; 9:14. Through these plagues, Pharaoh came to realize that Jehovah was the supreme God, infinitely greater than all of the gods of the Egyptians. Note that the plagues were a severe blow to the Egyptian gods. For example, the river Nile was an o b j e c t of Egyptian worship, since its annual
T HIS article is one that is' not merely to be read, but it is designed to help in a real study of the book of Exodus. Benefit will (be derived only as the références are looked up and carefully studied. I. INTRODUCTION. The word, “Ex odus” means “going out” It is so called because it relates the Israelites’ departure from Egypt. It continues the development of God’s p u r p o s e for Israel. In Genesis, we have family history; in Exodus, national history. Herein is fulfilled the prediction of Genesis 15:13, 14. ÎL BROAD OUTLINE. A. Chapters 1-13—Israel in Egypt. B. Chapters 14-18—Israel’s Journey It will be well to read)the entire book with this broad outline in mind before taking up a detailed study as suggested by the following notes. A. CHAPTERS 1-18 — I s r a e l in Egypt. This section may be studied with the following suggestions: 1. Chapter 1—The Bondage, a. Verses 8-10—The reason for the bondage. b. Verses 12-21—Severity of meth ods pursued by Pharaoh. The student may work out the details of the^e points. 2. Chapter 2—Birth and Training of Moses. Verses 1-10—Training in Egypt. This occupied a period of forty years (Acts 7:20-23). b. Verses 11-22—T r a i n i n g in Midian. This, likewise, extended over forty years (Acts 7:29, 30). • Moses’ entire life may be divided into three periods of forty years each. The third period was occupied in leading the children of Israel. It has been said that during the first forty ¿-ears, Moses was learning to be some from the Red Sea to Sinai. C. Chapters 19-40—Israel at Sinai.
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