Eden to Eternity Vol. 1, Exodus 1-12
Exodus: 2/66 | Author: Moses (assumed) | Old Testament | Pentateuch/Torah | 1805-1440 B.C. (estimated)
1. Israel Oppressed in Egypt
"But, the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly and multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them" (Exodus 1:7, CSB).
Sound familiar?
Due to their magnitude, the leader of Egypt became intimidated. He plotted to harness strict control over them, leading to their enslavement. However, they continued to multiply.
The next attempt to oppress the Israelites was to enact an order that all Israelite newborn boys were to be killed. But 1:17 says, "The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live."
"Since the midwives feared God, He gave them families" (1:21).
2. Moses's Birth and Adoption / Moses in Midian
Pharoah's daughter found a baby floating down the Nile in a woven basket; she retrieved it and named him Moses.
Slightly older, Moses killed an Egyptian after witnessing him abuse a Hebrew man. Worried that people would find out about this crime, he fled to Midian, where he found a wife and began a family.
Egypt's leaders passed, but the harsh treatment never ceased for the Israelites.
"The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor; and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their difficult labor ascended to God. And God heard their groaning; and God remebered His convenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob; and God saw the Israelites, and God knew" (2:23-25).
3. Moses and the Burning Bush
While tending to his livestock at Horeb (a location now known for encountering God's presence), an angel of the Lord appeared as a burning bush.
"As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but not consumed" (3:2).
The voice of God called out to Moses, and after Moses was instructed to take off his shoes, God introduced Himself as the Father and God of the men Moses knew by name. God also acknowledged his awareness of the suffering endured by the Israelites. Verse 10 is where Moses' assignment begins.
"Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."
Moses responded as anyone understandably would: But who am I? (3:11)
God assures Moses that He will be with him (3:12).
Moses continued asking God about the logistics of this mission. For God to respond in verse 14,
"I AM WHO I AM."
Then, God prepared Moses with a plan, warning him that Pharaoh would not be easy to convince.
4. Miraculous Signs for Moses / Moses's Return to Egypt / Reunion of Moses and Aaron
Chapter 4 begins with Moses still pondering the details. To help Moses convince potential doubters, God transformed Moses' staff into a snake and temporarily altered the appearance of Moses' hand. He also gave him a third way to prove himself to the masses by using the Nile River. Still, Moses worried about leading since he was insecure about his speaking ability.
"Who placed a mouth on humans? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you to speak and I will teach you what to say" (4:11-12).
Moses asked if God could send someone else (4:13).
The Lord says that He will have it so that his brother, Aaron, will assist him when sharing messages. He knows that Aaron has more confidence when speaking, and thus they can work together.
Moses packs up his family and travels back to Egypt, the place he previously fled from.
"Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signsbefore the people. The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshiped" (4:29-31).
5. Moses Confronts Pharaoh / Further Oppression in Israel
Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh to let their people go so they can worship the Lord. Pharaoh, being unfamiliar with God, denies this request.
Worried that the workload was attainable and would allot time to worship, Pharaoh cheated the laborers by supplying them with less material but upholding the same quota.
Seeing the distress, Moses questions why the Lord would put him in this position.
6. God Promises Freedom / Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh
No matter what Pharaoh declared, God had a plan for Moses and the Israelites. One of the many names of God is also introduced, Yahweh (6:3).
God recalls His covenant and instructs Moses to tell the Israelites that freedom awaits them. Moses is told to go before Pharaoh again and request that the people be released. But Moses asks how Pharaoh will listen if the Israelites aren't (6:12, 30).
7. Before Pharaoh / The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
Where no explanation is needed, God presents one to reassure Moses. Exodus 7:5 says, "The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them." As God said it would be, Moses was asked to perform a miracle for Pharaoh, displaying the serpent in place of his staff. However, Pharaoh likened this act to magic since sorcerers were able to do the same thing.
Moses and Aaron were well into their eighties at this time.
"Pharoah's heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said" (7:13).
The next day, following God's guidance, Moses turned the Nile into blood with the motion of his staff. This caused the aquatic life to die and not be potable. No one could drink from any water source in Egypt. The local magicians were able to perform the same act, so Pharaoh was not moved.
"Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said" (7:22).
8. The Second Plague: Frogs / The Third Plague: Gnats / The Fourth Plague: Swarms of Flies
Following God's orders, Moses asks Pharaoh again or warns him of an overtaking of frogs. Moses took his staff, and the frogs rose out of the bodies of water onto the land. Perhaps making a breakthrough, Pharaoh asked Moses to ask God to rid them of the frogs. To display God's power, Moses and Pharaoh agreed that the frogs would be removed the next day, should Moses be working on behalf of the Lord.
Moses was intimidated by this promise and raced to God, pleading with Him to remove the frogs at the appointed time. So, God does.
"But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardend his heart and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said" (8:15).
With a stretch of the staff, gnats were the next means to soften Pharoah's heart. The magicians were not capable of such things, crediting this to "the finger of God" (8:19).
"But Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said" (8:19).
The next plague consisted of flies. If Pharaoh did not release the Israelites, the Egyptians would be harassed with an abundance of these pests. To make a clear distinction, the Lord intentionally left a nearby city, Goshen, alone since many Israelites dwelled here.
Pharaoh tells Moses that he will allow the people to worship God. He also asks for Moses to rescind the flies; God does.
"But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go" (8:32).
9. The Fifth Plague: Death of Livestock / The Sixth Plague: Boils / The Seventh Plague: Hail
Again, Moses asks Pharaoh to let the people go. When there was no change, all the livestock owned by the Egyptians died. The animals belonging to the Israelites were untouched.
"But Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he did not let the people go" (9:7).
As the Lord told Moses regarding these events, Pharaoh did not soften his heart, even when his land was infested with boils. God still gave Pharaoh chances to repent. Then the Lord speaks to Moses, "By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth" (9:15–16). A deadly hailstorm is forecast for those who do not take cover the following day. Pharaoh confessed that he acted in guilty and sinful ways so that the hail would stop. Once the weather subsided, Pharaoh and his men alike continued to sin against God.
"So Pharoah's heart was hard, and he did not let the Israelites go, as the Lord had said through Moses" (9:35).
10. The Eighth Plague: Locusts / The Ninth Plague: Darkness
Pharoah's men were worried about the impending doom and destruction brought by the locusts. Moses and Aaron had warned Pharaoh again that the plagues would cease if he released God's people. God brought the locusts, and Pharaoh pleaded that they be relieved. God cleared the locusts from the land. But still,
"The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people go" (10:20).
Next, Moses reached up to heaven, and a three-day darkness overtook them. Pharaoh told Moses to take a portion of the intended people and go to worship the Lord, but this was not what was originally intended. Instead of giving in, Pharaoh ordered Moses to depart.
11. The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn
God tells Moses that Pharaoh will appease him after the next series of events.
Moses tells the people what is to happen in verses 4 and 5: "About midnight [the Lord] will go throughout Egypt, and every firstborn male in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the servant girl who is at the grindstones, as well as every firstborn of the livestock." Within this horrifying news was a distinction. "But, against all Israelites, whether people or animals, not even a dog will snarl" (11:7).
"Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharoah, but the Lord hardened Pharoah's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his land" (11:10).
Unlike when Pharaoh declared every firstborn Israelite child to be murdered, God provided an opportunity for everyone to humble themselves before Him, remaining safe.
12. Instructions for the Passover / The Exodus
The Lord tells Moses to get the people to select their best livestock to slaughter in two weeks. The blood of this chosen animal is to cover the doorposts of each home, signifying that the people were obedient to God and His commands. These homes and their inhabitants were safe as the Lord passed over them. The Festival of Unleavened Bread was also introduced, commemorating this day. The instructions were discussed, emphasizing the standard we are to uphold when maintaining a holy relationship with God.
At midnight, every firstborn male without the covering of the blood of a sacrifice died. Exodus 12 discusses the impact of this realization among the people of Egypt: "There was a loud wailing throughout Egypt because there wasn't a house without someone dead" (12:30).
Moses and Aaron were directed to collect items from the Egyptians and to lead the Israelites out of the city. Pharoah told Moses to gather everyone and leave. As God previously told Moses, the Israelites would 'plunder' their captors by receiving silver and gold keepsakes at their request (Exodus 3:22). The Egyptians urged the Israelites to leave their land.
The Israelites recognized this day as 'Passover' and agreed to honor it moving forward.
"On that same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt" (12:51).
The Daily Grace's Reflection Question (p. 81):
How do you focus on your weaknesses instead of the power of God?
It is only fitting to focus the reflection on the heaviest and most humbling question!
When Pharaoh dismissed the warnings of the Lord, chaos ensued—a reflection of the downward spiral we experience when we let circumstances drift away from God's guidance. Similarly, when I lose sight of God's character, I become fixated on my weaknesses, which is a slippery slope. I can be quite the tightly wound control freak—an extreme perfectionist. Everything must be immaculate on the first try. These self-inflicted and unrealistic expectations make me accessible to the conviction that I have fallen short.
If you’ve been following me, you’ve probably noticed I have struggled (more than usual) with consistency. I have no excuse other than poor time management and some fragility.
I began to grapple with my credibility when sharing God's word since I, too, face seasons of spiritual struggle. There are days when I am not consistent with consuming scripture or days when I cannot articulate my thoughts. I lack confidence in my writing abilities and stress about the delivery of my words. I give advice just to realize that I need to apply it myself. I feel as though I am underdelivering when attempting to serve God and participate in the great commission. These faults make me feel guilty, hypocritical, and inferior. However, stumbling through seasons is part of growing with God and should be used to connect with Christ. Where two or three come together in the name of God, He is with them (Matthew 18:20).
Moses had questions about the validity of God's plan, and God allowed them, patiently offering encouragement. When this wasn't enough, God brought in reinforcement to comfort the man He had chosen for the mission ahead. Imagine if God said, "Wow, you're right. You are awful with words. My mistake." God is the God of second chances because we mess up, not Him. He hears our cries and understands our concerns. He not only assigned a purpose but also appealed to a fellow sinner. As I read about Moses and how he was enough for God, I am skeptical of the validity of my self-judgment.
What concern could be bigger than God?
What could be so irreconcilable that our instinctual reaction is to not immediately surrender all our overwhelming precariousness to God?
What qualifies us to believe that we are above or beneath God's calling?
For those who believe their age is a weakness, the author was careful to nestle Moses and Aaron's ages into these chapters. 80+ years old, and these two men are responsible for leading a nation to freedom. Meanwhile, we let age be a determining factor in our lives. Moses, the same man who skedaddled from Egypt, was brought back to redeem the unfortunate life he lived while there. Their success relied on how well they could listen to God's instructions and obey His commands. Operating with trust, hope, and faith that it would be as He said it would.
I’m grateful for God's patience as I try to be obedient but question things along the way or fall victim to the devil's diversions. Jesus is the blood that covers our bodies, bypassing the intimidating Old Testament processes and regulations so that we can access the holiness of God's presence. He has gone before us when we feel stuck in vulnerability, hopelessness, insecurity, grief, exhaustion, disappointment, and impatience to pave the way out. God has a promised land for each of us, even if He must lead us through an undesirable situation for the sake of our eventual heart posture.
It is all for His glory anyway!
Needing prayer? Submit a prayer request at the bottom of the page!
To learn more about this collection, or to become more familiar with The Daily Grace Co., visit their website!
References
Book of Exodus Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_aojNJM3E
Daniels, K., Dickerson, T., Dickson, K., Hess, A., & Turner, S. (2022). Eden to Eternity (Vol. 1). The Daily Grace Co.
Exodus Bible Timeline. Bible Hub. (n.d.). https://biblehub.com/timeline/exodus/1.htm
Myers, R., & Williams, A. B. (2020). She Reads Truth Bible. Holman Bible Publishers.
