I prepared this outline for Old Testament Theology (OT 640) at Bob Jones University on March 10, 2003.
The book of Exodus may be summed up as a book about God and His people. God refers to Israel as “My people” 20 times in the book (e.g., 3:7, 10; 5:1; 6:7; 7:4, 16; 8:1, 8, 20, 21, 22, 23; 9:1, 13, 17, 27; 10:3, 4; 12:31; 22:25). In order to understand God’s relationship with His people, it is essential to understand the relationship to Genesis. Exodus is the working out and initial fulfillment of prior covenant promises. God’s relationship with His people can be encapsulated in three terms: election, redemption, and sanctification. Israel was God’s chosen people. It was God who initiated the relationship. He bought these people out of bondage, redeeming them to be His very own. Since He was not content to have a redeemed but unchanged people, He laid down regulations whereby His people could be a holy people that would reflect His glory. These three aspects are not unrelated or distinct works of God; rather they are three steps in the process of displaying God’s glory through His redeemed people.
The Election of a People
Although the common election terminology does not pervade the book (בחר occurs only 3×), the concept is certainly present. Israel did not seek God out to be her God; rather God sought out Israel to make her His people. Election serves as the fountainhead for understanding God’s relationship to His people.
God distinguished between Israel and all other people.
God continually made a distinction (פלא) between His people and the Egyptians (8:22; 9:4; 11:7; 33:16; cf. 8:23). God’s people are different from all the other people on the earth, not because of them but because God has chosen to set His loving favor upon them. Throughout each of the plagues, the Israelites were protected and untouched by the judgment that God sent upon the Egyptians (9:4, 6; 12:27).
God remembered His covenant with their fathers.
God’s intervention on behalf of His people was based upon His previous covenant (בְּרִית) with their fathers (2:24; 6:4, 5). This covenant concept highlights the graciousness of God to an undeserving people. Because God has entered freely into covenant with their fathers, He remains faithful to what He swore to them (שׁבע; 13:5, 11; 32:13; 33:1) by manifesting that commitment through loyal deeds of kindness (חֶסֶד; 15:13; 20:6; 34:6, 7). God continually identified Himself and related to His people in terms of their fathers (3:13; 13:5, 11) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2:24; 3:6; 15, 16; 4:5; 6:3, 8; 33:1; cf. 32:13), emphasizing God’s prior election of them and their seed.
The Redemption of a People
This people that God had chosen were not in Egypt, the place of bondage, by accident. God had specifically led the descendents of Jacob to Egypt, so that He might show His mighty power and redeem them as His own special people. The deliverance of Israel from Egypt is the central event of this book, and of the entire OT. The primary word used to communicate this is יצא (94×; others include עלה, נצל, גאל).
God was moved by compassion on His needy people.
Being in Egypt under a different ruler, the people were reduced to slaves (1:13, 14; 5:18; 6:5). God heard their groaning (2:24), saw them and loved them (2:25; 3:7, 9, 16; 4:31).
God acted as the covenant Lord in behalf of His people.
In Genesis, God revealed Himself as אֵל שַׁדָּי, but now He reveals Himself to Moses and the Israelites as יהוה (342× in Exodus compared to 143× in Genesis). He wanted everyone to know that He was יהוה (6:7; 7:5; 7:17; 10:2; 14:4; 14:18; 16:12; 29:46; 31:13). To do that He used Pharaoh and the Egyptians to magnify His great power to save. It was for this very purpose that God brought Pharaoh to power (9:16).
The plagues
Each of the plagues was a demonstration of God’s great power (14:31; 15:6; 32:11) and mighty hand (3:19; 6:1; 13:9; 32:11). In demonstration of this great power, God did many signs (אוֹת; 4:30; 7:3; 10:1, 2) and wonders (מוֹפֵת; 4:21; 7:3, 9; 11:9, 10). These served a twofold purpose: (1) to judge the wicked and (2) to increase the faith of Israel.
The Exodus event
The Exodus itself was the supreme redemptive act of the OT. God led His people out of Egypt, but saw fit to fully display His saving power by utterly destroying Pharaoh and the Egyptians, so that it might be clear that Yahweh was the Lord.
The Sanctification of a People
There is a clear progression from God’s choosing a people, to His redeeming them, to finally His make them a holy and distinct people from all the other nations. His goal was to have a people as His own possession (19:5; 34:9) that reflected His character. To accomplish this, God gave His people His law for conduct and the tabernacle system for worship.
The function of the law: proper conduct
After redeeming His people, God gives them His law as a guide for pleasing Him. The ten commands (lit. ten words; דְּבָרִים) were the summary of God’s moral requirements. The law was given as the terms of the covenant that guaranteed God’s blessing for obedience (20:24; 23:25; 32:29).
The function of the tabernacle: proper worship
Much attention is given to the tabernacle (מִשְׁכָּן; 58×) and the ministry of the priests, which highlights the importance of the worship of the people. The holy God must be approached through the holy means He has established (קֹדֶשׁ; 70×).
Conclusion
The book of Exodus is rich with typology concerning the coming work of Christ. Moses typifies Christ’s redeeming work (Heb. 3:1–6). The Passover as well is fulfilled in “Christ our Passover” (1 Cor. 5:7) and provides the foundation for the Lord’s Supper (Luke 23:13–20).
Sources: BTOT (Zuck); BV (Bell); ISBE; K&D; NDBT