Exodus 13-15

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Exodus 13

The Israelites were given two ordinances in this chapter. The first born males of men as well as the first born males of animals were to be sanctified or “set apart” for the LORD. They had to first give them to the Lord and then redeem them for a price. This needed to be done so that the Israelites would be reminded that God saved their first born males in Egypt when all the first born males of the Egyptians had died.

God also instituted the feast of the unleavened bread. This feast started with the passover and lasted a week during which time they had to put away leaven or yeast from their houses and eat bread baked without leaven. The significance of not using leaven in the bread is made clear by emphasizing that they should be completely free of leaven in their homes. Leaven is a picture of sin throughout the Bible and we similarly should put away sin from our lives.

Exodus 11-12

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Exodus 11

God told the Israelites to borrow jewels and valuables from their Egyptian neighbors and the Egyptians gave them because God gave the Israelites “favor in the sight of the Egyptians”. When the original Hebrew words for “borrow” and “gave” are examined, they mean “ask” and “hand out” respectively. Reading this passage, one could think that the Israelites deceived the Egyptians but it is really a matter of God righting the wrong that has been done. The Israelites labored for years without wages and the Egyptians were asked to pay them at this point. God executes judgment for the oppressed.

Exodus 7-10

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When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh to ask for freedom for the Israelite people, as commanded by God, they performed their first miracle by turning Aaron’s rod into a serpent. The sorcerers of Egypt did the same and Aaron’s rod swallowed the magicians’ rods. Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not listen to Moses’ plea.

God then brought about a series of plagues on Egypt. The tenth plague is described in great detail in chapters 11 and 12 but we will look at the first nine plagues here. There were several purposes for these plagues:

Exodus 4-6

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Exodus 4

Moses was afraid to do what God was telling him to do. He was finding excuses and reasons why he was unfit or unable to handle the task that God has assigned him. God gave Moses the power to perform miracles. God promised to speak through his mouth. Moses was still unwilling. While we may look at Moses as disobedient, we are very often guilty of similar shortcomings. Are we always ready and willing to do whatever God tells us to do? Or, do we come up with excuses? God was angry with Moses but is still merciful. He appointed Aaron to be Moses’ spokesman.

Exodus 1-3

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Genesis covered a period of about 2500 years. Chapter 1 of Exodus covers a period of 400 years and chapter 2 covers a period of another 80 years. Chapter 3 through the end of Deuteronomy covers only a period of 40 years.

Exodus 1

Israelites came into Egypt as a family of seventy people (1:5, Gen 46:27). Over the next 400 years, they multiplied and outnumbered the Egyptians. The Egyptians started to oppress the Israelites with hard labor. The king ordered the midwives to kill all male Israeli children at birth. The midwives feared God and did not do as the king ordered. Were they not submitting to authority by disobeying the kings orders? Did they lie to the king when they said: