Exodus, Bible Study

INTRODUCTION: The Book of Exodus (= Ex) presupposes and continues the stories of Genesis, but at the same time introduces a major change. In the patriarchal history ( Gen. 12-50 ), the protagonists were always individual figures, now, on the contrary, will prominently a new character, not individual but collective: the people.

This transition is highlighted explicitly at the beginning of the book, where the text notes that the seventy people who had come to Egypt with Jacob so multiplied that filled the entire region ( Ex 1.5,7 ).The first part of the story has as its central theme the big event referred to in the book's title: the exodus or departure from Egypt (chapters 1-15 ). This section begins by describing the change of situation that occurred with the ascension to the throne of a king who had no love for the memory of Joseph ( 1.8 ). The Israelites no longer enjoyed the hospitality of the Egyptians (cf. Gen 47.5-10 ), but were reduced almost to the status of slaves ( Ex 1.13 ). In the midst of oppression, the people did hear their cry, and that appeal reached the ears of the Lord (3.16 ). So he said to Moses on the Mount of God ( 3.1 ), revealed the name of Yahweh ( 3.14 note n ) and entrusted the mission to free his brothers from bondage ( 3.15-4.17 ). This section culminates with the celebration of the first Passover ( chap. 12 ) and with the song of thanksgiving that Moses and the Israelites sang after crossing the bed of the sea like it was dry land ( 15.1-21).

The second section ( 15.22-18.27 ) recounts some episodes related to the march of the Israelites through the desert. The group that left Egypt entered the Sinai Peninsula, where he faced the arid and semiarid region harsh that. Hunger and thirst caused grumbling and protests against Moses ( 15.24, 16.2, 17.2 ) and even against the Lord ( 17.7 ). In these critical situations, Moses asserted his intercession with God ( 17.4 ), and the Lord fed his people with manna (ch. 16), quenched his thirst with the water sprouted from the rock (17:1-7 ) and defended of its external enemies ( 17.8-16 ). However, many thought that the price of freedom was too expensive. So longed for the fleshpots they had in Egypt and wanted to return to their former servitude (16.3 ).

The final destination of the march through the desert was the Promised Land (cf. 3.8 ). But before receiving an inheritance the land of Canaan, the town was taken to Mount Sinai, where the Lord established His covenant with him or alliance.Under this covenant, Israel became the personal property of the Lord and a people "holy", ie elected and consecrated to God from among the nations, for the performance of a task ( 19.4-6 ). Moreover, the commitment at Sinai Israel forced to live a holy life, thereby corresponding to the grace of the covenant which the Lord had given him free and undeservedly. Therefore, the conclusion of the covenant ceremony had as one of its essential elements the proclamation of the law, in which the Lord revealed that demanded and expected of his people.

´s proclamation of the law begins with the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, the first of which prescribes the relationship exclusive of Israel with the God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt ( 20.2-3 ), and had driven to the covenant as on the wings of an eagle ( 19.4 ). In addition, all other legislation, with its evident concern for defending the right of the weak and helpless (cf. 22.21-27 ), was intended to lay the essential foundations of a community founded on solidarity and justice (cf . 23.1 ) and dedicated to the worship of the true God (cf. chs. 25-31, 35-40 ).

Accounts of Exodus not provide sufficient evidence to establish with absolute precision the date on which occurred the events described in the book. However, the verse 1.11 expressly notes that the descendants of Jacob migrated to Egypt were forced to work in building the cities of Pithom and Ramses. This fact leads us with a certain probability to the thirteenth century BC, when the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II had erected in the eastern Nile delta a new capital called House of Ramses. In such circumstances, the Israelites fled and were pursued, but the Lord miraculously delivered them from their pursuers. The earliest evidence of this release is the song of victory of 15.21 , which celebrates the event not as a victory for Israel, but as an act of God.

The following outline briefly presented in the various sections that make up the book of Exodus:

I. From slavery to freedom ( 1.1-15.21 )

II. Sinai Road ( 15.22-18.27 )

III. The Sinai covenant ( 19-24 )

IV. Provisions relating to the construction of the sanctuary ( 25.1-31.17 )

V. Rupture and renewal of the covenant ( 31.18-34.35 )

VI. Implementation of the provisions relating to the sanctuary ( 35-40 )

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No confundas los desafíos con derrotas

Estas cosas os he hablado para que en mí tengáis paz. En el mundo tendréis aflicción; pero confiad, yo he vencido al mundo. (Juan 16:33) En la vida es común enfrentar momentos en los que todo parece desmoronarse. Las puertas se cierran, soplan vientos contrarios y el alma se siente abatida. En momentos así, muchos confunden el desafío con la derrota. Pero es importante entender que el desafío es una parte esencial del crecimiento, no el final del viaje. Los desafíos nos moldean, nos fortalecen y nos acercan a Dios. Nos enseñan a confiar más, a orar con más fervor y a depender completamente de la gracia de Dios. Cuando David se enfrentó a Goliat, fue un desafío, no una derrota. Cuando José fue vendido por sus hermanos y arrojado a la cárcel, fue un proceso, no el final de la historia. Dios nunca prometió una ausencia de luchas, pero garantizó su presencia constante en medio de ellas. Él convierte el desierto en un camino y el dolor en un propósito. Si hoy estás enfrentando algo difícil,...