Day 13: Exodus1-5

Exodus 1: Israel's Slavery in Egypt 

[Summary]

Genesis, which was centered around the patriarchs, has ended, and now the history of redemption centered around the Israelites is unfolding in earnest. This chapter records the Israelites who settled in Egypt and prospered under God's protection. A new ordeal came upon the Israelites who had lived in Egypt for 400 years. A king who did not know Joseph arose and, seeing the prosperity of Israel, was afraid and began to persecute them with harsh labor. The new Pharaoh felt that the Israelites' prosperous and abundant descendants were a potential threat to his own country (verses 1-14). Finally, he ordered the midwives to kill all the male children born in Israel. The reason he specifically ordered that only male children be killed was because female children were easily assimilated into Egypt and were also useful as servants. However, the male children of Israel were saved and prospered even more by the midwives who feared God (verses 15-22). The prosperity of the Israelites was the fulfillment of God's promise and prophecy, so the new Pharaoh's extermination policy could not succeed.

Chapter 1 of Exodus tells us about the life of the Israelites living in Egypt. It tells us that the twelve sons of Jacob settled in Egypt and that the Israelites became very powerful because of the blessings they received from God during that process. This power became a great threat to the Egyptians. Because of the fear felt by the Egyptians, the Israelites suffered severe oppression and lived miserable lives.

Exodus 2: The Birth and Growth of Moses 

[Summary]

God establishes a plan of redemption for His people and carries it out according to His will. This chapter shows God preparing Moses as a leader for Israel, who was facing trials. Moses, who was abandoned in the Nile River due to Pharaoh's policy of killing male children, was saved by Pharaoh's princess and grew up in the palace. By God's providence, the child abandoned in the river was exposed to an environment where he could learn the authenticity of Egyptian culture, and through this, Moses was able to accumulate advanced knowledge that would become the qualifications of a leader (verses 1-10). However, after he grew up, he had to flee to the wilderness because of an incident where he killed an Egyptian who was persecuting the Hebrews. Moses, who was already an adult, could not ignore the problems of his people and could not overlook the injustice of his people who were persecuted due to national sentiment (verses 11-15). And while living in exile in the wilderness of Midian, forgetting his glory as a prince, Moses got married and became a shepherd (verses 16-24).

God blessed Israel with prosperity and multiplied them, making them an object of fear for the Egyptians. Because of this fear, the Israelites experienced harsh slavery and desired deliverance from Egypt. This was God’s plan of salvation and the hand of God preparing the promise. In Exodus 2, we can see that God’s preparation was specifically realized through a family.

Exodus 3: Moses, the Called Liberator 

[Summary]

Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was harassing his own people, and had to spend 40 years in the desert of Midian. However, God appeared to Moses, who had lost his temper and become humble after 40 years, and entrusted him with the mission of saving Israel. While Moses was tending sheep, he met the Lord on Mount Horeb. God called Moses, his messenger, up to the holy mountain (verses 1-6). There, God gave Moses the mission of saving Israel from Egypt. This was something He had already predicted and revealed many times, and now He wanted to accomplish it through Moses (verses 7-15). Meanwhile, God personally told Moses how He would save Israel in the future and encouraged him (verses 16-22).

God called Moses and carried out His plan for the Israelites. After 40 years in Egypt, Moses was trained again as a shepherd in the Midian desert for 40 years. Then God called Moses from the flames of fire on Mount Horeb. Moses, who received God’s calling, wanted to know more about God’s existence. And he was instructed on what he should do.

Exodus 4: God's Sign and Moses' Return Home 

[Summary]

This chapter records the event in which Moses was appointed as God's agent of salvation. Moses received the mission from God to save Israel, but he avoided it due to his incompetence and weakness. However, God showed Moses three miracles and gave him confidence (verses 1-17). Encouraged by this, Moses decided to end his life in the wilderness and return to Egypt where his people were (verses 18-26). On the way, he met Aaron, his older brother whom God had prepared for Moses, who was not very eloquent, and together they went to the Israelites and proclaimed God's salvation (verses 27-31).

Moses, who can be said to be the greatest figure in the Old Testament, was reluctant to accept the mission given to him. He continued to make excuses and decline. At this time, God prepared Aaron, Moses' older brother, and allowed him to meet with him. He also held the staff of God in his hand. Moses went out to his people, and his people bowed down and worshiped God because of God's supervision.

Exodus 5 :Moses in front of

[Summary]

After 80 years of training, Moses was finally appointed as God's representative for the salvation of the Israelites. In this chapter, Moses' full-fledged activities for the liberation of Israel began. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and demanded that the Israelites be allowed to go into the wilderness and worship God. This was Moses' demand and declaration of justice as he was appointed as a messenger called by God and as the liberator of the oppressed Israelites (verses 1-3). However, Pharaoh rejected their demand and instead imposed an even greater burden of forced labor on the Israelites. The typical tyranny, oppression, and stubbornness of a dictatorial monarch were revealed in Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. As a result, the people began to resent Moses and Aaron (verses 4-21). Then Moses became discouraged and ended up resenting God (verses 22-23).

Moses and Aaron, who had been called by God, finally had a dramatic meeting with Pharaoh. This meeting is the starting point of Moses' efforts to liberate the Israelites. However, despite Moses' efforts, all he received was Pharaoh's fierce anger and the Israelites' discontent and distrust. Although this was expected, these reactions were enough to bewilder Moses.