An overview of the Book of Exodus

1. Exodus

2. Exodus
The name "exodus" come from a Greek word that means
"departure." The book is named for this because of the
departure of the people of Israel from Egypt, the major
story of the book. In Hebrew the name of the book is called
"These are the names", because the book starts by listing
the names of the patriarchs and their descendants in Egypt.
the book divides nicely between the exodus from Egypt in
1:1-19:2, and the covenant and forms of worship God makes
with the people at Mt. Sinai.

3. Outline of Exodus
Egypt and Exodus
1. Birth of Moses (1:1-22)
2. Moses Flees to Midian (2:1-22)
3. Moses and the Burning Bush (3:1-4:17)
4. Challenging Pharaoh and the Ten Plagues (5:1-12:30)
5. Leaving Egypt (12:31-50)
6. Crossing the Red Sea (14:10-15:21)

4. Outline of Exodus
Going to Sinai
7. Mana and Quail (16)
8. Water from a Rock (17:1-7)

5. Outline of Exodus
Sinai and the Covenant
9. Presentation and Ratification of the
Covenant (19-25)
10. Instructions on Religion (25-31)
11. The Golden Calf (32)
12. Renewing the Covenant (33-34)

6. Challenging Pharaoh
Exodus 5:1-12:30
The challenge to Pharaoh and the miracles God did in Egypt are known to
many people even outside of the Church. God used His power to execute His
will in bringing His people out of Egypt. We will see later in the historical books
that this event is monumental to the history of the Israelites: It's the time when
they became a nation, God's very own people.
Regarding the plagues of Egypt, it'd been observed by a number of scholars
that each of the plagues targets an area of life that the Egyptians claimed to
have a god that was in control. By having each miracle target the Egyptian gods,
God was able to show them that only He is the true God.

7. Crossing the Red Sea
Exodus 14:10-15:21
The crossing of the Red Sea was final moment when God defeated the
enemies of Israel and established His people. This event in particular is
remembered by Israel and becomes a point of reference in their poetry.
Many scholars believe that "red sea" is not actually accurate to the Hebrew
text. It's more likely that it should be rendered "sea of reeds." The area just
north of the red sea is a much better place for a crossing, and it makes more
sense that they would have gone north to leave Egypt, rather than south. Some
have objected to this, stating that crossing a sea of reeds takes the miracle out
of the crossing. However, even shallow waters would need to be moved in order
for the nation to cross. In addition, the waters must have had some depth for
the Egyptians to drown in it (14:26-28).

8. Water from a Rock
Exodus 17:1-7
This section is perhaps more theological
than people realize. In essence, through Moses
actions we see an image of God taking the
judgment for the sin of the people, and as a
result, blessings come forth!

9. Presentation of the Covenant
Exodus 19-25
This covenant was different than the ones before it
because it was more strictly conditional (19:5). If the people
failed at their obligations, God would not consider them his
treasured possession.
In 23:20-33 God explains how He will go before them to
establish their land. This is part of his promise and part of
the covenant agreement He is making with them.

10. The Golden Calf
Exodus 32
In 32:9-10 there is a critical point at which
God almost destroys the Israelites. But Moses
intervenes and God relents.

11. Completing the Tabernacle
Exodus 35-40
The book ends with the completion of the Tabernacle
and God's presence fills it. This shows that God dwelt with
the people in this form, and when the cloud of God's
presence moved, the people packed everything up and
moved as well.

12. Theology of Exodus
The most important theological point in the book is the establishment of the Mosaic Covenant. It
symbolized the establishment of Israel as God's people, and it bound them to God in this agreement.
The covenant and the law was intended to be a way in which the people could glorify God through
obedience and worship. Unfortunately, as we see in the golden calf example, the covenant was often
broken.
Some of the major theological concepts we know of today even as Christians come from the ideas
expounded in this covenant. The entire concepts of holiness, sin, punishment, life, redemption,
faithfulness, and others are based in the theology of this covenant. It is through the law that was given
that people today still understand right from wrong. While there are theological reason why we don't
follow the cultural laws, the moral laws of God are part of His character. And while we don't use the
same customs and methods in our pursuit of holiness, the concept is founded in this covenant, and in
how the people set themselves apart for God.
Finally, the presence of God in the tabernacle is a symbol of God's presence in daily life. We do
not have the tabernacle in this way, but we do have the presence of God in our lives through the Holy
Spirit, and this is something far superior to what the Israelites had.