Monthly Archives: March 2025

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

A Hasty Departure:’ Understanding the Book of Exodus

Introduction

It has captured the world’s imagination: ten dramatic plagues meant to chasten a recalcitrant pharaoh, walking through the bed of the Red Sea as on dry land, manna descending from heaven, fire and shaking that hits the holy mount. It was even the subject of a blockbuster movie called The Ten Commandments.

Those who want to be ‘future-ready’ need a solid grounding in God’s Word. Understanding Exodus is fundamental for such grounding. May this article inspire you to go deeper into this great book and serve as a resource for further Bible study.

Hebrew Name 

All these things – and more – are part of the great Bible book called Exodus. The name in the original Hebrew is we’elleh shemoth, ‘And these are the names …’ which happen to be the very first words of the book. The name ‘Exodus’ comes from Greek, meaning ‘to go out, depart, or exit.’

Pentateuch Introduced

Exodus is one of the five books of Moses, known as the Pentateuch (Greek for five volumes) or Torah in Hebrew. These include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Originally, the Pentateuch was written as one volume and Moses was the universally recognised author throughout the ages. While some scholars and higher critics question Mosaic authorship of the Torah, ancient Israel and the early church did not. Indeed, Jesus Christ Himself attested to Mosaic authorship without hesitation (Matthew 8:4; 19:8; Mark 1:44; 7:10; 10:3; 12:19, 26; Luke 5:14; 16:29, 31; 20:28, 37; 24:27, 44; John 1:17, 45; 3:14; 5:45, 46; 7:19, 22, 23). If Mosaic authorship is good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us, too. The Torah/Pentateuch is also known by other Biblical phrases, like ‘The Law of God,’ ‘Book of Moses,’ Book of the Law,’ etc. 

Genesis Summary

Genesis tells us of creation, the origin of all things, and the holy family – the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God made a covenant with these men, known as the Abrahamic covenant, which promised to use them and their seed to bring blessing to the world, especially redemption. The book ends with the sons of Jacob living in Egypt because of the great famine. It was prophesied that their descendants would be there for 400 years. It is at the end of this period that the Book of Exodus starts.

Exodus Summary

Exodus begins with that 400-year sojourn in Egypt drawing to a close. The sons of Jacob, who started as a 76-person family from Canaan, had grown during this period into a great nation. The census: 600,000 men of military age, not counting women and children, thus possibly exceeding 2 million people. 

The Egyptians, who felt threatened by the size and prosperity of the children of Israel, oppressed them. All this was allowed by God to prepare them to return to the land of promise, Canaan, something they either wouldn’t or couldn’t do on their own.

The Lord raised Moses to challenge Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go and worship the Lord in the wilderness. The monarch stubbornly refused and thus began the t en sensational plagues that punished Egypt. The final plague was the death of the first-born. Israel was authorised to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood on the doors and window lintels. When the death angel came to the house and saw the blood, he ‘passed over’ that house, and it was not visited with death. This sacrifice and the feast that followed became known as ‘Passover,’ one of the Jewish people’s great holy days. 

After Israel departed Egypt, Pharaoh got ‘buyer’s remorse,’ regretted letting Israel go, and sent his military forces to bring them back. This was where the great miracle of the parting of the Red Sea occurred. Israel walked through the sea as on dry land, but once they went past, the waters of the sea returned to their original position and closed in on the pursuing Egyptian troops, who were drowned.

 On the way to Canaan, they stopped at Mount Sinai and Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. The remainder of the book speaks of sundry laws, case studies, and the design of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

Theme: Salvation and deliverance by the shedding of blood.

Key verse (6:6): Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

Portrait of Christ & Biblical Typology

Though there are no direct messianic prophecies, Exodus is rich with a typology that teaches us more about Christ and His ministry.

  • •Moses was the prophet, priest, and king, and so is Christ;
  • •Both were threatened with destruction at birth;
  • •Like Boaz in the Book of Ruth, Moses is a type of kinsman-redeemer. So is Christ, who comes from the tribe of Judah and offers salvation to Israel and the Gentiles; 
  • •Both Moses and Christ forsook worldly ambitions in order to serve a higher purpose and receive a greater reward;
  • •The Passover lamb prevented the death angel from destroying anyone who was under the blood; Christ saves us from the death of eternal condemnation;
  • •Christ is our Passover lamb (I Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29; Isaiah 53:6) and 
  • •His shed blood causes us to pass from death to life; blood is spread by hyssop (faith) and is applied for our salvation (Exodus 12:22; John 1:12; Hebrews 9:22);
  • •Lamb is to be eaten. This reminds us of holy communion, take eat, this is my body, take and drink for this is My blood (John 6:54-48);
  • •Remove all leaven, which represents pride and sin. See Psalm 139:23-24; I Corinthians 5:7; leaven of Pharisees (Matthew 16:6);
  • •Bitter herbs represent suffering in this life (Hebrews 12:11);
  • •Quick departure from Egypt: Christians are to promptly depart from the world spiritually and in the rapture (I Thessalonians 4);
  • •Exodus from Egypt, where the latter represents the fallen world system (Kosmos), is like the believer forsaking the world in order to follow Christ;
  • •The seven feasts of Exodus all teach an aspect of Christ;
  • •The high priest in Exodus is a type of Christ, our faithful priest (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25; 9:11,12, 24-28);
  • •The exodus and crossing the Red Sea are a type of water baptism (Romans 6:2,3; I Corinthians 10:1, 2);
  • •Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting:
  • •3 courts;
  • •The outer court has a laver (washing) and an altar of sacrifice. Type of Christ’s sacrifice, which happened outside the city walls;
  • •Holy Place: altar of incense, shewbread, candlestick. Incense is a type of Christ’s intercession (Hebrews 7:25), bread and candle are Christ the bread of life and light of the world;
  • •Exodus and the New Testament: This book is quoted 44 times in the New Testament by every author except Jude, who himself alludes to the Exodus. Only Psalms, Isaiah and Deuteronomy are quoted in the New Testament more than Exodus.

Special Features

The Ten Plagues

1 Water turned to blood (7:14-24)

2 Frogs (7:25-8:12)

3 Lice (magicians said: “This is the finger of God.” (8:16-19)

4 Flies (8:20-32)

5 Diseases in livestock (9:1-7)

6 Boils (9:8-12)

7 Hail (9:13-35)

8 Locusts (10:1-20)

9 Darkness (10:21-29)

10 Death of the firstborn (11, 12:1-30)

The Ten Commandments

1 You shall have no other gods (heart – 20:3)

2 You shall not make any graven images (hands – 20:4-6)

3 You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain (mouth – 20:7)

4 Remember the Sabbath day (mind – 20:8-11)

5 Honour your parents (hold them up – 20:12)

6 You shall not murder (don’t place them down – 20:13)

7 You shall not commit adultery (heart – 20:14)

8 You shall not steal (hands – 20:15)

9 You shall not bear false witness (mouth – 20:16)

        10 You shall not covet (mind – 20:17)

Outline of Exodus

Israel in Egypt (1:1-12:36)

  1. Israel oppressed by Egypt (1:1-22)
  2. Moses’ early life (2:1-2:25)
  3. Moses called by God (3:1-4:31)
  4. Moses Meets Pharaoh the 1st time: remove straw (5:1-23)
  5. God reminds of covenant (6:1-13)
  6. Genealogies of Moses & Aaron (6:14-30)
  7. Moses Meet Pharaoh 2nd time: rod turns to the serpent (7:1-13)
  8. Ten Plagues (7:13-12:36) Passover instituted (12:1-28)
  1. Exodus from Egypt (12:37-18:27)
    1. Journey from Egypt to Red Sea (12:37-14:20)
    2. Journey through the Red Sea ((14:21-31)
    3. Songs of Moses and Miriam (15:1-21)
    4. From the Red Sea to the wilderness of Shur (15:22-26)
    5. From Elim oasis to wilderness of Sin (15:27-16:36)
    6. From Sin to Rephidim (17:1-7)

III. Israel at Sinai (19:1-40:38)

A. Rephidim to the wilderness of Sinai (19:1-2)

B. The Law given (19:3-25)

C. Ten Commandments given (20:1-26)

D. Judgements and feasts given (21:1-23:33)

E. People agree to the Word of the Lord (24:1-18)

F. Tabernacle of Moses in detail (25:1-31:11)

G. Specification and Building of Tabernacle (31:12-35:3): in this period we have the giving of the two tablets of stone, the golden calf incident, and the veiling of Moses’ face because it shined with glory)

H. Building of Tabernacle (35:4-39:43)

  1. Tabernacle finished (40:1-38)

The legacy of Exodus is beyond calculation, especially the revealing of the Ten Commandments, which are the foundation stones of Western legal jurisprudence. How do we know that stealing, lying, adultery, and covetousness are wrong? The Bible tells us so! Let this introduction lead you into an in-depth study of the glorious Book of Exodus.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Israel at War

We know the main story: On the 7th of October, 2023,Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, invading by land, sea, and air with 6,000 fighters. The statistics are 1,200 dead – the largest death toll of Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust. Another 251 were taken hostage. 

This was Day One of the current war. But we must remember that this was not the ‘beginning of the war;’ it’s the continuation of a conflict that started … you fill in the blanks. Did it start in 2023? Not really, on the 7th of October, Israel and Hamas had a ceasefire, which the latter broke. But by its very nature, a ceasefire means pausing a pre-existent conflict. So when did the war start? In 2023? 1987 (when Hamas was created)? 1967? 1948? Or did it start in the Biblical period between Israel and Amalek? The main point is that 7 October was the re-starting – not the beginning – of the current conflict.

What is the scorecard? Israel is fighting a multi-front conflict. In some areas, there have been stunning, impressive victories, while in others, the threat remains. Let’s look at the assessment front by front.

An Assessment

GAZA

After ruining the celebratory Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law) on the black Sabbath of 7th October, Hamas went downhill. Israel pummeled them in Gaza City. Then, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) went to Rafah and Khan Yunis in the South, despite international opposition. Hamas’ leadership has been decimated, infrastructure massively damaged, and terror tunnels destroyed. Its one remaining weapon was the Israeli hostages: in exchange for their release – dead or alive – Hamas is demanding the freedom of hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, some of them convicted of murdering Jews. 

Hamas feels let down by its benefactor Iran and proxy allies like Hezbollah of Lebanon since they had not been as entirely forthcoming with military assistance as they would have hoped. It is also reported that neither Iran nor Hezbollah knew in advance about Hamas’ 7th of October surprise attack and that’s why they were caught off-guard when the war started.’

LEBANON

Israel and the Lebanese army are not at war; it is the Shiite militia Hezbollah that actively opposes the Jewish state. Of all of Israel’s enemies, Hezbollah was considered the most formidable. It had discipline, leadership, and money, plus it was well-armed with tens of thousands of missiles aimed at Israel. Their involvement in the Hamas-initiated war was meant to create a distraction to Israel’s primary war effort. 

During the early part of the war, there were daily exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah along the border, precipitating the removal of 65,000 Israeli citizens from their homes in the area. Their dislocation lasted for many months.

A turning point was the tragic murder of twelve Druze schoolchildren in a Golan playground at Majdal Shams by a Hezbollah rocket. Israel declared war on Hezbollah’s leadership, including its head, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. He and his successors were assassinated, just like Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. In addition, Israel succeeded in destroying most of Hezbollah’s supply of missiles. Israel’s greatest neighbouring foe had all but raised the white flag.

SYRIA

Officially, Syria is in a state of war with Israel, but there have been no wars between them since 1973. Its border with the Jewish state was quiet until the Syrian Civil War started in 2011. This conflict, which morphed into a regional war with a lot of international meddling, had a major turning point in December 2024, when the rule of Bashar al Assad was overthrown by HTS (ˆHayat Tahrir al-Sham), a militant Sunni group once associated with al-Qaeda and ISIS (though leader Ahmad al-Sharaa disavowed these connections). Turkey is their main backer. HTS’s victory means the weapon supply lines from Iran to Hezbollah via Syria are severed – which is good for Israel. But HTS’s commitment to Shariah law in Syria could mean the rumblings of a potential new opponent to the Jewish state right on its border.

YEMEN

The Houthi Shiite rebels, whose patron is Iran, are new to the anti-Israel alliance. They have managed to breach Israeli airspace with their drones and long-range missiles. This means that more than once, Israeli civilians were sent scurrying to their underground bunkers. Remember, Yemen is 1,411 miles or 2,271 kilometres from Israel. The Houthis have also successfully hindered international shipping in the Red Sea, though of late, the Trump Administration has launched a major military offensive, warning them and Iran of dire consequences if the attacks on US and international vessels did not cease.

Israel’s response to the Houthi attacks has been the bombing of Yemeni ports, which have received Iranian weapons. However, the sophistication of their weaponry may prove to be a future challenge for Israel.

IRAN 

Of all Israel’s enemies, Iran stands out the most. Its incendiary rhetoric about the destruction of the ‘Zionist entity,’ its support for terror groups and militia, and its attempts to undermine Israel and the Arab states make it a destabilising influence in the region. 

Yet Iran has suffered some major defeats since 7 October: the crushing of its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, the toppling of its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, and the failure of its two massive drone and missile attacks against Israel without causing much damage. Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh right under Iran’s nose in Tehran; this was both sobering and embarrassing. Israel’s fiery response to the Iranian barrage was to bomb it – with impunity. Iran’s vaunted ‘Shiite crescent’ from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea is in tatters. Iran has been weakened because of this war, but that could also make the nuclear-ambitious regime more dangerous.

What’s Next for Israel? What You Need to Know

We already mentioned that the current war is a multi-front war, but it is also multi-dimensional, a point we have stressed before. For review, those different dimensions include:

  1. Bilateral: This war is between Israel and Hamas.
  2. Regional: This war is fought on multiple fronts and parties, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and also Iran itself.
  3. Civilisational: This war is between Judeo-Christianity, the foundations of the West, which Israel represents, and anti-western forces, which Iran and its proxies belong.
  4. Theological: Though unrecognised by Western political leaders, this explains much, with Biblical theology at odds with Islamic theology. The current conflict is much more theological than political.
  5. Spiritual: Also unrecognised by secular leadership, the intense spiritual activity is the reigniting of an ancient hatred during the Old Testament times with the war between Israel and Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16). The current conflict is a proxy war for the even more intense fighting in the heavens (Ephesians 6:12).

While undoubtedly, Israel has won some impressive victories, its main war goals have yet to be reached: the removal from power in Gaza of Hamas and the release of all Israeli hostages. Recently, the failure of Hamas to release the remainder of the hostages caused the ceasefire to be broken and the war to restart in earnest. 

Remember that normally, a ceasefire is a cessation of hostilities with the goal of peacefully and permanently ending the conflict and living in peace. In this conflict, a ceasefire means stop fighting, catch your breath, rearm to the hilt, and live to fight another day.

In this new round of fighting, Israel is not just going to fight until they cause more damage to Hamas, then enter into a ceasefire. They intend to fight until victory, with the quiet cooperation of the American administration.

And it doesn’t end with Hamas: the ultimate goal is to confront Iran and its nuclear program. For years, Israel has been talking about attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. With the Islamic Republic close to a nuclear breakout, that stated goal could soon be a reality, though laden with risks. 

President Trump said he preferred that Israel not strike Iran but negotiate. He wrote a letter to Ayatollah Khameini offering peace negotiations, but the latter rejected the offer. So what’s next? 

Israel may conclude that it has no other option. With nuclear facilities that are deep in the ground, the Jewish state may use American-supplied bunker-buster bombs weighing 13,636 kilograms each. The recent successful attack by Israel on Iran and the destruction of its anti-missile systems make them even more vulnerable.

All of this is a major gamble, but Israel may choose to go through the door and settle the conflict with Hamas and Iran and its other proxies, once and for all. Watch this space.

So, the war continues. And could Israel be quietly planning an attack on its greatest nemesis, Iran with the approval of the United States? Watch this space and pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).