The of Exodus - Book Report/Review Example

EXODUS CHAPTER 3 College Theological Themes God is commanding God directs people to serve His purposes. While He assumes a personal role in the saving of people, He uses human mediums. Specifically, He has revealed Himself to Moses because He wants to reveal Himself via Moses. At the burning bush, God’s first correspondence with Moses involved calling His name twice: “Moses, Moses.”1Although God displayed His personal influence in verse 8 (“I have come down to rescue them”), Moses was the instrument used to accomplish these objectives. As a result, we see that Moses has been directed by God to go back to Egypt, deliver His message to Pharaoh, and to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Some of the most explicit information on God’s nature is found from verses 11 to 15, in which He answers two inquiries made by Moses2. Fundamentally, these inquiries can be presented, briefly, as: 1. Who am I? (Verse 11). 2. Who are You? (Verse 13). God’s answers to these inquiries expose His nature even more. Verse 14 and verse 15 are probably the two most important verses in the Old Testament because they convey one of the core truths on the character and makeup of God3. The first inquiry is easy to comprehend because 40 years before, Moses took a very important step regarding His identity. He had decided that he was an Israelite, meaning he cut any links with Pharaoh’s house and his daughter. God is Imminent Prior to revealing Himself to Moses through the burning bush, God had seemed removed, withdrawn and as distant as the Israelites could have fathomed. They were likely to have perceived God as more withdrawn instead of imminent, i.e., directly touched by and active in the affairs of mankind. In Exodus chapters 1 and 2, we can see that this was not the situation because we have witnessed God’s subtle hand working benevolently to protect His people and to pave the way for their freedom4. Should Moses not recognize the role of God in the affairs of the Israelites, God stresses that He is assuming a personal role in the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. This is clearly stated in Exodus 3:75. God is Holy When Moses first saw the burning bush, it was nothing more than a curiosity, a strange phenomenon that captured his attention. This is often the case with readers as well. Even in fictional writings, there are few events that compare with the burning bush. However, the bush (a manifestation of God) was a symbol of fear and veneration6. This happened when God called summoned Moses by name, twice, to which Moses replied, “Here I am.” God then cautioned Moses against moving any closer and commanded him to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground7. Moses concealed his face, thinking that looking at the bush (God) would harm him in some way. It is unlikely that Moses bowed to remove his sandals. Similarly to other people who have witnessed the glory of God, he may have collapsed on the ground, recumbent. The flames that surrounded (but did not burn the bush, together with the caution God issued from inside the flames, comprehensively astounded Moses with the sanctity of the One, who was revealing Himself. God’s holiness left a deep impression on Moses. The link between God’s sanctity and the exodus could not be imminently obvious8. During the presentation of the Commandments, God’s holiness is the rationale for Israel’s behavior, which the Law stipulated. However, God’s sanctity is a major concept in the exodus; the transgressions of the Egyptians must be accounted for. Exodus 3:8, 17 state that Canaan’s possession by the Israelites is a decree on these people for their sins in God’s sight9. The burning bush shows that God makes and keeps covenants, and He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Exodus 3:6, God manifested Himself to Moses like this” “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”10 God is the God of Moses’ ancestors, the God of the forefathers, and the God of Israel. He made a covenant with Abraham and then extended it to Jacob and Isaac. The God, who revealed Himself to Moses, is neither new nor different; He is the God of Moses’ patriarchs and the God of Israel11. There is no new blueprint; it is just the manifestation of the old plan that was reiterated to Abraham in the book of Genesis. God is Compassionate God wants to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and his intention is not just driven by His holiness, or by His agreement with Abraham and other patriarchs. It is also motivated by His compassion for the Israelites during their affliction. In Exodus 3:7-8, He tells Moses that He has indeed witnessed the suffering of His people in Egypt12. He has heard their cries that are caused by their slave masters, and He is worried about their misery. As a result, He has descended from heaven to free them from the yoke of the Egyptians and to deliver them from that land to a prosperous and spacious land; a land with abundance of milk and honey. Connection to the New Testament and the Great Commission In Exodus 3, God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, even though Moses himself felt not only inadequate for the role13. In the New Testament, God also chose Jesus to die and deliver mankind from sin. In both cases, it is clear that the two most important messengers in the Bible (Moses and Jesus) were both chosen by God. Another connection between Exodus 3 is the message of deliverance. God commands Moses to go to Egypt tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage and to bring them back to their ancestral land. In the New Testament, God sends Jesus to go to deliver mankind from sin and bring them back to Him14. The New Testament’s Great Commission is markedly identical to Moses’ commissioning by God in Exodus 3. The Great Commission starts with the declaration by God, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Mathew chapter 28 verse 18) and concludes with, “Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”15 Consequently, divine authority is automatically associated with a divine presence. Moses’ expression of doubt over his leadership was dispelled by God’s assurance of His availability with Moses. In both Testaments, God explicitly declares that He will always be with His people regardless of the circumstances. He also openly declares the people He has chosen (Moses and Jesus) to deliver His people from suffering and sin. In the Great Commission of the New Testament, Jesus told the disciples to go and convert other people into followers and believers of the word16. In Exodus 3, God told Moses to go and deliver the Israelites from Egypt and bring them back into His fold17. He also told them to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and indoctrinate them to obey all His commands. The common denominator in both cases is the conversion of people into believers and followers of God and His word. While Jesus asks His disciples to baptize followers in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, God tells Moses to tell Israelites that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that there is no other God but Him18. In both texts, we can see the existence of two Trinities, something that is less noticed contemporary scholars. Jesus came with and introduced a different Trinity to that portrayed by God in Exodus 3. Obedience is also a common feature of both texts. God wants Moses to inform Israelites to obey His commands and to live in His ways. Jesus, on the other hand, tells His disciples to baptize people and teach them to follow God’s commandments. Consequently, in both cases, the theme of obedience is clearly visible and prominent. The Storyline The book of Exodus is one of the most interesting books in the Old Testament, and in the Bible. The book tells the story of Moses from his childhood to his selection by God to play the role of leader of the Israelites and mediator between them and God. As one starts reading the book, it is easy to notice that Moses is destined for greater things from the moment that he was abandoned by his mother to his saving by pharaoh’s daughter19. There is no doubt that God’s hand was instrumental in protecting the infant Moses from harm and keeping him safe until he reached an age where he could serve God’s purpose. The fact that Moses was a stutterer who could not command authority in speech, but was still chosen by God to carry out His mission shows that his work was cut out for him even before he was born. From his encounter with God at the burning bush, readers can see that although Moses is surprised at the revelation, he was picked for duty long ago; he did not just know it. From his first mission to his death, Moses’ does nothing but God’s duty. He serves God with the diligence and commitment expected of a messenger of God. He also remains obedient to God’s commands despite facing many difficulties stemming from his roles20. The storyline in the book of Exodus shows the irresistible power of God as well as His all-knowing nature. The Pentateuch Exodus 3 signals the beginning of Moses’ mission to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, and to make a covenant with God (the Mosaic Covenant) that would pave the way for a new accord between God and the Israelites21. Exodus 3 is the scene where Moses receives his commands and, as a result, can be considered to be the genesis of the Pentateuch. It cannot be doubted that the events that occurred from the burning of the bush culminated, ultimately, in the Pentateuch. In fact, it is almost impossible to picture the Pentateuch without Exodus 3. Besides the Abrahamic Covenant, the Pentateuch is the single most prominent inclusion in the theological setting for comprehending Exodus 322. The Pentateuch dictates not just understanding Exodus 3, but the entire book of Exodus and the Old Testament. The Pentateuch is so crucial to Exodus and the history of Israel that the New Testament starts with Jesus born under it. As a matter of fact, Jesus was born and lived under the Pentateuch. Bibliography Beal, Jane. Illuminating Moses a History of Reception from Exodus to the Renaissance. Brill, 2013. Boadt, Lawrence, and Richard J. Clifford. Reading the Old Testament an Introduction. 2nd ed. New York: Paulist Press, 2012. Chapman, A. T. Introduction to the Pentateuch. Place of Publication Not Identified: Cambridge Univ Press, 2013. Fluegel, Maurice. Exodus, Moses and the Decalogue Legislation. S.l.: Book On Demand, 2013. Greenberg, Moshe. Understanding Exodus: A Holistic Commentary on Exodus 1-11. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2013. Ginzberg, Professor Louis. From the Exodus to the Death of Moses Volume 3. S.l.: Theclassics Us, 2013. Ham, Ken, and Bodie Hodge. Begin a Journey Through Scriptures for Seekers and New Believers. Green Forest: New Leaf Publishing Group, 2011. Knight, Douglas A., and Amy Levine. The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne/HarperCollins, 2012. Vinokur, Semion. The Secrets of the Eternal Book the Meaning of the Stories of the Pentateuch. Toronto, Ont.: Laitman Kabbalah, 2014. Wiener, Harold Marcus. Origin of the Pentateuch. S.l.: Theclassics Us, 2013. Zondervan Bibles, Zondervan Bibles. NIV Study Bible: New International Version. Ingleburn, N.S.W.: Zondervan Publishing House, 2011. Read More