Mount Isa Baptist Church

Introduction to Exodus

Genesis is the book that reveals the need of mankind. Genesis is all about man -- man's creation, man's sin, the new world that followed the flood, and man's slow journey through time. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph -- four men who followed God -- set forth the need of men for justification, sonship, sanctification, and glorification.

But Exodus is all about God. Exodus is God's answer to man's need and God's supply for man's sin. It begins immediately with God's activity and throughout the whole course of the book you see God mightily at work. The book is the picture, therefore, of redemption, of God's activity to redeem man in his need, in his sin, in his degradation and misery. It is a beautiful picture of what redemption is; what God has done, is doing in our lives, and what he intends to do with us -- the steps that he will be taking.

Why is Exodus so important?

In Exodus we witness God beginning to fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom. He then established Israel as a theocratic nation under His covenant with Moses on Mount Sinai. The ten plagues, the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, the fearsome majesty of God’s presence at Mount Sinai, the giving of the Ten Commandments, the building of the tabernacle . . . these events from Exodus are foundational to the Jewish faith. And they provide crucial background context to help future readers of Scripture understand the entire Bible’s message of redemption.

What’s the big idea?

The overall theme of Exodus is redemption; how God delivered the Israelites and made them His special people. After He rescued them from slavery, God provided the Law, which gave instructions on how the people could be consecrated or made holy. God provided detailed directions on the building of His tabernacle, or tent, because He intended to live among the Israelites and manifest His shekinah glory, another proof that they were indeed His people.

How do I apply this?

Like the Israelites who left Egypt, all believers in Christ are redeemed and consecrated to God. Under the Mosaic Covenant, people annually sacrificed unblemished animals according to specific regulations in order to have their sins covered, or borne, by that animal. The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews tells us, “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the Law. As the perfect Lamb of God, He took away our sin permanently when He sacrificed Himself on our behalf. “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Have you accepted His sacrifice on your behalf? Are you truly “redeemed”? So, we want to say that from beginning to end, Exodus is the story about the Glory of God. I'd like us to grow in our understanding of the bigness and the worthiness of God. Exodus is about the Glory of God, but in application and I am hoping we will be able to see that - everything is about the Glory of God. God is victorious, God will be vindicated, God will get the credit. Because it’s all for His glory.