The plagues, marking out the land and the people of Egypt for curse rather than blessing is a fulfilment of Genesis 12:1-3. God had promised that those who blessed Abraham and his offspring would be blessed and so it had been the case when Joseph came down to Egypt. He had also warned that those… Continue reading Where are God’s people?
Tag: Exodus
The significance of the Firstborn and Egypt’s plagues
De-creation finishes with the death of the firstborns. Recreation can be seen as the fruit of the true and better firstborn’s coming. It is significant that God chooses to strike down the firstborn sons. Israel is referred to as YHWH’s Son by the prophet Hosea.[1] Pharoah seeks to destroy God’s first-born so God kills the… Continue reading The significance of the Firstborn and Egypt’s plagues
De-creation and the Egyptian plagues
In Genesis 6-9, we see that God’s judgement on a sinful and wicked world is also an act of de-creation. Where the creation of Genesis 1-2 had seen forming and structure so that light was divided from darkness and sea from land and sky, we see a descent into chaos as the form and structure… Continue reading De-creation and the Egyptian plagues
Defeat and judgement for the Egyptian gods
The plagues unleased against Pharoah and Egypt may also be seen as Yahweh’s triumph over the gods of Egypt. Like most ancient civilisations, Egypt was polytheistic. The plagues can each be seen as portraying a direct confrontation with those gods.[1] Serpents were of course seen as sacred to many cultures and we might trace back… Continue reading Defeat and judgement for the Egyptian gods
The firstborn
God announces to Moses that there is just one more plague to come and then Pharoah will let the people go (Exodus 11:1). Before he announces the plague, Moses instructs the Isralites to go and request silver and gold from the Egyptians. YHWH ensures that the people find favour with the Egyptians and additionally, Moses… Continue reading The firstborn
The judging of Egypt and Pharoah
God sends Moses and Aaron back to Pharoah with Aaron to act as Moses’ spokesman just as prophets speak for God to the people. Again, he explains his plans and purpose to Moses. They are to call on Pharoah to let the people go from Egypt but he will not, his heart will be hardened. … Continue reading The judging of Egypt and Pharoah
Let my people go
Moses and Aaron now go to address Pharoah, as instructed, they tell him that YHWH-God commands him to let the Israelites go a three-day journey into the wilderness to celebrate a feast. The king’s response is that he has not heard of this YHWH and he has no intention of letting his slaves off their… Continue reading Let my people go
Application from the burning bush
There are lots of nuggets along the way in these two chapters. Particularly, I’m struck by the following. First of all, there is the example of Moses. It isn’t a good example here. He responds to God’s command and even to God’s promises with doubt and resistance. There is a particular warning for leaders in… Continue reading Application from the burning bush
Zooming out from the burning bush
In Exodus 3-4, Moses finds himself in the very place that God is going to call him to lead the people out to. Moses must trace first the planned journey to Horeb or Sinai, there to meet the Lord God. He is the representative of his people. Horeb is described as “Holy Ground”. In other… Continue reading Zooming out from the burning bush
A sign and a sending
The Burning Bush Moses joins in taking responsibility for his father-in-law, Jethro’s sheep. One day, he is taken the flock to pasture near to Horeb or Sinai. The author identifies this as the Mountain of the Lord, foreshadowing what will happen years later when God will choose this place to meet Moses and to give… Continue reading A sign and a sending
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