1. Introduction to Exodus.
   A. Authorship: Jews and Christians traditionally assigned to Moses.
      1. Exodus 17:14: writes about the defeat of the Amalekites.
      2. Exodus 24:4: Moses wrote down everything the Lord said.
      3. Exodus 34:27: He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant -the
         Ten Commandments.
      4. Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch was once challenged on the basis
         that the Pentateuch is too advanced for the time of Moses.
         a. It was said that in Moses men were not sophisticated enough to write.
         b. It was said that men were not sophisticated enough to have a codified set
            of laws to rule society.
         c. It was said that laws of such a religious nature could not have been
            developed before the fifth century B.C. (Archer, A Survey of Old Testament
            Introduction, 172).
         d. A French archaeologist found the Law Code of Hammurabi in Susa, Persia
            in 1901.
            1. The Law Code of Hammurabi written on a mass of black diorite eight feet
               high and six feet around at the base.
               a. There are nearly four thousand lines of writing.
               b. It contains two hundred forty-eight laws.
            2. Demonstrates a high level of society in Babylon a long before the time
               of Moses.
               a. Hammurabi was king of Babylon in 2250 B.C.
               b. Some scholars think he is the Amraphel of Genesis 14:1.
   B. Date of the Exodus. One of the problems of O.T. chronology is the date of the
      Exodus.
      1. Early Date: 1500-1450 B.C.
         a. This approach emphasizes the literal interpretation of numbers.
         b. Supported by 1 Kings 6:1 Exodus 480 years prior to the fourth year of
            Solomon's reign. This would put the Exodus in the fifteenth century B.C.
      2. Late Date: (1320-1237 B.C.) This approach takes numbers symbolically.
         E.g., the "forty years" Moses spent in Midian is only symbolic number for a
         long period of time.
   C. Message and Structure.
      1. There are three primary components of the message.
         a. the judgment of oppressive Egypt
         b. the deliverance of Israel from slavery
         c. Israel is made God's special possession among the nations
      2. Exodus can be divided into three sections.
         a. Israel in Egypt (1:1-13:16).
         b. Wilderness Trek to Sinai (13:17-18:27).
         c. Israel at Mount Sinai (19:1-40:38).
   D. Relationship to the Abrahamic Covenant. God had made several promises to
      Abraham which are shown to be fulfilled in Exodus.
      1. God promised Abraham that his descendents would be slaves in a foreign nation
         for four hundred years (Gen. 15:13-16).
         a. Exodus picks up at the end of that four hundred year period
         b. So they put slave masters over them (Ex. 1:11).
      2. God promised Abraham that his descendents would grow into a great nation
         (Gen. 12:2).
         a. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly, and became exceedingly numerous
            (Ex. 1:7).
         b. There were so many Jews that the Egyptians were afraid they would take
            over the country.
      3. God promised Abraham that his descendents would be delivered from their
         oppressors (Gen. 15:13-16)
         a. Exodus 2 begins to tell the story of Moses, the deliverer of the Jews.
         b. The story of deliverance makes up a major part of Exodus (chapters 1-13).
      4. The trek to Sinai in Exodus 13:17-18:27, is the beginning of the journey that
         would bring about the fulfillment of Gods promise that he would take Abraham's
         descendents to the Promised Land and give it to them as an inheritance
         (Gen. 15:18).
2. From the Birth of Moses to the Crossing of the Red Sea.
   A. God raises up Moses to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage.
      1. Egyptians were afraid of the Hebrew people because they had become so numerous
         (1:9, 10). There fear was that if their enemies started a war with Egypt, the
         Hebrews would fight against the Egyptians.
         a. They put slave masters over them and made them build the storehouses in
            Pithom and Rameses (1:11).
         b. Ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to kill any boys born to
            the Hebrews, but to let the girls live (1:15, 16).
         c. Midwives did not obey and the Hebrew nation continued to grow.
         d. Egyptians ordered that all boys be thrown into the river (1:22).
      2. Moses is placed in the river among the reeds in a basket which is sealed with
         pitch where he is found by Pharaoh's daughter (2:1-6).
         a. Moses was three months old when placed in the river (Acts 7:20).
         b. Pharaoh's daughter takes Moses into her home and gets a Hebrew woman to
            nurse the baby (2:7).
         c. The irony is that the one who is brought to nurse Moses happens to be
            his mother (2:8).
         d. Another irony is that Pharaoh was afraid of a rebellion among the Jews,
            so he had the babies put to death. However, all the while, he is raising
            God's appointed deliverer in his own house!
         e. He received the best education.
            1. He was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful
               in speech and action (Acts 7:22).
            2. Josephus says that Moses became a general in Pharaoh's army and became
               a hero after he conquered the Ethiopians.
            3. The story shifts to Moses as a man (2:11).
               a. When Moses is forty years old (Acts 7:23) he sees an Egyptian beating
                  a Hebrew and kills the Egyptian (2:11, 12).
                    1. When it becomes known that he has killed the Egyptian, Moses
                       flees to Midian because Pharaoh is trying to kill him (2:14, 15).
                    2. There he meets a priest of Midian named Jethro and marries his
                       daughter, Zipporah (2:15-22).
               b. After forty years (Acts 7:30), Moses was tending the flocks when
                  he came to Mount Horeb.
                  1. He hears God speaking to him from within a burning bush that is
                     not consumed (Ex. 3:2, 3).
                  2. Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground 
                     (Ex. 35).
                  3. Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God (Acts 3:6).
               c. Moses sent to deliver Israel from bondage, as had been promised to
                  Abraham.
                  1. If the Israelites ask who sent you, say, "I AM has sent me to you"
                     (Ex. 3:14).
                  2. Moses is given signs to show the Israelites so they will know 
                     he has been sent by God.
                     a. He throws his staff down, becomes a snake (4:1-5).
                     b. Put hand inside coat, becomes leprous. Places it back in,
                        is healed (4:6-8).
                     c. Take water from the Nile and pour it on the ground. It 
                        will become blood (4:9).
                       d. One gets the impression that these three signs would be 
                        given to the Jews before Moses began to confront 
                        Pharaoh.         
                        1) However, note that the second sign of his staff turning 
                           to a snake took place during Moses first address to  
                           Pharaoh. 
                         2) The second of water from the Nile turning to blood is 
                           the first plague.
                                      3) Thus, the two events (and the others as well) were not 
                           just signs to Pharaoh, but signs to the Jews.
                  3. Aaron, Moses brother-in-law, is sent with Moses to be the 
                     spokesman (4:14-16).
                     a. Interesting that Moses was "mighty in speech" (Acts 7:22), but
                        does not feel like he is capable to speak for God.
                     b. Aaron would also become the high priest of Israel.
                  4. Moses and Aaron gather together the elders of Israel and show them
                     the miraculous signs and tell them about all God has said 
                     (4:29, 30).
   B. Confrontation with Pharaoh (Exodus 5-11).
      1. The Initial Confrontation.
         a. Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh, "Let my people go into the desert so that
            they may worship me" (5:2). Pharaoh replies, "Who is the Lord, that I should
            obey him and let Israel go into the desert?" (5:3).
         b. The Israelites were building storehouses in the cities of Pithom and Rameses
            (Ex. 1:11).
            1. The Jews had gone on a work strike (5:4, 5).
            2. Pharaoh makes their work harder by ordering that they no longer be given
               straw to mix into their bricks (5:7).
               a. When they are not able to keep up with the work load, Pharaoh says
                  they are lazy and that is why they want to go into the desert and
                  worship their God (5:17).
               b. Archaeologists have excavated both Pithom and Rameses.
                  1. Found buildings dating back to the time of Moses with bricks up
                     to a certain height with straw, and then, suddenly, bricks without
                     straw.
                  2. The bricks have the name Pharaoh Rameses imprinted.
                     (Boyd, A Pictorial Guide to Biblical Archaeology, 126).
            3. All of this puts Moses in a bad spot because the Jews begin to complain
               that though Moses promised to deliver them from oppression, their
               oppression has only gotten harder (5:21).
            4. When Moses in turn complains to God, God sends him back to Pharaoh, which
               begins the process of the Ten Plagues.
      2. The Ten Plagues (Exodus 8-11).
         A. Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh.
            1. Moses throws his staff down, it becomes a snake (8:10).
            2. Pharaohs' magicians and sorcerers are able to do the same thing 
               (8:11, 12).
               a. We will note that they were also able to do some of the same plagues
                  that Moses did.
               b. If we ask how, it is not unreasonable to suggest that even evil men
                  may do miracles (Deut. 13:1-3; Matt. 24:24;,2 Thess. 2:9, 10).
            3. Moses snake swallowed up their snakes.
            4. Pharaoh's heart was hardened.
         B. Moses then appears before Moses some ten times and each time he announces
            another plague which God will bring upon Egypt.
            1. Nile River Turned to Blood (7:17-24).
               a. Aaron stretches his staff over the Nile.
                  1. turns to "blood" and the fish die and the river stunk (7:19-21).
                  2. God tells Aaron to go around Egypt with his staff and stretch his
                     staff over the canals, ponds, streams,reservoirs (7:19).
               b. Pharaoh's magicians did the same thing (7:22).
                  1. Egyptians dug into the ground to find fresh water (7:24).
                  2. Pharaoh's heart became hard.
            2. Plague of Frogs (8:1-15).
               a. After seven days Moses again tells Pharaoh to let the people go and
                  worship God (8:1).
               b. Aaron stretches his staff over the streams, canals, ponds, and 
                  frogs cover the land of Egypt (8:5).
                  1. Magicians do the same things (8:7).
                  2. Frogs in houses (8:9), courtyards, fields (8:13), palace, ovens,
                     beds, kneading troughs (8:3).
               c. Pharaoh summons Moses and asks him to pray to God that the frogs will
                  leave Egypt (8:8).
                  1. Moses tells Pharaoh he will allow him to set the time that Moses
                     should pray for deliverance (8:9, 10).
                  2. After Moses prayed, the frogs died where they were.
                     a. Piled up in the streets in heaps (8:13).
                     b. Egypt stunk (8:14).
               d. Afterwards, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people
                  go (8:15).
            3. Plague of Gnats (8:16-19).
               a. Aaron strikes the ground with his staff and the dust becomes gnats.
               b. Magicians were not able to duplicate this plague and admitted that it
                  was done by the "finger of God" (8:19).
               c. Pharaoh hardened his heart.
            4. Plague of Flies (8:20-30).
               a. God now makes a distinction between the Egyptians and his people who
                  are living in the land of Goshen in that this plague did not strike
                  Goshen.
               b. Pharaoh summons Moses and tells him to go sacrifice to his God in the
                  land (8:24).
                  1. However, Moses refuses.
                     a. God said go a three day journey away
                     b. If the Egyptians see them sacrificing animals they will stone
                        them.
                  2. Pharaoh agrees and the flies leave. Then, he hardened his heart
                     and refused to let the Jews go.
            5. Death of the Livestock (9:1-7).
               a. God again makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Jews.
               b. Donkeys, horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats of the Egyptians die.
               c. Pharaoh did not yield.
            6. Plague of Boils (9:8-12).
               a. Moses and Aaron take soot from the furnace and tossed it into the air.
               b. People throughout Egypt covered with boils.
               c. Pharaoh hardened his heart.
            7. Plague of Hail (9:13-35).
               a. God makes a distinction between Jews and Egyptians.
               b. Warned everyone to take their livestock inside.
               c. Hail and lightning falls from the sky and kills the livestock.
               d. Pharaoh says to Moses, "I have sinned" (27).
                  1. Pray to God for me.
                  2. You may go sacrifice to God.
               e. But, Pharaoh changed his mind again (9:34, 35).
            8. Plague of Locusts (10:1-20).
               a. Moses warns that locust will cover the land and kill all the crops
                  not destroyed by the hail.
               b. Pharaoh's advisors tell him to let the Jews go (10:7).
                  1. They send for Moses and Aaron and tell him he can go, but only the
                     men could go. The women and children must stay behind (10:11).
                  2. Moses stretches out the staff and locusts cover Egypt.
               c. Pharaoh again calls Moses.
                  1. Says he has sinned and asks for prayers (10:16, 17).
                  2. Strong east wind blows all night and the locusts are blown into the
                     Red Sea (19).
               d. Pharaoh would not let the people go.
            9. Plague of Darkness (10:21-29).
               a. Distinction made between Jews and Egyptians.
               b. Total darkness for three days (10:22).
               c. This time Pharaoh says Moses can go and take the women and 
                  children, but must leave the livestock behind (10:24).
                  1. Moses replies they need the animals for sacrifice (10:25).
                  2. Says they must take all the animals because until they get 
                     there they do not know what to sacrifice (10:26).
               d. Pharaoh makes a big mistake which sets up the tenth plague.
                  1. He tells Moses never to appear before him again because if he does
                     he will die (10:28).
                  2. Moses says, "You will never see me again (10:29).
           10. Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 11).
               a. God promises Moses that the next plague will bring the desired 
                  result and for the Jews to ask the Egyptians for gold and 
                  silver (11:1, 2).
               b. At midnight God would strike the firstborn of men and cattle (11:5).
               c. God made a distinction between the Jews and Egyptians (11:7).
                  1. The Jews observed the Passover regulations on that night and were
                     thus delivered from the plague.
                     a. Became a perpetual annual observance for the Jews (12:14). 
                        Called a "lasting ordinance." (Also 12:25).
                     b. The most important feast in Judaism.
                     c. Became the first day of the religious year (12:2).
                  2. Passover Regulations (Exodus 12).
                     a. Each family (12:3) was to take a one year old male goat or lamb
                        (12:6) without defect (12:5).
                        1. Sacrifice it at twilight (12:6).
                        2. Smear its blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes of
                           their houses. (12:7) with hyssop (12:22).
                     b. They were to roast the meat and eat it that night with bitter
                        herbs and bread without yeast (12:8).
                     c. To eat it dressed as ready to travel, for the Lord would deliver
                        them from the Egyptians (12:11).
                        1. cloak tucked into your belt
                        2. sandals on your feet
                        3. staff in your hand
                        4. eat it quickly
                     d. That night they were not to leave their houses for any reason
                        (12:22).
                     e. For seven days afterwards they were not to eat anything 
                        with yeast in it (12:18-20) and thus also called the Feast 
                        of Unleavened Bread.
                     f. Additional Passover Regulations (12:43-49).
                        1. No foreigner (Gentile) may eat it (12:43). However, note
                           Num. 9:14; the circumcised foreigner could participate.
                        2. Slaves may eat it if circumcised (12:44).
                        3. Eat all the food inside your houses (12:46).
                        4. The bones of the sacrificial lamb or goat were not to 
                           be broken (12:46).
                        5. All of Israel must celebrate the Passover annually (12:47).
                  3. At midnight the firstborn of all Egypt died.
                     a. firstborn of livestock (12:29d).
                        firstborn of prisoner in the dungeon (12:29)
                        firstborn of Pharaoh (12:29)
                     b. At midnight Pharaoh and all his officials get up because there
                        is wailing throughout all of Egypt; there is not a house without
                        someone dead (12:30).
                     c. When God "saw" the blood on the doorposts of his people, death
                        "passed over" that house and the firstborn was spared.
         C. Consecration of the firstborn (Ex. 13:1-6). A second ceremony instituted 
            in connection with God's deliverance that was also to be perpetual and 
            remind the Jews of what God had done was the consecration of the 
            firstborn.
            1. The firstborn male of Israel belonged to the Lord, whether man or animal
               (13:2, 12).
            2. But, the firstborn could be redeemed with money (13:13).
            3. Thus there were two institutions that were to be carried out by the 
               Jews and reminded them of God's deliverance: the annual Passover 
               feast Exodus 12) and redemption of the firstborn male (Exodus 13).
         D. The Plagues as a Challenge to the gods of Egypt. (Ringenberg,The Living 
            Word in History, Broadview, IL: Gibbs Pub. Co., 1974,69-70; New Bible
            Dictionary, 944).
            1. The Egyptians were known to be very religious. They worshiped many 
               different parts of creation: sun, moon, stars, plants and animals, 
               insects, birds, dust, et al.
            2. It has been suggested that the ten plagues were designed to challenge 
               the power of the Egyptian gods and create faith in Yahweh as the true 
               God. Exodus 12:12 states, concerning the last plague, "I will bring 
               judgment on all the gods of Egypt."
            3. The gods challenged.
               a. (1) Ha'pi, the Nile god, was a symbol of life. When the Nile was 
                      turned to blood it became a symbol of death rather than life.
               b. (2) Plague of frogs was a direct challenge to Hecka, an Egyptian 
                      god who was symbolized by a frog.
               c. (3, 4) The Plague of Lice and Flies are not known to have been 
                         worshiped, but were pests to the beasts which were 
                         worshiped. In Memphis Apis, the sacred bull, was u
                         ndoubtedly stricken by flies and lice.
               d. (5) The death of the livestock struck directly at the beasts 
                      which were worshipped.
               e. (6) Plague of Boils. Unsure of connection.
               f. (7) Plague of Hail. Hail was one of the heralds of awesome events 
                   as in the Pyramid Texts.)
               g. (8) The locusts devastated the landscape. Unsure of connection.
               h. (9) Plague of Darkness was a challenge to the sun-god, Ra.
               i. (10) Death of the firstborn. Moses said that this specifically 
                       was a challenge to all the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12).
   C. The Exodus from Egypt and Crossing the Red Sea (13:1-15:21).
      1. On the very night that God strikes the firstborn, Pharaoh summons Moses 
         and tells him to take his people and go (12:31).
         a. They take dough without yeast
         b. They take gold, silver and clothing that the Egyptians had given them 
            and thus plunder the Egyptians (12:35, 36).
         c. The Jews had been in Egypt four hundred and thirty years to the very 
            day (12:40, 41). God had told Abraham his descendents would live in a 
            foreign land four hundred years before being delivered from their 
            oppressors Gen. 15:13, 14).
         d. There are about 600,000 men, besides women and children (12:37)
            1. Many other people went up with them (12:38).
            2. They go out armed for battle (13:18).
            3. They carry Joseph's bones with them (13:19)
         e. God leads the way in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire 
            by night (13:21).
      2. Crossing the Red Sea (Yam Suph)
         a. Pharaoh changed his mind and begins to pursue the Israelites.
            1. 600 chariots, horsemen and troops.
            2. overtake Jews at Pi Hahiroth (14:9).
         b. When Jews are pressed against the sea, Lord tells Moses to hold his 
            staff over the Red Sea.
            1. Pillar of cloud stands between the Egyptians and Jews all night, 
               making it light on side of Jews, dark on side of the Egyptians.
            2. East wind blows all night until morning. The waters had been blown 
               back and there was a dry path.
            3. Israelites go across on dry land.
            4. Egyptians drown in the sea.
            5. The event was celebrated throughout Jewish history in the 
               scriptures. When Joshua sent spies to Jericho, forty years later, 
               Rahab told them the men of Jericho were afraid of the Jews because 
               they had heard about what God did at the Red Sea forty years 
               earlier (Joshua 2:10).
      3. Exodus 15 is the Song of Miriam.
         a. Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron
         b. Song of victory celebrating the defeat of the Egyptians.
3. Israel Journey from the Red Sea to Mount Sinai (Exodus 15:22-19:2).
   On the journey to Mt. Sinai, there is a time of testing the faith of the Jews. 
   There are three grumblings of the Jews.
   A. First Grumbling at Wilderness of Shur: After crossing the Red Sea, they travel in
      the Wilderness of Shur for three days without finding any water (15:22).
      1. Finally come to a place called Marah and find water, but they are not able to
         drink it because it is bitter.
      2. They complain to Moses, "What are we going to drink?" (15:24).
      3. Moses throws a piece of wood into the water and it becomes sweet.
      4. They travel on and find an oasis called Elim (15:27).
         a. seventy palm trees
         b. twelve springs of water
   B. Second Grumbling at the Wilderness of Zin: They next travel to the Wilderness of
      Zin.
      1. Complain about the food. (16:3) If only we had died by the Lord's hand 
         in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, 
         but you have brought us out into this desert to starve the entire assembly 
         to death.
      2. God begins to send manna from heaven.
         a. He gave specific instructions to test them and see if they would obey his
            commandments (16:4).
            1. Each day gather enough for that day only
            2. On sixth day gather enough for two days so they will not have to gather
               manna on the Sabbath.
            3. Not to keep any until the following morning.
         b. That evening God sends quail (16:12, 13). The next morning he sends manna
            (16:13, 14).
         c. But the Israelites disobey.
            1. Some save manna until the morning, but it is full of maggots and stinks
               (16:20).
            2. Some went out on the Sabbath to gather manna (16:27), which angered the
               Lord.
         d. They take a jar and put manna in it which it to be kept for the 
            generations to come (16:33). The ark of the covenant contained this jar 
            of manna.
         e. For forty years the Israelites ate manna. It stopped when they celebrated
            their first Passover Feast in the Promised Land.
   C. Third Grumbling of Israel at Rephidim (Exodus 17:1-7).
      1. They next come to Rephidim where they again have a problem with water.
         a. They quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink" (17:2).
         b. God tells Moses to strike the "rock at Horeb."
            1. water comes out for all the people to drink.
            2. place is named Masah and Meribah which means "testing" and "quarreling."
         c. Did the Israelites have a legitimate concern? Yes, for they needed water. 
            Why then was God angry? Because of the way they approached the problem. 
            Rather than humbly asking Moses to ask God for water, they complain that 
            they have been abandoned.
      2. Amalekites attack Israel (17:8-16).
         a. Amalek was the grandson of Esau.
         b. Amalekites attack Israel.
            1. Joshua leads the Israelites into battle.
            2. As long as Moses holds rod up, Israel wins.
               a. Becomes tired, arms fall, Israel begins to lose.
               b. Aaron and Hur hold Moses arms up while Moses sits on a rock.
               c. Amalekites are defeated.
   D. Moses Appoints Judges (Exodus 18).
      1. Jethro visits Moses and sees him sitting from morning to evening settling
         disputes of the Jews.
      2. Advises him to appoint leaders to help him deal with all the problems of 
         Israel.
4. Israel at Mount Sinai: Giving of the Law (Exodus 19:1-24:18).
   A. In the third month after the Jews left Egypt, they came to Mount Sinai (19:1, 2).
   B. Moses will ascend Sinai at least five times. On different ascensions he will take
      different individuals with him, as God gives instructions.
      1. First Ascension of Moses: Moses is summoned up the mountain and is given 
         a message from God to give to the Jews (19:1-8).
         a. God reminds Moses that in retrospect he has been good to the Jewish people:
            1. You have seen what I did to Egypt (19:4).
            2. You have seen how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to
               myself (19:4).
         b. God promises that this relationship can continue if the Jewish people will
            keep his laws (19:5, 6).
            1. Israel will be God's treasured possession among all the nations of the
               earth (19:5).
            2. Israel will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (19:6).
         c. God tells Moses that he is going to come onto Mt. Sinai in a dense cloud, 
            so that the people will hear him speaking to Moses (19:9).
            1. People are to consecrate themselves.
               a. wash their clothes (19:10).
               b. abstain from sexual relations (19:15).
            2. Limits are put around the mountain and if any man or animal touches 
               it dies by being stoned or shot with arrows (19:12).
      2. Second and Third Ascension of Moses: Moses is summoned back up the mountain 
         on the third day after the people have been consecrated (19:9-24:8).
         a. Lord descends on Mt. Sinai.
            1. Came down in the sight of all the people (19:11).
            2. mountain billows with smoke like from a furnace (19:18)
            3. thunder and lightning (19:16).
            4. sound of a trumpet blast (19:16).
         b. When he gets to the top, he is told to go back and warn the people not 
            to touch the mountain and to bring Aaron back up the mountain 
            (19:22, 24).
            1. God gives Moses the Ten Commandments (20:1-17).
            2. God gives many other laws (20:22-23:33).
               a. Idols and Altars (20:22-26).
                  1. Not make idols.
                  2. God's altar to be made of earth or undressed stone.
                  3. Do not go up the altar on steps less your nakedness show.
               b. Treatment of Servants (21:1-11).
                  1. Indentured servants to be set free on seventh year (21:2).
                  2. If he wants to stay with his master, must take an awl and 
                     pierce his ear at your door (21:5, 6).
                  3. How to treat female servants (21:7-11).
               c. Personal Injuries (Exodus 21:12-36).
                  1. Anyone who strikes a man and kills him will be put to death 
                     (21:12), unless it is unintentional.
                  2. Anyone who attacks or curses his father or mother must be put 
                     to death 21:15, 17).
                  3. A kidnapper is to be put to death (21:16).
                  4. If two men are fighting and hit a pregnant woman, causing her 
                     to give birth prematurely, they are to be fined. If there is 
                     serious injury, they are to pay eye for eye, even to the point 
                     of death (21:22-25).
                  5. If a man hits his servant and knocks out an eye or tooth, he 
                     must set the servant free (21:26).
                  6. et al.
              d. Protection of Property (Exodus 22:1-14).
                 1. A man who steals an ox must repay with five. A man who steals a 
                    sheep must repay with four (22:1).
                 2. If a thief is killed at night while breaking into a house, the 
                    killer is not guilty of murder. If after sunrise, he is guilty 
                    of murder (22:2).
                 3. If a fire breaks out and destroys grain or fields, the one 
                    who started the fire must pay for the loss (23:6).
                 4. et al.
              e. Social Responsibilities (Exodus 22:16-31).
                 1. A sorceress is to be put to death (22:18).
                 2. Anyone who has sex with an animal is to be put to death (22:19).
                 3. Anyone who sacrifices to a pagan god must be put to death (22:20).
                 4. Do not mistreat a foreigner in your land (21:21).
                 5. Do not take advantage of a widow or orphan (21:22).
                 6. et al.
              f. Laws of Justice and Mercy (Exodus 23:1-9).
                 1. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony 
                    in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 
                    and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit (23:3).
                 2. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen into a 
                    ditch, do not leave it there. Help him with it (23:5).
                 3. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists
                    the words of the righteous (23:8).
                 4. et al.
              g. Sabbath Laws (Exodus 23:10-13).
                 1. Rest on the seventh day.
                 2. Leave our fields fallow in the seventh year.
              h. Three Annual Feasts (Exodus 23:14-19).
                 1. Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover)
                    Feast of Firstfruits (Pentecost)
                    Feast of Ingathering (Tabernacles)
                 2. 19b seems strange, but seems to have been a pagan fertility rite.
                    Connection is that they are to worship God as he directs and not
                    be involved in idolatry.
         c. God's Angel to prepare the way for Israel (24:20-33).
            1. The angel will help them get the Promised Land by defeating Israel's
               enemies (23:23, 27-29).
            2. God will drive them out little by little because if he drives them 
               out all at once, the land would become desolate and the wild beasts 
               would take over (23:29, 30).
            3. Warning against letting the Canaanites stay in the land.
            4. Warning against idolatry.
      3. Fourth Ascension of Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders 
         of Israel (24:9-31:18).
         a. They are all called up the mountain where they saw the God of Israel 
            (24:9, 10).
            1. Under God's feet was something like sapphire, as clear as the sky 
               (24:10).
            2. They ate and drank in the presence of God.
         b. God calls Moses and Joshua further up the mountain where God gives 
            stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them. Moses is in 
            the cloud for forty days (24:18).
         c. Moses is given commands from God and the means by which they can approach 
            God in cultic worship.
            1. the Ten Commandments on stone (24:12)
            2. and instructions for the building of the tabernacle (25:1-31:11, 
               sub verbo).
         d. God tells Moses that he must go down the mountain for "your people whom 
            you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt" (32:7).
            1. Note that God here speaks of them as "Moses people" rather than 
               "my people."
            2. Tells Moses they have made an idol in the shape of a calf.
               a. Threatens to destroy Israel (32:10).
               b. Moses says, if you do that, the Egyptians will say you brought them 
                  out here to kill them (32:12).
               c. Remember your covenant with Abraham to make them into a great 
                  nation (32:13).
            3. When Moses comes down, he sees the idolatry and throws the tablets 
               down.
               a. Burns the idol in the fire, grinds it to powder, puts in water, 
                  and makes the Jews drink it (32:20).
               b. Aaron says they asked him to make an idol and when they gave him 
                  their jewelry, he cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.
               c. Some of the Jews continued to engage in revelry. Moses had the 
                  Levites take swords and put them to death (32:26-28).
                  1. Three thousand people put to death by the Levites (32:28).
                  2. Later, God struck others with a plague (32:34, 35).
            4. Fifth Ascension of Moses (33:12-34:35).
               a. Moses had a tent where God would come and talk to him "face to 
                  face as a man speaks to a friend" (33:1-11).
                  1. Moses asks to see the glory of God (33:18).
                  2. No one can see God's face and live (33:20).
                  3. God makes all his "goodness" to pass in front of Moses (33:19).
                  4. When God's glory passes, God hides Moses in a cleft in a rock, 
                     and covers him with his hand (33:22).
                  5. After his glory passed by, God removed his hand, and Moses 
                     was allowed to see God's back (33:23).
               b. Moses summoned back up the mountain.
                  1. The event of his God passing by is not recorded.
                  2. Moses chisels out two new tablets upon which God would write
                     the Ten Commandments to replace those that had been broken
                     (34:1-28).
               c. When Moses comes down, his face is radiant (34:29-35).
                  1. After he speaks to the people, he puts the veil over his 
                     face (34:33).
                  2. When he goes back to talk to the Lord, he takes the veil off
                     (34:35).
            5. Pedagogical Value of the Exodus: See The Teaching Design of the Historic
               Exodus (Ringenberg, The Living Word in History, Broadview, IL: Gibbs Pub.
               Co., 1974, 67-69).
               1. Taught Israel that God is the Redeemer brought them out of Egypt
               2. Taught Israel that God is their Guide
               3. Taught Israel that God is their Provider
               4. Taught Israel that God is their Source of Power