Exodus: The Living God Who Sets You Free

Introduction

You may know the animated film The Prince of Egypt and its musical opening. It tells the story of the Exodus in its own way, but with a line that raises a problem: "You can do miracles when you believe." In reality, it's not you who does miracles when you believe. It's God who does them. And that's exactly what the book of Exodus is going to show us.

Before we dive in, a question: how does a book written about 3,500 years ago concern you today? Where does the promise stand? Maybe God isn't really your thing, so you'd put the question differently: is God doing anything in the world? Does he see? Can he act? Is he there? That question is a good way into Exodus.

Article outline

1. Exodus, the second chapter of a bigger story

"Exodus" means "going out." Going out of Egypt, out of the situation of an entire people. But you shouldn't treat Exodus as a standalone book. It's the second chapter of a set of five books (the Pentateuch), written to be read together. Exodus continues the events that Genesis began telling.

2. The great deliverance: from rebellion to redemption

The Bible tells the story of the Creator God who, overflowing with love, made the world and placed humanity as his deputy, ruler over creation. It's also the story of humanity which, tempted by the devil, rebelled: wanting to become "ruler in the ruler's place," deciding for itself what is good and evil, apart from God, far from him, against him.

But it's also the story of redemption, the great deliverance, the great rescue. God doesn't leave for another planet to start over with a better-behaved humanity. It's the story of the God who stays. Facing a humanity that rejects him, he offers a story of rebuilding, restoration, and freedom from slavery.

3. The promise to Abraham: a family to bless every nation

God's rescue plan runs through a family (Abraham's family), to whom God gives a promise:

"Yahweh said to Abram, 'Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:1-3, WEB)

God's great repair, his great forgiveness, his great deliverance runs through this family. He raises it up, grows it, and sets it free, in order to raise up, grow, and set free a people drawn from every nation, a people who find not a curse but a blessing in him.

4. A people enslaved who believe they are free

This family finds itself in a state of slavery that is more human, more relatable, than we'd like to admit. You might be tempted to say to yourself: "Me, a slave? I come from a nation built on freedom. I've never been a slave to anyone or anything." If that's what you're thinking, you're not the first person to think it. Humanity, though enslaved, believes itself free.

The book of Exodus helps you think through this question. It puts you face to face with four realities:

• the gravity of the situation our humanity is in, seen through the story of this family;
• the powerlessness of a people who cling to the promise but have no power of their own to get out of it;
• the sovereignty of the faithful God who keeps his promise, even as time goes by, and goes by, and goes by;
• the preparation of the Redeemer, the great deliverer God promises and through whom he fulfills his promise.

5. Moses foreshadows the great Deliverer: Jesus Christ

Through Moses, the first deliverer, Exodus prepares us for the true and great deliverer: Jesus Christ. You could call him the "perfect Moses," the Son of God who came into our condition to free us from evil, judgment, and death, and to bring us back to God. That's what the promise is: to be set free.

6. The narrative genre: the God of history is the God of your history

Exodus is a narrative. Storytelling communicates the weight of passing time like no other literary genre can. It communicates the reality we face, the need we have, the waiting we endure, and the resurrection power of the God of history.

The narrative puts you face to face with the living God: creator, patient, judge, and savior, the God of history. And as you read their story, you realize he is also the God of your story. Just as he acted in theirs, he acts in yours. And he sets you free.

This is exactly what Paul says:

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4, WEB)

Key takeaways

• God keeps his promise, even when time drags on and seems to stretch out endlessly.
• We are slaves without knowing it. Exodus exposes the illusion of freedom we cling to.
• Moses points forward to Jesus. The first deliverer prepares the way for the great Deliverer to come.
• The God of history is the God of your history. He didn't stay in the past; he is still at work.
• Our calling is to live under God's good and gracious authority, not far from him, not against him, but with him.

Personal application

• Where does God's promise stand in your life today? Are you still waiting on something from him, or have you stopped hoping?
• What do you need to be set free from? What slavery are you refusing to name?
• Do you recognize that you cannot save yourself, and that you need a Deliverer who comes from outside you?
• Are you living as though you're the center of the world, or as though God is? What would concretely change this week if God were truly at the center?
• Are you ready to read Exodus not as an ancient text, but as a word spoken into your own story?

Verses cited

• Genesis 12:1-3 · The promise given to Abraham.
• Romans 15:4 · Whatever was written before was written for our learning.

FAQ

Why read Exodus today?

Because this book tells you about the God who did not abandon a humanity that rejected him. It shows you a God who is faithful to his promise, who frees his people from a real slavery. And because you yourself are a slave to things you don't always see: Exodus helps you recognize that and hope for deliverance.

Is Exodus a standalone book, separate from Genesis?

No. You should read it as the second chapter of the Pentateuch, the set of the Bible's first five books. These books were written to be read together. Exodus continues the story begun in Genesis: creation, rebellion, the promise to Abraham, and the plan of redemption.

How does Moses point forward to Jesus?

Moses is the first deliverer: God uses him to bring his people out of slavery in Egypt. But Moses is only a preparation. Jesus is the "perfect Moses," the Son of God who came into our condition to free us, not just from a country, but from evil, judgment, and death, and to bring us back to God.