Readings
- Exodus 1:1–6:1
- Isaiah 27:6–28:13
- Jeremiah 1:1–2:3
Apostolic Writings (Matthew–Revelation)
- Gift of tongues is for foreigners, of prophecy is for Israel: 1Corinthians 14:13–25
- ‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob’: Matthew 22:23–33, 41-46; Mark 12:18–27, 35–37; Luke 20:27–44
- Shemot from an apostolic perspective: Acts 7:17–36; Hebrews 11:23–26
- Yosef, Moshe and Yeshua as rejected saviors: Acts 3:12–15; 5:27–32
- Rebellion against Heaven’s messengers: Acts 22:12–16; 24:14–16
- YHWH, “Who was, Who is and Who is to come”: Revelation 4:8; 1:4, 8
Outline of Shemot
- Exodus 1: Multiplied like stars in the heavens and sand on the seashore
- Exodus 1:1–7: From 70 to many
- Exodus 1:8–14: Freaked new pharaoh enslaves Yisra’el
- Exodus 1:15–22: Failing at infanticide by midwife, pharaoh employs the Nile
- Exodus 2: Deliverer arrives in the fullness of time
- Exodus 2:1–10: ‘Good’ generation of Mitzraim descent saved by Pharaoh’s daughter
- Exodus 2:11–15: Moshe tries to lessen oppression by force then flees to Midian
- Exodus 2:16–22: Moshe the ‘ger sham’ settles in Midian with Zipporah
- Exodus 2:23–25: Pharaoh dies. Yisra’el cries. HaShem knows.
- Exodus 3–4: Foreshadowing of Immanuel (Elohim with us)
- Exodus 3:1–4:17: Moshe meets the LORD at the burning bush
- Exodus 4:18–20: Moshe tells Yitro he’s returning to Mitzraim
- Exodus 4:21–23: ‘Yisra’el is My son, My first-born’
- Exodus 4:24–26: ‘Bridegroom of blood’
- Exodus 4:27–31: Aharon is sent to meet Moshe. They present the signs to the elders of Yisra’el
- Exodus 5:1–6:1: Counting the cost of faith and freedom
- Exodus 5:1–14: Moshe/Aharon vs. pharaoh — round 1
- Exodus 5:15–21: Leaders of Yisra’el balk at the cost of faith in the LORD
- Exodus 5:22–6:1: Moshe carries Yisra’el’s cries to the LORD; freedom will come ‘by a strong hand’
Studies
The following are notes and recordings of studies by Hallel Fellowship teachers on passages related to Shemot.
Seal of God vs. mark of the beast: How distressed are we about the hearts of humanity? (Exodus 1–5)
This study of Torah section שְׁמוֹת Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1) delves into the relevance of Moshe beyond Israel’s history, highlighting universal themes of crying out for deliverance and Heaven’s response. God hears enslaved Israel’s cries for liberation and ultimately delivers, irrespective of individuals’ goodness.
Adonai’s deliverance of Israel from the “house of bondage” (Joshua 24:17) parallels each of our salvation and is why the crucifixion of the ultimate Deliverer — Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) took place on Pesach (Passover), the annual memorial of Israel’s freedom from Mitzraim (Egypt). This one of the “appointments of Adonai” (Leviticus 23:1) isn’t…
Trust the One Who lives up to His name (Exodus 3–4)
Genesis ended with the descent of Israel into slavery and Exodus shows us the ascent of Israel to freedom. God had made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and after several generations in Egypt.
In the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1), God was making good on His promise to return His people to His Promised Land. Moses and Aaron would be His primary instruments to fulfill the promise, but there are other “saviors” we meet before God sends Moses to save His people: the daughter of Pharaoh, and Tzipporah, the daughter of Yitro (Jethro).
God kept His promises…
‘You will call His name Immanuel’: Heaven’s desire has always been to be with us
At Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles), we celebrate Heaven’s work to heal the breach between the God and humanity, so that once again, the Creator can live with His creation. And one of the most enduring and repeated reassurances the Holy One is Immanu El — God with us.
In the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1), we see Heaven’s revelation of “the Name,” translated as “I am” or “I will be.” But in this passage, we also see a foreshadowing of the “name above all names”: God With Us. This study explores the “now and not yet” prophecies of Messiah…
Learning to see over the horizon gives us insight for today (Exodus 3)
Many things can make us feel like we’re forgotten, alone and suffering unfairly. A key lesson of the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1) is the Creator of all that is, was and will be knows the deep, anguished cries of our hearts and has been actively working to set us free from the long downhill slide of the world.
Just as the LORD revealed His name, His character, to Moshe (Moses) at the burning bush, the Holy One of Israel revealed His character though the Word of the LORD made flesh — Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).
Set…
How to be a righteous leader (Exodus 1:1–6:1)
In the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Ex. 1:1–6:1) and its parallel passage, we learn about Moses and Samuel, great leaders of ancient Israel. But their greatness came from their humility, not grasping at the reins of power. Because of their meekness, Heaven appointed them to be chief agents of the power of Heaven on Earth.
How much more does the Messiah, the exact representation of Heaven (Heb. 1:3), show us what a faith-worth leader should be.
Those who try to erase history may end up repeating it (Exodus 1–5)
What we fear, we want to eradicate. In the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1), we read how one particular Pharaoh feared the Israelite’s because they refused to assimilate into Egypt. King Herod feared losing his earthy throne to a more rightful Davidic heir so he slaughtered all the young boys in Bethlehem to consolidate his power. This is how all despots deal with real or imagined threats to their control.
Scripture shows us again and again that the rightful heir inevitably prevails, God makes sure of that, but those around them suffer difficulty and persecution and God takes…
God humbled a superpower to free His people from slavery (Exodus 1–5)
It’s cold comfort while we’re suffering to understand that learning how to endure it will make us stronger (James 1:2–4). And it can seem cruel to watch such a struggle from the outside, thinking someone with power should step up and stop it.
That heart cry for deliverance is the focus of the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1). Amid the passage’s exploration of the key question of why the Kingdom of Heaven that spoke the Earth into existence seems to be unable or unwilling to stop the oppression of one of its superpowers — Mitzraim (Egypt) — there’s the…
Moshe foreshadows Mashiakh the Deliverer (Exodus 1:1–6:1)
We don’t know for sure which pharaoh helped raise Moshe or which pharaoh Moses confronted to free the ancient Israelis from slavery. What we can see from Torah reading Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1) is Heaven’s pattern for the Mashiakh Who delivers all from the bondage of living apart from the Creator.
God reiterated His call of Moshe, Aharon; Levi, Reuben, Shimon noted as leaders of Israel (Exodus 6)
Try to put yourself into Moses shoes here. His first presentation with Pharaoh doesn’t go very well—just as Moses had told God it wouldn’t. His confidence is even lower now than it was before. Yet God does not change His mind about his call on Moses and Aaron.
Moshe returned to Mitsraim with Aharon; Tzipporah does emergency circumcision; Pharaoh rejects the first request for Yisrael to leave (Exodus 4–5)
Moshe (Moses) returned to Mitsraim (Egypt) and found Aharon (Aaron) was willing to help him accomplish the task God gave him to do. However, Moshe and his wife Tzipporah have a life-and-death confrontation with God first, and she saved them all by quickly circumcising a son. Once Aharon and Moshe set God’s plan into motion, they face Pharaoh and hit their first roadblock.
Moses’ first 80 years (Exodus 1–3)
The first 80 years of Moses’ life are summarized in Exodus 1-3. It starts with his birth in Egypt and the end of chapter 3 tells us about his call to return to Egypt. The rest of the book focuses on the last 40 years of his life.
You want to be one of God’s firstfruits
Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is called the firstfruits of the resurrection (1st Cor. 15:20), and why are we called firstfruits of creation (James 1:18)? Pentecost originally was a celebration of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest and followed 50 days after the celebration of the firstfruits of the barley harvest. What is God teaching here about Yeshua and us?
Exodus recap: From dwelling in bondage to dwelling with God
If we can choose just one word to summarize the book of Exodus, it’s reconciliation. God used Moshe (Moses) to bring the descendants of Israel out of Egypt to be His people.
Even after the golden calf was made, God still wanted to reconcile to His people Israel, and Israel wanted to reconcile to Him. The people of Israel were willing to give much to be reconciled to Him to the point that Moshe had to tell the children of Israel to stop giving because the coffers were overflowing with gifts. They wanted Him to dwell with them.
God said through Paul that He began a good work in us. God will complete the good work. We are to be living stones. We will surround the Creator of Heaven and Earth and His Son, Yeshua (Jesus) the Mashiakh (Messiah). There will be no temple there, because the temple will be there all the time. The only temple will be the people He saved.
God ultimately used the Messiah to reconcile the world to Himself, no longer recognizing their transgressions. A clean slate, it’s all new. He doesn’t pay attention to our sins, transgressions and iniquities. We are to be ambassadors to reconcile people to God.
Exodus 1–6 recap
We need to look back on what we have learned in Exodus 1–6. Exodus is the most powerful book in the Bible because it reveals many aspects of God’s character.
One of the lessons of the Book of Exodus is that often, the good deeds of great men are “seldom remembered” while the memory of “men who do great harm” live on. This was true of both Joseph and Moses. As far as Egyptian history is concerned, both of these great men were rejected because of the arrogance of the Pharaoh.
We are blessed by God that we have the Torah from God Himself, who made sure their deeds is recorded for us. God has not kept His will a secret. It’s all in the Bible.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Du contrat social ou Principes du droit politique” (“Of the Social Contract”), 1762. ↩
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