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The general themes of the book of Exodus can be distilled into one idea: the reconciliation of Israel to God. Just as Yosef had been tossed into slavery then Heaven lifted him to high office (Genesis 37–50), we see in the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1; parallels: Isa. 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23; Jer. 1:1-2:3; Acts 7:17-36; Heb. 11:23-26) that the entire people of Israel also had been tossed into slavery.
The One Who remembers, hears and responds
Important in Shemot is revelation to Israel of the “memorial name”: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex. 3:15). Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) and the apostle Peter both tell us that God is the God of the living, not of the dead (Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38; John 5:25; Acts 10:42). That is an important promise. The promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were passed on to the subsequent generations.
The LORD remembers promises, hears the lamentations of the people and ultimately responds.
“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
2Peter 3:8–9 NASB
The punchline of this verse is not about how to interpret prophesy but a reminder that God’s promises didn’t end just because the early generations were gone. Since God is eternal, so are His promises, and He will bring them to pass on His timetable.
Genesis ended with the descent of Israel into slavery and Exodus shows us the ascent of Israel to freedom.
Messiah reconciles the world to Heaven, no longer recognizing sins, transgressions and iniquities. He has grafted in and adopted not only Jews into His kingdom but also Gentiles (Romans 11). We as redeemed/adopted Israel are Heaven’s ambassadors in the reconciliation of the world (2Cor. 5:20).
The Law: Tutor for Kingdom righteousness
The Kingdom of Heaven is not a club with nice meetings and secret handshakes. It’s a body with a purpose — to bring the world back from disaster. The world has been on a disastrous path, on the road to death since Adam and Eve chose the Tree of Knowledge.
Good deeds of great men are seldom remembered, while the memory of men who do great harm live on. It’s not enough to know something, we need more than wisdom and education to bring us to the Kingdom. The Law is a tutor, and as we learn it and practice it, it becomes a part of us (Gal. 3:21–27).
After all, when we were young, we memorized our numbers, our multiplication tables, etc. as we progressed in learning math, going from basic math, to geometry, algebra, calculus, trigonometry, but for those who becomes engineers, plumbers, general contractors, etc., they don’t stop using their basic math skills. There is no engineer who says, “I have learned calculus, so I don’t have to remember and use 2 + 2 = 4.”
They have memorized the basics of math and put them into practice in their work on a daily basis to the point that they are able to easily use those rudimentary math skills and practice and apply higher math skills to accomplish greater things than they could without those basics. This is how God’s law should be for us, we need to learn the basics but as we master the basics, God will help us learn and practice the weightier matters of the law, too.
Pharaohs learn that it’s all about who you know
We see a difference between the pharaoh who knew and respected Yosef (Joseph) and the LORD was blessed and Mitzraim (Egypt) through them. He benefitted from Yosef’s consolidation of Pharaoh’s power, which was fine when Egypt was under the reign of a benevolent tyrant, but later when a Pharaoh came along who didn’t know Yosef and the LORD ultimately brought a curse on Mitzraim, having power centralized in such a manner was disasterous.
The Pharaoh who Moses confronted benefited from what Yosef had done in the past did but did not give Yosef or his God credit for his empire and God rebuked him and curse him and the people of Egyptfor his arrogance.
Shemot signposts
- Exodus 1–3: First 80 years in the life of Moshe (Moses)
- Exodus 1: Though enslaved in Mitzraim, Israel still would be multiplied like stars in the heavens and sand on the seashore. This promise goes back to Abraham and was passed on to Isaac and to Jacob. This promise didn’t seem possible when it was originally made. Though enslaved in Mitzraim, Israel still would be multiplied like stars in the heavens and sand on the seashore.
- Exodus 2: The deliverer arrives in the fullness of time. There are not only parallels between Yosef and the Messiah but between Moses and the Messiah.
- Exodus 3–4: Foreshadowing of Immanuel (Elohim with us). This foreshadowing starts at the burning bush, and it shows up as God delivers Israel from Egypt.
- Exodus 5:1–6:1: Counting the cost of faith and freedom
When you read the Prophets and the New Testament, you should already know the Torah. The Prophets and the New Testament are the graduate level of eduction. If you don’t know the Torah, it’s dangerous to assume you know what the Prophets and the New Testament are actually saying. Yeshua reprimanded not only the Pharisees but HaSatan himself, telling them all the time, “It is written….”
The Law is lawful if you use it lawfully. It’s the guide, the foundation of the kingdom of God but it’s not a basis of whether you are in the Kingdom or not. It can’t save us, only God can clear our sins away. Only repentance and acceptance of the Spirit of God in humility can save us. God offers absolution but we have to acknowledge our condemnation without it.
Why did ‘The Ten Commandments’ name Pharaoh’s daughter Bithia?
The first savior figure we meet in Shemot is not Moses but his adopted mother, the daughter of Pharaoh. She was a “righteous person among the gentiles” in Mitzraim.
Bat-Paro becomes Bat-Yah (Bitya/Bithia) because she changed her allegiance from the family of Pharaoh to the family of God. Jewish tradition says that she later married Caleb of Kenetz (Kennizite). There’s also a reference to the name “Mered” in the genealogy recorded in 1Chron. 4:17–18 means “Rebel,” which may be a reference to Caleb, who along with Yehoshua rebelled against the “bad report” of the 10 spies. (b.Megillah 13a)
In the book of Genesis, we read that the Kennizites were among the people of Canaan who were a problem that God wanted to wipe out, but Caleb’s family, and other Kennizites changed their allegiance from their clans to the family of God.
Pharaoh and Herod: History repeats itself because human nature doesn’t change
Just as Pharaoh tried to kill the baby boys of Israel because he saw them as a direct threat to his reign, Herod later tried to do the same thing, issuing an edict to kill all the baby boys born in the area around Bethlehem because the Messiah was prophesied to be born there. Herod’s family had a very tenuous grasp on the throne and coveted it with blood-soaked hands.
In the Torah reading Shemot, God was stretching out His hand, through Moses and Aaron, to touch Pharaoh. God was preparing to systematically show Pharaoh that his false pantheon of gods had no power over the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Pharoah’s gods had no power to protect his throne or his people from their humiliation. We’ll start seeing that unfold in the Torah reading Va’era.
Summary: Tammy