Who Wrote Exodus?
Moses is the traditional writer of Exodus, along with the early four books of the Torah. Lawrence Boadt says that from the time of the tax return from expatriate in 539 B.C. Moses has been explicitly identified as the writer of Exodus. Boadt besides says that “ other well-known jewish authors such as Josephus the historian and Philo the Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, Egypt, took for granted that Moses authored the five books of the Pentateuch. ” Boadt concludes his discussion on the writing of Exodus by saying that “ Christians and Jews never badly doubted Mosaic authorship up until the time of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. ” exodus 17:14 provides some inner tell that Moses was an generator. In this passage, God instructs Moses to write down his curse against the Amalekites. besides, in Deuteronomy 31:24-26 Moses is instructed to write down in a koran the words of the law and place them into the Ark. Neither of these prove that Moses wrote Exodus, but they do indicate that Moses was an writer and capable of having recorded Exodus. In the end of the Bible we find numerous references to the Law of Moses. These include Joshua 1:7 ; 8:31-32, 1 Kings 2:3, 2 Kings 14:6, Mark 12:26, and Luke 2:22-23. While these passages do not directly property Moses as the writer of Exodus, they do claim that the law, or Torah, is from Moses. Against this traditional view is the Documentary Theory that sees the Pentateuch as being a collection of up to four different source documents. These documents are thought to have been merged and edited over prison term and broadly completed during the exile to Babylon. This horizon is chiefly based on the differences in words and grammar that can be found throughout the five books of the Pentateuch.
Context and Background of Exodus
When Exodus opens, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are in bondage in Egypt and have been there for 400 years. While they had gone into Egypt as honor guests, over time their condition had changed. They had grown numerous and the egyptian government had grown to fear them. The Egyptians made life sentence unmanageable for the Israelites, who had begun to cry out for help. As a people in slavery to Egypt, Israel had no substantial politics or place of laws other than what Egypt provided. It is besides quite probably that they had adopted the idolize practices of Egypt. As Joshua comes to the end of his life, he challenged Israel to throw away the gods their forefathers worshipped in Egypt ( Jos. 24:14 ) .
Main Theme and Purpose of Exodus
According to Norman Geisler “ the overall theme of Exodus is redemption. ” It is the fib of a slave people who God rescues from bondage to their egyptian masters and brings into relationship with himself. This theme of redemption is like what is found in the New Testament. God is rescuing people in bondage to sin in order to establish a personal relationship with them. Douglas Stuart agrees with this saying that the two themes of Exodus are “ ( 1 ) rescue of a group of people from submission to their oppressors to submission to God and ( 2 ) the constitution of that group as a people of God. ” Geisler adds that “ the aim of Moses in writing Exodus is to show how the family of Jacob ( totaling some seventy souls ) developed into the nation of Israel ( estimated at over two million ). ” The first 18 chapters of Exodus center around Israel ’ south redemption from egyptian slavery. It opens with Israel as slaves, records God ’ s rescue, and ends with them at Sinai. The end of Exodus is concerned with the constitution of a covenant between God and his people along with a worship center and a priesthood. together, these two parts of Exodus serve to provide a historical background for Israel as a nation .
What Can We Learn from Exodus Today?
Exodus is an concern narrative, particularly the first few chapters. Who is unfamiliar with the floor of baby Moses in a reed basket ? Or the plagues that devastated Egypt, along with the crossbreed of the Red Sea. But Exodus is more than equitable interest history. Walter Kaiser says that “ Exodus contains some of the richest theology in the Old Testament. pre-eminently, it lays the initiation for a theology of God ’ sulfur revelation of his person, redemption, law, and worship. It besides initiates the bang-up initiation of the priesthood and the function of the prophet, and it formalizes the covenant relationship between God and his people. ” exodus forms the foundation garment for everything that follows in the Old Testament. An understanding of Israel ’ s foundation garment as a state and the covenant God made with them is critical. It forms the basis for the message of the prophets to Israel adenine well as their singularity as a people. But, even more importantly, it has much to say to believers today. New Testament believers are not under the covenant established in Exodus. But we are in a covenant kinship with God. And the tabernacle, the priesthood, and sacrificial organization introduced in Exodus are physical types of the spiritual reality we experience today. It is worth taking the time to understand these “ types ” in Exodus to better understand our kinship with God today.
Our Favorite Verses from Exodus
There are a number of passages in Exodus that I find valuable. Among these are : exodus 3:5 : “ ’ Do not come any closer, ’ God said. ‘ Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy place ground. ’ ” exodus 3:14 : “ God said to Moses, ‘ I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites : ‘ I am has sent me to you. ’ ” exodus 14:13-14 : “ Moses answered the people, ‘ Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the rescue the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you ; you need only to be hush. ’ ” exodus 19:4-6 : “ ’ You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles ’ wings and brought you to myself. now if you obey me amply and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my care for self-control. Although the hale land is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. ’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. ” Exodus 32:11-12, 14 : “ But Moses sought the party favor of the Lord his God. ‘ Lord, ’ he said, ‘ why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great office and a mighty hand ? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘ It was with malefic intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth ’ ? Turn from your boisterous wrath ; yield and do not bring catastrophe on your people. ’. .. then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. ”
Sources
The Expositor ’ s bible Commentary : Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Zondervan, 1990. mark. A Popular Survey of the Old testament : Norman L. Geisler, Baker Academic, 1977. mark. Reading the Old Testament – An introduction : Lawrence Boadt, Paulist Press, 2012. Print.
The New american Commentary : Douglas K. Stuart, Holman Reference, 2006. print. Photo credit : © Sparrowstock 
Ed Jarrett is a long-time follower of Jesus and a penis of Sylvan Way Baptist Church. He has been a bible teacher for over 40 years and regularly blogs at A Clay Jar. You can besides follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Ed is married, the don of two, and grandfather of three. He is retired and presently enjoys his gardens and backpack.
