Old Testament Background

Evangelical Free Church of Walnut

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The ExodusGod Saves His

People

Who Enslaved Israel

“A Pharoah arose who did not know Joseph”

Hyksos (Asiatic foreigners who gained power - 15th & 16th Dynasty)

Joseph likely opened the door for Asiatic political power

The explanation for enslavement is weaker

Explanation: Hyksos were fearful of loosing power to Hebrews

Hebrews did not adopt as many Egyptian customs

Hebrews did not seem interested in political power

Israel’s Slavery

Who Enslaved Israel

18th Dynasty (Native Egyptians who overthrew Hyksos)

Explanation of enslavement is stronger

Hatred toward defeated Hyksos spills over to other foreign groups

Allows for more time for Joseph to be forgotten

Enslavement period does not seem long in Scripture

The land was already filled with Israelites before enslavement

The enslavement seems to be progressive under one Dynasty

Israel’s Slavery

Early Life in Egypt

Israelite Parents

By putting him in the basket they were obeying Pharoah

Pharoah’s daughter probably knew that the nursmaid Miriam got was the Mother of Moses

Moses was weaned by his Israelite parents

Moses always knew he was a Hebrew

Moses

Early Life in Egypt

Egyptian Parents

Hatshepsut

Only living daughter of Thutmose I

Claimed throne when her son, Thutmose III, is innaugurated

Strength: Cool story!

Weakness: Not very likely considering what we know.

Moses

Early Life in Egypt

Egyptian Parents

Thermuthis

Lesser daughter of Pharoah

Sought to advance herself by providing a male heir

Proposed by Josephus

Strength: Fits Thutmose I, who had no son

Weakness: Josephus based on more on oral tradition

Moses

Early Life in Egypt

Egyptian Parents

Anonymous Daughter of a Concubine

She was motivated simply by mercy

Strength: Lack of drama fits biblical lack of drama

Weakness: Doesn’t make for a dramatic movie

Moses

Early Life in Egypt

Young Adulthood (up to 40)

Moses said to be good looking (Exodus 2:2 and Josephus)

Moses would have enjoyed the best education of the day

Josephus has Moses as a general in the Egyptian army

Moses was in his late thirties when he killed the Egyptian and fled from the Pharoah to Midian.

Moses likely was already married when he fled (Numbers 12:1 mentions his marriage to a Cushite woman)

Moses

Middle Years in Midian

Middle Adulthood (40-80)

Flees to Midian and marries Zipporah, daughter of Jethro

Jethro is a priest of Midian – likely a priest of God (Ex. 18:11)

Moses lives as a shepherd

Moses has two sons: Gershom and Eliezer

Moses

Years of Exodus and Wandering

Late Adulthood (40-80)

Sees burning bush while in Midian and returns to Egypt

Midianite wife stays behind with two sons

Likely reunited with his Egyptian wife

Moses

The Purpose of the Ten Plagues

Show the power of God and make Him known to the nations

Exodus 7:1-5 – God hardens Pharoah heart in order to multiply his signs and wonders

Exodus 5:2 – “Pharoah said, ‘Who is the LORD that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.’”

The Ten Plagues

The Purpose of the Ten Plagues

God’s judgment on the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12)

Some try to match an Egyptian God with each plague

The plagues are best understood collectively as an attack on Ra and the cosmic order he had supposedly established

The final two plagues are aimed at the primary Egyptian deity and his earthly representative.

The Ten Plagues

The Purpose of the Ten Plagues

To increase the pressure on Pharaoh

Water to Blood/Frogs/Lice/Flies – discomfort/no material loss

Cattle Disease – material loss

Boils – agonizing pain

Hail/Locust – great material loss, and some loss of life

Darkness – loss of hope and faith (“Ra” was supposed to be the sun god)

Death of First Born – loss of most dear

The Ten Plagues

The Purpose of the Ten Plagues

To increase the faith of the Israelites

The Israelites would have seen that their God was greater than the God’s of the Egyptians

These were stories to be told to their children (Exodus 10:1-2)

The Ten Plagues

The Passover (10th Plague)

The Month

Nissan –established as first month of the Israelite calendar

This signals the birth of the nation!

The Lamb

Unblemished male slaughtered at twilight

Shows that Israelites “deserved” to die as well

Israel is ‘passed over’ only because they were ‘His people’ covered by ‘his sacrifice’

The Ten Plagues

Chronology of Biblical Writing

The Ten Plagues

11:9-10Summary statement for entire plagues narrative

11:1-4God

informs Moses of

last plague

12:1-20Moses

informs Israel of

last plague

and Passover

10:21-24Darkness

over Egypt

10:25-29Pharoah calls for Moses

and threatens

death

11:4-8Moses

informs Pharoah of last plague

12:21-28Moses

sets elders of Israel in action

12:29-32The Last Plague

Passover

EGYPT

Route of the Exodus

MIDIAN

Yam Suph

Yam Suph

Yam Suph

Mt. SinaiMt. Sinai

Mt. Sinai

Goshen