Exodus in One Sentence
Tim Davis
“The book of Exodus moves in three stages: God saves the people of Israel, marries the people of Israel and moves in with the people of Israel.”
There you have it—forty chapters condensed into one sentence! Exodus contains riveting stories, confusing episodes and slow-paced instructions for building the tabernacle. So let me explain my single sentence summary more thoroughly.
There are three parts to my summary sentence, so I’ll look at each in turn.
GOD SAVES THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
In chapters 1-18, God saves the Israel from the enslavement in Egypt and leads them to Mount Sinai. But the story begins with the birth of the hero God will use to rescue Israel—namely, Moses. He was raised in Pharaoh’s household which is ironic considering the fact Pharaoh issued the death of all Hebrew sons.
As an adult, Moses flees to Midian and marries a woman named Zipporah. Away from Egypt, God meets with Moses and reveals his covenant name—“I am” (Ex. 3:14). After this, Moses returns to Egypt where he and his brother, Aaron, confront Pharoah. God sends plagues of judgment upon Egypt. But it’s not until the final plague—the death of the firstborn son—that Pharaoh allows the people of Israel to leave Egypt. But shortly after they leave, Pharaoh and his army go after the Israelites. God opens the waters for Israel but closes them on Pharaoh and his army.
Away from the clutches of Egypt, God leads the Israelites to Mount Sinai. He guides the Israelites with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
GOD MARRIES THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
In chapters 19-24 God “marries” the people of Israel. To be clear, the term “marry” is more illustrative than technical. In these chapters, God enters a covenant relationship with Israel. The people boldly respond, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do (Ex. 19:8).” From here, God proceeds to reveal the law beginning with the ten words (“commandments”).
The covenant is then established with a covenant meal (Ex. 24:9-11). Following this, Moses entered the cloud of God’s presence at the top of the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
GOD MOVES IN WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
In chapters 25-40, God moves in with his is people via the tabernacle. In my personal opinion, this section reads slower than the others. However, the importance of these chapters can’t be overstated. This section begins with God giving the instructions for building the tabernacle; this is followed by the construction of the tabernacle.
In Exodus 32-34, there’s a gripping interlude about a golden calf. While Moses is meeting with God, Aaron and the Israelites exchange true worship of Yahweh by worshiping an idol. This is a dark moment for the Israelites—after all, the tabernacle is the place where God’s presence dwells in their presence. So while God’s home is being built in their midst, Aaron and the people direct their worship elsewhere.
The book concludes with the tabernacle being built. But what’s more, God’s presence fills it—so much so that even Moses can’t enter it (Ex. 40:35). In fact, the next book—Leviticus—begins with God speaking to Mosesfrom tabernacle (Lev. 1:1), implying that Moses is standing outside of it. But by the time we get to Numbers, God speaks to Moses in the tabernacle (Num. 1:1).
So what happened between Exodus 40:35 and Numbers 1:1 that allowed for Moses to enter the tabernacle? For the answer, we turn to the next book.
But for now, there you have it…
“The book of Exodus moves in three stages: God saves the people of Israel, marries the people of Israel and moves in with the people of Israel.”