Biblical Theology II: Exodus

The Book of Exodus is also a foundational book that ties God’s work in creation to the creation of God’s people. The book begins to teach that enslavement to chaos can only be broken when one comes to know YHWH as his God.

Theology: The book answers the fundamental question, “Who is YHWH, and how is He known?”

The beginning chapters of the book repeat the theme that essentially asks the question, “Who is YHWH?” Both Moses asks for himself, then for the Israelites, then Pharaoh proclaims that he does not know who YHWH is. The rest of the book tells us how YHWH has made Himself known. He first makes Himself known through identifying Himself as the God of Genesis by stating that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He, then, makes Himself known through His mighty deeds, which are the plagues that release Israel from their slavery. Finally, the book teaches that God is ultimately known through the special revelation of the law given at Sinai. The book, then, teaches that YHWH has made Himself known as the Creator and God of the patriarchs, who delivers His people, and is known through the law that He has given, revealing not only His might and His benevolence, but also His character.

This law is ultimately delivered to the Israelites by a mediator, as they cannot receive YHWH directly out of their fear of Him; and that mediator also functions to pray on their behalf. The messianic typology that points to Jesus is thus laid out in the book.

Ethics: Since God has revealed Himself through this salvific event and what He has taught His people through the law, to seek to worship and know Him through some other means is an act of rejecting YHWH, not accepting Him in an alternate way. Hence, the attempt to worship Him through an idol as His representative is met with absolute rejection. God will not be known through any other means except that by which He has made Himself known. Hence, God’s people are to know Him, and continue their work of joining Him in creating through the trajectories He has revealed in His Word.