Over the past several weeks we have been reviewing some basic answers, with an apologetic focus, for the book of Exodus. This week we are looking at chapters 15 through 20, and then next week we will conclude with an overview of chapters 21 through 40. Then, the week of July 11th we will begin a new study called “A Case for the New Testament” so stay with us, and study with us so that we can confidently say “I know what I believe, and why I believe it!”

Overview notes from the presentation on Exodus chapters 15 through 20

Complaining in the desert; The Lord provides; Jethro and Moses; Israel at Sinai; The Ten Commandments

Some basic answers to the following study questions:

1. (Exodus 15:22 through 16:21) In this section we find the Israelites in the wilderness after the miraculous Red Sea crossing, and the problems begin:

a. (15:22-27) Why were the people complaining and what did Moses do? What did Moses say to the people and which of our “7 Focus Points” does it relate to?

The people increasingly grumbled as they headed to the Promised Land, and in 15:24 – “The people grumbled at Moses, saying “What shall we drink?” This was because the water, where they had stopped to camp, was bitter. It did not seem to enter the people’s minds that God had just done so many miracles in bringing them out of Egypt. Moses interceded for the people and cried out to God. God then shows Moses a tree, which he threw into the waters, and the waters became sweet to drink.
15:25-26 – “There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
We can see, from our focus points, both God’s sovereignty and His hesed, (unconditional love, mercy and grace) even though the people complain and would continue to do so. The people would become so disobedient that it eventually results in God’s discipline as the consequence.

b. What was the next thing the people complained about and what did they specifically say in 16:3? (16:4-21) How did God respond to the people’s complaint, and what did He do?

The people now complained about food: 16:3 – “The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Again God, showing His hesed, gave the people Heavenly bread (Manna) in the mornings and meat (quail) in the evenings. Note: The people could also have some food from their livestock that was brought out of Egypt (for example: milk, cheese and other meats)

c. Going Deeper: What does the word “manna” mean, and what could the people do with it? What happened to the manna when the people did not follow God’s command, and why do you think God gave this command?

Manna means “what is it” because this is what the people said when they saw it. They could bake it and use it like bread.
16:19-21 – “Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.”
As we see from 15:25-26, God gave the people commands and regulations, and He will continue to test them for obedience because they are to be God’s representatives to the other Nations.

2. (Exodus 16:22 through 17:16) In this section we learn about the Sabbath, and we continue to see the people become increasingly disobedient to the LORD:

a. (16:22-31) Describe the Sabbath day and its purpose? Were the people obedient to this command, and if not, what was the consequence?

The purpose of the Sabbath seems to be twofold: For the people to rest and focus on God; and as a test of their obedience to God’s command. Verses 22-26 tells us…

^“Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, then he said to them, “This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.”

The consequence was on the disobedient people who went out to gather food on the Sabbath Day and they found none. Later on, when the Law was established, consequences will be more severe for disobedience.

b. (16:32-36) What did God have Moses and Aaron do with some of the manna, and why?

16:32-34 tells us, “Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept.””

We know that later on the jar of Manna is kept in the Ark of the Covenant with the stone tablets and Aaron’s rod.
The purpose for these types of commands is always “remembrance” so that the people will not forget – this is an historical problem even today (we always forget what God has done for us).

c. (17:1-7) Here we find the people quarreling again with Moses. What were they upset about this time, and what did God have Moses do?

The people were again grumbling about the lack of water. This time God had Moses strike the rock at Horeb and it produced water for the people.
It is important to note here that Jesus will tell us that He is the “rock” and, as He tells the Samaritan woman at the well, that He is the “water of life” and all who drink of Him will never thirst.

d. (17:8-16) In this section we find Israel’s first battle and an introduction to Joshua. Describe what Moses had to do in order for Joshua and the Israelites to prevail. Do you see a picture (foreshadow) of Jesus in this event, if so, describe what you observe?

The Amalek came out and fought against Israel. 16:9-13 – “So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

Again, as all throughout the Old Testament, we see a picture of Jesus: Moses hands are outstretched and he is on top of a hill (as Jesus’ will be on the cross) and salvation happens.
Joshua also pictures Jesus as the leader of the Army who trusts and follows God for victory.

3. (Exodus 18:1-27) In this chapter Moses’ Father-in-law visits from Midian and is able to give Moses some good advice.

a. Who came to visit Moses from Midian, and what do we know about them?

Jethro, Moses father-in-law and Moses’ wife Zipporah came with Moses’ two sons Gershom and Eliezer.

Jethro, also known as Reuel (one of the names is a title, similar to priest) is Moses’ father-in-law
The text tells us that Moses had earlier sent his wife and children away – this most likely happened just after the incident in chapter 4:24-26.

b. What did Jethro observe Moses doing, and what advice did he give him?

Jethro observed Moses wearing himself out by judging and counseling the people, so he advised him to choose reputable leaders from the tribes and teach them the Laws of God, and have them divided into groupings even within the tribes to govern the people. This would allow Moses to bring before God the most important things and to be the people’s representative before God.
Note: This is characteristic of what governments still do today.

c. Discuss: Witnessing to family, or close friends, can be the most difficult thing to do as a Christian. What example did Moses and Jethro set concerning how to interact and take advice from family, or close friends?

Moses and Jethro give us a picture of how family and friend interaction should work. These characteristics include: Listening, respecting, advising, working together and most importantly looking to God as the ultimate authority in all that we do.

4. (Exodus 19:1-25) In this chapter Moses meets with God on Mount Sinai:

a. (1-8) Summarize what God told Moses to say to the people, and how the people responded. What “focus point” does this relate to?

God told Moses to tell the people that they had seen what He did to the Egyptians, and God had bore them on “Eagles’ wings” and brought them to Himself. If they will obey His voice and keep His Covenant He would make them “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The people responded by saying that they would do all that the LORD spoke to them.
The focus point is on the “obedience versus disobedience” clause, but as we already know, they will not obey.

b. (9-25) God was going to come down from the mountain and speak to the people, but He ended up speaking only to and through Moses. What rules did He set in order to meet with the people, and why?

19:21-25 – “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’” Then the Lord said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.”

This passage emphasizes God’s holiness, and because of the people’s unholiness they could not meet with God. God would continue to speak through Moses.

c. Discuss: The people appeared to have not fully understood who God is. What characteristic(s) of God do we see in this event (that continues on in chapter 20), and why is it important for us to know?

God’s character is one of love, patience, kindness, mercy, grace and so much more. However, in His perfection He is also holy, righteous and just, and must punish evil and iniquity. Today, we cannot take advantage of our relationship with God. We must remember that God is perfect and holy, and therefore cannot be in the presence of unholiness. However, we can come to God through His perfect and holy son Jesus, and this is the only way (See John 14:6).

5. (Exodus 20:1-26) In this chapter we begin to learn about “the Law” given to Moses, and specifically the Ten Commandments:

a. (1-17) Make a list, or chart, that highlights each of the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments

You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony.
You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor

Notice…

The first four commandments point to a relationship with God.
The last six commandments point to relationships among human

Note: Jews and some Christian groups will list the ten in slightly different order or groupings.

Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in what is known as the Great Commandment

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40 (NASB)

b. (18-26) The people perceived thunder and lightning when God spoke, and they trembled, so God spoke again through Moses. What part(s) of the Ten Commandments did God reemphasize, what did He require them to do and why?

20:22-23 – “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.” He emphasized the first commandment and wanted the people to “remember” Him. We will see that God emphasized this because again and again the people would forget God, and what He has done for them, and follow false gods in the form of idols as well as their time and allegiance.

Reflection

You can click on the links to review these reflection points from previous posts:

Practice memorizing the twelve “Major Events” of the Old Testament (you can read them or recite them), then repeat by adding in the major players and covenants within the events
Practice memorizing and reciting the seven major “Focus Points” for studying the Old Testament

Bible Study

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us.

Since we have finished studying the book of Exodus and will be running answers to the previous study questions over the next several posts, I recommended going to the book of Hebrews next. If you have been studying with us through Genesis and now Exodus, I think you will find the New Testament book of Hebrews very insightful because you are now in tune to the teachings it refers to when it talks about people and events from these ancient times! A good reading, and some cross-referencing back to these books will help with your depth of understanding as it pertains to the Messiahship and priesthood of Jesus!

Join us next week as we conclude “A Case for the Old Testament, The History Continues…” with review answers overviewing chapters 21-40!

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15