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The Compact Illuminated Bible: 4. Exodus and the Law

© Scott Souza, 2011

§ 2.2 - 4.3 – 1.0
The Descendants of the 12 Patriarchs:
The Nation of Israel
§ 2.2 - 4.3 – 1.1
Israel’s Deliverance from Slavery in Egypt, Through Moses: The Exodus
Acts 7:17-36; Psalm 78:43-53; Psalm 105:26-43; Ps 106:7-13 Psalm 136:10
Acts 7:17"But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had grantedto Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in EgyptActs 7:18until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph.Acts 7:19He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive.Acts 7:20At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house, Acts 7:21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. Acts 7:22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
Acts 7:23"When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.Acts 7:24And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.Acts 7:25He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.Acts 7:26And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?'Acts 7:27But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?Acts 7:28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'Acts 7:29At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
Acts 7:30"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.Acts 7:31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look,there came the voice of the Lord:Acts 7:32'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.'And Moses trembled and did not dare to look.Acts 7:33Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.Acts 7:34I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.'
Acts 7:35"This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' --this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.Acts 7:36-aThis man [Moses] led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt.
Ps 105:26-27 ~26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham.
Ps 78:43 … he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.
The 10 Plagues
1. The Plague of Blood
Exodus 7:19And the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.'"
Ps 105:29He turned their waters intobloodand caused their fish to die.
Ps 78:44 He turned their rivers toblood,so that they could not drink of their streams.
2. The Plague of Frogs
Ex 8:1-b–4 … 'Thus says the LORD,"Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country withfrogs.3The Nile shall swarm withfrogsthat shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.4The frogsshall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.
Ps 105:30Their land swarmed withfrogs,even in the chambers of their kings.
Ps 78:45 He sent among them … frogs,which destroyed them.
3. The Plague of Gnats (or Lice)
Ex 8:17Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there weregnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
Ps 105:31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
4. The Plague of Flies
Ex 8:24 … There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies. [But the LORD kept them from the Land of Goshen where the Israelites dwelt. – Ex 8:22-23]
Ps 78:45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them.
Ps 105:31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
5. The Deadly Plague or Pestilence on the Cattle
Ex 9:6 … All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.
6. The Plague of Boils and Blisters
Ex 9:10And they tookashes of the furnace,and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens; and it becameboils with blistersbreaking out on man and on cattle. (Darby Translation)
7. The Plague of Hail
Ex 9:23-2623Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, andthe LORDsent thunder and hail,andfireran down to the earth.Andthe LORDrained hail upon the land of Egypt.24There was hail andfireflashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.25The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.26Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.
Ps 105:32He gave them hail for rain, andfiery lightning bolts through their land.
Ps 78:47 He destroyed theirvineswith hail and theirsycamoreswith frost.
Ps 78:48 He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks tothunderbolts
Ps 105:33He struck down theirvinesandfig trees,and shattered thetreesof their country.
8. The Plague of Locusts
Ex 10:12-1512Then the LORD said to Moses,"Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eatevery plantin the land, all that the hail has left." 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 15 They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ateall the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
Ps 105:34-35 34He spoke,and the locusts came, young locusts without number,35which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground.
Ps 78:46He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
9. The Plague of Darkness
Ex 10:21-2321Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may bedarkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt."22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven,and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.23They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days,but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.
Ps 105:28He sentdarkness,andmade the land dark;they did not rebel againsthis words.
10. The Plague of the Death of the Firstborn
Ex 11:4-74So Moses said,"Thus says the LORD:About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,5and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.6There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.7But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
Ex 12:29-3029At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.
Ps 105:36He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.
Ps 78:49He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
Ps 78:50He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over tothe plague.
Ps 78:51He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
Ps 135:8He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast;9who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants;
Ps 136:10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever
Ps 106:7Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consideryour wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,but rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea.
Israel Escapes Egyptian Slavery
The March to the Red Sea
Acts 7:36-bThis man [Moses] led them out, performing wonders and signs … at the Red Sea
Ps 106:8-118Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.10So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.11And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
Ps 136:11-1211and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever;12with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever.
The Crossing of the Red Sea
2 Samuel 22:16.Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
Ps 136:13-1513to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; 14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; 15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Ps 105:37-38 37Then he brought out Israelwith silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
Ps 78:52-53 52Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.53He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Ps 106:12Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
The March to Mount Sinai
Ps 106:13But they soon forgot his works [literally, ‘they hastened, they forgot’ or ‘hastily forgot’]; they did not wait for his counsel. (Three days afterwards, at the waters of Marah, Ex 15:24.)
Israel Receives God’s Law at Mount Sinai
God Gives the Law Through Moses
Acts 7:37-3837This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.'38This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.
The 10 Commandments
The Central Expression of the Law
The Literary Structure of the 10 Commandments:
Inversion (Chiasm)
Note: The 10 Commandments show us our dutyto Godandto man.They begin and end with heart issues. Thus the heart provides the framework for the 10 Commandments. They are stated in a way that leads the readers/hearers to consider their heart, their words, and their actions; and then they are led back in reverse order to a consideration of their words and once again their heart. (This type of reversal is called “inversion” or “chiasm” and is used often in Scripture). Both Testaments recognize the heart as the central factor in our relationship with God and with man – see De 6:5, Lev 19:18-b, Mark 12:28-31, &c, below.
1.No Other God (HEART)
2.No Idols (HEART)
3.No Blasphemy (WORDS)
4.Keep the Sabbath (ACTIONS)
5.Honor Father and Mother(ACTIONS)
6.No Murder (ACTIONS)
7.No Adultery (ACTIONS)
8.No Theft (ACTIONS)
9.No False Witness(WORDS)
10.No Coveting (HEART)
{1}Our Relationship With God
Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Ex 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
Ex 20:2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
1. Ex 20:3“You shall have no other gods before me
2. Ex 20:4-6 4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. Ex 20:7“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
4. Ex 20:8-118“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it youshall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
{2}Our Relationship With Others
Lev 19:18-b … you shall love your neighbor as yourself:I am the LORD.
5. Ex 20:12“Honor your father and your mother,
that your days may be long
in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
6. Ex 20:13“You shall not murder.
7. Ex 20:14“You shall not commit adultery.
8. Ex 20:15 “You shall not steal.
9. Ex 20:16“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Ex 20:17“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."
Ex 20:18-22 18Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." 20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
Ex 31:18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
Ex 32:15-16,19 15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written.16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. … 19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the [golden] calf [idol which Aaron made for the people] and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.