Exodus
Those entering this door must bring a sacrifice. "If his
offering be a burnt sacrifice of the
herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer
it of his own voluntary will at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord"
(Leviticus 1:3). Let us look at the
New Testament application of this, "But now in Christ Jesus
ye who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). "For
by one offering he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).
Our access to the presence of
God is through Christ as our Door, and through the offering
He made on our behalf, whose blood
gives us nearness to God.
The gateway was the only entrance into the courtyard of the
tabernacle; even as Christ is the only
way of salvation. "I am the door: by me if any man enter in,
he shall be saved, and shall go
in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9). "Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there
is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved" (Acts
4:12). There was only one way to gain the presence of the
holy God of Israel in Old Testament
times, and there is only one way to God’s presence today,
and that way is through Christ and His
sacrifice for us.
The brazen altar was a type of Calvary’s cross. This altar
was the first article to be seen after
entering the courtyard. "And thou shalt make an altar of
shittim [acacia] wood, five cubits
long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare:
and the height thereof shall be
three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the
four corners thereof: his horns
shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass .
. . And thou shalt make for it a
grate of network of brass" (Exodus 27:1, 2, 4). Brass
overlaid the wood, and the grate network
was also of brass. Brass is a type of judgment upon sin, as
we have already seen. In the offering
for sin, God’s judgment falls upon the one sacrificed. "For
he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him" (II Corinthians
5:21).
The shape of the altar was foursquare. The four sides,
pointing north, east, south, and west, and
thus symbolizing a perfect sacrifice for all people, most
certainly point to Christ’s sacrifice. The
horns of the altar were used to bind the sacrifices (see
Psalm 118:27), to sprinkle blood upon
them (see Exodus 29:12), and to provide a place of refuge
(see I Kings 1:50). In Old Testament
times if a man was really guilty, then taking hold of the
horns of the altar did not spare him. But
in Christ sinners have a real place of refuge if they come
in faith and penitence. "That by two
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we might have a strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us" (Hebrews
6:18).
The offerings made at the brazen altar are a type of the
offering of Christ on Calvary’s cross.
There were five different offerings (see Leviticus 1-7; also
Chapter III "Types in Leviticus"). The
principle of identification was important in connection with
these offerings. "And he shall lay
his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place
where they kill the burnt offering
before the Lord: it is a sin offering" (Leviticus 4:24). The
one who has sinned thus accepts the
animal as his substitute by laying his hands upon its head.
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 12-13) The Passover was to the Jews their day of
independence, even
as the cross of Christ means to the
Christian his freedom from the bondage of sin. "And the Lord
spake unto Moses and Aaron in
the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the
beginning of months: it shall be
the first month of the year to you" (Exodus 12:1, 2).
Passover was like New Year’s Day or like
the American July Fourth or Independence Day. On this day
they celebrated deliverance from
Egyptian bondage. And because of the cross, the Christian
has deliverance from bondage to sin.
"Whosoever committeth sin is the servant [slave] of sin"
(John 8:34). "If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
"But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). Because Jesus died
upon it, the cross has been
transformed from a thing of shame to a thing of glory.
The Passover provided salvation for the Jewish household,
even as Christ provides salvation for
the family of the believer. "Speak ye unto all the
congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth
day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb,
according to the house of their
fathers, a lamb for an house" (Exodus 12:3). "Then Moses
called for all the elders of Israel,
and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according
to your families, and kill the
passover" (Exodus 12:21). Killing the Passover lamb was a
family matter, providing protection
for the family against the loss of its firstborn. Even so,
the salvation of Jesus makes salvation
possible for all the household of the one who believes in
Jesus. "And they said, Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house"
(Acts 16:31). Is your home
covered by the blood of Jesus?
Beneath the blood-stained lintel I with my children stand;
A messenger of judgment is passing through the land;
There is no other refuge from the destroyer’s face -
Beneath the blood-stained lintel shall be our hiding-place.
the tenth to the fourteenth day before it was slain; and
Jesus was the fulfillment of all this. "Your
lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye
shall take it out from the sheep,
or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up to the fourteenth
day of the same month" (Exodus
12:5, 6).
As the Passover lamb was to be a male of the first year, so
Jesus died at the age of thirty-three in
the prime of His manhood. Like the lamb, Jesus was without
blemish, morally. The lamb was
kept until the fourteenth day under scrutiny looking for
possible faults. Even so, Jesus was under
scrutiny the last few days before His crucifixion, yet
Pilate said of Him, "I find no fault in him"
(Luke 23:4).
The Passover lamb was killed the same time of day as Jesus
was put to death by crucifixion.
"And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall
kill it in the evening" (Exodus
12:6). "In the evening," means literally in the Hebrew,
"between the two evenings." The first
Jewish evening began at noon, and the second at sunset. The
lamb was slain midway between
noon and sunset or about three o’clock in the afternoon.
Jesus hung on the cross from the third
hour to the ninth hour, or six hours. He was in three hours
of light from nine o’clock till noon,
and in three hours of darkness from noon till three o’clock.
He died at three o’clock.
The sprinkling of the blood of the Passover lamb is a type
of the application of the blood of Jesus
to the heart of the believer. "And they shall take of the
blood, and strike it on the two side
posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they
shall eat it" (Exodus 12:7).
"And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the
blood that is in the basin, and strike
the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in
the basin; and none of you shall
go out at the door of his house until the morning" (Exodus
12:22).
The Israelites showed their faith in God’s provision for
them by sprinkling the blood as
instructed. This is a type of the Christian’s appropriation
of Christ’s blood for his salvation. "Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience" (Hebrews 10:22). Let us see to it that
our heart’s door is sprinkled with
Christ’s blood. Only then will we be safe from judgment for
sin in the day of reckoning.
The eating of the Passover meal is a symbol of the Lord’s
Supper. "And they shall eat the flesh
in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and
with bitter herbs they shall eat it"
(Exodus 12:8). "Eat the flesh" means appropriation and
fellowship. "Roast with fire" means
judgment. "Unleavened bread" means without sin. And when the
"bitter herbs" were eaten, the
Israelites were remembering their former bondage and
thanking God for deliverance from it.
"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump, as ye are unleavened. For
even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let
us keep the feast, not with old
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth" (I Corinthians 5:7, 8). And Paul also
wrote in his instructions regarding the
Lord’s Supper: "But let a man examine himself, and so let
him eat of that bread, and drink
of that cup."
The "passing over" of the judgment angel is a type of
deliverance from judgment through Christ.
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and
will smite all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods
of Egypt I will execute
judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a
token upon the houses where
ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and
the plague shall not be upon you
to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Exodus
12:12, 13). "For the Lord will pass
through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood
upon the lintel, and on the
two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will
not suffer the destroyer to come in
unto your houses to smite you" (Exodus 12:23).
Judgment fell upon the Passover lamb, and the firstborn
escaped judgment. "Even Jesus, which
delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thessalonians 1:10).
Jesus on the cross received
God’s wrath in our place. "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). The
believer in Jesus escapes the judgment of
God for sin’s penalty.
Jewish parents were to answer their children’s questions
about the meaning of the Passover; and
Christian parents should answer their children’s questions
regarding the meaning of the Lord’s
Supper. "And it shall come to pass, when ye come to the land
which the Lord will give you,
according as he has promised, that ye shall keep this
service. And it shall come to pass,
when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this
service? That ye shall say, It
is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the
houses of the children of Israel
in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our
houses" (Exodus 12:25-27). The
questions of the children gave opportunity to the parents to
explain the reason for the Passover
celebration. And when our children ask questions about the
ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, let
us take time to explain the reason for it, because it gives
us a glorious opportunity to teach an
important truth. "And ye fathers, provoke not your children
to wrath: but bring them up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 14-15) Egypt, a type of the world. "By faith Moses,
when he was come to years, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God,
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews
11:24, 25). Israel in Egypt is a type
of the sinner living in the world before he is converted to
God.
The bondage of Egypt, a type of the bondage of sin. "And
they made their lives bitter with
hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of
service in the field: all their
service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor"
(Exodus 1:14). One day the Jews said
to Jesus: "We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage
to any man" (John 8:33). In
verse 34 Jesus answered them: "Whosoever committeth sin is
the servant [slave] of sin." In
other words, sin is a terrible taskmaster. Israel’s
deliverance from Egypt, a type of the believer’s deliverance
from the world of sin.
Israel’s deliverance under God came through the
instrumentality of a deliverer-Moses. "This
Moses . . . the same did God send to be . . . a deliverer"
(Acts 7:35). Moses is thus a type of
Christ our Deliverer. The deliverance is wrought by God’s
power. "And brought thee out in his
sight with his mighty power out of Egypt" (Deuteronomy
4:37).
Paul tells about our deliverance from the World: "Who hath
delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his
dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). As
Moses under God’s power delivered Israel from Egypt, so
Christ is our Deliverer from the sins
of the world.
The Red Sea crossing, a type of Christian baptism.
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye
should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the
cloud, and all passed through
the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and
in the sea" (I Corinthians 10:1, 2).
When Israel crossed through the Red Sea, they were saying
goodbye to Egypt, they were dying
to the bondage of Egypt. This is a symbol of baptism.
"Therefore we are buried with him by
baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life"
(Romans 6:4). The convert of Christ is
saying when he is baptized, "Goodbye, old world, and your
sinful pleasures." He is dying to the
old life of sin, and is rising to live a new life in Christ.
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 16) The children of Israel needed the manna in the
wilderness as Gods children need the Bible every
day. "I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people
shall go out and gather a
certain rate every day" (Exodus 16:4). In the wilderness
this great people needed a supply of
bread from Heaven, and they needed it every single day. "And
Moses said, Let no man leave of
it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto
Moses; but some of them left
of it until the morning and it bred worms, and stank: and
Moses was wroth with them"
(Exodus 16:19, 20). We need a fresh study of God Word every
day. Yesterday’s experience
becomes stale today The prophet learned to feast on the
Word: "Thy words were found, and I
did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing
of mine heart" (Jeremiah
15:16).
Israel gathered manna in the early morning; and the best
time for Bible reading is early in the
day. "And they gathered it every morning, every man
according to his eating: and when the
sun waxed hot, it melted" (Exodus 16:21). If Israel did not
gather the manna early in the
morning, by the time the sun became hot, it melted.
Similarly, if the Word is not read early in the
morning, other things crowding in will be apt to melt away
the opportunity. "The Lord God
hath given me the tongue of the learned [taught ones] that I
should know how to speak a
word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by
morning, he wakeneth mine
ear to hear as the learned [taught ones]" (Isaiah 50:4). We
are taught from the Word in order
that we may help others who are in need of help. Israel used
the manna during their entire wilderness experience; and we
must depend upon the
Word during all of life’s pilgrimage. "And the children of
Israel did eat manna forty years,
until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna,
until they came unto the borders
of the land of Canaan" (Exodus 16:35). Even so Christians
need the Bible through all of the
experiences of life up to Heaven’s portals. "Teach me, O
Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I
shall keep it unto the end" (Psalm 119:33).
The Lord Jesus Christ is the antitype of the manna that came
down from Heaven. "Then said the
Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for
you" (Exodus 16:4). Jesus Christ
Himself claimed to be the fulfillment of the manna which
came down from Heaven. "Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses
gave you not that bread from
heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he
which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world" (John 6:32, 33).
The manna satisfied the hunger of the Israelites; and Christ
satisfies the hungry hearts of men
who trust Him. Exodus 16:3 tells of Israel’s hunger: "For ye
have brought us forth into this
wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." Verse
4 tells how the hunger was
satisfied: "I will rain bread from heaven for you." And
Jesus claimed to do the same thing for
the hearts of men, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread
of life: he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst" (John 6:35).
The manna was mysterious in character; and so is the
salvation of Jesus in some respects. "And
when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to
another, It is manna [i.e., "What is it?"],
for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them,
This is the bread which the Lord
hath given you to eat" (Exodus 16:15). And even as the manna
was mysterious in its character
and origin, so the Lord Jesus indicated that His salvation
was likewise mysterious. "The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born
of the Spirit" (John 3:8). In some
respects the wind is mysterious, and so the work of the
Spirit of God in the New Birth is unseen
and mysterious, but nonetheless real.
The manna came down to where the people were; and the
salvation of Jesus is available to all
who will take it. "And when the dew that lay was gone up,
behold, upon the face of the
wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the
hoar frost on the ground" (Exodus
16:14). The manna lay where it was easy to reach and gather.
And so the Gospel of our salvation
is easy of access. "But the righteousness which is of faith
speaketh on this wise, Say not in
thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to
bring Christ down from above:) or,
Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up
Christ again from the dead.) But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and
in thy heart: that is, the word
of faith, which we preach" (Romans 10:6-8).
The manna had to be gathered by individuals, and so
salvation today must be appropriated by
each individual person for himself. "This is the thing which
the Lord hath commanded,
Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for
every man" (Exodus 16:16). Individual faith in Christ is
required: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life: and
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life" (John
3:36).
The manna was despised by some of the Israelites, as the
salvation of Jesus is despised by some
men today. "And the mixed multitude that was among them fell
a lusting: and the children
of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh
to eat? We remember the fish,
which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the
melons, and the leeks, and the
onions, and the garlic: but now our soul is dried away:
there is nothing at all, besides this
manna, before our eyes" (Numbers 11:4-6). They were making
light of that upon which their
sustenance depended. How like many in modern times who are
doing nothing about the salvation
of their immortal souls! "How shall we escape, if we neglect
so great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3)
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 17) Even as Israel was in desperate need of water to
quench thirst; so do men need the water of life
to satisfy their thirsty souls. "And there was no water for
the people to drink" (Exodus 17:1).
And water was a necessity. And thirsty souls can go to God
and receive satisfaction through faith
in Christ resulting in the New Birth. "Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters"
(Isaiah 55:1). Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is the only
work that can satisfy men’s hearts.
Instead of blaming God for their predicament, the Israelites
should have looked to God for
water, as men should today. "Wherefore is this that thou
hast brought us up out of Egypt, to
kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"
(Exodus 17:3). Theirs would indeed have
been a terrible situation if Moses had not gone to God on
their behalf and secured water for
them. Many times these days we find men putting the blame
for their troubles upon their Creator,
instead of going to Him for the solution to their problems.
"And the Spirit and the bride say,
Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst, come. And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Revelation 22:17). With such a gracious
invitation as this, there is no need for men to die of
thirst.
Water was supplied from the smitten rock. The death of
Christ makes possible a living well of
water through the indwelling Spirit. "Behold, I will stand
before thee there upon the rock in
Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come
water out of it, that the people
may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of
Israel" (Exodus 17:6).
The smitten rock brought forth water for the people. Thus
the smitten Christ on the cross opened
up a well of water through the presence of the Holy Spirit
in the regenerated heart of man. "But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I
shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life" (John 4:14).
The rock from which their water came followed the Israelites
in the wilderness; and so Christ
goes with believers to satisfy their needs. "And did all
drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that
Rock was Christ" (I Corinthians
10:4). Even so, Christ goes with those who trust Him as
Saviour. He never forsakes them but is with
them to help them. "For he hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee. So that we
may boldly say, The Lord is my helper" (Hebrews 13:5, 6).
Water from the rock was more than a well, it was a river;
and the believer who is filled with the
Spirit becomes a river of water. "He clave the rocks in the
wilderness, and gave them drink
as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of
the rock, and caused waters to
run down like rivers" (Psalm 78:15, 16). A river of water
came forth from that rock in the
wilderness to supply the needs of everyone. And Jesus gave
us a promise that abundantly
matches that in the spiritual realm.
"Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him
come unto me, and drink. He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on
him should receive" (John 7:37-
39).
More than a well, the Spirit-filled Christian becomes an
overflowing fountain, which becomes a
river of living water. Some Christians do not have enough of
the water of life to supply their own
need, while others have enough for their own need, but not
enough for others. The Spirit-filled
Christian has enough for himself and for others.
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 13:20-22; 14:19, 20) The pillar of cloud and of fire
was an indication of God’s presence with Israel in the
wilderness;
even as the Holy Spirit’s activity in believers is proof of
God’s presence with them. "And the
Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead
them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire" (Exodus 13:21).
By day everyone could know that God was present with His
people because of the pillar of
cloud, and by night this became the pillar of fire. And it
is the work of the Holy Spirit in a
believer that lets the world around know that God is with
him. "But ye are not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).
The pillar of cloud and of fire was given Israel after
redemption from Egypt by blood; as the
Holy Spirit is given to those who have been saved by
Christ’s blood. Redemption by the blood of
the Passover lamb is found in Exodus 12. The pillar of cloud
and fire is described in Exodus
13:21f. The order here is important.
The order is similar in the first chapter of Ephesians: "In
whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins . . . In whom also after
that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:7, 13). We
are first redeemed by Christ’s blood,
and then sealed by His Spirit. The pillar of cloud and of
fire served Israel as a protection from her enemies; like
the Holy Spirit
gives believers victory over their foes. "And the angel of
God which went before the camp of
Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of die
cloud went from before their
face, and stood behind them: and it came between the camp of
the Egyptians and the camp
of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it
gave light by night to these: so
that the one came not near the other all the night" (Exodus
14:19, 20).
The pillar of cloud and fire stood between the Israelites
and the pursuing army of the Egyptians
as a wonderful protection. And the Holy Spirit does just
that for the believer who trusts in His
keeping power from the enemy. "This I say then, Walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law"
(Galatians 5:16-18). In our warfare
against the world, the flesh, and the Devil, the blessed
Holy Spirit will, if we trust Him to do so,
protect us from these enemies, and give us victory over
them.
The pillar of cloud and of fire was given Israel for the
purpose of guidance; as the Holy Spirit is
given the Christian to guide him. "And when the cloud was
taken up from the tabernacle,
then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the
place where the cloud abode,
there the children of Israel pitched their tents" (Numbers
9:17). Israel journeyed or camped
according to the movement or abiding of the pillar of cloud
and of fire. Today the Holy Spirit
guides the believer. "For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God"
(Romans 8:14). The Spirit guides through inward impressions,
through Scripture passages, and
through providential circumstances. In various ways He makes
it clear to the child of God the
way he should travel, the decision he should render, the
choice he should make.
The pillar of cloud was given Israel to serve as a covering
from the heat by day; even as the Holy
Spirit is the believers covering in the stress and strain of
excessive trials. "He spread a cloud
for a covering" (Psalm 105:39). This is no doubt a reference
to the pillar of cloud which
protected the Israelites from the hot burning sun of the
desert. It was a canopy from the desert
heat. And when the early church had excessive persecution,
the Spirit served them as a covering.
"Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee
and Samaria, and were
edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the
comfort of the Holy Ghost, were
multiplied" (Acts 9:31). The Holy Spirit became a comfort to
them following a time of great
persecution.
The pillar of fire served Israel as a light by night; and so
the Spirit illuminates the Christian’s
way. "Thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and
in the night by a pillar of fire, to
give them light in the way wherein they should go" (Nehemiah
9:12). It was like a great
searchlight, making the way that lay ahead clear to see.
And concerning the work of the Holy Spirit Jesus said:
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). The
Holy Spirit illuminates the Word as
we study its teachings, and He also illuminates our pathway.
He makes everything clear. Holy Ghost with light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Chase the shades of night away,
Turn my darkness into day.
God spoke to Israel from the cloud, as the Spirit speaks to
the churches today. "He spake unto
them in the cloudy pillar" (Psalm 99:7). The divine messages
came to Israel direct from this
overhead cloud. And if we have ears to hear, the Spirit of
God will often speak to our hearts in
these modern days of crisis. "He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches" (Revelation 2:29). May God give to us listening
ears to hear what He has to say to us!
The pillar of cloud and of fire was not taken away from
Israel during her wilderness days; and
the Holy Spirit will abide with believers forever. "Yet thou
in thy manifold mercies forsookest
them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed
not from them by day, to lead
them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to
show them light, and the way wherein
they should go" (Nehemiah 9:19). All through the forty years
of wilderness experiences God
took not away from Israel the pillar of cloud by day and the
pillar of fire by night. Concerning
the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: "And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever" (John 14:16).
As our Comforter or Helper,
the Holy Spirit abides with us to protect us and to guide us
in the way.
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 25-40) God had a detailed plan for making the
Tabernacle; and He has a plan for the life of every
member of His Church. "And look that thou make them after
their pattern, which was
showed thee in the mount" (Exodus 25:40). The plans for the
construction of the Tabernacle
were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and Moses saw to it that
they were carried out in the
building and making of it. Concerning God’s plan for our
lives, Paul has this to say: "For we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before
ordained [or planned] that we should walk in them"
(Ephesians 2:10). Since God has a plan
for our lives, how important that we find out what His plan
is, and then proceed to carry it out!
The Tabernacle was a type of God’s presence with His people
of Israel and with Christians
today. "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell
among them" (Exodus 25:8).
The Tabernacle was always placed in the center of Israel’s
camp, and there in the heart of His
people’s dwelling-place, God was present, in His sanctuary.
The Church is God’s sanctuary now.
"In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit"
(Ephesians 2:22). God dwells in the heart of His Church
through His Spirit.
The tabernacle was a picture of Jesus Christ and His
salvation. "And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The word dwelt is
rendered "tabernacled" in the
margin. When He was here on earth, Jesus was tabernacling
among us. He was fulfilling many of
the types which we find so interesting in the Tabernacle in
the wilderness. Thus we see Him and
His salvation pictured plainly in many of the details of
that Tabernacle. The Israelites gave material for the
Tabernacle in the spirit Christians should give to God’s
work in these modern times. "And they came, every one whose
heart stirred him up, and
everyone whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the
Lord’s offering to the work of
the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service,
and for the holy garments"
(Exodus 35:21).
"The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the
Lord, every man and woman,
whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of
work, which the Lord had
commanded to be made by the hand of Moses" (Exodus 35:29).
"And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much
more than enough for the
service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make"
(Exodus 36:5).
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
There was no compulsion from without to get the Israelites
to give. Their own hearts stirred them
up to give. Their own spirits made them willing to give.
They brought much more than was
needed for the task. It is this kind of giving that is very
much needed in all phases of the work of
the Lord in these days.
Spirit-filled workmen built the Tabernacle; and Spirit-
filled Christians should carry on every
phase of activity in the church. "And Moses said unto the
children of Israel, See, the Lord
hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah; and he
hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, and in knowledge, and
in all manner of workmanship; and to devise curious works,
to work in gold, and in silver,
and in brass, and in the cutting of stones, to set them, and
in carving of wood, to make any
manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he
may teach, both he, and
Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them
hath he filled with wisdom of
heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of
the cunning workman, and of
the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in
fine linen, and of the weaver,
even of them that do any work, and of those that devise
cunning work" (Exodus 35:30-35).
God gave to these men who made the Tabernacle and its
furnishings wisdom and skill by His
Holy Spirit. And in the early church Spirit-filled men were
sought out to perform all the tasks of
the Lord. "Then the twelve called the multitude of the
disciples unto them, and said, It is not
reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve
tables. Wherefore brethren, look ye
out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Spirit and wisdom, whom we
may appoint over this business" (Acts 6:2, 3).
The height of the fence that enclosed the Tabernacle
courtyard was five cubits (seven and onehalf
feet); and was thus like that of a sheepfold where only a
robber would attempt to climb over.
"And the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable
to the hangings of the court"
(Exodus 38:18).
This fence was seven and a half feet high, and sufficient to
keep out intruders. It reminds us of
the sheepfold Christ spoke about: Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but
climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a
robber. But he that entereth in by the
door is the shepherd of the sheep" (John 10:1, 2). Only by
the God-appointed way through the
courtyard gate, bringing an offering, could anyone enter
into where God’s presence was, in the
days of the Tabernacle.
The white linen hangings of the courtyard fence pictured the
holiness of God, which bars the
sinner except he come in through Christ the door. "There
shall be hangings for the court of
fine twined linen" (Exodus 27:9). God is a holy God and
cannot countenance sin in His
presence. "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and
canst not look on iniquity"
(Habakkuk 1:13). The sinner must be barred from God’s
presence except he come in through
Christ the Door of his salvation. "I am the door: by me if
any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9).
The brass sockets that held the pillars of the courtyard
fence were a symbol of judgment on sin,
and the silver chapiters, fillets, and hooks, were a type of
redemption. "And the sockets for the
pillars were of brass; and the hooks of the pillars and
their fillets of silver; and the
overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars
of the court were filleted with
silver" (Exodus 38:17). The pillars were the posts, the
chapiter was the top of the post. The fillet
was the rod upon which the curtain was hung, and the hooks
were used to hang the curtains. The
sockets were the foundation of the posts and were of brass.
Brass was a symbol of judgment: "And his feet like unto fine
brass, as if they burned in a
furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters"
(Revelation 1:15).
This pictures Christ coming in judgment at His return to
earth. Silver is a type of redemption: "If
there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall
give again the price of his
redemption out of the money that he was bought for"
(Leviticus 25:51). This speaks of the
silver redemption money. In I Peter 1:18, 19 we are told
that we are "not redeemed with . . .
silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of
Christ."
An Israelite, after looking at the brass sockets (type of
judgment upon sin), could follow the
silver fillets (type of redemption) around the corner of the
courtyard and thus be led to the
gateway where an entrance could be made if an offering for
sin was brought.
The gateway into the courtyard was wide and beautiful, and
those entering had to bring a
sacrifice; and all this is typical of Christ as our Door.
"And for the gate of the court shall be an
hanging of twenty cubits" (Exodus 27:16). The gate was
twenty cubits, or thirty feet, wide by
seven and one-half feet high. It was wide enough to
accommodate all who wished to enter.
Today salvation is for "whosoever believeth" (John 3:16).
The beautiful hangings of the gate
way are described in verse 16: "And for the gate of the
court shall be an hanging of twenty
cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined
linen, wrought with needle work."
The blue pictures the deity of Christ; the purple, His
royalty; the scarlet, His humanity and His
sacrifice; and the white linen, His holiness. [Old Testament
Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
Here is what was done with the offerings, with some
variation in connection with certain
offerings.
- First, the blood was shed and atonement made.
- Then, the blood was sprinkled and the atonement
appropriated. The victim was burned, the fire
picturing judgment upon sin.
- Then part of the meat was eaten by the priests symbolizing
fellowship based on forgiveness.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin"
(I John 1:7).
The laver used by the priests for washing is a type of
cleansing for the Christian worker. The
laver was located midway between the brazen altar and the
main part of the Tabernacle itself.
"Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of
brass, to wash withal: and thou
shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and
the altar, and thou shalt put
water therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands
and their feet thereat: when
they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall
wash with water, that they die
not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to
burn offering made by fire unto the
Lord" (Exodus 30:18-20). The priests were required to wash
themselves before going into the
Tabernacle, or before ministering at the altar.
The material the laver was made from was the brass looking
glasses which had been offered by
the women. "And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of
it of brass, of the looking
glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door
of the tabernacle of the
congregation" (Exodus 38:8). This reminds us of James’
statement that the law or the Word is
like a mirror. "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of
liberty, and continueth therein, he
being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed"
(James 1:25). The New Testament constitutes all believers as
priests. "And hath made us kings
and priests" (Revelation 1:6). But it is important that
priests be clean.
The psalmist asked the question how to be cleansed.
"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse
his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word"
(Psalm 119:9). First John 1:9
promises cleansing after confession: "If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
After he is conscious of any sin,
every Christian worker should confess his sin immediately
and be forgiven and cleansed. Only
thus is he prepared to serve the Lord.
The Tabernacle itself did not rest upon the sand, but rather
upon a mass of silver sockets, with
each upright board resting on two sockets; so each one of us
must rest himself upon Christ for
salvation. "And forty sockets of silver he made under the
twenty boards; two sockets under
one board for his two tenons [pegs], and two sockets under
another board for his two
tenons" (Exodus 36:24). Each board was fastened securely to
the sockets by means of pegs. The
foundation of the Tabernacle was actually the combination of
all of these silver sockets,
picturing redemption through Christ as our foundation. "For
other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians
3:11). Every individual sinner who
hopes to be saved must rest upon Christ for his salvation.
The arrangement of the material in the walls of the
Tabernacle symbolizes the unity of believers.
"And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim [acacia
wood, standing up . . . And he made
bars of shittim wood . . . And he made the middle bar to
shoot through the boards from the one
end to the other. And he overlaid the boards with gold, and
made their rings of gold to be places
for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold" (Exodus
36:20, 31, 33, 34). The boards stood
upright. The bars were horizontal placed in rings. The
middle bar went through from end to end.
The purpose was to hold all together. This typifies the
unity of believers. "Endeavoring to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians
4:3). This unity is based on the presence
and work of the Holy Spirit.
The outside covering of the Tabernacle of badgers’ skins is
a type of what Christ is to the
average unsaved person. "And a covering above of badgers’
skins [sealskins, margin: porpoise
skins]" (Exodus 26:14). This skin was no doubt a rough,
shaggy, and repulsive-looking skin.
This pictures Christ in relation to most unsaved people, to
whom Christ is not at all attractive.
This reminds us of the words of the prophet Isaiah in
predicting concerning the Messiah: "For he
shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root
out of a dry ground: he hath no
form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no
beauty that we should desire
him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief: and
we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and
we esteemed him not" (Isaiah
53:2, 3).
The next to the outside covering of the Tabernacle of rams’
skins dyed red is a type of what
Christ is to God. "A covering for the tent of rams’ skins
dyed red" (Exodus 26:14). Rams
were used in the voluntary burnt offering. Thus this
covering represents Christ’s voluntary
consecration to do God’s will. "I delight to do thy will, O
my God: yea, thy law is within my
heart" (Psalm 40:8). This consecration led to the cross. It
indicates Christ was acceptable to God
in His life and ministry, and in His sacrificial death for
us.
The next to the inside covering of the Tabernacle of goats’
hair is a type of what Christ has done
for us. "Thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a
covering upon the tabernacle"
(Exodus 26:7).
In Palestine during Bible times the average goat was black,
not white. A goat was sacrificed as a
sin offering on the great Day of Atonement. Part of this
curtain would hang over in front of the
Tabernacle (v. 9). This would suggest to the Israelite
forgiveness because of the death of a
substitute (a goat). Thus it is a type of Christ’s death for
us. "Christ died for our sins" (I
Corinthians 15:3).
The beautiful inside covering of the Tabernacle is a type of
what Christ is to believers.
"Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains
of fine twined linen, and blue,
and purple, and scarlet: with cherubim of cunning work shalt
thou make them" (Exodus
26:1). There were ten curtains fastened together to make one
covering. The white linen suggests
Christ’s holiness; the blue, His deity; the purple, His
royalty; the scarlet, His humanity and
sacrificial death; and the cherubim (see Genesis 3:24) who
were guards or watchers, picture the
keeping power of Christ. All this and more - Christ is to
the believer! [Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
We come now to the main part of the Tabernacle on the
inside. Here are two rooms, the first a
larger room into which only priests might enter for their
service, and the second a smaller room
where only the high priest could enter. God manifested His
presence in this latter room. The first
room was called the Holy Place, and the second room was
called the Holy of Holies.
The golden candlestick (lampstand) located on the left side
of the Holy Place, represents the
union between Christ and believers. "And thou shalt make a
candlestick of pure gold: of
beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and
his branches, his bowls, his
knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same" (Exodus
25:31). The central shaft or stem
represents Christ, and the branches represent believers. The
branches were not stuck on, or
soldered on, or glued on. Rather they were one and the same
piece with the central shaft or stem.
Even so there is vital union between Christ and true
believers. This suggests the reference of
Christ to the Vine and the branches in John 15.
The first result of the union with Christ thus typified is
shining. "Ye are the light of the world.
A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men
light a candle [lamp], and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick [lampstand]; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the
house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:1416).
His lamp am I, to shine where He shall say,
And lamps are not for sunny rooms,
Nor for the light of day;
But for dark places of the earth,
Where shame and crime and wrong have birth;
Or for the murky twilight gray
Where wandering sheep have gone astray;
Or where the light of faith grows dim,
And souls are groping after Him.
- Annie Johnson Flint
The second result of union with Christ as pictured by the
lampstand is fruit-bearing. The bowls,
knops, and flowers suggest different stages in the process
of growing fruit, i.e., almonds. And the
Lord expects fruit from us as His followers who are united
to Him. "Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples" (John 15:8). The fruits of the
Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22, 23 should all be present
in our lives, and if they are, then there
will be converts to Christ. Such fruitfulness glorifies
Christ.
The fuel used by the candlestick (lampstand) is a type of
the Holy Spirit as the source of the
believers power for living and serving. "And thou shalt
command the children of Israel, that
they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to
cause the lamp to burn always"
(Exodus 27:20). Absolutely pure olive oil was used in this
lamp. And in the Bible oil is a type of
the Holy Spirit. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil; for God was with him"
(Acts 10:38). If Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit,
how much more do we need to be
anointed with Him for effective service.
The table of shewbread, located on the right side of the
Holy Place, is a type of the Lord’s
Supper, or feeding on Christ. "Thou shalt also make a table
of shittim [acacia] wood: two
cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth
thereof, and a cubit and a half
the height thereof . . . And thou shalt set upon the table
shewbread before me alway"
(Exodus 25:23, 30).
"Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord
continually, being taken from the
children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it shall
be Aaron’s and his sons’; and
they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy
unto him of the offerings of the Lord
made by fire by a perpetual statute" (Leviticus 24:8, 9).
The word shewbread means "presence-bread." It was kept in
God’s presence. For wheat to
become fine flour it must go through the process of sifting,
rubbing, pounding, grinding,
crushing, bruising. All this is descriptive of what Christ
suffered on our behalf. "But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed"
(Isaiah 53:5).
Unleavened bread was used for the table of shewbread,
suggesting that Christ was without sin.
The bread was baked with fire, symbolizing the sufferings of
Christ for us. The bread was
changed every sabbath day, and thus no stale bread was
allowed. So there is need for fresh, upto-
date Christian experience. The priests ate the bread that
was removed, thus picturing fellowship
with God because of sins forgiven. The Lord’s Supper means
feeding on Christ. "Except ye
eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye
have no life in you" (John 6:53). This
means to appropriate the result of His death in our daily
experience.
The golden altar of incense, located directly in front of
them veil, is a type of Christian prayer to
God. "And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of
shittim wood shalt thou make
it . . . And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every
morning: when he dresseth the
lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron
lighteth the lamps at even, he shall
burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense, before the Lord
throughout your generations"
(Exodus 30:1, 7, 8). The high priest was to burn incense on
this altar morning and evening.
Incense in the Bible represents the prayers of God’s people.
"Let my prayer be set forth before
thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the
evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2)
"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four
and twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden
vials full of odours, which
are the prayers of saints" (Revelation 5:8).
"And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers
of the saints, ascended up
before God out of the angel’s hand" (Revelation 8:4). [Old
Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
The altar of incense was situated just in front of the veil
separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The Ark
and God’s presence were on the other side of the veil. The
veil of the Tabernacle is a type of Christ’s humanity. "And
thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet,;
and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubim shall
it be made" (Exodus 26:31). The blue is a symbol of Christ’s
deity, the purple, His royalty; the scarlet, His death; the
white linen, His sinlessness; and the cherubim suggest His
heavenly origin. The purpose of the veil was to separate the
Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. The approach into God’s
presence was limited in those days. Christ by His
incarnation and death has made a way for us into the
presence of God. "By a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh" (Hebrews 10:20). Here we are told the veil is a
symbol of Christ’s flesh, i.e., His humanity. But His
humanity without His death could not have opened the way
into God’s presence. The rending of the veil in the Temple
when Christ died symbolizes the opening of the way into the
Holy of Holies for us. "Jesus, when he had cried again with
a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of
the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and
the earth did quake, and the rocks rent" (Matthew 27:50,
51). The veil in Herod’s Temple was a strong fabric four
inches thick and sixty feet high. Hebrews 10:19 gives the
spiritual significance of this great event: "Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus." Thus the death of Christ has opened the
way into God’s very presence for every believer in Jesus.
The Holy of Holies is a type of Heaven. Hebrews 9:24 teaches
us this: "For Christ is not entered into the holy places
made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."
The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube, and therefore a type
of the New Jerusalem. This room was ten cubits or fifteen
feet each way. The Temple of Solomon was twice these
dimensions. And John sees the New Jerusalem as a cube. And
the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the
breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs [1500 miles]. "The length and the breadth
and the height of it are equal" (Revelation 21:16). The Holy
of Holies was a room where the color gold predominated, and
therefore, is a type of the New Jerusalem. Brass
predominated in the Tabernacle courtyard, but in the Holy of
Holies the side walls were of gold, the Ark of the Covenant
was gold, the cherubim gold. This is true of Heaven. "And
the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city
was pure gold, like unto clear glass" (Revelation 21:18).
The Holy of Holies had as its only source of light the
Shekinah glory of God’s presence, and is therefore a type of
the New Jerusalem. "And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God
did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof"
(Revelation 21:23). God’s presence and Christ’s presence do
away with all need for any other system of lighting. The Ark
of the Covenant was the place in the Tabernacle where God’s
presence was manifested. "So the people sent to Shiloh, that
they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the
Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim" (I Sam.
4:4). "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest
Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the
cherubim, shine forth" (Psalm 80:1). It is clear from these
Scriptures that the presence of the Lord shone forth from
between the two cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant. Here
was the place where His presence was manifested. The mercy
seat, or the lid of the Ark, and the most sacred place in
the Tabernacle, was a type of God’s throne. "The Lord
reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the
cherubim; let the earth be moved" (Psalm 99:1) "And thou
shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half
shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the
breadth thereof" (Exodus 25:17). The mercy seat was not of
wood covered over with gold like much of the Tabernacle
furniture was, but was rather a slab of pure gold as long
and as wide as the Ark. Thus the mercy seat was represented
to be God’s throne, and the rest of the Ark His footstool.
"And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubim which are upon the ark" (Exodus 25:22). The mercy
seat is a type of Heavens "throne of grace" because blood
was sprinkled upon it as atonement for sin. "Then shall he
kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people,
and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood
as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it
upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat" (Leviticus
16:15). Once a year, on the Day of Atonement the high priest
sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. The cherubim were
heavenly beings with outstretched wings, looking toward the
mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled. As guardians of
righteousness (cf. Genesis 3:24), they were satisfied since
judgment had fallen upon a substitute, and thus the sinner
was forgiven. The meaning of the term mercy seat is
"propitiatory," or "a place of propitiation," or "a place of
atonement" or "covering over of sins." Thus it was a place
where sin was atoned for or covered over. In Old Testament
times sin was covered over, but on the cross sin was done
away. "Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:24, 25). Atonement
through Christ’s blood was made known by Christ in Heaven.
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us"
(Hebrews 9:24). Thus the mercy seat is a type of God’s
throne of grace. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). The tables of the law
inside the Ark are a type of God’s law written on the hearts
of believers. "And the ark of the covenant overlaid round
about with gold, wherein was . . . the tables of the
covenant" (Hebrews 9:4). The prophet Jeremiah foretold a day
when Israel would have these tables of the law, not just
kept inside the Ark, but rather written on the hearts of the
people. "But this shall be the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in
their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people" (Jeremiah 31:33). The New Testament application of
this truth is given in Hebrews 10:16: "This is the covenant
that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds
will I write them." Actually, the law was kept underneath
the blood-sprinkled mercy seat. When a person trusts Christ
and loves Him, he keeps God’s laws out of sheer love for
him. The pot of manna inside the Ark is a type of God’s
provision for the needs of Christians. "Wherein was the
golden pot that had manna" (Hebrews 9:4). This was a
reminder that God provided for the Israelites all during
their wilderness journeys, and is a type of God’s providing
for us today. "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew
6:11). "But my God shall supply all your need according to
his riches glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). A
special promise of "hidden manna" was promised to overcomers
in Revelation 2:17: "To him that overcometh will I give to
eat of the hidden manna." Aaron’s rod that budded, laid up
in the Ark, is a type fruitful service for God’s servants.
"And Aaron’s rod the budded" (Hebrews 9:4). This rod, which
overnight blossomed and bore almonds in order to vindicate
the priesthood of Aaron, pictures fruitful service for God
among Christian workers by the supernatural power of the
Holy Spirit. (See section on "Aaron’s Rod That Budded" in
"Types in Numbers.") "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye
bear mud fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8).
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
(Exodus 28, 39) Christ is declared to be our High Priest by
the New Testament. "Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and
High Priest of our profession,
Christ Jesus" (Hebrews 3:1). Here is New Testament warrant
for considering Christ as the
antitype and the Jewish high priest as the type.
The ephod, or outer garment, of the high priest is a type of
Christ’s qualifications for being our
Priest. "And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine twined
linen. And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut
it into wires, to work it in the
blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine
linen, with cunning work"
(Exodus 39:2, 3). The fine twined linen, picturing Christ’s
holiness, was the first essential of His
Priesthood. The gold pictures His divine glory; the blue,
His deity; the purple, His royalty; and
scarlet, His humanity and death.
The two shoulder pieces are described in Exodus 39:4, 6, 7:
"They made shoulder pieces for it,
to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled
together . . . And they wrought onyx
stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are
graven, with the names of the
children of Israel. And he put them on the shoulders of the
ephod, that they should be
stones for a memorial to the children of Israel." The ephod
had two shoulder pieces or straps,
thus coupling the front and back parts together. There was
an onyx stone on each shoulder piece,
and on each stone was engraved the names of six of the
tribes of Israel. The names of the tribes
were thus carried on the shoulders of the high priest when
lie went into the presence of God in
the Holy of Holies. This is a type of believers today being
carried on the shoulders of Christ our
omnipotent Priest who is responsible for our salvation.
Shoulders symbolize power and
responsibility. (Cf. Isaiah 9:6; Deuteronomy 33:12; Luke
15:4, 5).
The girdle of the high priest is a type of the readiness of
Christ to be our Priest. "And the
curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of
the same, according to the work
thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and
fine twined linen" (Exodus 28:8).
This girdle was made of the same material and of the same
piece as the ephod. To the Oriental,
the girdle symbolized readiness for service. "He riseth from
supper, and laid aside his
garments; and took a towel and girded himself. After that he
poureth water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with
the towel wherewith he was
girded" (John 13:4, 5). Thus when we see Christ girded as
our Priest, we know He is ready to
serve us.
The breastplate of the high priest is a type of Christ
representing us before God. The description
of the breastplate is given in Exodus 28:15f. It was made of
the same material. It was twice as
long as wide, and doubled to form a bag that would be
foursquare. It contained twelve precious
stones, four rows of three in a row. "And the stones shall
be with the names of the children of
Israel, twelve, according to their names" (v. 21). Thus the
high priest bore the names of the
tribes upon his heart when he went into God’s presence , to
intercede for them. This typifies
Christ as our High Priest bearing our names before the Lord.
"For Christ is not entered into the
holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true; but into heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24).
The Urim and Thummim of the high priest are a type of the
guidance of Christ through His Holy
Spirit. "And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment
the Urim and them Thummim;
and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before
the Lord: and Aaron shall
bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart
before the Lord continually"
(Exodus 28:30). The word Urim means "light," and the word
Thummim means "perfection."
These were a part of the breastplate by which means the high
priest obtained judgments or
decisions for the people regarding God’s will.
The Bible does not make clear the exact method that was used
in securing answers from the
Lord. It has been suggested by some Bible students that the
diamond was used, and that it would
flash a light to indicate "Yes," and remain darkened to
indicate "No." Joshua sought guidance
from the Lord in this way. (Cf. Numbers 27:21.)
grants to His followers. "I am the light of the world, he
that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).
This guidance comes through the action
of the Holy Spirit: "When he, the Spirit of truth is come,
he will guide you into all truth"
(John 16:13).
The robe of the ephod of the high priest is a type of Christ
interceding for us. "And thou shalt
make the robe of the ephod all of blue" (Exodus 28:31). It
was worn between the coat and
ephod. The material was of blue, with a hole at the top for
the head, like a jersey. Around the
lower hem were balls of blue, purple, scarlet-shaped like
pomegranates -and also there were
small golden bells. They alternated, a bell and a
pomegranate, etc. The pomegranates typified
fruit, and the bells typified testimony. For every bell
there was a pomegranate. The purpose of
the bells was to let the people know when the high priest
entered the Holy of Holies that he was
still alive and that his offering was accepted. Though
Christ our High Priest once died for us, we
know that He rose again and now represents us before the
Father. "He ever liveth to make
intercession for us" (Hebrews 7:25).
The embroidered coat or inner garment of the high priest is
a type of the inner life of Christ
which was pleasing unto God. "And thou shalt embroider the
coat of fine linen" (Exodus
28:39). This garment was of fine linen woven in checker
work, or honeycomb form. This was the
first garment to be put on and thus served as a body coat or
undershirt. The fine linen is, of
course, a type of the righteousness of Christ. The checker
work, which was well pleasing to the
eye, indicated that the inner as well as the outer life of
Christ was well pleasing in God’s sight.
Jesus once said: "I do always those things that please him"
(John 8:29).
The miter or turban of the high priest is a type of the
holiness of Christ as our Priest. "And thou
shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the
engravings of a signet,
HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace,
that it may be upon the
miter; upon the forefront of the miter it shall be. And it
shall be upon Aaron’s forehead,
that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which
the children of Israel shall
hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon
his forehead, that they may be
accepted before the Lord" (Exodus 28:36-38).
This was a headband wound around the head. Upon it was a
plate of pure gold upon which was
engraved the words: "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." This symbolized
the holiness of Jesus in
representing believers. His holiness becomes ours, "that
they may be accepted before the
Lord." Without it we would not have access to God’s
presence. "For such an high priest
became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and made higher than
the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26).
[Old Testament Types - FHW]
Link: https://bible-history.com/images/files/t...
Quick Overview of Exodus. – –1 – –The slavery and oppression
of the Hebrews in Egypt. – –2-3 – –The birth of Moses and his
education in ancient Egypt, The life and calling of Moses to
be the Hebrew deliverer of Israel. – –4-11 – – Moses and Aaron
approached the Pharaoh of Egypt, the hardening of Pharaoh's
heart, the plagues of Egypt. – –12-13 – – The First Passover,
The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. – –14-15 – – The
miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, The destruction of the
Egyptian army. – –16-18 – –The journey to Mount Sinai, the
manna, the Sabbath, water from the rock, Jethro. – –19-31 – –
The giving of the law from God to Moses on Mount Sinai. – –32-
33 – – The sin of the golden calf, the consequences of
idolatry. – – 34-40 – – The unbroken tables of the law written
on stone, the building of the tabernacle.
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
The second book of the Pentateuch bears its name because of the subject matter of the first half of the book - the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt. The word, "exodus" is derived from a Greek word meaning "going out." Hundreds of years elapsed between the time of the events described in the closing chapters of Genesis and those of the beginning of Exodus. The exact number of years between the migration of Jacob into Egypt until the exodus is given as 430 (12:40-41). At the close of Genesis, Israel was living in the fertile land of Goshen and was being fed from the granaries of the Pharaoh. In Exodus, the Hebrews are seen as slaves of the Egyptians, without national consciousness or apparent religious purpose. Exodus shows the development of Israel into a real nation, as God began the first stages of fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. After the first seven verses of the book, noting the increase and prosperity of Israel, Exodus is seen to fall into seven rather distinct sections :
1 ) The sufferings of Israel (1:8-7:7). This section includes the birth, education and flight of Moses; his call to be deliverer of his people and his consequent return from Midian to Egypt; and his first ineffectual attempts to prevail upon Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, which resulted only in an increase in their burdens.
2 ) A manifestation of God's providential guidance of Israel, illustrated by the ten plagues (7:8-13:16). This section also includes the account of the observance of the first Passover (ch. 12).
3) The guiding of the people of Sinai (13:17-18:27), which tells of the departure and the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. This section also contains a narrative of the principal events on the journey from the Red Sea to Sinai, including the coming of the manna, the observance of the Sabbath, the supply of water from the rock at Rephidim and the advice of Jethro concerning the civil government of the great mass of people.
4) The making of the covenant at Sinai, together with the reception of the Ten Commandments (19:1-24:18). The laws recorded in this section regulated the religious, civil, and social life of the Israelites.
5 ) Directions for the building of the tabernacle (24:18-31:18).
6 ) The renewing of the covenant after the sinful actions of the Israelites in connection with the making of the golden calf (32:1-35:3).
7 ) The actual building and dedication of the tabernacle of the Lord (35:4-40:38 ), under the supervision of the two master craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab.
Exodus is a book of redemption in which God delivers His people out of bondage and brings them into a special relationship with Himself.
Link: https://bible-history.com/old-testament/...
Exodus (Greek: ἔξοδος, exodos, meaning "departure") or Shemot
(Hebrew: שמות, literally "names") is the second book of the
Hebrew Bible, and the second of five books of the
Torah/Pentateuch.
Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt and through the
wilderness to the Mountain of God: Mount Sinai. There Yahweh,
through Moses, gives the Hebrews their laws and enters into a
covenant with them, by which he will give them the land of
Canaan in return for their faithfulness. The book ends with
the construction of the Tabernacle.
According to tradition, Exodus and the other four books of the
Torah were written by Moses. Modern biblical scholarship
places its final textual form in the mid 5th century BCE,
although a minority but important view would consider it a
product of the Hellenistic period...
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ex...
I. The Route.
1. The Starting-Point:
On the 14th Abib (early in April) the Hebrews were gathered
at Rameses (Ex 111:37; Nu 33:5) where apparently the hostile
Pharaoh was also living (Ex 12:31). From Ps 78:12,43 it
appears that the wonders preceding the Exodus occurred in
the "field of Zoan," where the starting-point may be placed
(see RAAMSES; ZOAN). Dr. Naville has suggested that the
court was at Bubastis, not at Zoan, and that the route lay
from near Zagazig down Wady Tumeilat--a line well fitted for
a people driving flocks and herds. On the other hand, in
favor of the starting-point having been at Zoan, we read
that the "way of the land of the Philistines" was "near" (Ex
13:17). This route, which was not taken lest the people
should be discouraged by defeat at Gaza where the Egyptians
always had troops, reached Egypt at Migdol (see MIGDOL, 2),
and ran thence to Daphnai--some 15 miles--and to Zoan by a
second march of the same length. The route from Bubastis to
Daphnai (some 50 miles) is less likely to have been
described as "near." Although an Arab will march 30 miles in
a day on foot, yet when moving camp with camels, who travel
only about 2 miles an hour, with women and children and
herds, he only covers about 12 or 15 miles a day. We cannot
suppose the Hebrew cattle to have covered more than this
distance without water on any single march.
2. Rameses to Succoth:
We are not told how many days were occupied on the way from
Rameses to SUCCOTH (which see), though the general
impression is that the stages mentioned (Nu 33) represent a
day's journey each. Measuring back from the first camp after
crossing the Red Sea, we find that Succoth probably lay in
the lower part of Wady Tumeilat, where there was plenty of
water and herbage. The direct route from Zoan leads to
Phakousa (Tell Faqus) by a march of 15 miles through well-
watered lands. A second march, across the desert to
Heroopolis and down the valley to Succoth, would be of the
same length. The Hebrews departed "in haste," and no doubt
made as long marches as they could. If the whole of the
people were not in Rameses, but scattered over Goshen, it is
possible that some came down the valley from near Bubastis,
and that the whole force concentrated at Succoth...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/E/EXODUS,...
(the departure of Israel from Egypt), 1652 B.C. (See
CHRONOLOGY.) A grand epoch in the history of man's
redemption. The patriarchal dispensation ends and the law
begins here. God by His providential preparations having
wonderfully led the Hebrew to sojourn in Egypt, and there to
unlearn their nomadic habits and to learn agriculture and
the arts of a settled life, now by equally wonderful
interpositions leads them out of Egypt into the wilderness.
Joseph's high position had secured their settlement in the
best of the land, apart from the Egyptians, yet in a
position favorable to their learning much of that people's
advanced civilization, favorable also to their
multiplication and to their preserving their nationality.
Many causes concurred to prevent their imbibing Egypt's
notorious idolatry and corruption. As shepherds they were
"an abomination to the Egyptians" from the first; they
sacrificed the very animal the Egyptians worshipped (compare
Exodus 8:26); blood in sacrifices too was an offense to the
Egyptians.
Jacob and Joseph on their deathbeds had charged that
their bodies should be buried in Canaan (Genesis 1.),
thereby impressing on their descendants that Egypt was only
a place of sojourn, that they should look forward to Canaan
as their inheritance and home. The new Pharaoh that knew not
Moses was Aahmes I, 1706 B.C., about the same date as Levi's
death, the last of Joseph's generation, mentioned in
connection with the rise of the new king. The Exodus
occurred early in the reign of Thothmes II (Cook, in
Speaker's Commentary) (See EGYPT). The persecution that
followed on their foretold multiplication, shortly before
Moses' birth (no such difficulty attended Aaron's
preservation just three years previously, Exodus 7:7), was
divinely overruled toward weaning them from Egypt and
binding them together as one people...
Link: https://bible-history.com/faussets/E/Exo...
The history of Israel (1) enslaved, (2) redeemed, (3)
consecrated religiously and politically to God. There are
two distinct parts: (1) Exodus 1-19, the history of Israel's
deliverance from the beginning of their Egyptian bondage to
their arrival at Sinai; (2) Exodus 20-40, the giving of the
law and Israel's organization as "a kingdom of priests and
an holy nation." The two parts, though differing in style as
in subject matter, are closely intertwined, the institutions
of the law in the second part resting on the historical
facts recorded in the former part. The term Exodus, "the
going forth," is drawn from the Septuagint, the Greek
version of the Alexandrian Jews settled in the same country
from whence Israel had "gone forth." The Palestinian Jews
called the book from its first two Hebrew words, 'elleh
shemot; "these are the names." Its separation from Genesis
is marked by the different circumstances under which it
presents Israel at its commencement as compared with the
close of Genesis.
The first seven verses are the introduction briefly
recapitulating previous events and stating the existing
condition of affairs. Its close is marked by the completion
of the tabernacle. Its several sections were probably
written on separate papyri or parchments (according to an
inscription of Thothmes III his campaigns were written on
parchment and hung up in the temple of Ammon). The breaks in
the narrative, and the repetitions, accord with the theory
that there were distinct sections, composed separately by
Moses as the events transpired, and read publicly at
successive times. All would be united in one work toward the
close of his life, with but a few additions and
explanations. The feature which is inexplicable if anyone
else were the author is this, the writer's evident
unconsciousness of the personal greatness of the chief
actor.
The Egyptians recognized his greatness (Exodus
11:3); but the writer, while recognizing the greatness of
Moses' mission, dwells especially on his want of natural
gifts, his deficiencies of character and the hindrances
thereby caused to his mission, and the penalties he
incurred; his hasty intervention between the Israelite and
Egyptian, the manslaughter, and the Israelites' rejection of
him as a ruler, and his exile for the prime 40 years of his
manhood. Then his unbelieving hesitancy at the divine call
and pertinacious allegation of personal incapacity in spite
of the miracles which might have convinced him of God's
power to qualify him (Exodus 3:10-13). Then the Lord's
visitation on him (probably sudden and dangerous sickness)
for neglecting to circumcise his son (Exodus 4:24-26). (See
CIRCUMCISION.) Then his passionate reproach of Jehovah for
the failure of his first appeal to Pharaoh, which only
brought more bitter hardship on Israel (Exodus 5:20-23)...
Link: https://bible-history.com/faussets/E/Exo...
the great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal
when
they were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a
mighty hand
and with an outstretched arm" (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8;
Ps 114;
136), about B.C. 1490, and four hundred and eighty
years (1
Kings 6:1) before the building of Solomon's temple.
The time of their sojourning in Egypt was, according
to Ex.
12:40, the space of four hundred and thirty years.
In the LXX.,
the words are, "The sojourning of the children of
Israel which
they sojourned in Egypt and in the land of Canaan
was four
hundred and thirty years;" and the Samaritan version
reads, "The
sojourning of the children of Israel and of their
fathers which
they sojourned in the land of Canaan and in the land
of Egypt
was four hundred and thirty years." In Gen. 15:13-
16, the period
is prophetically given (in round numbers) as four
hundred years.
This passage is quoted by Stephen in his defence
before the
council (Acts 7:6).
The chronology of the "sojourning" is variously
estimated.
Those who adopt the longer term reckon thus:
Years
From the descent of Jacob into Egypt to the
death of Joseph 71
From the death of Joseph to the birth of
Moses 278
From the birth of Moses to his flight into
Midian 40
From the flight of Moses to his return into
Egypt 40
From the return of Moses to the Exodus 1
430
Others contend for the shorter period of two hundred
and
fifteen years, holding that the period of four
hundred and
thirty years comprehends the years from the entrance
of Abraham
into Canaan (see LXX. and Samaritan) to the descent
of Jacob
into Egypt. They reckon thus...
Link: https://bible-history.com/eastons/E/Exod...
Exodus is the name given in the LXX. to the second book of
the
Pentateuch (q.v.). It means "departure" or
"outgoing." This name
was adopted in the Latin translation, and thence
passed into
other languages. The Hebrews called it by the first
words,
according to their custom, Ve-eleh shemoth (i.e.,
"and these are
the names").
It contains, (1.) An account of the increase and
growth of the
Israelites in Egypt (ch. 1) (2.) Preparations for
their
departure out of Egypt (2-12:36). (3.) Their
journeyings from
Egypt to Sinai (12:37-19:2). (4.) The giving of the
law and the
establishment of the institutions by which the
organization of
the people was completed, the theocracy, "a kingdom
of priest
and an holy nation" (19:3-ch. 40).
The time comprised in this book, from the death of
Joseph to
the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness, is
about one
hundred and forty-five years, on the supposition
that the four
hundred and thirty years (12:40) are to be computed
from the
time of the promises made to Abraham (Gal. 3:17).
The authorship of this book, as well as of that of
the other
books of the Pentateuch, is to be ascribed to Moses.
The
unanimous voice of tradition and all internal
evidences
abundantly support this opinion.
Link: https://bible-history.com/eastons/E/Exod...
of the Israelites from Egypt. the common chronology places
the date of this event at B.C. 1491, deriving it in this
way: --In 1Ki 6:1 it is stated that the building of the
temple, in the forth year of Solomon, was in the 480th year
after the exodus. The fourth year of Solomon was bout B.C.
1012. Add the 480 years (leaving off one years because
neither the fourth nor the 480th was a full year), and we
have B.C. 1491 as the date of the exodus. This is probably
very nearly correct; but many Egyptologists place it at 215
years later, --about B.C. 1300. Which date is right depends
chiefly on the interpretation of the Scripture period of 430
years, as denoting the duration of the bondage of the
Israelites. The period of bondage given in Ge 15:13,14; Ex
12:40,41 and Gala 3:17
as 430 years has been interpreted to cover different
periods. The common chronology makes it extend from the call
of Abraham to the exodus, one-half of it, or 215 years,
being spend in Egypt. Others make it to cover only the
period of bondage spend in Egypt. St. Paul says in Ga 3:17
that from the covenant with (or call of) Abraham the giving
of the law (less than a year after the exodus) was 430
years. But in Ge 15:13,14 it is said that they should be
strangers in a strange land,a nd be afflicted 400 years, and
nearly the same is said in Ex 12:40 But, in very truth, the
children of Israel were strangers in a strange land from the
time that Abraham left his home for the promised land, and
during that whole period of 430 years to the exodus they
were nowhere rulers in the land. So in Ex 12:40 it is said
that the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in
Egypt was 430 years. But it does not say that the sojourning
was all in Egypt, but this people who lived in Egypt had
been sojourners for 430 years. (a) This is the simplest way
of making the various statements harmonize. (b) The chief
difficulty is the great increase of the children of Israel
from 70 to 2,000,000 in so short a period as 215 years,
while it is very easy in 430 years. But under the
circumstances it is perfectly possible in the shorter
period. See on ver. 7
(c) If we make the 430 years to include only the
bondage in Egypt, we must place the whole chronology of
Abraham and the immigration of Jacob into Egypt some 200
years earlier, or else the exodus 200 years later, or B.C.
1300. in either case special difficulty is brought into the
reckoning. (d) Therefore, on the whole, it is well to retain
the common chronology, though the later dates may yet prove
to be correct. The history of the exodus itself commences
with the close of that of the ten plagues. [PLAGUES, THE
TEN] In the night in which, at midnight, the firstborn were
slain,
Ex 12:29 Pharaoh urged the departure of the
Israelites. vs. Ex 12:31,32 They at once set forth from
Rameses, vs. Ex 12:37,39 apparently during the night v. Ex
12:42 but towards morning on the 15th day of the first
month. Nu 33:3 They made three journeys, and encamped by the
Red Sea. Here Pharaoh overtook them, and the great miracle
occurred by which they were saved, while the pursuer and his
army were destroyed. [RED SEA, PASSAGE OF]
Link: https://bible-history.com/smiths/E/Exodu...
(that is, going out [of Egypt]), the second book of the law
or Pentateuch. Its author was Moses. It was written probably
during the forty-years wanderings int he wilderness, between
B.C. 1491 and 1451. It may be divided into two principal
parts:
1. Historical, chs. Ex 1:1-18; 27:1 ... and
2. Legislative, chs. Ex 19:40; 38:1
1. The first part contains an account of the
following particulars: the great increase of Jacob's
posterity in the land of Egypt, and their oppression under a
new dynasty, which occupied the throne after the death of
Joseph; the birth, education, flight and return of Moses;
the ineffectual attempts to prevail upon Pharaoh to let the
Israelites go; the successive signs and wonders, ending in
the death of the first-born, by means of which the
deliverance of Israel from the land of bondage is at length
accomplished, and the institution of the Passover; finally
the departure out of Egypt and the arrival of the Israelites
at Mount Sinai.
2. This part gives a sketch of the early history of
Israel as a nation; and the history has three clearly-marked
stages. First we see a nation enslaved; next a nation
redeemed; lastly a nation set apart, and through the
blending of its religious and political life consecrated to
the service of God.
Link: https://bible-history.com/smiths/E/Exodu...
III. Historical Character.
1. General Consideration:
The fact that extra-Israelitish and especially Egyptian
sources that can lay claim to historical value have reported
nothing authentic concerning the exodus of Israel need not
surprise us when we remember how meager these documents are
and how one-sided Egyptian history writing is. Whether the
expulsion of the lepers and the unclean, who before this had
desolated the country and acquired supremacy over it as
reported by Manetho and other historians, is an Egyptian
version of the exodus of Israel, cannot be investigated at
this place, but is to the highest degree improbable. If
Israel was oppressed by the Egyptians for a long period,
then surely the latter would not have invented the fable of
a supremacy on the part of Israel; and, on the other hand,
it would be incomprehensible that the Israelites should have
changed an era of prosperity in their history into a period
of servitude. Over against this the remembrance of the
exodus out of Egypt not only is re-echoed through the entire
literature of Israel (compare I, 4, above), but the very
existence of the people of God forces us imperatively to
accept some satisfactory ground for its origin, such as is
found in the story of the exodus and only here. In addition,
the Book compare Exodus shows a good acquaintance with the
localities and the conditions of Egypt, as also of the
desert. It is indeed true that we are still in doubt on a
number of local details. But other statements in the book
have in such a surprising manner been confirmed by
discoveries and geographical researches, that we can have
the greatest confidence in regard to the other difficulties:
compare e.g. Naville's The Store-city of Pithom (Ex 1:11).
In general, the opening chapters of Ex, especially the
narratives of the different plagues, contain so much
Egyptian coloring, that this could scarcely have resulted
from a mere theoretical study of Egypt, especially since in
the narrative everything makes the impression of resulting
from recent experience. The fact that Israel from its very
origin received ordinances in regard to religion, morality,
law and cults, is explained from the very conditions
surrounding this origin and is indispensable for the
explanation of the later development of the nation. None of
the later books or times claim to offer anything essentially
new in this respect; even the prophets appear only as
reformers; they know of the election of Israel, and, on the
other hand, everywhere presuppose as something self-evident
the knowledge of a righteous, well-pleasing relation with
God and chide the violation of this relation as apostasy.
Ethical monotheism as the normal religion of Israel is
reflected in the same way in all the sources of Israel's
history, as has been proven in my work ("Die Entwicklung der
alttestamentlichen Gottesidee in vorexilischer Zeit," in the
May, 1903, issue of Beitrage zur Forderung christlicher
Theologie). And the idea that an oriental people, especially
if they came out of Egypt, should have had no religious
cult, is in itself unthinkable. If all of these norms, also
the direction for the cults in the Books of Covenant, of the
Priestly Code, or D, at least in the kernel, do not go back
to the Mosaic times, then we have to deal with an insoluble
problem (compare my work, Are the Critics Right?)...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/E/EXODUS,...
II. Structure of the Book According to the Scriptures and
According to Modern Analyses.
In the following section (a) serves for the understanding of
the Biblical text; (b) is devoted to the discussion and
criticism of the separation into sources.
1. In General:
(a) The conviction must have been awakened already by the
general account of the contents given in I, 2 above, that in
the Book of Exodus we are dealing with a rounded-off
structure, since in seven mutually separated yet intimately
connected sections, one uniform fundamental thought is
progressively carried through. This conviction will only be
confirmed when the details of these sections are studied,
the sections being themselves again organically connected by
one leading thought. Since, in addition, the Book of Genesis
is clearly divided into ten parts by the ten toledhoth
("generations") (compare also the division made by typical
numbers in articles LEVITICUS and DAY OF ATONEMENT), thus
too the number seven, as itself dividing the Book of Exodus
into seven parts, is probably not accidental; and this all
the less, as in the subordinate parts too, a division is to
be found according to typical numbers, this in many cases
appearing as a matter of course, and in other cases traced
without difficulty, and sometimes lying on the surface
(compare 10 plagues, 10 commandments). Yet in all of the
following investigations, as is the case in the articles
GENESIS, LEVITICUS and DAY OF ATONEMENT, the demonstration
of the fundamental thought must be the main thing for us.
The division according to typical numbers is to be regarded
merely as an additional confirmation of the literary unity
of the book. We refer here first of all to a number of
cases, where certain numbers independently of the separate
chief parts combine the Biblical text into a unity. In Nu
14:22 R, Yahweh states that Israel had now tempted Him and
been disobedient to Him ten times: compare Ex 14:11 ff JE(?)
(Red Sea); 15:23 f JE (Marah); 16:2,3 P; 16:20 JE; 16:27,28
R (Manna); 17:1 ff JE (Massah and Meribah); 32:1 ff JE
(Golden Calf); Nu 11:1 ff JE (Tuberah); 11:4 ff JE (Graves
of Lust); 14:2 ff P and JE (Spies). Most of these cases are
accordingly reported in the Book of Exodus, but in such
manner that in this particular a clearly marked progress can
be noticed, as Yahweh does not begin to punish until Ex 32;
but from here on He does so with constantly increasing
severity, while down to Ex 32 grace alone prevails, and in
this particular, previous to Ex 32, there is found nothing
but a warning (16:27). Ten times it is further stated of
Pharaoh, in a great variety of forms of expression, that he
hardened his own heart (7:13 P; 7:14 JE; 7:22 P; 8:15 P;
8:32 JE; 9:7,34,35 JE; 13:15 D); ten times the hardening is
ascribed to God (4:21 JE; 7:3 P; 9:12 P; 10:1 R; 10:20 JE;
10:27 E; 11:10 R; 14:4,8 P; 17 P ?). Here already we must
note that within the narrative of the miracles and the
plagues at first there is mention made only of the hardening
by Pharaoh himself (7:13 P; 7:14 JE; 7:22 P; 8:11 ff; 8:15
P; 8:28 JE; 9:7 JE, i.e. seven times) before a single word
is said that God begins the hardening; and this latter kind
of hardening thereupon alone concludes the whole tragedy
(14:4,8 P; 17 P?). Ten months cover the time from the
arrival at Sinai (19:1 P) to the erection of the sacred
dwelling-place of God (40:17 P). Since, further, exactly
three months of this time are employed in 19:10,16 JE; 24:3
ff JE; 24:16 P (ten days); 24:18 P (40 days); 34:28 J (40
days), there remain for the building of the tabernacle
exactly seven months...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/E/EXODUS,...
LITERATURE
(NOTE: For the signs J (Jahwist), E (Elohist), P or Priestly
Code (Priest Codex), R (Redactor) compare the article on
GENESIS.)
I. In General.
1. Name:
The second book of the Pentateuch bears in the Septuagint
the name of Exodos, in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible,
390-405 A.D.) accordingly Exodus, on the basis of the chief
contents of the first half, dealing with the departure of
the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Jews named the book
after the first words: we-'elleh shemoth ("and these are the
names"), or sometimes after the first noun shemoth ("names")
a designation already known to Origen in the form of
Oualesmoth.
2. Contents in General:
In seven parts, after the Introduction (Ex 1:1-7), which
furnishes the connection of the contents with Genesis, the
book treats of (1) the sufferings of Israel in Egypt, for
which mere human help is insufficient (Ex 1:8 through 7:7),
while Divine help through human mediatorship is promised;
(2) the power of Yahweh, which, after a preparatory miracle,
is glorified through the ten plagues inflicted on Pharaoh
and which thus forces the exodus (Ex 7:8 through 13:16); (3)
the love of Yahweh for Israel, which exhibits itself in a
most brilliant manner, in the guidance of the Israelites to
Mt. Sinai, even when the people murmur (Ex 13:17 through
18:27); (4) making the Covenant at Mt. Sinai together with
the revelation of the Ten Words (Ex 20:1 ff) and of the
legal ordinances (Ex 21:1 ff) as the condition of making the
Covenant (Ex 19:1 through 24:18); (5) the directions for the
building of the Tabernacle, in which Yahweh is to dwell in
the midst of His people (Ex 24:18 through 31:18); (6) the
renewal of the Covenant on the basis of new demands after
Israel's great apostasy in the worship of the Golden Calf,
which seemed for the time being to make doubtful the
realization of the promises mentioned in (5) above...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/E/EXODUS,...
