(Exodus) Exodus 2 Introduction — J. Vernon McGee

Exodus as a Continuation of Genesis

Now, friends, we come today to the 2nd chapter, the book of Exodus, and if you have your Bible, will you turn there with us? Because we want to begin right there, and we would appreciate very much having you turn to this passage.

It'll make it more meaningful to you, and if you have the notes and outlines, to follow along with them, and the books that we offer from time to time. For this one, the one on Jacob back to Bethel, that gives you the background of this man who came down into Egypt, 70 souls in all, his family.

And now we find them here in the book of Exodus as we begin it. It just continues the story, but there's been a hiatus of about three and a half centuries. There's been this period of three and a half centuries, and the people of Israel are now slaves in the land of Egypt, and that was according to the way God had predicted it to this man, Abraham.

Moses the Deliverer and His Early Life

This is the way that God had told him. We have brought before us now Moses, the Deliverer. In fact, the first 11 chapters here, we have the Deliverer. The first chapter was slavery of Israel in Egypt.

Now we have in this chapter 2, the birth of Moses, and the first 40 years in Pharaoh's palace. And then when we get to chapter 3, we'll see the call of Moses, and his second 40 years in Midian, and the incident there at the burning bush.

And then we have the return of Moses to Egypt in chapter 4, and the announcement of the deliverance of Israel, and then the rest of the book deals with that period. We have the deliverance then in chapters 12 through 14 by blood and power, and then we have them marching to Mount Sinai in chapters 15 to 18, and we have the giving of the law in chapters 19 through 24, and then the blueprint and construction of the tabernacle in chapters 25 to 40.

Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in the Continuing Biblical Story

I'm just giving you the outline of this very marvelous book of Exodus, where nothing has begun, nothing ended. It's just a continuation of the story that was begun in Genesis, and we'll follow it when we get into Leviticus and the book of Numbers.

Exodus as the Book of Redemption

But this is the great book on redemption, the deliverance of the children of Israel, and we're going to see that. Now, I feel like that along with this story, what we need is to have the other accounts concerning Moses, and we'll be filtering them in here from time to time.

Moses in Hebrews 11

And we have the story of Moses over in the 11th chapter of Hebrews. And frankly, this is, shall I say, just a capsule account of the book of Exodus, beginning with Moses here, and that's in Hebrews 11, verse 23.

Let me read this, and we'll have a background for what we're going to look at. "...By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw that he was a proper child, and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called a 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, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect under the recompense of the reward.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

By faith they passed through the Red Sea, as by dry land which the Egyptians, a saying to do, were drowned.". Now, that is the record of Exodus, actually, that's put in Hebrews 11 in a rather capsule account.