Sunday, July 21, 2013

Exodus 13 Notes: Guiding the Israelites Out of Egypt


Section 13:  Exodus 13 – Guiding the Israelites out of Egypt

Theme or topic of this section
They Have A Guide
The Strong Hand of God
Getting the People Out of Egypt Safely
Teaching the People on the Way

Some interesting points
The Israelites had a guide.
They took Joseph’s bones with them.
What does redeeming the first-born child mean?

What is the significance of unleavened bread?
- is it a sacrifice?  That kind of bread doesn’t taste as good as yeast bread.
- does bread without yeast last longer?
- to commemorate the haste of leaving Egypt (previous chapter)

What is the significance of the consecration of the first-born?
- consecration means dedication for a special purpose.
- because God had to kill the first-born of the Egyptians.  Consecration of the Israelites’ first-born helps them remember the sacrifice of the Egyptian children.
- they do that so they don’t forget what God did for them.

Why does the text emphasize the strong hand of God?
- God was a strong leader.
- it brings to mind all the plagues and stuff God did.
- so they can tell each other about the events.
- so they can be motivated to leave Egypt.

Why the round-about route away from Egypt?
- to work their way to get there.
- to teach them to be self-sufficient (and yet, another lesson in Exodus is to trust in God).
- so they won’t get lazy.
- so they can use the gifts that God has given them
- to punish them.  (later  - for the golden calf incident)

What we learned about the nature of God from this passage
God means what he says.
God did what he promised.
God tells us to remember.
God doesn’t give you everything, but God gives you everything you need.


What we learned from this passage that we can apply to our lives
Use the gifts that God has given you. 
I’m glad I wasn’t living then!

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