An Illustration Of New Testament Deacon-Ministry From The Old Testament

Exodus 17:8-13 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword."

Introduction:

There are two places we look to in the New Testament when studying the subject of deacons: Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:7-13. A deacon's most fundamental function is to "serve". Deacons serve the spiritual leadership and the people of God. Though the office of Deacon is a New Testament office in the church, the principle of certain persons serving God's people and spiritual leadership are found in the Old Testament. One example of this is found in Exodus 17:8-13. 

The battle between Joshua and the Amalekites would be any other battle except for one detail: two men holding up Moses' arms atop the mountain overlooking the scene. Joshua was charged to lead the ancient Israelite army against the Amalekite forces. Military prowess would not win this battle. Prayer would see this victory. The battle on the ground would follow the course of the battle atop the mountain.

Whenever I see Aaron and Hur propping-up Moses' arms, there is a picture of the place of Deacons in conjunction with the pastor. Just as Moses was a servant of God, leading the people of God and preaching His word (see the three main sermons of Deuteronomy 4-27 and Hebrews 3:4), so to is the pastor a servant leader that is called to feed the flock with the Word of God (see 1 Peter 5:1-4). Moses told Joshua in Exodus 17:9 that he would "station himself" atop the mountain whilst the people of God fought their enemy. Pastors stand in the gap to equip God's people, preach His word and pray (see 1 Timothy 4:13-16; Hebrews 13:7,17). In Acts 6:2-4 we find the Apostles describing what they did as that of "giving ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word". 

As the church militant fights the fight of faith, needs arise. We find in Exodus 17 the forces of Amalek opposing God's people. Lest there were prayer warriors standing in the gap, the three "d's" (doubt, depression, discouragement) would set-in on the people. Moses was stationed. Moses became spent. Ministry is draining if not accompanied by regular intercession - which was why Aaron and Hur came along side Moses. 

In Acts 6 we find great need. Certain widows in the church were neglected. The Apostles knew that pure religion before our God is that widows and orphans are cared for in time of need (see James 1:26-27). Yet they also knew that the Gospel needed to spread throughout the Mediterranean world. The time came to request of the church to select seven men - i.e., the archetypes to New Testament Deacons. We read in Acts 6:3-5a

"Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation....".

Deacon ministry is not easy, nor is it for everyone - yet it is vitally important. Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13 lay out the following "job-description":

1. Be a servant. Acts 6:2; 1 Timothy 3:13
2. Be Spirit-filled. Acts 6:3

a. Have a testimony  “who are known”
b. Filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit
c. Full of or characterized by wisdom

3. Be a committed Christian that desires influence others for Jesus. 1 Timothy 3:8-12

a. Worthy of respect 3:8
b. Sincere (not talking out of both sides of the mouth) 3:8
c. Not given to much wine 3:8
d. Not greed (competing for material wealth) 3:8
e. Holding the deep truths of the faith (committed to biblical truth) 3:9
f. Above reproach (no one has anything bad to say about them) 3:10
g. Be tested (Looking for spiritual and moral integrity) 3:10
h. Faithful and believing wife 3:11
i. Have a well-managed or sound household 3:12

j. Sound marriage 3:12

The result? In Acts 6, needs were met and the Gospel spread. Whenever we see Aaron and Hur upholding Moses' arms in Exodus 17, what is the outcome? Exodus 17:12-13 states:

"But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword."

Closing thoughts:

Good, godly servants of the Lord - Aaron and Hur - were willing, available and ready to serve God's man and God's people. Joshua and the Israelites were all the better for it. The battle on the ground was influenced by what went on above them. These same principles are why we have New Testament Deacon ministry. When good, godly men, willing and ready to serve, step up to aid their pastors and God's people - everyone wins. 

P1 - A Suggested Approach To Interpreting Romans 9 By Comparing Moses And Paul

Exodus 33:17-19 "The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

Romans 9:14-16 "What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy."

Introduction:

Romans 9 has been rightly called by famed preacher of days gone by - W.A Criswell - as being the hardest passage in the Bible. Oceans of ink have been spilt in rightly interpreting Romans 9. The intent of today's post is to offer a way of approaching Romans 9 as an aid in interpreting it. There are remarkable parallels between the attitudes and emotions expressed by Paul and those we find expressed by Moses in the Old Testament. Such parallels have not escaped the notice of commentators. For example, James Fausset Brown in their Critical and Explanatory Commentary note about the parallels between Moses and Paul by referencing the famed commentator Charles Hodge's commentary on Romans:

"But our version gives the true import of the original; and if it be understood as the language rather of “strong and indistinct emotions than of definite ideas” [HODGE], expressing passionately how he felt his whole being swallowed up in the salvation of his people, the difficulty will vanish, and we shall be reminded of the similar idea so nobly expressed by Moses (Ex 32:32)."

In today's post, I want to explore these parallels to offer a pathway of approach to this extraordinary chapter. Just as mountain climbers scaling a mighty mountain, there must needs be a carefully laid out plan for approaching the mountain. So too in prayerfully approaching how one will navigate the mighty peaks of Romans 9. Hopefully, by noting the way in which Paul references Moses, one will see the value of considering more closely the other Old Testament references used by Paul throughout Romans 9. 

1. Both Moses and Paul have missionary hearts (Exodus 32:32-33 and Romans 9:1-5)

If one were to read Romans 9:1-5, there would be the immediate notice of the tone of a missionary's heart being broken for lost souls. Remarkably, we find near similar sentiments expressed by Moses in Exodus 32:31-32 following Israel's treacherous worship of the Golden calf: 

"Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. 32 But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” 

I like what the great Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe notes about Paul in Romans 9:1-5 - 

"Like Moses (Ex. 32:30–35), he was willing to be cursed and separated from Christ if it would mean the salvation of Israel. What a man this Paul was! He was willing to stay out of heaven for the sake of the saved (Phil. 1:22–24), and willing to go to hell for the sake of the lost."

2. Both Moses and Paul appeal to God's Divine Choice In The Redemption Of His People (Exodus 32:12-14; Romans 9:6-13)

Paul spends time in Romans 9:6-13 of reminding his readers of God's purposes of grace that operated in His choice of the patriarchs and the people of God. He chose Isaac, not Ishmael. He chose Jacob, rather than Esau. God's choice was not dependent upon anything foreseen or merited by one person over the other. Instead, such choices are rooted in the loving and merciful motives that are internal to God Himself. Whenever Moses pleaded to God to not destroy the Israelites following their idolatrous worship of the Golden Calf, we find him praying these words in Exodus 32:12-14 - 

"Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people."

Moses appealed to God's Divine choices regarding the Patriarchs and Israel itself. The result? God showed mercy to a people not deserving such. Whenever we look at Paul's text in Romans 9, the lens of Divine election is used to highlight the incredible mercy of God in calling forth sinners unto salvation. Such activity on God's part does not contradict His inclusion of the sinner's free and genuine response to the Gospel. 

Both truths are held together as representing the Biblical Gospel. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ has connected to His Person one true Divine will and one true human will without contradiction, mixture, confusion nor blending - so it is with the salvation He has provided. We can affirm with Jonah 2:9 that salvation is of the Lord and we affirm with John 3:16 that none can be saved lest they believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

More in the next post..... 

God's Heavenly Bread of Life

Exodus 16:1 "Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt."

Introduction:

Today's post will focus upon the heavenly bread God sent the Israelites in their journeys with Moses through the wilderness. Such a study is pertinent to followers of Christ today, since Jesus identifies Himself as the Bread of life in John 6. Manna is so named because of the Israelite's inability to know what to call it (it means "what is this" in the Hebrew language). Many references in the Old Testament can be found about manna. However, for the sake of brevity, we will restrict our study to Exodus 16. Exodus 16 represents the first mention of Manna in the Bible. It has been often recognized that in the first mention of anything in scripture, the seeds of various themes can be found. As a final note, upon seeing the significance of God's manna in the wilderness, we should be able to see the ways it points to Jesus - God's heavenly bread of life. 

1. God's heavenly bread is food for the soul meeting with God

In Exodus 16:1, we find the people of God and Moses nearing their trek to Mount Sinai. God had redeemed the people out of Egypt to lead them to Sinai to meet with Him. The heavenly manna was given at the onset of this journey. The soul that ever hopes to enjoy communion with God cannot feed on the "food of this world". God's bread from heaven would be the diet of His people in their preparations and communions with Him. Whenever we turn to John 6, Jesus uses the Old Testament manna to bring out this truth about Him being bread for the soul. In John 6:26-27 we read - "Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

2. God's heavenly bread is sweet to the soul that loves God. 

In Exodus 16:33 we read - "The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey." The main description we do get of manna is in its taste and appearance. The taste and appearance was both sweet to the palate and pleasing to the eye. The whiteness of the heavenly bread spoke of its purity and the sweetness of honey communicated its desirability. Jesus makes this point about comparing the manna to Himself in John 6:32-33 "Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” In the course of Jesus' teaching on Himself being the bread of life, the crowds ended up rejecting His sweetness and purity. Yet, Peter at the end of John 6:68-69 "Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 

So God's heavenly bread of life, whether in the Old Testament type we find in manna or in the fulfillment of it in Jesus feeds the soul being met by God and is sweet to the soul that loves God. One more truth can be noted today as we think on God's heavenly bread of life found in Exodus 16 and John 6...

3. God's heavenly bread preserves the soul on the journey of faith with God. 

Two places in Exodus 16 describe how manna would be used by God to remind the people how He preserves them. In Exodus 16:33 "Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” Then again in Exodus 16:35 "The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan." Anyone who has read the accounts of the Israelites recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy knows that they were not always faithful. At one point, the people doubted God so much that a whole generation was prohibited from entering into the land. Despite the people's unfaithfulness, God never varied in His provision of manna. 

Jesus spoke of how He would be the ultimate food for the believer in their journey of faith with God. In John 6:55-58 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Closing thoughts:

Today's post focused upon how God provided heavenly bread for His people in Exodus 16. We noted how the manna pictures for us the ultimate heaven bread: the Lord Jesus Christ. We observed how Jesus tied the giving of manna to Himself as the Bread of life. In all we noted the following three truths concerning God's heavenly bread of life:

1. God's heavenly bread is food for the soul meeting with God (Exodus 16:1; John 6:26-27)

2. God's heavenly bread is sweet to the soul that loves God. (Exodus 16:31; John 6:68-69)

3. God's heavenly bread preserves the soul on the journey of faith with God. (Exodus 16:33,35; John 6:55-58) 

P2 Does prayer change God, or does it change me?

Psalm 106:23 "Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them."

Introduction:
In yesterday's post we began consideration of Moses intercession on behalf on the nation of Israel. Israel had been worshipping a golden calf while Moses was atop Mount Sinai, receiving the ten commandments. God told Moses to get down to the people and to leave Him alone, since He was about to destroy them and start anew with Moses. Moses' intercession led to the statement in Exodus 32:13 of "God changing His mind". We attempted to understand how God's immutability (that quality of God that describe Him not changing) relates to Biblical statements that assert His "changing His mind". We concluded yesterday with an illustration of wax melting in a car in the heat of the sun. We noted that just like the hot wax changing from solid to a liquid, we in our prayer times change in the light of God's unvarying presence. Today we want to conclude this short study by asking yet again: does prayer change me or God?

So, prayer changes me, not God
To cut to the chase, as the heading suggests - prayer does change us, rather than God. When Moses was praying to God on behalf of Israel, did God experience change within His being? Scholar John S. Feinberg in his volume "No One Like Him", page 271, notes: 

"So it appears that God must be immutable in his person, purposes, will (decree), and ethical rules, but he can change punishments for disobeying his commands without changing anything else about himself that must remain stable."

With regard to the interpretation of Exodus 32, Feinberg notes on page 274 of the same book:

"In this case as well, God must forego completely destroying Israel because of His covenant promises to Abraham (promises Moses reminds God of), promises that are unchanging. So God changes His relationship with Israel because of His unchanging covenants and unchanging moral governance of the world. The way the Biblical writer reports this is to use the anthropomorphism (a figure of speech ascribing human qualities or features to something) that God "repented" of the evil He had planned to do." 

So in the case of God, no internal changes occurred. He ever remained all-knowing, all-powerful, holy, loving and so-forth. The manner of His dealings with people will differ with respect to changes either in that person or in the situation. 

Moreover, in cases of intercessory prayer, God chooses to use such prayer as a means of carrying out His will. From the vantage point of Moses and us, God appeared to change. However, concerning God's perspective, His intentions of preserving Israel never changed. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary makes the following observation: 

"In answer to the prayers of Moses, God showed his purpose of sparing the people, as he had before seemed determined on their destruction; which change of the outward discovery of his purpose, is called repenting of the evil."

The point of the comment is this: inwardly, God never changed. Moses' experience of God's activities in prayer observed what appeared to be a change: a change in dealings, a change in how God's actions were going to affect His people.  

Closing thoughts:
As Adrian Rogers as noted: "The prayers that reach in heaven start in heaven. God closes the circuit." Would it be today that as we intercede on behalf of others, that God would change us. Would the light of His unvarying presence shine through the windows of prayer so as to mold and shape us, resulting in us releasing a sweet aroma unto Him - the aroma of prayer. 

P1 Does prayer change God, or does it change me?

Exodus 32:9-11 "The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation. 11 Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?"

Exodus 32:14 "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people."

Malachi 3:6 “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed."

Introduction: God is unchanging and yet scripture states He changes His mind
Today's post deals with a difficult matter of interpretation in the scripture relative to God's nature in relationship to prayer. When we speak of God as "unchanging", the term used to describe this quality of God is called "immutability". Hebrews 1:11-12 (quoting Psalm 102:26) states concerning Christ's Divine nature in relationship to the heavens - "They will perish, but You remain; And they all will become old like a garment, 12 And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” Malachi 3:6, quoted at the beginning of this post, asserts that God does not change. In James 1:17, we are told that the Heavenly Father is the Father of Heavenly lights, in whom there is no variation or shifting of shadow. Such statements strongly affirm that within God's eternal nature, attributes and moral character, there is a constant, continuous, non-varying manner in His overall Divine life. 

But then we run across other passages of scripture that seem to indicate God "changing something". For the purposes of today's post, we find specific cases were God seems to change his mind in the contexts of prayer and people repenting of their sins. Certainly Exodus 32 depicts Moses interceding for the people in light of their treachery of the Golden Calf. Once Moses interceded and appealed to the unvarying promises that Yahweh made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 32:13), God "changed His mind" relative to the destruction He planned to do against the nation of Israel (see Exodus 32:14). Other texts such as 1 Samuel 15:10-11, 28-29 and Jonah 3:10 portray God "changing His mind" or "repenting" of the judgments He was going to pour out on the people. 

So how do we reconcile these two categories of scripture? How do we understand the clear statements of God being "immutable" and thus, not subject to change within His internal character and being, whilst seeing scriptures that assert the "changing of His mind". Furthermore, how does this affect our understanding of prayer relative to God?

Illustration: The sun and melted wax in a hot car
Not too long ago I had been in the back of our family car when I noticed what appeared to be melted wax near one of the cup holders. My wife enjoys wax-warmers. They are little "peanut-butter-cup-shaped" pieces of wax one places in a special device called a "wax-warmer". Once these "wax-warmers" are melted, they emit the given scent of what one would smell from an actual burning candle. 

On a particular occasion my wife had purchased some of these little objects and one of our children had been playing with one of them and put it near the cup-holder. In the heat of a hot-summer day, the interior temperature of the car and the sun blazing through the windows had softened the little wax-warmer enough to melt it. Once it had cooled, it turned back into hardened wax and left a nice little task for someone to clean. 

Now I tell this little tale to highlight our discussion. What changed? Did the sun change? No. Whether there was wax or not didn't effect the sun shining forth some 93 million miles away. Would the wax warmer had melted by itself if it had not been placed in the hot car on a sunny day? Likely. But now we interpose a car window, infrared radiation heat bouncing around in the car and a hot surface, and lo and behold: a melted wax-warmer. The wax-warmer changed relative to its placement in that hot car. We of course would say that the sun had heated up enough to melt the wax-warmer, even-though the sun's heat and light remained constant. It is from the vantage-point of inside the car that we use the language of change. In this illustration, the wax-warmer was changed, not the sun. It was changed due to what was interposed between it and the sun - namely the window.

We can say for now that the passages that speak of God's unchanging character (or "immutability) are illustrated by the sun in the above comparison. Likewise, the other scriptures that refer to God "changing His mind" compare to the above illustration. With regards to prayer, it corresponds to the windows of the car through which the sunlight is shining. When we pray, we are, as it were, putting forth windows through which God can shine forth His unvarying purposes. In short, the answer to the question of whether or not prayer changes us or God is: prayer is designated by God to change us and our situations. 

In the next post we will draw out further implications and conclusions about our discussion on whether prayer changes us or God. 

The Prequel to Exodus and its significance for today

Exodus 1:1-7  "Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them."

Introduction:
I'll never forget watching the Star Wars original triology as a child. I was thrilled when the series was re-released in "enhanced digital" in nineties. Numerous times throughout my college experience, I can recall staying up through the night with my friends as we engaged in a "Star Wars marathon". What came as a surprise and shock was to hear that there was going to be a new "trilogy" released to tell how the original "trilogy" all began. Where did Darth Vader come from? was he always Darth Vader? what about the rebellion? the empire? and other sundry details? As I would come to find out, this new "trilogy" would come to be known as a series of "prequels". A prequel's purpose is to tell the story of the origins and historical narrative that leads up to a current state of affairs. The new "trilogy" did achieve its purpose in filling in the gaps that would make viewing the old "triology" a more complete experience. 

When it comes to the first five books of the Bible, the book of Genesis functions as the "prequel" of prequels, functioning as the prequel to not only Exodus through Deuteronomy, but ultimately the whole Bible. 

How Genesis functions as the prequel to Exodus
To just focus attention on the book of Exodus, we find that the first seven verses of Exodus 1 assume familiarity with the Book of Genesis. Moses, the author, is filling in the gaps for his readers who were the generation of Hebrews rescued out of bondage in Egypt. We see mention of Jacob and his sons in the opening verses. Jacob's historical journey down to Egypt is contained within the so-called "Joseph cycle" of Genesis 37-50 (particularly Genesis 46). Jacob's story of course begins in Genesis 27 and winds its way into the Joseph cycle of Genesis 37-50. 

Going from Jacob, back to Isaac
As one goes backward through Genesis, we find Jacob's father Isaac was promised by God to Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. Jacob and his twin brother Esau scraped and fought their way through the so-called Jacob-cycle of Genesis 27-36. Jacob would steal his older twin-brother's blessing. Undoubtedly Jacob's conniving was truly his doing, and yet it fit within the permissive, Sovereign plan of Almighty God (see Malachi 1:1-2; Romans 9:13). 

Isaac, Jacob and Esau's father, was the original child of promise who would function as a continuation of Abraham's bloodline and the promise of God. Although Isaac would be born in Genesis 21, the focal-point of his adult life would be found in the so-called "Isaac cycle" of Genesis 24-26.

So then, what about Abraham? Abraham's story stretches from Genesis 12-25. For nearly the first century of Abraham's life (known originally as "Abram"), we find this "patriarch of patriarchs") living as a gentile in Ur of Chaldees (Genesis 11:27-32). God called him out of darkness to travel some 800 miles to the land of Canaan. His story and God's promises and covenant would provide a template for the fulfillment of such through his descendants (Isaac, Jacob, Jacob's sons and the Hebrew nation in Exodus) and ultimately Christ Himself (see Galatians 3-4).  

Abraham's story of course represents the focal point of all the prior history leading up to him in Genesis 1-11. Millennia of history passed from Adam to Noah and then from Noah down to Abraham. God's purposes and plans would funnel down from all of humanity (Genesis 1-9) through one branch of humanity (from Noah's son Shem in Genesis 9) to Abram in Genesis 11. 
The audience in Moses' day needed to be told the prequel of their story so that they would realize that God, not Egypt, and not Pharaoh, had called them and created them. 

Application and final thoughts
As we find ourselves living here in the 21st century, how familiar are our children, grandchildren and up and coming generations with the Bible? I'm certain that more kids are familiar with the prequels of Star Wars than with the book of Genesis. Just as Moses wrote Genesis under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to inform his audience of how God had redeemed them and where they fit in His grander plan, we today need to bring our children and grand-children "up-to-speed" on where they fit in today's world. Books like Genesis and Exodus remind us of what can happen when one generation (or several in the case of the time-frame that transpired between Genesis 50 and Exodus 1) goes without familiarity with God's revealed purposes in His Word. May we be faithful to our task to pass down the truths of God's word to the next generation (see Deuteronomy 6 and Jude 1:3).

A quick summary of the Book of Exodus

Exodus 3:11-12 "But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

Introduction:
Yesterday's post considered a quick summary of the book of Genesis. Genesis ends with the death of Joseph. Whenever we fast-forward hundreds of years later, we arrive at the days of Moses and the book of Exodus. Whenever we consider most of the books of the Hebrew Old Testament, many of their Hebrew titles correspond to the first word in their text. For the book of Exodus, the Hebrew title is "we-ay-lay she-moath" (וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ ), which translated means "these are the names".  So which names is Moses referring to in his introduction to Exodus? No doubt, the initial first sentence reveals the identity of those "named": specifically, all those who had went down with Jacob in the days of Joseph. Exodus' purpose is to function as a sequel to the end of the book of Genesis. Just like many movies today that have sequels telling the story of certain characters and their lives many years later, the book of Exodus continues on the story of those "sons of Israel" who had traveled with Jacob down to Egypt back in the days of Joseph. 

So we could say that the book of Exodus, at least from its Hebrew name, is going to detail the lives of those descendants of Jacob and his relatives recorded in Genesis. But Exodus is so much more than a sequel and is not focused just primarily on the Hebrew people. The title "Exodus" which appears in our English Bibles derives from the title given to the book as seen in the Greek translation of the Old Testament - the Septuagint. This title conveys the Divine focus of the book in how God was going to deliver His people out of Egypt to go and worship Him in the desert in and around Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:11-12). God's preservation of the Hebrew peoples from the days of Jacob was evidence of what He had promised to Jacob's father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. 

With respect to the main character in the book of Exodus: God is center-stage. In Genesis we find God revealed as "Elohim". In Exodus, especially in His encounter with Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, we find God revealing His Personal, covenant name: "Yahweh". Yahweh in the Hebrew language is a variation from a verb "to be". Quite literally, not only does it mean "I am who I am" but it could just easily be translated "I am the One who is, am and ever will be". This Yahweh, Jehovah God is not only the Creator of the Heavens in earth in Genesis 1-11, He is the Author who brought forth the Hebrew people through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis 12-50. Exodus was written to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to remind them of who they are and whose they are.

Yahweh of course will be the One who will call Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, to Mount Sinai and to build the Tabernacle - the worship center of Yahweh amidst the people. Without going into the technical details, we can date the Exodus event itself to 1446 b.c chronological information offered in 1 Kings 6:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1-2; Acts 7:6 and Galatians 3:17.

So much more could be said about Exodus. Since the purpose of this post is to summarize the book, I will simply offer a brief outline below. We will then conclude with a few observations concerning how the book of Exodus points the way to Jesus Christ.  

A summary outline of the Book of Exodus. 

Prologue: Exodus 1

Calling of Moses: Exodus 2-6

The Exodus: Exodus 7-15

Journey to Mount Sinai: Exodus 16-18

God's Covenant to Sinai: Exodus 20-23

The Tabernacle is revealed: Exodus 24-31

The Treachery of the Golden Calf: Exodus 32-33

The Tabernacle is completed: Exodus 34-40

Closing thoughts and applications
As Jesus Himself noted in Luke 24:44, all the Old Testament scriptures point to Him. The book of Exodus is no different. In Exodus, we see Moses the lawgiver and mediator of the Old Covenant, praying for the people and sent by God to lead the people out of bondage. This of course reminds us of Jesus, a new Moses of sorts, Who was sent by God to be the Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8-9) and lead those whom He calls and who respond in faith out of darkness and into the light of salvation (John 5:24-25; 2 Corinthians 4:1-6). 

A second picture of Christ we find in Exodus pertains to the Levitical Priesthood. Aaron was Israel's first High Priest, serving as Intercessor for the people. Jesus is designated the Christian's High Priest, serving in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7) and ever praying on behalf of His people (Hebrews 4:14-16).

A third picture of Jesus from Exodus is that of the tabernacle. Entire books and studies have been written over the years detailing how the tabernacle in Exodus illustrates Jesus and the relationship He has with His people. The arrangement of the seven main pieces of furniture, for example, are in the shape of a cross. I don't find this arrangement to be a coincidence. It is by Divine Design. New Testament passages such as John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 10 and Hebrews 7-10 indicate that the Tabernacle in some way foreshadowed what would be the ultimate Tabernacle of flesh and bone, God in human flesh - Jesus Christ.   

These are but a sample of the ways we see the Lord Jesus Christ in Exodus. Exodus portrays the central principle of salvation in the Bible: salvation is of the Lord. So much richness resides in the Book of Exodus. The Lord Jesus saw fit to formulate His institution of His own Lord's table (Mark 14:12-31; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27) from the Passover over ritual initiated in Exodus 12-14. On and on we could go, but the reader ought to see why the Book of Exodus merits our study, meditation and application. To God be the glory!