The Exodus Epic
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, January 4, 2025.
Sermon text: Exodus 1
Epic: A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
Author: Moses
Date: 1200 - 1450 BC
Exodus is an adventure story par excellence. It features a cruel villain (Pharaoh), an unlikely hero (Moses), overwhelming disasters (the plagues), a spectacular deliverance (crossing the Red Sea), a long journey (through the wilderness), a mountaintop experience (where Moses received the Ten Commandments), and a grand finale (the presence of God coming down to the ark of the covenant, filling the tabernacle with glory). The story features unexpected setbacks and unpredictable delays, magic tricks (from Pharaoh’s sorcerers) and miracles, feasts and festivals, music and dancing, and many close encounters with the living God. -ESV Study Bible
When we read Exodus, we see:
The history of God’s people.
“The more we know about this family, the more amazed we are that God would have anything to do with them at all… Their family history was a sordid tale of treachery, philandering, and violence…Joseph and his brothers really had just one thing going for them, and that was their God. And what a God they had! - Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
The God who saves.
The construction of the tabernacle is merely a first stage toward God’s glory filling the whole earth, when heaven and earth will merge into one. T. Desmond Alexander
God’s sovereignty.
Genesis 15:13–14 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Exodus 9:16 But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you my power and in order to proclaim my name throughout the earth. Jesus.
Matt. 2:14-15 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Luke 9:30-31 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem
He would pass through the deep waters of death to deliver his people from their bondage to sin and take them to the glory-land. This explains why Jesus was crucified at Passover. He was the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
Ourselves
Once heard, the story is never forgotten….We return to the exodus again and again, sensing that somehow it holds significance for the entire human race. -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
As we trace their spiritual journey, we discover that we need exactly what the Israelites needed. We need a liberator, a God to save us from slavery and destroy our enemies. We need a provider, a God to feed us bread from Heaven and water from the rock. We need a lawgiver, a God to command us how to love and serve him. And we need a friend, a God to stay with us day and night, forever. -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
Discipleship Questions:
Sermon text: Exodus 1
Epic: A long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
Author: Moses
Date: 1200 - 1450 BC
Exodus is an adventure story par excellence. It features a cruel villain (Pharaoh), an unlikely hero (Moses), overwhelming disasters (the plagues), a spectacular deliverance (crossing the Red Sea), a long journey (through the wilderness), a mountaintop experience (where Moses received the Ten Commandments), and a grand finale (the presence of God coming down to the ark of the covenant, filling the tabernacle with glory). The story features unexpected setbacks and unpredictable delays, magic tricks (from Pharaoh’s sorcerers) and miracles, feasts and festivals, music and dancing, and many close encounters with the living God. -ESV Study Bible
When we read Exodus, we see:
The history of God’s people.
“The more we know about this family, the more amazed we are that God would have anything to do with them at all… Their family history was a sordid tale of treachery, philandering, and violence…Joseph and his brothers really had just one thing going for them, and that was their God. And what a God they had! - Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
The God who saves.
The construction of the tabernacle is merely a first stage toward God’s glory filling the whole earth, when heaven and earth will merge into one. T. Desmond Alexander
God’s sovereignty.
Genesis 15:13–14 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Exodus 9:16 But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you my power and in order to proclaim my name throughout the earth. Jesus.
Matt. 2:14-15 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Luke 9:30-31 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem
He would pass through the deep waters of death to deliver his people from their bondage to sin and take them to the glory-land. This explains why Jesus was crucified at Passover. He was the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
Ourselves
Once heard, the story is never forgotten….We return to the exodus again and again, sensing that somehow it holds significance for the entire human race. -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
As we trace their spiritual journey, we discover that we need exactly what the Israelites needed. We need a liberator, a God to save us from slavery and destroy our enemies. We need a provider, a God to feed us bread from Heaven and water from the rock. We need a lawgiver, a God to command us how to love and serve him. And we need a friend, a God to stay with us day and night, forever. -Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes
Discipleship Questions:
- How significant is the book of Exodus as a history of God’s people?
- Where do we see God’s sovereignty in Exodus?
- How does Exodus set a pattern for the life of Jesus?
- How is our story and situation similar to that of God’s people in Exodus?
- How can we be inspired by the two midwives (Shiphrah and Puah)?
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