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How to Understand the Exodus Plague Narratives

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Exodus 5:22-7:7 is like the pre-bout buildup to a championship prize-fight. Moses has his doubts, but his trainer, God, is right at his side. This trainer massages Moses’ shoulders, squirts water into his mouth, and gets in his face with one pep talk after another. By passage’s end, Moses has his gloves tied, his robe draped, and his shoes tightened. He’s hopping from foot to foot, pumped and ready to rumble. He trots down the aisle up to the ring, he enters between the ropes, and the announcer proclaims his presence to the watching world.

The fight of the century is about to take place: Moses v. Pharaoh. Really, it’s Yahweh v. the Egyptian pantheon. Beginning with Ex 7:8, we’re made privy to every round of this legendary collision, and we don’t even have to rent it on pay-per-view.

Peter Gordon (2011), Creative Commons

Peter Gordon (2011), Creative Commons

Common Approaches to the Plague Narratives

Even the most casual reader of the plague narratives in Exodus can’t avoid a basic interpretive question: Why are these narratives so long? And if we treat Passover as a separate section, we’ve got almost 4 chapters of text to ‘rassle. In the ESV, the 9 plagues on Egypt go on for more than 3,200 words. How should we understand and study such an epic narrative?

Some readers take the children’s story Bible approach: Abridge the thing down to a manageable size and land on only the fundamental truths. God is powerful. Egypt got hit hard. Pharaoh would not relent. There is value in this approach, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the details. Every detail is inspired by God and there for a reason!

Other readers take the statistician’s approach: Map out the plagues in a large table or spreadsheet, showing all the fine comparisons and contrasts among the 9 plagues. When is Aaron’s staff used vs. Moses’ staff? When does Pharaoh harden his heart vs. God hardening it? How much is Pharaoh willing to grant the Israelites after each plague? Which plagues can the Egyptian magicians duplicate? There is value in this approach, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the big picture. Not every detail has deeply symbolic or spiritual meaning; the story as a whole was intended to have a certain emotional impact. Let’s not lose that impact to a statistical analysis.

How I Approach the Plague Narratives

Without demeaning either of the two approaches mentioned above—both have value and provide complementary insights—I’ve found a third approach to better highlight the author’s main ideas and do justice to why the story is given this much space. That approach is to follow the 3 cycles.

The narrator masterfully employs setting to help his readers receive his message. Observe:

  • In plagues 1, 4, and 7, God commands Moses to confront Pharaoh early in the morning (Ex 7:15, 8:20, 9:13).
  • In plagues 2, 5, and 8, God commands Moses simply to “Go in to Pharaoh…” (Ex 8:1, 9:1, 10:1).
  • In plagues 3, 6, and 9, there is no confrontation with Pharaoh. God commands Moses to perform some symbolic gesture and bring the plague unheralded. And these three plagues all have a reasonably short narrative (Ex 8:16-19, 9:8-12, 10:21-29).

What is the point of these observations? The narrative organizes the plagues into three 3 cycles of 3 plagues each. Plagues 1-3 have 3 different settings. Plagues 4-6 repeat the 3 settings in the same order. Plagues 7-9 repeat the settings once more.

This structure is reinforced by the fact that each cycle has a unique and climactic ending:

  • Cycle #1 ends with the Egyptian magicians being unable to replicate the plague and admitting it must be the finger of God (Ex 8:18-19).
  • Cycle #2 ends with the Egyptian magicians being unable to stand before Moses (Ex 9:11-12).
  • Cycle #3 ends with Moses being driven from Pharaoh’s presence (Ex 10:28-29).

This structure has a simple beauty about it, while also serving an interpretive purpose. With each new “Rise up early in the morning,” we hear a fresh start, a new round in the boxing match. And each cycle/round serves as a discrete unit with a particular point to make.

So over the next 3 Exodus posts, I will address the plague narratives in their three cycles. For each cycle, I will ask, what is the author’s main point in this cycle? This approach enables us to hear all the details and consider how they contribute to the unique main point of each cycle. And this approach also helps us not to drown in the details without collating them into a bigger picture.

Preliminary Round

But what should we make of the scene with the staffs and serpents in Ex 7:8-13? This episode stands outside the three cycles by introducing them.

This scene introduces the key players: Moses, Aaron, and Yahweh on one side; Pharaoh, his magicians, and their secret arts on the other.

This scene introduces the key conflict: “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle…'” Pharaoh will get his wish, and in a big way. If he won’t release these slaves without proof of the requesting party’s power, he’ll sure get it.

This scene foreshadows the inevitable outcome: “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs” (Ex 7:12). Pharaoh and his champions will not win this fight.

This scene also introduces the theme of the vindication of God’s word: “Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (Ex 7:13). Let God be proved true, and every man a liar. God’s glory is at stake in the economic status of his people Israel. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must be fulfilled. Therefore God’s glory and faithfulness must be vindicated. Game on, Pharaoh. Ding. Ding.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

5 Ways Loving Your Neighbor Will Change Your Bible Teaching

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To help you teach the Bible more effectively, Mark Ward writes of the basic but crucial matter of loving the people you teach. Loving them will strengthen your teaching in at least 5 ways:

  1. Love will keep you from assuming knowledge they don’t have.
  2. Love will keep you from using words not in their vocabulary.
  3. Love will help you work at finding the best ways to help them take the next step.
  4. Love will give you the energy you need to push them forward.
  5. Love will alleviate improper pressure on you to please others.

Check it out!

How to Apply the Bible’s Promises

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Context matters! Many Bible readers read promises such as Jeremiah 29:11 or Exodus 14:14 and memorize them as personal promises to us today. But this is not a helpful way to read the Bible.

Stand to Reason recently published a great post about how to know whether a certain Bible promise applies to us. In this post, Amy Hall explains how to consider the context of the original text and audience, and she suggests we figure out what that promise in that context revealed about God’s character. Then we can consider how we can rest in that aspect of God’s character today. This doesn’t mean the exact promise still applies, but that God’s character is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The post demonstrates how to consider the context to discover the main point so we may apply the main point and not all the details. Here is a taste:

Always look for what you can learn about God through His dealings with human beings throughout the Bible. When God makes promises about who He is, that always applies. When God promises to give something specific, look more closely at the context to see if He’s promising it in a unique situation (or under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant).

Here’s how I would apply that approach in the case of Jeremiah 29:11. In Jeremiah 29:11, we learn that God cares for His people and doesn’t abandon them, and that He hasn’t abandoned them even if it seems everything has gone wrong in their lives. We see that His good purposes are still moving forward, even when everything looks grim. This, we can cling to, because it’s an understanding of God’s character, which doesn’t change. What we can’t cling to is the specific outworking of God’s character in that unique biblical situation. That is, in that particular situation, God’s goodness and wisdom decreed that He would bring back those who were exiled to Babylon, saying, “I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations.” But in a different situation, God’s goodness and wisdom may decree something different. John the Baptist was beheaded, not released from jail (Matthew 14:1–12). Stephen was stoned, not saved (Acts 7:54–60).

For the rest of the article, check it out!

The Radical Book for Kids: More Fun Than a Homemade Catapult

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If I had a drachma for every new Christian children’s resource that disappointed me, I’d be about as wealthy as that second guy in the parable of the talents.1 I don’t want to be overly negative, but let’s please face the brutal facts of this present evil age. Some resources are all hip and no guts. Others are so theologically self-conscious they can’t avoid sounding pretentious. Yet others are simply ugly or shoddy. As our Master rightly lamented, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).

And with what shall we compare the delight that erupts when a new resource defies all expectations of mediocrity, planting itself firmly in the soil of young readers, unto the bearing of much good fruit? I’ll tell you. It shall be like the olive harvest on the 15th of Tishri.2 I’m pleased to recommend one such resource to you.

radical-book-for-kidsThe Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith is something of a handbook of the Christian faith for 8-14 year-old kids. With its large size and stunning production quality, it looks and feels like a coffee table book. But it’s the type of coffee table book that’s more fun than a homemade catapult.3 Kids and their parents won’t be able to keep their hands off it, nor would they want to. This book’s 67 short chapters cover a wide, and somewhat random, spectrum of topics ranging from character development to church history to science and theology to practical Christian living to Bible reading skills.

And it’s that last category that interested me the most. How does this book do at helping young people learn to study the Bible for themselves?

Chapter 1 demonstrates the value of being able to summarize the Bible’s teaching, and then it offers such a summary in one sentence: “Through Jesus, God is restoring everything that sin ruined.” Chapter 2 then describes “How to Understand the Bible” by concisely explaining all the main genres of Bible books. Later chapters return to each genre, offering suggestions on how to get the most out of studying them:

  • Chapter 8 on the Pentateuch
  • Chapter 11 on narratives
  • Chapter 28 on wisdom literature
  • Chapter 34 on the Psalms
  • Chapter 41 on the prophets
  • Chapter 56 on the gospels
  • Chapter 59 on the epistles

Along the way, there are chapters on how to read the Bible every day, how we know the Bible is true, famous trips in the Bible, jewelry in the Bible, money, the calendar, animals, and many more. One chapter offers single-sentence summaries of all 66 books of the Bible, and another recounts the full plot line of the whole Bible. Each of these chapters delivers accurate truth winsomely, motivating readers to dive into the Scripture themselves.

Now these chapters won’t satisfy someone looking for a graduate-level education, but they are just great for 8-14 year-olds and their parents. And because parents aren’t perfect,4 I must make two confessions:

  1. I stayed up late reading the book for this review, and not because I was running out of time.
  2. I was surprised by how sad I was when I finished the book. I would love more of it. Lots more.

This book is deep, meaty, biblical, beautiful, delightful, and very sturdy. This thing is ready to take a beating and continue delighting more young disciples.

Champ Thornton has done a great work in writing this book, and New Growth Press has done a great work in producing it. I can’t wait for my kids to grow into it, and I’m happy to recommend it to you.

1You’ll have to read chapter 49 of The Radical Book for Kids to see exactly how wealthy this would make me in modern American currency.
2You need to read chapter 18 to get this one.
3Chapter 65 this time.
4A marvelous chapter 38.

Disclaimer #1: Should a Canaanite with a sickle sword (see chapter 65) visit these here parts, he’ll want to know I notified you all that “New Growth Press generously provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”

Disclaimer #2: Because God is my boss (see chapter 44), integrity demands I disclose the fact that clicks of Amazon links and resulting purchases will provide a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. That way, I can continue learning my Hebrew (chapter 16) and Greek (chapter 52) alphabets.

God’s Glory, as Revealed in Exodus

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At the DiscipleMakers Fall Conference a few weeks ago, our theme was “Firm Foundation: Timeless Truths. For Now. Forever.” I spoke on the topic of “The Glory of God Alone: The Vision that Propels Us.” As I’ve spent oodles of time in Exodus, and God’s glory is a major theme in Exodus, I couldn’t resist rooting my talk in Exodus. What better picture of God’s glory than that of a bush that burns yet is not consumed (Ex 3:2).

Some folks said I took this talk in a direction they didn’t expect. Instead of focusing on how to put God first in our lives—a critical thing to do, of course—I focused on what God considers most unusual about himself. And, of course, these traits will lead us to put him first. But starting with God’s view of himself, and not with our need of him, yields interesting results.

Here’s a short clip:

Here’s a link to the full talk.

On our main conference page, you can find more videos on the following topics:

  • Scripture Alone: the Truth that Ground Us
  • Grace Alone: the Message that Transforms Us
  • Christ Alone: the One who Claims Us
  • Faith Alone: the Reality that Empowers Us
  • 14 breakout sessions on various topics

Check it out!

 

Exodus 1:1-7:7: Mediator’s Boot Camp

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Step Back

Many who study the Bible get so focused on each passage, one after another, that they find it difficult to step back and see how they fit together. But we must remember the Bible is a work of literature. It was not written to be scrutinized in bites; it was written to be devoured in gobbles. We should remember to read the Bible as we’d read any other book: moving through it at a reasonable pace, and recognizing ongoing themes, climax and resolution, and character development. When we hit milestones in the text, we should take the opportunity to survey where we’ve been and how it fits together.

Mark Stevens (2013), Creative Commons

Mark Stevens (2013), Creative Commons

So, now that we’ve reached the beginning of the end for Pharaoh, it’s a good time to catch our breath. Last week, I mentioned that from Exodus 7:8 to the end, Moses has no further relapses into doubt. And we should notice that Exodus 7:8 begins the long series of brutal confrontations that result in Pharaoh and his army meeting their end in the Red Sea (chapter 14), to the great delight and celebration of the Hebrews (chapter 15). But where have we been so far?

Review

Let me list the main points I’ve proposed for each section:

  • Exodus 1: The sons of God have many enemies, but none can prevent God’s promises from being fulfilled.
  • Exodus 2: God will deliver his people through the hand of his appointed deliverer…just not yet.
  • Exodus 3:1-4:17: God must deliver his people through the hand of a mediator, however hesitant he may be.
  • Exodus 4:18-31: One qualified to serve as God’s faithful and merciful mediator must be made like his brothers in every way. Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
  • Exodus 5:1-21: The LORD makes his people rest and stink.
  • Exodus 5:22-7:7: Yahweh is a God who provides not only a powerful mediator but also a great high priest to deliver his people and proclaim he is God.

In addition, my overview of the whole book led me to this overall main point:

Who is Yahweh, and why should you obey him? He is the God who 1) demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15), 2) prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18), and 3) builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

Pull It Together

Now what does this show us about the flow of thought in chapters 1-7?

  • Chapter 1 serves to introduce the major conflict and need: Nobody can prevent God from keeping his promises. But it left us with a question: HOW will God go about fulfilling his promises in such a dire situation as his people’s oppression and infanticide?
  • Beginning with chapter 2, the Lord answers this question by raising up a mediator for his people. Each section places another piece into this puzzle.
    • Exodus 2: The mediator is not yet ready for these people, nor are these people ready for him.
    • Exodus 3:1-4:17: The mediator must overcome his own hesitations.
    • Exodus 4:18-31: The mediator must become like his people in every way.
    • Exodus 5:1-21: For both the mediator and the people, things must get worse before they can get better.
    • Exodus 5:22-7:7: Moses himself is not enough to mediate for these people; even he needs a great high priest to make him what God wants him to be.

In a sense, these early chapters of Exodus serve as Moses’ boot camp. These chapters show us how much it matters to God to make sure his mediator is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance. And this boot camp serves as Part 1 of the book’s first act, the demolition of the house of slavery.

We can flesh out our outline of the book a little further:

Act I: Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15).

Introduction: Nobody can prevent Yahweh from keeping his promises, but we’re not sure how he’ll do it (Ex 1).

Part 1: Yahweh appoints a mediator and ensures he is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance (Ex 2:1-7:7).

Part 2: ??? [We’ll begin studying this part in a few weeks.]

Act II: Yahweh prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18).

Act III: Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

Gaze Upon Jesus

I hope you can already see the many connections to the work of Christ:

  • Like Moses, Jesus had to be made like his people in every way (Heb 2:17).
    • He also had to escape an evil king who murdered all the infant boys (Matt 2:16).
    • He also had to escape from Egypt (Matt 2:14-15).
    • He also had to experience a terrifying Passover (John 19:36, quoting Exodus 12), a crossing through water (Matt 3:13-17), and temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11)—all to reinforce his identity as God’s Son (Matt 3:17, 4:3, etc.).
  • Like Moses, Jesus encountered the glory of God—and Moses himself!—on a mountain (Luke 9:28-36).
  • Like Moses, Jesus had to work through his hesitations, submitting them to God’s will (Mark 14:36).
  • As with Moses, Jesus’ efforts made things worse before they could get better (Mark 3:6, 14:48-52, etc.).
  • Jesus didn’t need another high priest; he became a high priest far greater than Aaron (Heb 5:1-10).

Apply

Did you ever realize how much Jesus went through to win you? He couldn’t just snap his fingers to forgive your sins. He had some serious work to do—all to ensure he would be fully qualified and trained to serve as your mediator and high priest.

Marvel at this God who would become a man to do this for you!

Now you represent him to your world. Don’t expect it to be easy. As God sends you out to rescue sinners by preaching the gospel to all nations, he’s not yet finished with you. In fact, he’s probably just getting started on you. Some of your most significant growth in Christ will come only after you accept the call to go out and bring Christ to others. But God sent his Spirit to qualify and train you to this task.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

4 Practical Guidelines for Reading Old Testament Stories

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As I’m well into my series of sample Bible studies through the book of Exodus, it’s a good time to step back and consider how to read stories such as we find in Exodus. This week’s “check it out” comes courtesy of Dr. George Guthrie, who gives 4 practical guidelines for reading Old Testament Stories:

  1. Read the story in light of the bigger story of which it is a part! Don’t read each chapter/episode as though it were in a vacuum, but read it as part of the larger epic. For example, when we hit Exodus 19, we must draw connections back to Exodus 3, where God promised Moses would bring the people back to the mountain of God to worship him.
  2. Read the story in light of its purpose. Take note of the clues dropped by the narrator about why he’s telling this story. For example, I noted last week that God’s plans come with the intentions “you shall know that I am Yahweh” (Ex 6:7) and “the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh” (Ex 7:5). Such purpose statements are like bright signs highlighting a text’s meaning.
  3. Understand important cultural elements in the story. The narrator assumes his original audience would have understood certain things due to their experience, history, or shared experiences. Such things are left unstated but nonetheless key to interpretation. For example, though Exodus 6:14-25 never uses the term “high priest,” this cultural element would have been immediately clear to the original audience.
  4. Read the story, recognizing God as the hero. Though Old Testament characters do give us some examples to follow or avoid (1 Cor 10:1-11), those characters and narratives themselves constantly point to God as the primary mover. For example, Exodus 2-7 makes no attempt to put Moses on a pedestal. The narrative shows him as a weak man, full of impediments, doubts, and fears—but he has a big God who will keep his promises to his people.

For more explanation with some very clear examples from other parts of the Old Testament, see Guthrie’s full post.

Check it out!

Exodus 5:22-7:7: How to Deal with Excruciating Criticism

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In Exodus 5:1-21, Moses brings his message of rest for the enslaved people of God. And this message ends up making the people stink in the sight of their oppressors. They blame Moses for worsening their predicament, and they ask the Lord to judge him for it. What will Moses do now?

Observation of Exodus 5:22-7:7

Moses does what any of us might do in his place: find someone else to blame. Israel’s elders blame him (Ex 5:20-21), so he turns to blame God (Ex 5:22-23). It’s as though Moses’ objections from his conversation with the burning bush are coming true, and he wants God to know it. What will the Lord do with this?

Let me comment on why I’m ignoring two chapter divisions in this section. That is, why did I select a chunk of text from Ex 5:22 all the way to Ex 7:7? This choice came from observing the structure:

A. Moses complains to the Lord – 5:22-23

B. The Lord communicates his plan to Moses – 6:1-9

C. God commands Moses, who complains of his uncircumcised lips – 6:10-13

D. Genealogy of Aaron’s line – 6:14-25

C’ God commands Moses, who complains of his uncircumcised lips – 6:26-30

B’ The Lord communicates his plan to Moses – 7:1-5

A’ Moses and Aaron obey, just as the Lord commanded them – 7:6-7

Matthew Piper (2010), Creative Commons

Matthew Piper (2010), Creative Commons

First, I noticed the almost exact repetition of Moses’ “uncircumcised lips” in Ex 6:12 and Ex 6:30. Then I saw that the passage begins with Moses’ dire complaint and ends with Moses’ complete obedience. In between those sections came speeches from the Lord about his plans, each speech about the same length. The goal stated in God’s first speech is that the Israelites will know this God is Yahweh (Ex 6:7); the goal stated in the second speech is that the Egyptians will know this God is Yahweh (Ex 7:5)—these purposes have obvious parallels. And I couldn’t make sense of why the genealogy was “stuck in” this passage until I saw how the other sections mirrored one another around it.

I could list more observations, but observation and interpretation are so intertwined for me in this study, I find it difficult to distinguish them.

Interpretation of Exodus 5:22-7:7

Some possible questions:

  1. Why is the genealogy of Ex 6:14-25 stuck in the middle of this passage?
  2. How does Moses turn things around so completely from despair to obedience?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The structure of this passage takes the form of a “chiasm,” named after the Greek letter chi, shaped like an X. The outline above shows visually why the structure is reminiscent of the letter X. This literary form is common in ancient literature, including the Bible, and the form communicates some of the meaning of the passage. Usually, a narrator crafts a text in this form in order to highlight two things: 1) the change of affairs from the first part to the last part, and 2) the center of the structure as the crux or turning point to effect that change. In this case, Moses transforms from complaint to obedience. And the turning point for him is…a genealogy.
  2. The answer is closely connected to the genealogy. This genealogy at first seems to be a listing of the 12 sons of Israel, beginning with the firstborn Reuben (Ex 6:14) and proceeding to next-oldest Simeon (Ex 6:15) and Levi (Ex 6:16). But, instead of proceeding to Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, etc., the genealogy gets stuck at Levi and dives deeper. It follows the line down from Levi to his son Kohath (Ex 6:18), to his son Amram (Ex 6:20), to his son Aaron (Ex 6:23), to his son Eleazar and his son Phinehas (Ex 6:25). We also get a side branch in this family tree through Kohath’s son Izhar (Ex 6:21) to his son Korah (Ex 6:24). Interestingly, Moses is named as Aaron’s brother (Ex 6:20), but then he is ignored. The genealogist cares only about Aaron’s descendants, not Moses’.

What does that genealogy have to do with Moses’ turnaround from Ex 5:22 to Ex 7:6? Remember that when the book of Exodus was written and handed to the people, they were either camping at Mount Sinai or wandering in the wilderness. Either way, they would have immediately thought of Aaron, Eleazar, and Phinehas as the line of high priests. So at the center of this passage, the narrator reminds them of this high-priestly line as the turning point for Moses’ obedience. It is no coincidence that God’s speech right after the genealogy refers to Aaron as Moses’ prophet (Ex 7:1-2). In other words, Moses is not sufficient to carry out this deliverance from Pharaoh. Even he needs a high priest. Even he needs a prophet to speak on his behalf.

Train of thought:

  • Moses—God’s appointed mediator—hits rock bottom when the elders of Israel accuse him of making them stink to Pharaoh.
  • God counsels his mediator by reminding him of the promises and plans yet to be fulfilled.
  • Then, at the drama’s turning point, God (narratively speaking) inserts a glorious reminder of our great high priest.
  • Suddenly, Moses is like a new man, ready to obey completely.
  • From this point to the end of Exodus, Moses will have no further relapses into doubt—even in the face of further resistance and accusation (Ex 14:11-14, 17:2, etc.). In fact, he will even remind God a few times to keep his promises (Ex 32:11-14, 33:12-16).

Main Point: Yahweh is a God who provides not only a powerful mediator but also a great high priest to deliver his people and proclaim he is God.

Connection to Christ: In Christ we have both a mediator more perfect than Moses and a high priest better than the line of Aaron.

Application of Exodus 5:22-7:7

I’ve suffered my fair share of criticism as a leader, minister, and missionary. I’ve had the very people I serve turn against me and accuse me of doing them wrong. I know what it feels like to want—no, to need—someone else to blame.

My greatest need in that moment, as in any and every moment of my walk with God, is for a great high priest who will intercede for me before the throne of grace. I don’t need public vindication. I don’t even need to be right or understood. I just need Jesus. And as an under-shepherd of God, rooted in Christ, I also just need to obey.

This is not easy. But this yoke is lighter than any other.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

10 Super Helpful Bible Reading Tips

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This week, courtesy of the Christian satire site, Babylon Bee, we bring you 10 super-helpful Bible reading tips. Please remember these tips are not only helpful, but super helpful to your devotional life.

  1. Carefully select the Bible that looks the coolest.
  2. Broadcast your quiet time on every outlet available.
  3. Pray that God would reveal how awesome you are.
  4. Take it easy.
  5. Figure out the context of a verse, and then disregard it completely.
  6. Draw elaborate doodles all over the text.
  7. Allegorize literally everything.
  8. Make every effort to apply the difficult texts to everyone in the world except yourself.
  9. Keep in mind, every verse means “judge not.”
  10. Remember who it’s all about: you.

For a richer explanation of these magisterial skills and how you can perfect them, make sure to see the full article.

Check it out!

Exodus 5:1-21: The God of Rest and Stink

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God has entrusted his mission to Moses, and he’s enabled Moses to relate to experiences of the Israelites. Moses is now ready to act as God’s mediator and deliver these people. But first, God has a little more work to do…1

Observation of Exodus 5:1-21

Repeated words:

  • If we look only at each word, the most repeated ones are some of the usual ones: people (12 times), go, Pharaoh, said (9x), Israel, Lord (6x).
  • But if we look at word families, a major theme jumps off the page
    • Words having to do with work or labor occur more than 70 times.
    • These words include: straw (9x), bricks (7x), foremen, make, work (5x), servants, taskmasters (4x), idle, reduce, task (3x), beaten, burdens, daily, gather, get, give, given, made (2x), complete, done, find, heavier, impose, labor, scattered, stubble (1x).

Names/titles:

  • Though Pharaoh is given his usual title 9 times, once in the passage he is referred to as “the king of Egypt” (Ex 5:4). In that verse, this king demands that his slaves return to their burdens.
  • God’s name (Yahweh, or “LORD”) remains prominent, especially as Pharaoh asks, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice?” and claims, “I do not know Yahweh” (Ex 5:2).

Structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 5:1-5): Alternating dialogue about the fate of the sons of Israel.
    • Moses & Aaron (Ex 5:1), Pharaoh (Ex 5:2), Moses & Aaron (Ex 5:3), king of Egypt (Ex 5:4).
    • Pharaoh then gets the last word (Ex 5:5)
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 5:6-9): Pharaoh increases the burdens on the people.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 5:10-14): Taskmasters pass along Pharaoh’s wishes and beat the Hebrew foremen for failing to meet quotas.
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 5:15-21): The foremen cry out to Pharaoh, and are accused of being idle. On their way out, they meet Moses and Aaron and blame them for worsening their slavery.
Alain (2012), Creative Commons

Alain (2012), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 5:1-21

Some of my questions:

  1. Why are these work-related words repeated so much?
  2. What makes Pharaoh think the people are idle? They’ve already built at least 2 cities for him (Ex 1:11)!
  3. Why have the people shifted so quickly from worship (Ex 4:31) to blaming Moses and Aaron (Ex 5:21)?
  4. Why would God begin the deliverance of his people by making their lives so much harder?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The narrator shows us this new Pharaoh’s gut reaction to the problem of the people being “many” (Ex 5:5). His predecessor enslaved them and tried to murder and drown their sons. This Pharaoh wants to keep control by giving them more work to do. Work, work, work. Labor, burdens, servants. Foremen, taskmasters, bricks, straw. Words are multiplied to an extreme to show Pharaoh’s chief strategy: let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words (Ex 5:9). But what are the “lying words” he fears so much? He shows his hand in his last word to Moses and Aaron in Ex 5:5: “You make them rest from their burdens!” The word rest occurs only here, in huge contrast to the 70+ occurrences of “work”-related words. Pharaoh perceives that Moses and Aaron (and therefore Yahweh) want to give the Hebrews rest. So his solution is to increase their work.
  2. Pharaoh’s problem clearly is not with the people, but with Moses and Aaron who want to make them rest. And especially with Yahweh, the God of rest (Ex 5:1-2).
  3. Of course, they’re upset by the increased workload. But even more, they are concerned “because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants” (Ex 5:21). Moses and Aaron led them to worship Yahweh (Ex 4:31), but Yahweh has proven to be a God who makes his people stink. That’s just not fair.
  4. God already said Pharaoh would not let them go unless compelled (Ex 3:19). God would have to strike Egypt with mighty wonders (Ex 3:20). (Perhaps this is why Moses and Aaron fear pestilence or sword against themselves in Ex 5:3.) God would harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill his son (Ex 4:21-23). We don’t exactly know why God would do it this way, other than perhaps to show his people that they can do nothing to deliver themselves. To learn that lesson, they must be in a situation that goes from bad to worsest.

Train of thought:

  • Yahweh wants to give his people rest.
  • This idea stinks to those who don’t respect such a God.
  • Therefore, God’s people stink to those who don’t know or respect Yahweh.
  • It is not easy for God’s people to go through this, but it is an important part of their eventual deliverance.

Main Point: The LORD makes his people rest and stink.

Connection to Christ: Jesus came to make God’s people rest from all their works (Matt 11:28-30, Hebrews 3:7-4:13). This plan of deliverance made Jesus stink (Mark 3:1-6), and it makes God’s resting people likewise stink to those who think they must work harder for God’s approval (2 Cor 2:14-17).

My Application of Exodus 5:1-21

Inward, head application: Why am I still surprised every time my faith in Christ makes me stink to those who are perishing (1 Peter 4:12-14)? I must expect to enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation (Acts 14:22). This stink is a crucial part of attaining my rest.

Outward, hands application: When I preach the gospel of Christ, I must preach a message of both rest and stink. The work of Christ’s salvation is done; there’s nothing more we can add to it. And the world will hate us for it; men love darkness rather than light.

1Much of my thinking on this passage was influenced by a marvelous sermon preached recently at my church by my colleague Tom Hallman. Tom explained this text so well, I may never again be able to think of it apart from the categories of rest and stink.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.