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Exodus 13:17-14:31: Watch Out When God Decides to Show You His Powerful Rescue

February 10, 2017 By Peter Krol

We’ve now reached the first major climax of the book of Exodus. The people who tried to drown the sons of God (Ex 1:22) will have their own sons drowned instead.

Ari Evergreen (2009), Creative Commons

Observation of Exodus 13:17-14:31

Most repeated words: Egypt/Egyptian (28 times), Israel (19x), people (19), Lord (18), sea (18), Pharaoh (12), chariot (10), all (9), Moses (9), said (9), out (8).

The terms Egypt and Egyptian take over the narrative in this chapter. Before this passage, “Egypt” occurred 94 times in Exodus. After this passage, it will occur only 20 more times.
This chapter marks a major transition, for both the Israelites and those who read their story. “For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again” (Ex 14:13).

In this story, the drama moves forward through frequent changes of perspective:

God’s perspective: Leading his people right where they must go (Ex 13:17-22).
Moses’ perspective: Receiving a frightening message (Ex 14:1-4).
Pharaoh’s perspective: Regretting the release and pursuing his slaves (Ex 14:5-9).
Israelites’ perspective: Seeing and fearing their oppressors (Ex 14:10-14).
Moses’ perspective: Receiving another frightening message (Ex 14:15-18).
God’s Angel’s perspective: Separating God’s people from God’s enemies (Ex 14:19-20).
Israelites’ perspective: Crossing on dry ground with oppressors pursuing (Ex 14:21-23).
Yahweh’s perspective: Throwing Egypt into a panic before throwing them into the sea (Ex 14:24-28).
Israelite’s perspective: Seeing their oppressors’ dead bodies, fearing Yahweh who made it happen, and believing Yahweh and Moses (Ex 14:29-31).

With italics, bold, and underlining, I highlighted the connections that strike me within the text. And a few implications stand out further:

We see a pattern happen twice
- Yahweh tells Moses what he will do (and it doesn’t sound like fun).
- Egypt pursues God’s people.
- The Israelites see their oppressors and feel fear as a result.
Roughly bracketing this pattern is God’s sovereign control over the situation:
- He led the Israelites right here on purpose.
- He throws the Egyptians into the sea.
And almost right in the middle is the separation caused by the angel of God by means of the cloud and the darkness.

While the pattern isn’t perfect (not quite an ABCDEDCBA structure), it’s close enough to be noticeable.

Interpretation of Exodus 13:17-14:31

Some possible questions:

How is this path to the Red Sea an avoidance of war (Ex 13:17), when they face Egypt’s army and soon will face war with Amalek (chapter 17)?
Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart to cause this terrible situation (Ex 14:4).
Why is the concluding response fear and belief instead of joy and relief?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

Ex 14:14 clarifies that Israel will not have to fight Egypt; Yahweh will fight on their behalf. Though they see a terrible disaster befall Egypt, they do not have to wield the sword themselves. In addition, God’s purpose in Ex 13:17 is to prevent the Israelites from changing their minds and returning to Egypt. The Red Sea incident burns their last bridge and therefore guarantees they can never return this way again, even if war with Amalek frightens them.
Again, the Lord wants to make sure the Israelites can never change their minds and return to slavery. So he must do two things: utterly eliminate the oppressors, and close the route at Israel’s back. Once they cross the Sea, and the waters return to their place behind them, they literally cannot turn around and go back.
- Now this answer demands a deeper question: Why would God even go through with all that? Why must he eliminate the oppressors and close off Israel’s escape route?
- The text’s best answer has to do with God getting all the glory (Ex 14:4, 17) when the Egyptians know he is Yahweh (Ex 14:4) and the Israelites see his mightiest act of salvation (Ex 14:30-31).
In an earlier chapter, I mentioned that God is not bringing these people out of slavery into unconditional freedom. He’s bringing them out of slavery to a harsh master into slavery to a good and gracious master. Similarly, they have a vibrant fear of the powerful (Ex 14:10). God does not want to ease their fear; he wants to redirect it to the source of true power (Ex 14:31). In order to fear, they must believe he is who he’s said all along: the one who sees, hears, knows, and rescues.

Train of thought:

The Lord takes his people exactly where they must go to learn to fear him.
They experience their deepest fears and are completely unable to do anything about it.
God rescues them in such a way as to make it clear that he is the one with all the power.
They now fear and believe this God who uses his power to rescue.

Main point: The all-powerful God employs his power to separate and rescue his people so they might fear and believe him.

Connection to Christ: Jesus has all power. He used it to rescue his people through the cross. He will one day use it to wipe out his enemies. He inspires all with proper fear (Matt 10:28).

My Application of Exodus 13:17-14:31

I love it when God uses his power to ease my pain and suffering. I want him to remove discomfort. But I must trust he will often use his power to increase my discomfort so I will fear and trust him.

For example, we’ve faced some severe (and sensitive) parenting challenges this year. Circumstances are not what I would prefer for myself, my wife, or my children. But I can see how God has given us all greater fear and trust in him. And we have nothing to hope in but Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf. When I have eyes to see this, I realize this is a better place for our family than to have all the pain simply removed.

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

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You Can Still Win a 6-Volume ESV Reader’s Bible

February 8, 2017 By Peter Krol

There is still plenty of time to enter the drawing for one of two sets of the ESV Reader’s Bible, 6-Volume Set. So far, three people have completed the reading to enter the drawing. There is more time remaining than has yet gone by, so it’s not too late to begin reading the whole Bible! Reminder: You have until March 31 to read the whole Bible. Then email me to let me know how it went for you. You can email peter.krol@knowableword.com or use the contact form on the website. Click to see the official contest rules.

I will return the emails of everyone who enters the drawing. So if you’ve emailed me and haven’t gotten a reply, please try again with the contact form.

And to inspire you, here are some insightful reflections from a guy who read the whole Bible in one week.

Check it out!

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Big Bible Words: Redeemer

February 6, 2017 By Ryan Higginbottom

anonymous (2015), public domain

Before they were convinced of the resurrection, two of Jesus’s disciples walked with him along the road. Their words reveal their thoughts about their master.

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. (Luke 24:21, ESV)

If Jesus was still in the tomb then their hopes of the redemption of Israel were dashed. Everything hinged on Jesus’s work and resurrection.

If the hope of redemption was so important for these disciples, we should make sure we understand this word. What is a redeemer?

A Definition

In modern day Christianity, we recognize the word “Redeemer” as referring to Jesus. It’s a popular lyric for hymns and worship songs. But what does it mean? We often use it as a synonym for Savior or Deliverer, but that doesn’t capture all of the biblical weight.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary gives a concise definition for Redeemer: one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs. This isn’t the best way to explain the term to the youngest in our churches, but it’s a good start. Easton’s definition has its roots in the Mosaic law of the Old Testament.

Redemption in the Old Testament

There are a whopping 149 occurrences of the words redeem, redeemer, or redemption (or a close variant) in the Old Testament. Many of these instances refer to God delivering the Israelites out of Egypt (Ex 6:6, Dt 7:8, Dt 9:26, Dt 13:5, Dt 15:15, Dt 21:8, Dt 24:18). But a larger number occur within the book of Leviticus.

In both chapters 25 and 27 of Leviticus, Moses writes laws of redemption. If an Israelite was poor and needed to sell his property, home, or himself for money, what was sold could be redeemed by that man (or a relative) for a price. The laws also dictated which of these items sold would be released back to their original state in the Year of Jubilee.

This usage fits with our definition. When a house or a piece of land was redeemed, it was restored to its original state (owner).

The Psalmists plead with God to redeem them or their nation. God is called Redeemer on many occasions in the book of Isaiah. More than just deliverance, God’s people are seeking restoration. Whether oppressed by an enemy or by the weight of their disobedience, they ask God to restore their rights, to restore them to their original state of safety and peace with him.

Redemption in the New Testament

New Testament authors use words like redeem and redemption only 18 times. But these occurrences build on and fill out our understanding of the biblical term.

People must be redeemed from something. Christ redeemed us from “the curse of the law” (Gal 3:13), from “all lawlessness” (Titus 2:14), and from “transgressions committed” (Heb 9:15). This fits with Leviticus, when a possession would be redeemed from someone else who had bought it.

But now we also see the idea of an exchange. To redeem is not merely to set right, but to do so by paying a price. Just as money was exchanged to redeem a piece of land, a price was paid to redeem us from the sin that held us captive. Redeeming is not much different from ransoming.

Jesus is our Redeemer, and the price he paid was his own life (Heb 9:12). We are all caught and imprisoned, willingly, in our sin. We think of our rebellion as freedom, but it binds us in the strongest, foulest chains. In the fullness of time, Jesus paid an enormous redemption price (suffering the wrath of God) for our release. Jesus has become our redemption (1 Cor 1:30). He came “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:5).

Explaining Redemption

Let’s return to the heart of the matter. How should we explain redemption—the work of a redeemer—to a young child?

Try this: A redeemer brings back something that was lost or taken away.

Since that explanation is missing the aspect of payment or exchange, let’s spin a simple story for the under five crowd.

Jimmy is playing trucks in his room with his older brother. Their mother calls them for dinner, so they clean up quickly and rush downstairs. When they start playing the next day, Jimmy’s fire truck is in his brother’s bin, and his brother won’t give it back. His brother agrees to hand over the truck if Jimmy gives him a cherry lollipop. So Jimmy exchanges the lollipop to get his fire truck back.

That’s redemption.

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Exodus 12:29-13:16: Like It Or Not, God Owns You

February 3, 2017 By Peter Krol

The Passover narrative is certainly long and convoluted, spanning more than 2100 words in English, and sneakily alternating between immediate exodus-generation instructions and future memorial-ritual instructions. When reading these chapters, I usually find myself afloat in what feels like a swampy mess. By the time my eyes glaze, I’m happy to get a mere nugget or two and move on to the more delightful Red Sea episode.

But curiosity drives me to observe and ask questions. Upon investigating, I find the Passover narrative is similar to the upcoming tabernacle narrative, in that it has two main sections: the instructions describing what will happen (Passover: Ex 11:1-12:28, Tabernacle: Ex 25-31), and the narrative describing what happened (Passover: Ex 12:29-13:16; Tabernacle: Ex 35-39). I covered the first Passover section last week. Now, I’ll try to make sense of the second.

Observation of Exodus 12:29-13:16

Most repeated words: Lord (24 times), all (17x), out (15), Egypt (14), firstborn (14), people (13), land (10), Israel (9).

This passage narrates Israel’s last night spent in Egyptian slavery. No wonder “out” is repeated so many times.
And while Ex 11:1-12:18 predicted God’s destruction of the firstborn, the theme of “firstborn” becomes truly prominent only in this second half.

Changes in setting and characters drive the action:

Ex 12:29-33: God decimates the firstborn of Egypt.
Ex 12:34-42: Israel’s experience the next day, narrative evaluation of this earth-shattering event.
Ex 12:43-51: Yahweh’s first speech to Moses and Aaron, the people’s response.
Ex 13:1-16: Yahweh’s second speech to Moses, Moses’ speech to the people (connected by focus on firstborn).

Thematic outline:

When God kills someone in every Egyptian home, the Egyptians begin to fear they will all die (Ex 12:29-33).
Yahweh watches his people and grants them favor with their oppressors (Ex 12:34-42).
Yahweh is very concerned with who may eat this Passover in the future. Who is in, and who is out? (Ex 12:43-51).
Yahweh claims personal ownership over every firstborn of both humans and animals (Ex 13:1-16).

Tony Hammond (2016), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 12:29-13:16

Some possible questions:

Why does God treat Egypt so severely?
Why do the Egyptians give so much stuff to the Israelites as they leave?
Why is Yahweh so concerned with who gets to eat this annual meal?
Why does God claim personal ownership of every firstborn?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

When I analyzed chapter 1, I made a point I’ll repeat here: The Lord returns the Pharaohs’ evil on their heads. This is divine justice at work. Because Pharaoh oppressed the people, God sent oppressive plagues. Because Pharaoh tried to murder Israel’s sons, God now executes Egypt’s sons. We’ll see soon what happens to those who tried drowning a generation of Israel’s boys…
The text makes very clear that the plundering came as a result of God giving favor (Ex 12:36). This same God had been watching them all along (Ex 2:25), and especially on that last night in captivity (Ex 12:42). The same God who has power over life and death (Ex 12:29-33) also has power over favor and oppression. He owns these people and their situation. He can get them out and grant them favor in a single night whenever he wants. He is not absent, blind, or aloof. He is not distant or silent. So the point here is not so much that Israelites get all this stuff from the Egyptians, but that God can give them all this stuff whenever he’s ready to do so.
Yahweh is the one who performed this feat of rescue (Ex 12:51). He has called this people to himself, and he gets to decide who is in and who is out. There must be no confusion as to who is a member of the congregation of Israel and who is not, who is a part of God’s people and who is not. God redeemed, or paid for, these slaves. Now he owns them!
Ex 13:3-10 says nothing that wasn’t already said in Ex 12:14-20, except that this time, the directions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread are bracketed by God’s claim on the firstborn (Ex 13:1, 11-16). He confirms what we saw in chapter 12, that the Feast of Unleavened Bread represents a fresh start, a new beginning. Whatever is born first belongs especially to God (“whatever is the first…is MINE!”). Therefore, it must be either executed (to go right to God) or paid for (to be of use to a family). Of course, human children must be paid for; child sacrifice is unacceptable. Therefore, they have not only an annual feast but also every birth of human or animal, all to remind them of this night when God made them his own people. They are to explain this fact to their children at every opportunity (Ex 13:14-15). God wants them to know he owns them. He owns their firstborn. He owns their children. He owns their livestock. He owns everything.

Train of thought: Because God provided a way to spare his people from the worst disaster of all time:

He owns death and life.
He grants favor and watches everything.
He knows who are his.
He owns his people and everything they have.

Main point: Yahweh strikes his enemies and blesses his people to show he owns all the people of the earth.

Connection to Christ: Jesus took on the form of a bondservant (submitted to the Father’s ownership of him) to rescue God’s people. He did all God’s will, and now he reigns over heaven and earth until all nations come to him.

My Application of Exodus 12:29-13:16

I prefer to feel in control of my life, but any such feeling is an illusion. Because God owns me, all I am and all I have is his.

Right now, God has called me to work through some excruciating conflict. Some of it involves revisiting and dealing with the most difficult season of my life, to pursue peace and reconciliation. Some of it involves entering in to help others deal with one another in ways that honor the Lord. For obvious reasons, I can’t share many details. But I would rather not go through these things at all. I wish my life were safer and more predictable. Yet, I can give no less than my best efforts, for I’ve been paid for and my life is not my own. I belong body and soul to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

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

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Leading Women’s Bible Studies: Not Just for Women

February 1, 2017 By Peter Krol

I just listened to a stimulating interview with Jen Wilkin about how to orchestrate and organize a women’s ministry.

Now I bet most men reading this have already tuned out and moved on, but if you’re still with me I urge you: Listen to this! Especially if you’re a church leader or spouse of someone involved in “women’s ministry.” It’s so tempting to think women’s ministry has nothing to do with us men, and that, as long as things aren’t exploding, the women should just do whatever they want. But that’s not support; it’s indifference and neglect. They often need and want our support. That means taking an interest in what they’re doing, hearing them out, and offering constructive feedback and effective training when appropriate.

And Wilkin has proven advice on how to do this with excellence. We all would do well to consider her counsel and figure out how to apply it to our circumstances.

Check it out!

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Exodus 11:1-12:28: How to Survive the Greatest Disaster of All Time

January 27, 2017 By Peter Krol

Moses clashed with Pharaoh through three rounds of increasingly devastating plagues, through which Yahweh revealed himself as the Judge, the Divider of Peoples, and the Destroyer of Worlds. Pharaoh’s heart has only gotten harder, and he still refuses to let the people go. Therefore, the time has finally come. “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here” (Ex 11:1). Because this final plague’s narrative is lengthy, I’ll divide it into two parts. This week, we’ll look at the plague’s prediction and instructions. Next week, we’ll study the plague’s execution and fallout.

Observation of Exodus 11:1-12:28

Most repeated words: day (16 times), Lord (15x), eat (14), Egypt (14), land (12), house/household (11), all (10), Israel (10), people (9).

The timing of this one will be very important. They must get the “day” exactly right.
Another important theme is that of “eating” in the “house.”

As I observe repeated words, I notice some of them come in clusters

“People” and “all” occur mostly, though not exclusively, in the first section (Ex 11:1-10).
“House” is scattered all through Ex 12:1-28, but not Ex 11:1-10.
“Day” occurs almost exclusively in the paragraph of Ex 12:14-20.
“Eat” occurs only in Ex 12:4-20.
“Pharaoh” shows up only in Ex 11:1-10, but every other proper name (Lord, Egypt, and Israel) is scattered through the full passage.

Noticing these clusters, we can compile a rough thematic outline:

Pharaoh’s stubbornness will have drastic consequences—widespread death and an unprecedented outcry—for all the people – Ex 11:1-10
Only those who “eat” in the “house” can hope to escape – Ex 12:1-13
Because this “day” is so important, it must become a memorial day to all future generations – Ex 12:14-20
What to expect when the plague hits – Ex 12:21-28

Interpretation of Exodus 11:1-12:28

Some possible questions:

Why will God take such drastic action by killing every firstborn in the land of Egypt?
What are the Israelites to eat in their houses, and why?
What should they expect when the plague hits?
So what is God trying to communicate through memorializing this disaster?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

Ex 11:1 says that this last plague will result in Pharaoh driving them away completely. We should remember how the previous Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites by murdering their sons (Ex 1:15-16). And because Pharaoh mistreated God’s son, God promised to kill his sons (Ex 4:22-23). The Lord has set up this event as an act of perfect justice toward an evil dictator. God is about to win this fight, and win big. This is not like a boxing match where you merely knock out your opponent. This is like winning in such a way as to make sure your opponent can never box again—and that he quivers in cowardice if he sees your face again.
While Ex 12:8 includes unleavened bread and bitter herbs, the section of Ex 12:1-13 overwhelmingly focuses on the lamb. In particular, what they are to do with the lamb’s flesh (Ex 12:1-6, 8-11) and blood (Ex 12:7, 12-13). However, for future celebrations, the chief menu selection is unleavened bread (Ex 12:14-20). These details spawn a few more questions.
1. Why must they eat a lamb on that night? “I will pass through the land…and I will strike all the firstborn…When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you” (Ex 12:12-13). God will pass through some, and he will pass over others. The difference is the lamb. So: either the sons die, or the lamb dies. The slaughtered lamb becomes a clear substitute for the sons.
  Carl (2008), Creative Commons
2. Why must they eat unleavened bread for future celebrations? The text doesn’t directly or explicitly answer this question. But we get some help by learning what exactly “unleavened bread” is. We usually think it’s bread without yeast, but that’s not technically true. From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: “The ancient Hebrews always kneaded with their bread a piece of fermented dough reserved from a previous baking (cf. Mt. 13:33).”¹ “Leaven” refers not only to the presence of yeast, but to the use of a starter lump of dough from a previous batch (which would, typically, have had yeast in it). Therefore, clearing out everything leavened, and eating only unleavened bread for 7 days, refers to getting a fresh start, a new beginning, even a symbolic new birth. This helps us to understand why God wants this day to be their New Year’s Day (Ex 12:2). This feast celebrates their birth as a nation, and it represents the new life God wants for his people.
The last paragraph (Ex 12:21-28) summarizes and explains what to expect. It repeats what they should do with the lamb’s blood (Ex 12:21-22). It repeats how God will “pass through” some and “pass over” others (Ex 12:23). Those who want to live should hope for Passover and not Passthrough.
The final verses expect that generations yet to be born will have questions. What should we communicate when they ask what all this means? “It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses” (Ex 12:27). This feast of Unleavened Bread celebrates the fact that Yahweh judges all the earth, that he divides people into those who are his (those who have a substitute lamb) and those who are not, and that he justly destroys all who fall on the wrong side of the divide.

Train of thought:

You must survive one last plague.
To survive, you must have a substitute and a new beginning.
Those without a substitute and a new beginning will be swept away in the last plague; those with a substitute and a new beginning will survive.

Main point: When Yahweh finally strikes his enemies, he will provide a way for his people to be spared.

Connection to Christ: Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed once for all. Eat his flesh and drink his blood, and you, too, can avoid the wrath to come.

My Application of Exodus 11:1-12:28

Who can withstand God’s power and fury at our acts of indifference and rebellion toward him? We, too, must survive one last plague against all the earth.

I cannot escape this plague without the death of a substitute. I need Jesus; I must never let go of him. Whenever I partake of the Lord’s Supper, I proclaim his death until he comes. “Here, Lord, is the blood that was shed for me. Please see it, and pass over me!”

I cannot escape this plague without a new beginning, a new birth. The old must go; the new must come. God doesn’t rescue me just so I can stay the same. He rescues me in order to make me a new person, to conform me to the image of his son. No part of my life is sacred, and I must be willing to clean out the old desires and replace them with godly desires.

The Passover has not been done away with in the New Covenant. Of course, it looks completely different now, but the point is the same. In particular, we don’t keep an annual 7-day ritual anymore. But we keep the Passover when we grow in grace and exercise effective church discipline (1 Cor 5:6-8). Without these things, we will not escape the wrath to come.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.
¹Harrison, R. K. (1979–1988). Leaven. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 3, p. 97). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

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5 Ways Daily Bible Reading Will Change Your Life

January 25, 2017 By Peter Krol

Keely Needham writes about “5 Ways Daily Bible Reading Impacts Your Life.” Sometimes we struggle to feel excited about daily Bible reading, and that’s normal. We shouldn’t expect a mountaintop experience every time. The daily discipline will, sometime imperceptibly, change our lives.

Why should we read the Bible every day? Does it make a difference? Is it just something good Christians do? Or is it a legalistic habit that’s unnecessary to a healthy walk with God? If we don’t understand why it matters, we likely won’t make it a priority. Here are five analogies to bring to life the purposes of a consistent, daily study of God’s Word.

Her 5 metaphors for how daily Bible reading affects us:

A House: Getting to know God
An Anchor: Renewing your mind
Glasses: Giving clarity
Chemo: Killing sin
Vocab: Fuel for a living relationship

So as you keep plugging away, you are getting to know this true God, and you’re learning how to view yourself and live in God’s world. There’s often not much razzle-dazzle, but the transformation is still supernatural and glorious.

See the full article for more explanation. Check it out!

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Great Deal on New ESV Bibles

January 24, 2017 By Peter Krol

Westminster Bookstore has a limited supply of Open Box premium ESV Bibles, which they’re offering at 70% off. If you’re in the market for a new Bible or gift Bible, this is a great deal.

‘Open Box’ Bibles are in new condition, but have imperfect or missing packaging. We won’t ship it to you if there is any damage to the bible itself.

Check it out!

Disclaimer: If you click the link above to Westminster Books, this blog will receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible!

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e-Sword: Bible Study Software for Everyone

January 23, 2017 By Ryan Higginbottom

If you like reading the Bible digitally, you’ve got options galore. Dozens of websites and smartphone applications are right around the corner.

And if you want a powerful computer program, you can check out Logos Bible Software. Peter wrote a two-part review of this program last summer (part 1, part 2).

One downside to Logos is the expense. The enormous power rightly comes at a cost. If you don’t want to spend that sort of money, but you’d still like a quality program, this post is for you. Let me introduce you to e-Sword.

The Most Useful Features

Rick Meyers began writing e-Sword back in the year 2000. Now the software is up to version 11.0 and it is being downloaded in 235 countries around the world. From the beginning, Rick has generously offered this delightful program for free.

I won’t explain every last detail about e-Sword, but I’ll talk through the basics. First, a screenshot of my setup.

(Click for larger image.)

Here are my favorite things about e-Sword.

Compare translations — The “parallel” feature places several translations of the Bible side by side. The benefits are obvious. (The e-Sword engine as well as many Bible translations are available for free, but you’ll have to pay a little for some translations. In the screenshot above, the ESV was free but I paid $20 for the NASB.)
Count repeated words — This was one of Peter’s favorite features about Logos, and e-Sword has it too. Pick any section of Scripture, choose Analyze Verses under the Bible menu, and you’re off.
Mark up the text — I’m a big fan of marking up my Bible, so I’m glad to be able to underline and highlight within e-Sword.
Internal editor — e-Sword has its own built-in word processor. Use this to jot down observations or questions as you read and study; many use the editor to write Bible studies or sermons. You can link each note with a verse or section of Scripture, creating your own commentary of sorts.
Configurable layout — The four main panes in the e-Sword window (seen in the screenshot above) are Bible, Commentaries, Dictionaries, and Editors. Any section can be maximized, resized, or eliminated.
Search — We assume all digital versions of the Bible have this feature, but it is nonetheless useful. e-Sword can handle normal searches with ease, but if you’re an advanced searcher you can also use regular expressions. Check the e-Sword user’s guide (press F1 within e-Sword) for help.
Printing and copying — Choose from several formatting options and grab sections of the Bible to copy or print. These make for great handouts or study materials. It may seem simple, but I use this feature a lot.

Other Nice Features

The strengths of e-Sword I’ve listed above are the ones I use the most. But e-Sword can do much more.

Commentaries and dictionaries — There are many free (and some paid) commentaries and Bible dictionaries available from within e-Sword. Some of these are more helpful than others, as you might imagine.
Maps and pictures — e-Sword contains a graphics viewer, and you can download tons of maps and pictures. Check out anything from NASA maps to Bible timelines to Bible book wordclouds.
Books — Some books in the public domain are available in a format compatible with e-Sword. You can download books like Foxe’s Book of Martyrs or The Pursuit of God and read them from within e-Sword.
Devotional aids — If you’d like your whole devotional life in one place, e-Sword can do it. You can set up a Bible reading plan, keep track of prayer requests, work on Scripture memorization, and read a daily devotional work.
Support — In addition to the official resources available for download through e-Sword, there is an online community available at biblesupport.com. Go here to ask for help, find unofficial commentaries and dictionaries, and watch tutorials.

A Familiar Caution

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Exodus Plague Cycle #3: Yahweh the Destroyer of Worlds

January 20, 2017 By Peter Krol

Moses has undergone training to be qualified as God’s mediator. He’s prepped and ready for the big fight with Pharaoh. The plagues make up the first three rounds, followed by a fourth round (Passover), and then a fifth (Red Sea). What does God want to teach us in round #3? In short, welcome to hell.

Observation of Exodus 9:13-10:29

Most repeated words: LORD (a whopping 35 times), land (20x), all (19), go (19), hail (19), Moses (19), Pharaoh (18), said (17), Egypt (16).

All 35 occurrences of “LORD” are in all caps in the ESV, meaning they translate God’s personal name, Yahweh. In Ex 5:2, Pharaoh wants to know who is the LORD. This third cycle of plagues delivers a clear answer.

It’s also noteworthy that the plagues in this third cycle have the longest narratives of all the plagues. It’s as though the action slows down to make sure we don’t miss the point. And as with the rest of the plagues, our best clues come from the many purpose statements.

“Let my people go, that they may serve me” (Ex 9:13; 10:3, 7).
“This time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth” (Ex 9:14).
“For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Ex 9:15-16).
“You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go” (Ex 9:17).
“There will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Ex 9:29-30).
“Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord” (Ex 10:1-2).
“How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” (Ex 10:3).
“For we must hold a feast to the Lord” (Ex 10:9).

Also, notice how the devastation from these plagues is more widespread than that in previous cycles:

“all my plagues…all the earth…all that you have…in all the land of Egypt…all your servants…all that day…all…all…all”—19 times.
“Such [hail] as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now” (Ex 9:18, 24).
“Every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them” (Ex 9:19, 25).
“The flax and the barley were struck down” (Ex 9:31).
“[The locusts] shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day” (Ex 10:5-6).
“Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” (Ex 10:7).
“The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt” (Ex 10:14-15).
“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt” (Ex 10:21).

A V (2012), Creative Commons

Structure:

First plague: Fiery hail from heaven sent to dominate the one who exalts himself.
Second plague: Swarms of locusts sent to devastate the one who refuses to humble himself.
Third plague: Creation finally unravels into prehistoric darkness (compare with Gen 1:2), leading Pharaoh to threaten death if Moses dares to see his face.

Interpretation of Exodus 9:13-10:29

Some possible questions:

Why did God send so many plagues? Weren’t the first 6 enough?
Why do these three plagues bring more widespread destruction than the others?
So what does the Lord want to teach Pharaoh, Egypt, Israel, and us?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

I argued in a previous post that the structure of the plagues (3 groups of 3 plagues each) sets us up for 3 major lessons about the Lord. The first cycle focuses on demonstrating that the Lord is the agent of the plagues; Yahweh is the judge of all humanity. The second cycle continues that theme but also focuses on the division between God’s people and God’s enemies; Yahweh is the divider of peoples. This third cycle continues both of those themes but adds a new emphasis: the completeness of the devastation.
Every man, woman, and child must understand who this God is. He destroys everything so his fame can spread through the whole earth (Ex 9:14). He raises up Pharaoh and repeatedly hardens his heart, so things can get this bad, and so God can demonstrate his power in all the earth (Ex 9:15-16). The witnesses of these events must recount them to their children, who will recount them to their children, who will recount them to their children, until the end of the world (Ex 10:1-2). All must learn how harshly God will deal with those who exalt themselves against him.

It should not surprise us that imagery from this passage saturates the rest of the Bible.

A “swarm of locusts” becomes an image for every sort of destruction and devastation—Deut 28:38, Judg 6:5, 7:12, Ps 78:46, 105:34, Jer 51:27, Joel 1:4, Rev 9:3, etc.
“Raining fire from heaven” takes on a tone of retribution against the wicked—2 Kgs 1:10, Job 1:16, Ps 18:13, Joel 2:30, Lk 9:54, 2 Pet 3:7, Rev 20:9, etc.
“Darkness” paints a picture of confusion, terror, sorrow, and great weeping—1 Sam 2:9, Job 3:5-6, 19:8, Ps 35:6, Is 8:22, Joel 2:2, Matt 8:12, 25:30, Rev 16:10, etc.

When Jesus spoke about the terrors of hell, common choices of metaphor were “unquenchable fire” (Matt 7:19, 13:40; Mark 9:43) and “outer darkness” (Matt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30).

Train of thought:

Plague #1: Yahweh dominates those who exalt themselves.
Plague #2: Yahweh devastates those who refuse to humble themselves.
Plague #3: Yahweh deteriorates creation’s goodness

Main point: Yahweh glorifies his name in all the earth by executing ultimate judgment on evil.

Connection to Christ: We must proclaim the good news to men and women of every nation, lest they be swept away at the blazing fury of the risen Christ, whose robe is dipped in the blood of his enemies, while he strikes them down and offers their flesh to the birds of the air (Rev 19:11-18, Is 63:1-6). We have hope that the Lord Jesus will eventually do away with all evil (Rev 20:10), and justice and righteousness will reign (2 Pet 3:13).

My Application of Exodus 9:13-10:29

Who am I to stand before this terrible, glorious God? And yet I have a role to play in warning many to flee the wrath to come. I must not remain silent.

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

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