📗 Book: Exodus

Highlight Verses:

📖 Exodus 3:14 – God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”
📖 Exodus 34:6–7 – The Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…”

💬 Why Exodus Still Speaks

Exodus is not just an ancient escape story — it’s the heartbeat of the Bible’s language about God.
It’s where we meet the God who rescues, but also the God who stays.
The God who hears the cries of the oppressed, confronts oppressive powers, and then chooses to pitch a tent in the middle of an imperfect people.

🕯️ A Story in Two Movements

1. The God Who Rescues (Ch. 1–18)
Israel begins in chains. Pharaoh’s empire grinds them down, but their cries rise up to heaven. God calls Moses from a burning bush — fire that blazes without consuming — revealing a name that echoes through all Scripture: “I am who I am.”
What follows is a battle of wills: Pharaoh’s stubbornness versus God’s unrelenting liberation. The plagues strip Egypt’s gods of their power.
Then comes the first Passover — blood of the lamb marking safety from death — and the Red Sea opening like a doorway to freedom.
In the wilderness, God’s care becomes tangible: bread from heaven each morning, water gushing from rock, a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.

2. The God Who Dwells (Ch. 19–40)
At Sinai, God offers covenant — a way to live in freedom together. But even before the covenant ceremony is complete, the people break it, shaping a golden calf while Moses is still on the mountain.
It is here that we hear perhaps the most repeated description of God in the Bible: “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.”
God gives instructions for the tabernacle — a tent where divine glory will dwell among the people. And by the final chapter, that glory fills the space. God has not abandoned them; God is in the middle of their camp.

🔍 Why Exodus Unlocks the Gospels

When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” or “I am the light of the world”, He’s not speaking in random metaphors — He’s pulling directly from Exodus.

• The bread of life? That’s manna in the wilderness.
• Light of the world? The pillar of fire guiding God’s people through darkness.
• The Lamb of God? The Passover lamb that brought salvation in Egypt.
• Living water? The rock that poured out life in the desert.
• “Destroy this temple…”? The tabernacle where God’s presence dwelt.

Exodus gives the symbols. Jesus gives them their fullest meaning.

📅 What You’ll Encounter This Week in Exodus

We’ll walk through 7 different stories that reveal the full nature and character of God.

1. God Who Sees — the burning bush moment.
2. God Who Confronts — the plagues and Pharaoh’s hard heart.
3. God Who Provides — manna, water, guidance.
4. God Who Covenants — a community shaped for freedom.
5. God Who Forgives — renewal after betrayal.
6. God Who Dwells — glory in the tabernacle.
7. God Who Fulfils — the New Testament brought to life.

📝 A Practice for the Week

Each time you read a Gospel story this week, pause and ask:
Does this moment remind me of Exodus?
What does that connection reveal about God’s character and God’s presence with us today?

Extras

• If you’re into series, check out: Testament: The Story of Moses

• From The Bible Project: Character of God Word Studies

Explore some other topics:

Scripture is rich and layered. Each week we focus on four different ways of learning: through people, patterns, books, and symbols. These aren’t just categories — they’re ways of seeing how God moves. Whether it’s through a person’s story, a theme that repeats, a book of the Bible, or a powerful symbol, each one helps us grow in daily understanding.