Exodus 1-6 Flashcards
What does Exodus mean?
“going out”. Here, it is the way out of Egypt. It is the story of God’s rescuing of Israel out of Egypt. It is a continuation of the book of Egypt.
What is the word “basket” mean in Hebrew?
It’s the same word as “ark” in Genesis 6. This is in indicator that there is a connection between Moses and the story of God rescuing Noah. We don’t notice this in English.
Moses asks God, “what is your name?” In the Hebrew, what does that mean?
The Hebrew says, “I will be what I will be”. It is the imperfect tense. You’ll find out, as a matter of experience and encounter. It emphasizes a relationship.
What is the condition of being released from Egypt?
Covenant. They leave Egypt, but they now have to live by Yahweh’s rules.
How does God make his presence known to the people in Exodus?
Pillar of fire and cloud. And later, his presence resides in the Ark of the Covenant.
What is the first problem in Exodus?
The new King does not know Joseph.
What are the threats that come up against God’s people?
Land – they were not in the land, and had no hope of getting there
Descendants – eventually, the Pharaoh ordered the male babies killed
Relationship with God – after centuries of such treatment, you could imagine how this was
What does Walter Wink see as the first act in scripture of civil disobedience?
The midwives refusing to kill the Hebrew boys.
In 2:23 the King dies, and the people cry out (not necessarily to God). What happens at this point in the story?
God heard their groaning, and remembers his covenant with Abraham, and knows them! This is a huge theological statement in the Old Testament. To remember is to pay attention.
What is important about this? God hears our prayers.
Why is the burning bush important in Israel’s history?
It points to the fact that people can have a personal encounter with God and being changed at a fundamental level.
Who is Moses potential being compared to in his birth and infancy narrative?
Sargon the Great. Sargon united the peoples of northern Mesopotamia in the 2200’s bce into the Akkadian Empire/Nation.
What is firsthand versus secondhand religion, and who came up with this term? Why is it important in studying Exodus?
The American psychologist and philosopher William James (1842-1910) gave a series of lectures in Scotland in 1901-02 which were later published as The Varieties of Religious Experience. In the book, he examined the lives and experiences of religious leaders from many faiths from around the world to see if there were commonalities.
One observation he made concerned what he called ‘firsthand’ vs. ‘secondhand’ religion.
Secondhand religion is what most of us grow up with. We are taught about God and about our faith. This is tradition.
Firsthand religion is grounded in a direct experience of the Divine. This can occur in a number of ways: mystic vision, inward transformation, etc. What he observed was that most major religious leaders had some kind of firsthand encounter with the Divine.
Firsthand religious experience transforms a person: some of you may have experienced that for yourselves. Having encountered God, you are never quite the same. That is what happened to Moses at the burning bush. After meeting God at the bush, Moses would never be the same.
How is the fact that God works through history important when talking about the documentary hypothesis?
If we believe that God works through history, we acknowledge that the Holy Spirit not only inspired the writing of the sources for the Pentateuch, but also how it came about together. In other words, it’s not only a human endeavor.
Who wrote the Pentateuch?
We don’t know. It is anonymous. But, it does recognize itself that it had various sources. In John 20, he tells us that there are other sources out there, “but these are written so that you may know that Jesus is the Messiah”. In other words, he intentionally picked the sources that point to Jesus. Sources are usually put together to communicate theological significance.
Name some examples of biblical sources we no longer have.
Book of the Wars of Yhwh Num. 21:14
Book of Jashar Joshua 10.13, etc.
Book of ordinances written by Samuel 1 Samuel 10.25
Book of the Acts of Solomon 1 Kings 11.41
Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel 1 Kings 14.19, etc.
Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah 1 Kings 14.29, etc.
Book of the Law 2 Kings 22.8, etc. (generic term)
Book of the Kings of Israel 1 Chronicles 9.1, etc.
History of the Prophet Nathan 2 Chronicles 9.29
Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel 2 Chronicles 16.11, etc.
Commentary on the Book of the Kings 2 Chronicles 24.27
Acts of Uzziah 2 Chronicles 26.22
Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah 2 Chronicles 27.7, etc.
Book of the genealogy Neh. 7:5
Book of the Chronicles Neh. 12:13
I may have missed some, but this is the list I have compiled so far. It seems that the biblical writers were not bothered by the idea of using outside material. Could our view of inspiration cover the Spirit-led selection and editing of these sources?
