This week we survey the second half of Exodus. After escaping bondage in Egypt, the Israelites needed a time out corner. Chapters 16-19 tell how God provided for them in the wilderness. They had sweet water from bitter, bread from heaven, and water from a rock. They defeated an enemy as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, gave some great advice about delegation. Their exit from Egypt was better than their entrance into the Promised Land.

Despite all God’s provisions, the Israelites weren’t happy campers. They continually grumbled against Moses’ leadership. He grew frustrated and impatient with their complaints. Some tried to sabotage him. Some advocated for a return to the “good old days.” They had just left captivity in Egypt. How quickly we forget.

The Israelites needed rules of engagement for life, so the Lord gave them a map to help them live a healthy and holy life as individuals within their community. This map is called the “Mosaic Law.” Exodus 20 contains the moral law, the “Ten Commandments.” Civil and ceremonial laws follow. The Lord’s conversation was transmitted with thunder and lightning. This event must have been a spooky time and place. Moses brought them out of their camp to meet God—no wonder they were scared. God was not approachable by the common Israelite. The idea of one God was very different from what they had known in the Egyptian culture.

Read through Exodus (including their rebellion with the golden calf in chapter 32). Moses’ mountaintop experience crashed in the painful valley below. However, all is not lost. With all the highs and lows of this second book in the Bible, it is encouraging to see Exodus concludes like Genesis: on a high note. The final paragraph of Exodus ends with God’s glory filling the tabernacle (40:34-48). Twice, it says the Lord was with His people “throughout all their journeys.”