This Exodus journey reaches a climax for Israel in Chapter 40. All of this book and the story of God's redemption of Israel has been moving towards this point — God's presence filling the tabernacle. In that, we learn that God draws his people (us!) out of slavery to sin and death, to himself that he might dwell with us.

When it comes to our redemption, our hope is not in our unwavering faithfulness to God, but in His steadfast love and faithfulness to us.

As we think about idols, we immediately go to stories like the golden calf. Yet, for us, Idols usually aren’t statues that we bow down to. Idols are oftentimes good things that we turn into god things.

In Exodus 19-20, God begins to speak directly to his people, telling them who he is and what he expects. And he does that by giving them the Law/the 10 Commandments. But what do those Commandments tell us about God’s redemption?

Two months after crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites celebrate their freedom, yet they hit another obstacle - the wilderness. There, despite their grumbling, God extends grace and gives them daily manna.

The parting of the Red Sea is the pinnacle text of the Old Testament. God does three distinct things that foreshadow what Jesus does for us to secure our salvation: he sets apart, he sets direction, and he sets us free.

This last plague, the killing of the firstborn in all of Egypt, is the one that finally loosened Pharaoh’s grip on the Israelites. To do so, God initiates a bloody, terrifying mess. And in this, we see both God’s kindness and his severity; his love and justice; his mercy and his wrath.

What's the purpose of the plagues? God wants Israel to know that He's the Lord, their deliverer; that He's going to redeem them with an outstretched arm, and He tells them ahead of time so that they'd know it was Him. But he also wants Egypt and Pharaoh to know that He is Lord as well. In that, the plagues serve as judgements for 400 years of brutal infanticide and slavery, for which Pharaoh refuses to repent.

There is no easy way to go through suffering. Until Christ comes back, this life is going to be difficult, some more than for others. In Exodus 6, God answers the question of suffering, saying it will end in His glory.

In Exodus 5, things go from bad to worse for the Israelites. Just as quickly as hope for their redemption was given, it was taken away by Pharaoh. However, through it all God remained faithful to His promise.