Toyosi Fatoyinbo

Rels 2001

The Book Of Exodus

One of the most remarkable stories in the Bible is the journey of the Israelites away from
Egypt, also known as the Exodus. It tells the story of the enslavement of the Israelites, The
leadership of Moses, The Ten Commandments and the Israelites journey to freedom. The
Israelites were slaves in Egypt, which was ruled by the Pharaohs at the time, and this had been
going on for years. Moses, who at first didn't realize that he was an Israelites as well, was part of
the pharaohs family. It wasn't until he figured out the truth for himself and saw the way his
people were being treated, that he had a change of mind. It is recalled in the Bible that God spoke
to him through the Burning Bush, telling him to Lead his people out of Egypt. This message was
all Moses Needed to Begin the Journey. Everything that happened next makes up the
Exodus."The controversy about the Exodus"
After the death of Joseph, an Israelites who became a vizier in Egypt, The Israelites were
soon made slaves to the Egyptians. A vizier was an influential role in Egypt, it was the second
most powerful man next to the Pharaoh, so the fact that Joseph was a vizier made lives easier for
his people, but all that changed after his death. A new Pharaoh, who knew nothing about Joseph,
came in order, and he dislike the fact that there were so many Israelites. The Hebrews women
were giving birth at a higher rates than the Egyptian women, this meant, that the Israelites were
taking over more lands since there was more of them than the Egyptians. This also meant that
they were holding a high position in the country and were playing a significant role in the political
and economic aspect of the country as well. The new Pharaoh began to limit the Hebrew's
freedom and forced them into hard labor, this eventually lead to their enslavement. The more the

Israelites family were being oppressed, the more their family continued to grow, and the growth
was tremendous. This angered the Pharaoh even more, which lead him to instruct the Nation that
As soon as a Hebrew boy is born, throw him into the Nile River! But you can let the girls
live."(King James Version, Exodus 1:22).
Mosess mother,frightened by this new command, gather Moses as a Newborn baby into a
basket and set it on the Nile river, hoping someone will rescue the baby. Pharaoh's daughter found
the Baby while refreshing in the river, and took it in and decided to raise it like her son. She
named the baby Moses because she Pulled him out of Water( King James Version, Exodus
2:10)
Over the years, Moses grew up in the Pharaoh's palace, and he came to realize that he is
also an Israelites, just like the rest of the enslaved Israelites. During the time he ran away from
The Pharaoh land to the city of Midian, God spoke to him through the Burning Bush. I am the
God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.I have indeed
seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave
drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the
hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land
flowing with milk and honey the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites
and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the
Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the
Israelites out of Egypt. (New International Version, Exodus 5-10.)
This Began the journey of Moses consistently informing the Pharaoh about Gods
command to Let my people go It was a series of back and forth between Moses and the
Pharaoh, Moses will pass on the message from God to the Pharaoh, demanding the release of the

Israelites, and each time the Pharaoh will refuse to obey the word. Every time the Pharaoh
disobeyed the instructions, a plague was brought upon the country. "The Exodus Experience".
After the first exchange between Moses and the Pharaoh, and due to the fact the Pharaoh
refused to let the Israelites go, All the waters in the land turned into Blood, killing all the fishes,
and there were no drinkable waters for the people. This was the first plague, and it was also a
disgrace to the Egyptian's gods: Khnum, the guardian of the Nile, Hapi, the spirit of the Nile,
and Orisis, the god of the Underworld. (Vendel, The spirits of Nature). Despite all this, the
Pharaoh still refused to free the Israelites. The remaining plagues include the plague of the frog,
the plague of gnats/lice, the plague of flies, the plague against livestock, the plague of boils, the
plague of hail, the plague of locusts, the plague of darkness and finally, the plague of the death of
the firstborn child in every family. Altogether, there was a total of ten plagues, and each plague
was made explicit to make life unbearable for the Egyptians and also to disgrace their gods. The
death of pharaohs firstborn finally made him changed his mind, and he freed the Israelites.
The Israelites were freed and Moses, as God told him through the burning bush, led the
people to the promised land of Canaan. The Journey was not easy, it was filled with ups and
down, and some Israelites were even considering going back into slavery in Egypt because of
their frustration. Meanwhile, Pharaoh after realizing what it meant when he let the Israelites go,
changed his mind once again, and him and his servants came chasing after Moses and the
Israelites. At that time, the Israelites were delayed due to the red sea, and with Pharaoh and his
armies approaching them from behind, it seemed like they were all going back into slavery. It is
told in the Bible that Moses and all the Israelites cried unto God, and God replied back to Moses
saying Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch
out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry

ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain
glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians
will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.(
New International Version, Exodus 14:15-18). Moses obeyed the instruction, he stretched out his
rod, and the red sea parted for the Israelites to walk on, they all made it to the other side, except
for Pharaoh and his armies, while they were still chasing after the Israelites, the red sea came back
together, drowning all 300 and more of them under the sea. This miracle at the Red Sea created
one of the most memorable event of the Exodus as well as the end to that Pharaoh, The water
flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed
the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. (New International Version, Exodus 14:28).
The last event that made up the exodus was the creation of the ten commandments. while
on the trek to the promised land, the people came upon mount Sinai. Moses went up to the
mountain to pray to God, there God explained everything to him; why he rescued the Israelites
out of Egypt, his plan for them in the promise land and the ten commandments. The ten
commandments is a list of law and guideline that God intended for his people to abide by. In order
as it is in Exodus 20:2-17 it includes, You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not
make idols.You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder.You shall not
commit adultery. You shall not steal.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You
shall not covet.
Everything came to pass as God has told Moses in the burning bush. The Israelites were
rescued out of slavery from Egypt, and they made it to the promised land of Canaan. "It came to
pass". There, a new generation came and life blossom for the people. Civilization was started with

instruction from God and life went on. It started a community, and they all had one belief and was
living toward the same goal. As stated by Lincoln a community composed of Members who
construct their identity with reference to a religious discourse and its attendant practices
(Lincoln, The study of religion in the current political moment). The Israelites were undoubtedly
made up of in the same manner, so it can be relatable to lincolns definition. The exodus will
always be remembered as the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt, with the miracle of the Red
Sea and the creation of the ten commandments.

Work Cited

Davies, Graham I. "The Commentators' Bible. Exodus." Journal For The Study Of The Old
Testament 31.5 (2007): 70. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Lunn, Nicholas P. "'Let My People Go!' The Exodus As Israel's Metaphorical Divorce From
Egypt." Evangelical Quarterly 86.3 (2014): 239-251. ATLA Religion Database with
ATLASerials. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Howard, Cameron B R. "Exodus And The Authority Of The Written Word." Word & World 33.2
(2013): 121-129. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Israel's Enslavement - Jewish History." Israel's Enslavement - Jewish History. N.p., n.d. Web. 05
May 2015.
"The Exodus: An Experience of the Present As Well As the Past - Wisdom & Teachings." The
Exodus: An Experience of the Present As Well As the Past - Wisdom & Teachings. N.p., n.d. Web.
05 May 2015.

"The Exodus Controversy." The Exodus Controversy. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.
"114 Gods of Ancient Egypt, gyptische Gtter." 114 Gods of Ancient Egypt, gyptische Gtter.
N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.
"The Book of Exodus." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.

Holy Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Print.