Jensens survey of the old testament adam 58

turning point in the history of Israel (see
Chart 15). It was the beginning of a new era
for the people of God, who had multiplied in
number and now were about to be redeemed
from the clutches of their oppressor (cf. 6:67). A new calendar was instituted (12:2),
and the Israelites’ experience was to be
annually commemorated as a permanent
ordinance (12:14). When the deep spiritual
signi cance of the Passover is seen, one can
well understand God’s design in assigning
crisis, pathos, awe, pageantry, and memorial
status to the events beginning at the stroke
of midnight.
The Passover chapter is also a key chapter
of the whole Bible. As you read it, look for
what is taught about divine holiness,
election and grace, and man’s sin and
salvation. Why did God institute blood
sacri ce as an atonement ritual? In
answering this, relate blood to life (cf. Heb


9:22).
E. RED SEA DELIVERANCE AND WILDERNESS JOURNEY

(12:37—18:27)
We saw in our survey study that the rst
eighteen chapters of Exodus relate Israel’s
deliverance, while the remaining chapters
concern their worship. The deliverance was
not in one isolated event. It involved God’s

preservation through bondage; provision of
a leader; promotion of a spirit of hope of
deliverance through promises; protection in
the midst of severe plagues; power over the
obstacle of the Red Sea; and provision in a
strange and hostile wilderness. Such were
the varied experiences of Israel over those
many years. The latter two experiences are
the subject of the present passage. As you
read the passage, observe the many things
which God taught His people through such
trying
circumstances.
Record
your


observations on paper.
Red Sea Deliverance (13:1—15:21)
Instructions chap. 13
Deliverance chap. 14
Song of Praise 15:1-21
Wilderness Journey (15:22—18:27)
At Marah 15:22-26
At Elim 15:27
At the Wilderness of Sin chap. 16
At Rephidim 17:1—18:27
In what ways do you think the wilderness
was a favorable place for God to mold and
unify the hosts of Israelites into an

organized nation of people before their
journey onward to the land of Palestine?
(19:1—24:18)
This is the section of Exodus which
contains the familiar Ten Commandments.11
F. LAW GIVEN AT SINAI


chapter 19 begins the last half of the book
which we have called worship (Chart 15).
Worship is intimately related to law. For,
to worship is to acknowledge a higher
authority, and there is no authority where
there is no law. So after God delivered His
people from bondage, He began to spell out
in detail how they should worship Him
publicly, privately, and even in everyday
living. These instructions were His laws.
Their importance to Israel is seen by the
space devoted to them in the Pentateuch:
about half of Exodus, most of Leviticus, the
rst part of Numbers, and much of
Deuteronomy. The importance of the Ten
Commandments
to
the
world
is
demonstrated by the fact that the legal
codes of every civilized nation are based

upon them.
Read the passage with the following