Exodus: a short introduction

Meaning: Exodus is a Greek word meaning “exit”, “departure” or “going out”.

Author: Moses

Penned: 1445-1404 B.C.

Position: the 2nd book of the Bible, Old Testament, and Pentateuch 

Chapters: 40

300 years separate Genesis from Exodus.

In Exodus, we’ll read about the freedom for God’s people from slavery and the beginning of national identity. This book gives us an insight into Hebrew customs and it emphasizes God’s covenant. The deliverance from bondage is a beautiful analogy of the sinner’s redemption from the bondage of sin. God is presented as:

^ The great “I AM”;

^ The One Who controls history;

^ A holy God;

^ The God Who remembers, and

^ The God Who speaks.

Exodus records the 10 Commandments, the 10 plagues, the beginning of the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea and the building of the Tabernacle.

 

Soon, I’ll be uploading the study for Exodus and I invite you to join me. Until then, study the Word and continue to look heavenward for we need to hold onto God more than ever given the times that we’re living in. The coming of our King draws near.

In case you missed it:

Bible Study Guide 

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Genesis: an origins recap

After completing the study of Genesis last year, I wanted to dive straight into Exodus, but the timing was not right. I’ve since moved on to restudy other books and I’ve discovered so many gems, but they’re not to be shared until the Lord permits me to. So, let’s recap where it all started.

Meaning: Genesis comes from the Greek word meaning “origin”, “source”, “generation” or “beginning”.

Author: Moses

Penned: 1450-1410 B.C.

Position: the 1st book of the Bible, Old Testament, and Pentateuch 

Chapters: 50

The Book of Genesis opens with the story of creation. It is followed by the fall of man, the spread of civilization, the Great Flood, the call of Abraham, promises of salvation through the Messiah and Joseph in Egypt as a type of Christ.

Genesis relates to the beginning of the universe, life, time, mankind, the Sabbath, marriage, sin, death, family, redemption, prophesy, language, and sacrifice. This book covers more time than the remaining books of the Bible combined.

It has 3 sequential geographical settings:

(1) Mesopotamia (chapters 1-22);

(2) The Promised Land (chapters 12-36); and

(3) Egypt (chapters 37-50).

The time frame of these 3 segments are:

(1) Creation to ca 2090 B.C.;

(2) 2090-1897 B.C.; and

(3) 1897-1804 B.C.

I’ve learned a lot since I’ve restudied Genesis. From creation to redemption plans. However, there is an analogy that stood out for me besides the typification of Christ, and that is when God clothed Adam and Eve. After the couple is banished from the Garden of Eden, God clothed them (3:21; also cross-reference Matthew 6:25-34). This scene typified Christ’s death for in order for God to clothe the pair, He had to sacrifice an animal to create the garments. That means blood had to be shed and in this early scene, we see God’s desire to save mankind, but first, someone had to die for our sins. And in 22:13, a ram is provided for a sacrifice. Christ arrives on the scene later to fulfill every Messianic predictions from Genesis: 

3:15 – Christ is the seed of the woman.

4:25 – From the line of Seth.

9:27 – From the line of Shem.

12:3 – The descendant of Abraham.

21:12 – The descendant of Isaac.

25:23 – The descendant of Jacob

49:10 – From the tribe of Judah

After the fall of man, God could’ve ended mankind and declared the end, but He had us in His heart, and thus, we’re just at the beginning of the greatest love story ever told. Although we grieve Him, He still loves us very much.

Genesis covers more time than any other book in the Bible. It opens with the words: “In the beginning God created” (1:1), and it ends with “in a coffin in Egypt” (50:26). Thus, it covers the whole plight of man, who was created in God’s image to live forever, but because of sin became destined for the grave. The book leaves the reader anxiously anticipating the redemptive intervention of God (via bible-studys.org).

Have you read this wonderful book where our history begins? What’s your favorite verse or chapter? Which character did you identified with the most? What was your favorite lesson, discovery, or analogy?

In case you missed it:

Bible Study Guide 

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Who is God?

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Deuteronomy 6:4

Lisa: There is only one God.

Joe: Huh? But the Bible says that God is three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When I was little, I couldn’t comprehend the nature of God until I started to read the Bible, the book in which God reveals Himself to us. The number one is very important when talking about God’s oneness (1 Corinthians 8:6). Just as there’s one human race, the Bible teaches that there is only one God (John 10:30).

Throughout the scriptures, we’ve seen God appear in the form of attributes. We’ve read about Him rescuing His people from bondage and famines. We’ve read about His awesome indescribable love for us, sending Angels to guide, and providing the ULTIMATE sacrifice for our sins. Yet, we come away without fully understanding God. He is the great “I AM” and this scripture sums up His all-mighty and powerful nature:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

Here’s the thing I gathered from this scripture: There is a reason why God’s ways and thoughts are HIGHER than ours. We’re puny unworthy mortals compared to Him and if we could get on the same level as our Creator, then we’ll make ourselves equal to Him, and He wouldn’t be worth worshiping. A few years ago, a friend posed the question: Wouldn’t you like to know EVERYTHING? Back then, my simple reply was no, hers was yes, and she veered into so many reasons why. Now, I am able to say that I don’t have to comprehend everything, just enough of what God wants me to know.

Our job isn’t to fully understand God, but to trust Him and to know Him and it’s not impossible to get to know Him. I don’t like discussing topics as these, for we tend to downsize God to our limitations. So don’t take my word for it. If you want to discover the true God, crack open the Bible and get to know Him for He reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures.

I’ll just leave a few things I’ve learned about God while reading/studying the Word:

^ God is the Creator of the universe and all that is in it; He’s not just “some deity” that created the world for fun for He put a lot of detail into it (Genesis 1).

^ Although powerfully great, He is very much approachable (Hebrews 4:16).

^ God is the very essence of love (1 John 4:8; 19-21).

^ God will ultimately hold us accountable for He knows EXACTLY what we do (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).

^ It is better to fear God rather than man (Matthew 10:28).

In the comment section below, leave your favorite scripture or story from the Bible about our awesome amazing Creator!

COMING SOON: Who is Jesus Christ?

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What do you hear?

When you see clear blue skies

Listen to how sweetly a kiskadee sings

Marvel at how lilies toil and spin

Delights in a puppy chasing her tail

Struck in awe at a gorgeous  sunset

That no words can describe it from the alphabet

 

Did you hear the whispered words

on the wind through the tree boughs?

Did you listen closely?

That’s God saying “I love you.”

God’s creation serves as an inspirational driving force when it comes to writing. Lately, I’ve been scribbling down thoughts, ideas, songs, and little poems that come to mind and blessing and thanking God for them. When I was young, I filled books with poems and songs dedicated to Him and I’m happy that I can do this again. This piece was inspired by Psalm 8:3-4, verses that were etched on my heart when I first heard them.

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Languages: the origins

Have you ever wonder where so many languages originated from?

Let’s go back to Genesis 11. In verses 1-4, we see that everyone spoke one language. There was no need to learn French, Hindi or Korean for everyone understood one another even when they greeted each other with a simple hello. One day, the people came up with a bad idea: to build a city and a tall tower to reach up to heaven (skyscrapers are like modern towers of Babel). They wanted to make a name for themselves and to be famous. They wanted to be like God.

In verses 5-9, we see that God isn’t pleased with the people’s behavior, and so, He puts a stop to their plans. They were trying to live without Him and their mindset was all wrong. God gave the people different languages, so they wouldn’t understand each other, causing work on the city to stop. This caused them to scatter all over the world.

And this is how we ended up with so many languages! Evolution and cavemen had nothing to do with the origins. We need to stop discrediting God when it comes to history. All theories about how languages originated wouldn’t have to be in the first place if we’ll just look to the Bible for answers. When God created the first humans, they were given breath and speech in which they can communicate with Him. He never left them trying to learn how to speak for He values and loves communication. 

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Bible’s Most Asked Questions #5: But who created God?

In the beginning, there was NOTHING to see, hear, smell or even feel. It was only emptiness and darkness. But God was there, and He had a great plan: to create something out of nothingness. He spoke the world into existence and everything He made was declared good. He saved the best for last: people. We were to be His children and the world our perfect home. 

God is the Creator of so much beauty in the world including you and me. This can make us stop to wonder: But who created the Creator? I’ve heard this question time after time, sometimes innocently asked by a child. Did God create Himself? How did He come into existence? Do you know the answer? Let’s consult His Word.

God is eternal meaning that He has always existed. He inhabits eternity and the Bible stresses on His eternal Being (Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 57:15; 1 Timothy 1:17).

Scriptures show that God did not come from anywhere (John 1:1). He was not created for He has no beginning and will have no end. He is the great “I AM”. Before the universe was breathed into existence, He existed for He is not restricted to time as we are. 

“In the beginning…” is also when time began. There was no time before time was created and because God is timeless/eternal, this task was achieved. Before creation, there was God, and He was always existing in eternity for He was not created. He did not create Himself for He is eternal. For the world to be created, God had to already exist in order to bring forth this action. Had He never existed, He wouldn’t have been capable to create anything, therefore, God did not create Himself.

He is uncreated, He simply exists, and will continue to exist for He is eternal. 

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No other god, but YOU!

Some worship many gods, but there is no other god like You, O LORD!
I worship You alone for I have no other god, but You, O LORD!
No other god knew us before we were breathed into existence as You do.
No other god is to be feared, revered, or exalted above as You, my LORD!
FOR YOU ALONE ARE GOD!! 

No matter what, I’ll ALWAYS direct praise to God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. All blessings, honor, and glory belong to Him.

Peu importe ce que, je vais félicitez toujours directement à Dieu, le Créateur du Ciel et de la Terre. Toutes les bénédictions, l’honneur et la gloire appartiennent à Lui.

Genesis: in the beginning…

Book #1

55 chapters

Genesis is the foundation on which the remaining sixty-five books of the Bible are built. 

The purpose of Genesis is to trace the beginnings of history.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And so it begins…

The book of beginnings: of sin and its disastrous effects, of humanity, and of God’s plan to restore the world through His chosen people, the Israelites. Genesis covers the creation and fall, the descendants of Adam and Eve, the flood, the tower of Babel, Abraham’s call, right down to Joseph’s death. In short, it is about creation, fall, and redemption.

Genesis is intended to be read as an account of the family history of the Hebrew people. “This is the account of” (Hebrew elleh toledoth) occurs eleven times in the book. These accounts include family histories and family genealogy. The first section (1:1-2:3) does not have the elleh toledoth heading given that it’s the account of the creation.

Moses is attributed as the writer of the Pentateuch or Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) by both Scripture and historians. His intimate communion with God gave him the spiritual understanding to write God’s Word. Yes, regardless of what non-believers might say, the Bible is God’s inspired Word. Had it not been for God, we wouldn’t have had this spiritual guide.

The book is a source of instruction and edification. We’re going to explore blessings and curses, good and evil, God’s plan, Israel, and why it’s important to be faithful to your heavenly Father.

Do you have your Bible in front of you? Good. Open it with me to Genesis 1.

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THE CREATION

Scripture in focus: Genesis 1

Science asks: Who created the world? Where did it come from? How did it come about? What is the age of the earth? When did humans first come into existence? How were they created?

Instead of relying on Science, you can find the answers in the Bible. Genesis 1 does not offer any clues to the age of the earth for the Divine Designer does not have to account for everything under the blazing sun. Who are we puny beings to question His Supremacy?

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen 1:1) so begins Genesis and a key question is already answered: WHO created the world? No beating around the bush there. This cements and affirms God’s role in creation. The earth was formless (Gen 1:2) before God’s master plan to fill that was empty.

Let us take a closer look at the six days of creation:

DAY 1: Light & Darkness 1:3-5

DAY 2: Sky & Waters (the Firmament of Heaven) 1:6-8

DAY 3: Land (Earth), Sea & Vegetation 1:9-13

DAY 4: The Sun, the Moon & the Stars (Lights in the Firmament of Heaven) 1:14-19

DAY 5: Fish, Fowl, Beasts & Cattle 1:20-25

DAY 6: Man in the image of God & Animals 1:26-31

I marvel at His creation.

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With light (day and night), God fills it with the sun, moon, and stars, thus creating TIME, something we take for granted. With the waters above (rain) and waters below (seas, rivers, lakes etc.), God fills it with birds and fishes thus creating WEATHER. Isn’t He amazing? He then fills the dry land (Earth) and vegetation with land animals thus creating AGRICULTURE.

But of all the beautiful creations, only one was created in the Father’s likeness: Man (1:26-27). At each stage, God declares His work “good” so next, we’ll look at the seventh day on which God rested after creating the world in six days and how it ties into mankind serving Him.

FUN FACT: God is the only name mentioned 30 times in Genesis 1.

END NOTE: We’re not clones or replicas of God. We were created in His image and likeness to worship Him. Although God is all-knowing, holy, perfect and all-powerful, we share certain common characteristics with Him: emotions, spirituality, and communication. 

ALSO NOTE: I’ll like to know in the comments down below, if you prefer this method or if you’ll prefer an overall summary. Also, let me know if this method is too slow or if it’s okay. Until next time, God bless and keep you.