The Message of Exodus

Exodus

When a master composer designs a symphony, he designs a melodic motif throughout the composition. For example, when listening to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, the famous first four notes are repeated and developed across all four movements. The motif gives the piece cohesion amidst the beautiful artistry and variety of the movement. Throughout the piece, the motif is developed, matured, heard from different vantage points, and placed in different harmonic settings, but the musical pattern unites the symphony.

When we tune our ears to listen carefully to the symphony of Scripture, we can pick out melodic themes that are introduced and developed through the canon of Scripture. As we open the book of Exodus today, this book sings one of the central motifs in the symphony of Scripture—the pattern of God’s saving work, the motif of divine grace. We received glimpses of this motif in the pages of Genesis, but it is the book of Exodus that introduces the theme of Redemption in its power and force that sets the pattern of God’s salvation and anticipates the greater Exodus brought by the salvation of Jesus. The events of Exodus set the pattern of God’s saving work throughout the Scriptures. The Exodus out of Egypt provided a pattern of deliverance. The prophets would herald its replication in the age of the messiah, a new Exodus. Jesus, as the new and better Moses, would bring that second Exodus to its realization.

The book of Genesis laid the foundation, where we see the sovereign God promise deliverance from sin through one born of a woman. As God chose Abraham and his family to be the means through which he would bring worldwide blessing, the book of Genesis ends with Abraham’s family now in Egypt, protected by God’s providence through Joseph’s placement of power in the nation. As Exodus begins, we see that the infant nation grew in number in Egypt, but they are not yet in the land of promise. The people are enslaved, under the severe oppression of Pharaoh, powerless as they wait for deliverance.

As we continue our overview of the books of the Pentateuch, we now tune our ears to the book of Exodus to listen for the melodic line of God’s redemption. As we do, we will notice three notes to the motif of God’s saving work throughout our study of Exodus: redemption, holiness, and communion. The first note is that of redemption in Exodus 1-15, where God liberates the people from their bondage of slavery by his mighty hand. The second note in the sequence is that of holiness, where, once redeemed, God will bring them to Sinai to establish his covenant with Israel, setting them apart as his holy people in Exodus 16-24. The third note in the motif is communion, where God’s redeemed and holy people enjoy the blessing of his presence, as anticipated in the building of the tabernacle in Exodus 25-40. The three notes—redemption, holiness, and communion—set the theological motif that courses through the pages of Scripture.

1. Redemption: The Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 1-15)

In the opening chapter of Exodus, we see that the generation of Joseph and his brothers have now passed, but the “people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Ex 1:7). The promise God had made to Abraham was being fulfilled, as the children of Abraham begin to grow as numerous as the stars in the sky. But a new king in Egypt emerged who “did not know Joseph” (Ex 1:8). Becoming greatly concerned for Egypt’s national security, the Egyptians oppressed the people of Israel, forcing them to brutal slavery. To slow down the rapid growth of the people, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the Hebrew boys at the birthstool, an order to which the courageous midwives refused to submit. Thus, Pharaoh ordered that every baby boy born to the Hebrews be thrown into the Nile. The barbarism of infanticide—whether by abortion in the womb or drowning in the Nile—has always been a chief tactic of those aligned with the serpent.

The oppression of the people was great, and the threat to their existence was real. The forced labor of slavery and the state-sponsored infanticide threatened to wipe them out. But through the horrors of this injustice, the Lord was at work by his hidden providence to prepare his deliverer. The baby Moses was cast down river in a basket and guided by the Lord into the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter, who took the baby to raise him. However, as Moses grew, he became troubled by the heavy burden upon his people, and struck down an Egyptian who had been beating a Hebrew. Out of fear, Moses flees from Egypt into the land of Midian. As a sojourner in a foreign land, Moses became a shepherd.

The severe plight of Israel might cause us to wonder a question we so frequently ask in our own lives: “Where is God? What is he up to? Does he hear our cries? Does he care?” Though it might seem as if God is far, the Lord hears and the Lord sees. Look at Exodus 2:23-25:

“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus 2:23–25, ESV)

At times, it may seem that the Lord has forgotten his promises, but rest assured, he certainly has not. He heard the groaning of his people. He pays attention to their lament. He remembers his covenant. God sees, and God knows. And though the people did not know it then, he was preparing to call Moses as the instrument in his hand to redeem them out of slavery. At the start of Exodus 3, we witness the call of God from the burning bush on Mount Horeb, revealing himself to Moses and commissioning Moses to be his prophet. Look at Exodus 3:7ff:

“Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”” (Exodus 3:7–12, ESV)

God’s redemptive actions are prompted by his commitment to his covenant promises. He tells Moses that he will deliver them out of Egypt and bring them to the land he promised Abraham. The Lord will respond to the cry of his people, and will do so through Moses. God will send Moses as his representative, and the Lord promises Moses, giving him a sign, that the people will be brought to that very mountain, to Horeb.

We see Moses’ hesitancy and insecurity in this God-given task. He offers several questions of rebuttal, each met with the Lord’s authoritative answer. But then the Lord reveals himself to Moses with his divine name, Yahweh. He promises that he will be with Moses as he returns to Egypt, and that the redemption of the people will require the mighty arm of the Lord. The Lord tells Moses that Pharaoh will not let the people go unless “compelled by a mighty hand.” And so the Lord will “stretch out” his hand and strike Egypt with wonders (Ex 3:20).

As Moses is commissioned to return to Egypt, he meets immediate resistance. Pharaoh denies Moses and Aaron’s request to release the people for a three-day feast in the wilderness, scoffing, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?” (Ex 5:2). Offended by the request, Pharaoh increases burden on the people, demanding that they make bricks without straw—drastically increasing the workload but maintaining the same quota of bricks. Moses arrives in Egypt and goes before the Pharaoh, and the oppression becomes worse! Yet, the Lord spoke to Moses and gave a message to the people, telling them in Exodus 6:6-7:

“Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:6–7, ESV)

The Exodus seems to be an impossible task. But the Lord gives his promise that he will lift the burden of his people and deliver them from slavery. To do so, he must redeem them with an outstretched arm. The Lord must showcase his omnipotent power as an act of divine judgment on Egypt to bring salvation to Israel. Through the Exodus, the Lord will reveal himself to the world. By judgment and salvation, the Lord will showcase his glory. On this Egyptian stage, all will know that Yahweh is God. Soon, the Lord will unleash the plagues upon Egypt, but as he prepares to do so, he tells Moses what will take place and why it will take place. Look at Exodus 7:1-5:

“And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”” (Exodus 7:1–5, ESV)

The Lord will harden Pharaoh’s heart. The Lord wills Pharaoh’s resistance to multiply his signs and wonders. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart raises questions, as it’s a recurring theme throughout the account of the plagues. At times, we get emphasis that God is the one hardening Pharaoh’s heart. And in other places, we hear of Pharaoh hardening his own heart. Which is it? And of course, it is both. Pharaoh is morally culpable for his sin. But yet, Exodus is unapologetic in telling us that the ultimate cause of Pharaoh’s hardening is God himself. Go to Exodus 9:34-10:1, and notice how Pharaoh’s self-hardening is attributed to the Lord’s sovereign work.

“But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them.” (Exodus 9:34–10:1, ESV)

And why has God chosen to harden Pharaoh’s heart? He does so to display his glorious power in all the earth through the defeat of Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s prolonged resistance only serves to amplify God’s power and glory. By Pharaoh’s hardening of heart, God can display his majestic power through the ten plagues. Pharaoh’s hardened heart serves God’s sovereign purpose to make his glory seen and savored by Israel and rumored and feared among the nations. The God of Israel shows off his power to make his name great among the nations.

And so the Lord inflicts ten cataclysmic plagues: water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock death, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of the firstborn. Some have theorized, with some strong supporting evidence, that each of these plagues directly challenges the pantheon of Egyptian gods. The God of Israel wages battle against the false gods of the Egyptians and demolishes them to show himself supreme.

But it is in the tenth and final plague that the Lord will finally break Pharaoh to let the people go. The narrative slows down in Exodus 11 to establish the institution of the Passover. As the Lord will strike down the firstborn of the Egyptians, the firstborn of the Hebrew families will be spared through the blood of the unblemished lamb painted across their doorposts. As we look for the motif of redemption throughout the pages of Scripture, the Passover becomes paradigmatic of the future redemption God will bring through his Son Jesus. Look to Exodus 12:12-13:

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:12–13, ESV)

The wrath of God will be poured out on the land of Egypt—Egyptian and Hebrew alike. However, the blood of the passover lamb marks the Hebrew homes safe from the judgment. Because of the significance of this event in Israel’s history and its pattern for the forthcoming redemption through Christ, the Lord instructed Israel to observe the Passover each year. The nation must remember the lesson of the Passover to prepare the way for the arrival of the Passover lamb. Most recently in John’s gospel, we have seen how the apostle John labors to connect Jesus to the Passover Lamb. He is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The crucifixion of Christ, taking place during the week of Passover, demonstrates by the providence of God that Passover finds its fulfillment in Jesus’ substitutionary death. By his blood, God atones for our sins and spares us from our deserved judgment by his grace and mercy. Therefore, as Paul tells the Corinthians, Christ is “our Passover Lamb” (1 Cor 5:7). Though the Lord exerted his strength in a mighty way, bending nature to his will in these magnificent plagues, God’s redemption is achieved through the blood of the lamb. Only by blood does God pay the redemption price to free us from the tyranny of our sin.

At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, but spared those with the blood of the Passover lamb. “There was a great cry in Egypt,” and Pharaoh finally agreed to let the people go (Ex 12:30). After 430 years in Egypt, the people of Israel left Egypt with urgency, guided by their God who redeemed them. As the Lord led his people, he did so as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But the Lord had one more display of power to crush the Egyptians. In Exodus 14, God leads the people to be intentionally trapped between the sea and the wilderness. God tells Moses he will again harden Pharaoh’s heart to pursue them. Pharaoh sent six hundred chariots, rumbling across the wilderness to pursue the people of Israel. The people of Israel panic at the sight of the Egyptian army pursuing them, and lamented to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (Ex 14:11). But Moses announces to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex 14:13-14). And by the Lord’s instruction, Moses lifted his staff and stretched out his hand, and the sea was divided. Israel passed through the waters safely, but as the Egyptians pursued them through the sea, the Lord spun them into panic, clogged the wheels of the chariots, and crushed them by the sea. The mighty arm of God had redeemed his people and crushed their enemies.

In response to the salvation of God, Moses led the people in a glorious song in Exodus 15, rejoicing in the God of their salvation. Look at Exodus 15:1-3:

“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.” (Exodus 15:1–3, ESV)

Exodus establishes the pattern of God’s saving work, and here, there is much to learn from the first Exodus about the second Exodus. We are poor and needy, enslaved and oppressed by the tyranny of sin. The Lord sends a deliverer, the Lord Jesus, who is the redeemer of our souls and who exerts his power over the evil one by his might, miraculous works. But our redemption required the blood of the passover lamb shed upon the cross. And as he passed through the abyss of death, he brought us safely to shore by his triumphant resurrection over the grave. As glorious as this first Exodus was for Israel, how much greater the second Exodus achieved by the Lord Jesus, who is our strength and our song, who has become our salvation! As we’ve seen in the Exodus event, the Lord does all this for the glory of his mighty name. He exercises judgment on the Egyptians and salvation for Israel so that all the earth might recognize his glory. And so does God save us through Christ “to the praise of his glorious grace.”

The Lord is gracious to redeem his people from the tyranny of slavery. And he can save you today from the tyranny of sin, if you repent and put your faith in his redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord delights in showcasing his glory through the salvation of those who humbly cry desperately to him. By faith, put the blood of Christ outside the door of your life, so that you might be spared from judgment and be redeemed out of your slavery. We are helpless, but the Lord is mighty to save.

And so Exodus plays that sweet note of redemption in God’s symphony of grace. But Exodus doesn’t end only with Israel’s redemption. Another note in the motif emerges—the note of holiness. The Lord will guide the people to the mountain where God will enter into covenant with his people, marking them for holiness.

2. Holiness: The Covenant Law at Sinai (Exodus 16-24)

Almost immediately after the Exodus, we see concerning signs of the people’s hearts. They grumble against the Lord, complaining of their lack of water and food. But the Lord is gracious to provide for the people in the wilderness, sustaining them with bread from heaven each day and water sprouting from a rock. The journey to Sinai causes us concern. How will these grumbling, stiff-necked people dwell in the presence of a holy God? If God plans to get us back to Eden and crush the head of the serpent through the family of Abraham, how will that be possible with sinners?

But God redeems his people to set them apart as distinct and holy from the world. Here is another pattern of God’s working that is introduced in Exodus. God saves his people to set them apart. He redeems them for holiness. As the people of Israel arrive at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19, the Lord describes his love for his people and his purposes for them. Look at Exodus 19:3-6:

“The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”” (Exodus 19:3–6, ESV)

The Lord desires to make a covenant with his people, making them his “treasured possession” and establishing Israel as a “kingdom of priests.” If God will be with his people, they must be a “holy nation.” The people responded to the Lord’s request with eager affirmation: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Ex 19:8). Now the people’s eagerness to obey is laudable, even if we will see their shameful failure to do so even before the end of Exodus! The people are zealous to obey the Lord, but cannot carry out that obedience, as we will soon see. But Exodus 19 sets up the giving of the Law of God, as the people gather around Mount Sinai, now wrapped in the smoke of divine glory, trembling by the presence of God. Moses goes up to the mountain to represent the people and receive the Law of God on their behalf.

From Exodus 20-23, we get the content of this covenant Law, including the Ten Commandments. These Laws set the expectations of Israel’s holy conduct before their God, focusing particularly on civil and religious laws. The entire Pentateuch contains the Law, so it is not written in its entirety in the book of Exodus. But a key section of the Law overviewing Israel’s religious and civil distinction are recorded in these chapters to teach us about God’s expectations for the holy conduct of Israel, along with God’s promise to conquer the land of Canaan for them if they be careful to “obey his voice” (Ex 23:22).

In our overview of the other books of the Pentateuch, we will work to understand the purpose and function of the Law in more depth, but for now, we want to notice the expectation of holiness that God has for his redeemed people. The covenant is confirmed in Exodus 24. Here, we see the covenant that is “ratified” and the benefits of that covenant enjoyed. Moses brings the book of the covenant to the people, reads it before them, and offers sacrifices to the Lord. We read of this in Exodus 24:3-8:

“Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”” (Exodus 24:3–8, ESV)

The people, having heard the words of the Lord, pledged to obey those words. By blood, the people of Israel are consecrated to be a kingdom of priests to the Lord. But of course, the incredible blessing of redemption is communion with God. And as this covenant is now established between God and his people, we see the leadership of Israel enjoy a heavenly scene of fellowship with God. But the scene is not just a foreshadowing of heaven but a return to Eden. Look at verses 9-11:

“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:9–11, ESV)

Here is the aim of God’s redemptive work: permitting his people to enjoy his presence. God glorifies himself by granting his redeemed creatures, marked by holiness, to feast and enjoy him forever. And with the covenant established between God and Israel, the leadership was given access to the presence of God. And though God’s presence is radiant in holiness, and sinners cannot stand, we see the Lord “did not lay his hand” on the leaders of Israel. “They beheld God, and ate and drank” (Ex 23:11).

God redeems his people, sanctifies his people, and ushers his people into the pleasure of his presence. This is the pattern of God’s saving activity in the book of Exodus, and so it is the pattern for all who are in Christ. Jesus saves us by his mighty and powerful hand, conquering sin on the cross and triumphing over the grave in his resurrection. All who by faith are united to Christ enjoy the redemption of his salvation. But God has saved us to be holy as he is holy (1 Pet 1:15-16). As the redeemed church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter tells us that we are to be a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Pet 2:9). Now that we live in the New Covenant era, Christ has now fulfilled the demands of the Law in our place. Still, the pattern laid forth in Exodus continues. Those whom God redeems must be holy in their conduct.

Consider your life. If you’ve been redeemed by the blood of the lamb, are you walking in holiness? Is it your delight to obey your Lord? When you examine every area of your life—your speech, your work, your health, your family, your sexuality, your time—is it evident that you are set apart from the world? As the author of Hebrews reminds us, “Strive … for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, ESV). Israel struggled to walk in holiness before God because their sinful nature was unchanged in the Old Covenant. But for those of us in the new covenant, we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, with the Law of God now implanted in our hearts through the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration. And now, with the indwelling help of the Holy Spirit, we can (and must!) grow in godliness and strive for godliness.

In Christ, we are redeemed from our sin, made holy for the Lord, and given the privilege to feast and enjoy God forever. At Sinai, as we see the elders feast before the presence of God, that covenant meal with the Lord anticipates the aim of our redemption. We do the same. Every Sunday, as we take the meal of the New Covenant together in the presence of God, we enjoy the present benefits of a more excellent covenant and anticipate the Wedding Feast to come at the end of the age.

And the communion the elders of Israel enjoyed before the Lord was to be extended throughout the nation. And so Moses, taking Joshua with him, again ascends Mount Sinai to receive instruction for the building of the tabernacle. Through the tabernacle, the Lord will dwell with his people. Through the priestly ministry, the Lord could commune with his people. The remainder of the book of Exodus is concerned with the plans and construction of this tabernacle. Through the tabernacle, the Lord will continue to provide the joy and strength of his presence amidst his people.

But even as Moses and Joshua ascend, we see in Exodus 24:14 that Aaron and Hur are left behind to lead the people. And through their failure of leadership, we see just how tenuous this communion with God was in the Old Covenant. The continuation of the covenant blessings is contingent upon their obedience and ongoing holiness. But what happens when Israel is unfaithful to the covenant, violates the requirement of holiness, and commits idolatry? Amidst the design and construction of the tabernacle, we face the crisis of the golden calf.

3. Communion: The Tabernacle and the Golden Calf Crisis (Exodus 25-40)

As we read the final fifteen chapters of the book of Exodus, we modern readers often struggle with the patience to read the detailed complexity of the design and construction of the Tabernacle. However, these tedious blueprint drawings communicate how Israel’s communion with God will function in the Old Covenant era. We do not study the tabernacle’s design because we need one now in the New Covenant era. After all, Christ has now tabernacled among us in his incarnation. But we study the Tabernacle because we see a biblical pattern fulfilled by the coming of Christ, filled with lessons we need to learn about how sinful human creatures can dwell with a holy God.

The Tabernacle mirrors the Garden of Eden and serves as a portable Sinai. The structure was to be assembled in the middle of the camp as a microcosm of the spiritual realities of man’s separation from God’s presence. The tabernacle had an outer wall with a gate on the east side. Just as Adam and Eve were exiled east of Eden, the east gate is the way back into God’s presence. Through the east gate, you would enter the outer courts. This area was where ordinary Israelites would come to offer sacrifices. The priestly tribe of Levi would receive those offerings and perform the proper sacrifices according to the law in Leviticus. The outer court was where most of the activity occurred, since ordinary Israelites could not approach the tent of the tabernacle; only the priestly tribe had that privilege. Thus, as you enter through the east into the outer courts and look to the west side, you would see the tent of meeting itself.

A priest would enter the tent from the east (just like the gates into the courts), and then you would enter the most holy place. Inside the most holy place were the lampstand, the bread of the presence, and the altar of incense. However, within the most holy place was a veil that led to the deepest part of the tabernacle structure, the holy of holies. Only the high priest was allowed to enter on the Day of Atonement. Inside the holy of holies was the ark of the covenant. In that most holy place, God’s holy presence was most deeply concentrated. A certain amount of pageantry and drama is associated with the tabernacle. The architecture and design of the tabernacle reveal humanity’s ultimate problem. With sinful hearts, we cannot come into God’s presence without atoning blood. The tabernacle teaches and highlights essential spiritual realities.

However, as Moses receives the plans for the tabernacle from God, the vision of the tabernacle almost implodes before it is even constructed. The communion with God at Sinai was to be extended from Sinai as God traveled with his people through the tabernacle. But Israel violates the covenantal law they just pledged to obey—they forge an idol for themselves under the oversight of Aaron. Let’s read about the golden calf crisis in Exodus 32:1-6:

“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (Exodus 32:1–6, ESV)

This major covenant breach nearly threatens to undo Israel’s communion with God. While speaking with Moses, the Lord threatens to burn his hot wrath against them and rebuild the nation through Moses (Ex 32:10). However, Moses intercedes, goes down the mountain, breaks the tablets, and then grinds the golden calf into a powder to mix with water to force the people to drink it. The consequence of people’s sins is severe. And in Exodus 33, the Lord commands the people to leave Sinai without him. He will keep his promise to bring them into the land, but he will do so through an angelic emissary. The Lord refuses to go with Israel lest he consume them on the way, because they are “a stiff-necked people” (Ex 33:3). When the people heard this news, they mourned (Ex 33:4). To go without communion with the God who redeemed them was a terrible thought. And so Moses goes to the Lord on behalf of his people, pleading for the Lord to come with them. Here, Moses acts as a mediator, interceding for Israel. He intercedes, and the Lord promises his presence will accompany the people.

The golden calf crisis breached the covenant and threatened to undo the people’s communion with God. Through the intercession of Moses, he not only convinces the Lord not to annihilate the people, but pleads for the Lord’s presence to continue to go with them into the land of promise. The covenant is preserved through Moses’ ministry. The tablets are remade, and the covenant is renewed in Exodus 34. The crisis is averted, but it instructs us of how difficult it will be to rebuild Eden. Unless the law is impressed on the hearts of the people, communion with God will be tenuous.

The symphonic motif is introduced here in Exodus. However, we discover that while the people are redeemed, they cannot be holy. Thus, their communion with God will be fragile, only sustained by the constant blood flow of animal sacrifices. In the symphony of the biblical narrative, Exodus introduces the motif. The note of redemption rings with brilliant clarity and power. But the people’s holiness and their communion with God ring flat. Despite God’s redemption of Israel, the sinful human heart filled with idolatry remains a massive problem if God and man will dwell together again.

The ministry of Moses anticipates the ministry of a prophet-like Moses who is greater than Moses. Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). When we do sin, we have “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). As Moses uniquely had access to the presence of God and shone with glorious face by being in his presence, Jesus is the eternal Son who dwells forever before the face of the Father, interceding for us. The new covenant is greater than the old in every way, because by the ministry of Jesus, complete atonement is provided for our sins, and by the Holy Spirit, the law of God is impressed upon our hearts, enabling us to live holy lives in Christ Jesus (Ezk 36:27). In the New Covenant, we are holy because of the imputed righteousness of Christ who fulfilled the demands of the Law in our place. But we have the Holy Spirit, empowering us to grow in holiness to become the holy people that God has made us in Christ. But the book of Exodus shows us that the blessing of holiness and communion with God must come through a mediator—one greater than Moses. Indeed, Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, marks us permanently holy and enables us to have constant communion with God.

By Moses’ intercessory ministry, the crisis of the golden calf is averted by God’s astonishing grace. The plans for the tabernacle continue, and Exodus records the detailed construction of the tabernacle in its final chapters. The book concludes with the completion of the tabernacle and the presence of God entering the tabernacle. Exodus concludes in 40:34-38:

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.” (Exodus 40:34–38, ESV)

The Lord will commune with his people in his tabernacle, traveling with them and leading them into the promised land. However, as Leviticus legislates, a regular flow of sacrificial blood must be offered to maintain communion. Sin remains a constant threat to the people’s communion with God.

Exodus is a massively important book, not only because it recounts one of the most extraordinary acts of God in human history, but because it establishes the pattern of God’s forthcoming redeeming work in Christ. If we listen carefully to Exodus, we hear the three-note refrain of the motif of salvation. In the note of redemption, we see that God redeems us from the slavery of sin through his omnipotent power through the blood of the Passover Lamb. In the note of holiness, we see that God saves to sanctify, to form for himself a unique people, distinct from the world, that image his likeness in righteousness. In the note of communion, we see that we were saved to be with God and enjoy his presence’s glory forever. However, Exodus shows us that this communion with God is tenuous, easily severed by human sin. To bring redemption from sin, true holiness, and permanent communion with God, the blessings of God’s salvation must come through one greater than Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you heard the melodic motif that courses through the symphony of redemption? Can you hear its bright and memorable pattern of notes in the pages of Exodus? As you read the Bible, can you hear its climactic blast in the true redemption offered by Jesus? In Exodus, we see the shadow. In Jesus, we see the substance (Col 2:7). The pattern of redemption, holiness, and communion laid out for us in Exodus anticipates its fulfillment in the second Exodus brought by Jesus. The refrain of God’s grace courses through the pages of Scripture, and crescendos with the arrival of Jesus.