Preparing to Read Mark · Unit 05 of 16
God rescues his people
Bible reading: Exodus 1–19 (selected passages)
In the previous stage, we saw Jacob and his family move to Egypt because of a famine. At first they were treated well because of Joseph. Many years later, however, a new king arose in Egypt who “did not know Joseph.” The Israelites’ situation gradually changed from that of foreign residents to that of oppressed slaves.
1. The Israelites Become Slaves in Egypt
The Israelites grow increasingly numerous in Egypt. The new Pharaoh begins to fear them, worrying that they might become a threat, so he oppresses them with forced labor.
“The Egyptians forced the Israelites to work ruthlessly, making their lives bitter with hard labor. Whether mixing mortar, making bricks, or doing every kind of fieldwork, they were treated harshly in all their labor.”
— Exodus 1:13–14
Pharaoh even orders Israelite baby boys to be killed. It is in this setting that a child named Moses is born.
2. Moses Is Preserved from Death
When Moses is born, Pharaoh has already ordered Hebrew baby boys to be thrown into the river. Moses’ mother hides him for three months, then places him in a basket made of reeds beside the river. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers him, adopts him, and names him “Moses.”
“When the child grew older, the woman brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘Because I drew him out of the water.’”
— Exodus 2:10
After growing up, Moses kills an Egyptian who is mistreating a Hebrew. He has to flee Egypt and settles in Midian. Many years will pass before he returns to Egypt.
3. God Hears the Cries of His Suffering People
The Israelites cry out to God in their slavery. Exodus particularly emphasizes that God has not forgotten the covenant he previously made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“The Israelites groaned and cried out because of their hard labor, and their cries reached God. God heard them and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God watched over the Israelites and knew their suffering.”
— Exodus 2:23–25
God has neither forgotten his promises nor overlooked his people’s suffering.
4. God Calls Moses
While Moses is tending sheep in Midian, God appears to him in a bush that burns without being consumed. God calls him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out.
“The LORD said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries under their taskmasters, and I know their pain. I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians’ power.’”
— Exodus 3:7–8
“So I am sending you to Pharaoh, to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
— Exodus 3:10
Moses does not immediately agree with complete confidence. He worries that he is not good enough, that he cannot speak well, and that the people will not believe him. God nevertheless promises to be with him and appoints his older brother Aaron to help him.
5. “I Am the One Who Exists of Himself, Forever”
Moses asks God what he should say if the Israelites ask, “What is his name?” God gives a profoundly important answer.
“God said to Moses, ‘I am the One who exists of himself, forever.’ He also said, ‘Tell the Israelites: The One who is has sent me to you.’”
— Exodus 3:14
There is no need at this stage to delve into the linguistic questions surrounding God’s name. For those exploring the faith, it is enough to remember this: Moses does not represent his own power, but the God who truly exists and who made a covenant with Israel’s ancestors.
6. Pharaoh Refuses to Let the Israelites Leave
Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites leave Egypt to worship God. Pharaoh refuses.
“Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel leave!’”
— Exodus 5:2
Disasters then strike Egypt one after another. These are usually called the ten plagues in the biblical account:
- Water turns to blood
- Frogs
- Lice or gnats
- Flies
- Disease among the livestock
- Boils
- Hail
- Locusts
- Darkness
- The death of the firstborn
These disasters are both a judgment on Pharaoh’s persistent refusal and a demonstration that Egypt’s power is not supreme. God is the Lord who can rescue Israel.
7. Passover: A Name to Remember
Before the last plague comes, God tells every Israelite household to prepare a lamb, put its blood on the doorframe, and eat the lamb that night with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
“This blood will be a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. When I strike the firstborn in Egypt, the disaster will not fall on you and destroy you.”
— Exodus 12:13
“Passing over” is the important background to the name “Passover.” The Israelites later commemorate this every year, remembering how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt.
Keep the name “Passover” in mind. In the final chapters of Mark, the story of Jesus’ suffering takes place during Passover.
8. The Israelites Leave Egypt
After the plague on the firstborn, Pharaoh finally allows the Israelites to leave. Once they have set out, however, he changes his mind and sends his army after them. With the sea ahead and the Egyptian army behind, the people are terrified.
“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and watch the rescue the LORD will accomplish for you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only remain still and quiet.’”
— Exodus 14:13–14
“Moses stretched his staff over the sea. Throughout the night, the LORD drove the waters back with a strong east wind. The waters divided and the sea became dry ground. The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with water standing like walls on their right and left.”
— Exodus 14:21–22
The Israelites cross safely, while the pursuing Egyptian army is overwhelmed by the sea. This becomes one of the most important acts of rescue in the Old Testament.
9. The Exodus Is More Than an Escape
If we see this story only as a group of slaves successfully escaping from Egypt, we miss the Bible’s main point. The Israelites do not defeat Egypt through their own military strength. God takes the initiative in rescuing them.
At the heart of the Exodus is this: God rescues an enslaved people so that they may belong to him again.
“Salvation” or “rescue” thus becomes a major biblical theme. Whenever the Israelites look back on who they are, they remember: We were once slaves in Egypt, and God brought us out.
10. Where Will They Go after Being Rescued?
Leaving Egypt is not the end of the story. God leads the Israelites into the wilderness and eventually to Mount Sinai.
“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you as an eagle carries its young on its wings, bringing you to myself.”
— Exodus 19:4
The order matters: God first rescues the Israelites from slavery. Only afterward, at Sinai, does he make a covenant with them and tell them how to live as his people.
In other words, they do not first earn God’s rescue by keeping the law. They are rescued by God first, and receive the law afterward.
11. Key Points from This Stage
- The Israelites are oppressed by Pharaoh and become slaves in Egypt.
- God hears their cries, remembers his covenant, and calls Moses to lead them out of Egypt.
- Pharaoh refuses to let the people leave, and Egypt experiences the ten plagues.
- Passover becomes an important festival in which the Israelites remember God’s rescue.
- God leads the Israelites through the sea, out of Egypt, and toward Mount Sinai.
12. Where Does the Biblical Story Go Next?
The Israelites have left Egypt. Next, at Mount Sinai, God will make a covenant with them, give them the law and the Ten Commandments, and gradually establish the tabernacle, priesthood, and sacrificial system. This background is important for reading the rest of the Old Testament, and it will appear repeatedly in Mark as well.
After being rescued, how are the Israelites to become a people who truly belong to God?