With the story of Genesis, we have been given a solid foundation from which our ethos will develop. We have seen God as Creator of all things, establishing identity and order for how things should be (existence). We have seen Him as Triune Communion (Father, Son, Spirit), as transcendent over creation (sovereign) and as immanent within creation (relational). We have seen the special role and relationship offered to humanity and, subsequently, humanity’s rebellion against God’s order (the fall). Finally, we have seen God’s gracious offer of continued relationship and redemption (covenant). All of this has been seen narratively through the stories of Genesis.
We leave Genesis with the covenant people of Yahweh (the children of Israel) being rescued providentially from famine and residing in Egypt, outside the land of promise.
Exodus will give us some of the most vital aspects of the story of God’s redemptive relationship with humanity. The story will narrow its focus onto one man, Moses, and one generation of the children of Israel – the last generation of 400 years of slaves. Much of the covenant promise made with Abraham has been lost, stripped away by the indignity and degradation of slavery. But God has not abandoned His people or His promises. His plan of redemption has been kept alive through the stories passed down from generation to generation. He has heard the cries of His covenant people and in His love and mercy He sets in motion a story of liberation to rival all human stories.
Exodus, like no other book, shows us the struggle for identity – both the identity of God in the earth and the identity of His people. This story in so many ways IS our story. Will we submit to His plan to rename us after we have rebelled against Him, or will we seek to establish our own name (like those at Babel)? If we will surrender to Him, we have the hope of a new name written down in the Book of Life.
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Unit Four Outcomes
Upon completion of this unit you should be able to:
Give an outline of the major themes of the book of Exodus.
Discuss the narrative continuity between Genesis and Exodus.
Understand the significance of redemption as presented in the Exodus story.
Express your own story of redemption through the lens of the redemption story of the children of Israel.
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4.1 Text/Media
Textbook: Interpreting Biblical Texts: The Pentateuch
Textbook: The Creative Word: Canon as a Model for Biblical Education
Instructions
Read Interpreting Biblical Texts: The Pentateuch, Chapter 4.
Read The Creative Word: Canon as a Model for Biblical Education, Chapter 4.
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Assignment
4.2 Threaded Discussion: Exodus
Introduction
For this threaded discussion, you must reflect critically on your own story of redemption in light of the Exodus story. Be sure to following the instructions to cover the topic thoroughly.
Instructions
1. For your initial post of at least 100 words, you must reflect critically on your own story of redemption in light of the Exodus story. Include the following elements:
a. Your crucial story of redemption (a time of crying out to God for deliverance)
b. Your crucial story of liberation (a time of crossing the “Sea of Ends” and leaving behind the slavery to sin)
c. Your crucial story of sanctification (a Mt. Sinai moment of finding your identity in God rather than things of this world)
d. Your crucial story of revelation (your new way of living in this world with God as a result of your journey)
2. Make sure that you show the continuity of your story through this process (not four separate stories but one continuing story) and that you are concise, not giving extraneous details but focusing upon the key elements of your story that relate to redemption, liberation, sanctification and revelation. Also, be sure you relate this story to the story of Exodus, and that you incorporate the assigned reading from Fretheim (which must be cited).
3. NOTE: YOU MUST INCORPORATE THE ASSIGNED READING AND THE EVENTS OF EXODUS INTO THIS DISCUSSION. THIS IS AN ACADEMIC EXERCISE, NOT JUST A RECOUNTING OF YOUR STORY.
