Week 5 - Job 32-Exodus 13

I was really looking forward to this week of reading. The second half of Job is one of the most theologically and philosophically rich writings in history. The depth with which the writer of Job handles the difficult questions that are being discussed is nothing less than extraordinary. But of course we know that because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, even those that identify as atheists or agnostics will turn to the book of Job as a reference to the richness of existential thought.

Also this week, we turn back to Exodus and pick up where we left off on the story of the Hebrew people and how God will redeem them from trials and persecution.

Job 32-34

Now, the young man Elihu bursts forth in anger against Job, as well as his

three friends. He exhibits false humility, and then claims to have perfect

knowledge about God and all He does, demonstrating his immense pride.

Job 35-37

Elihu continues his tirade against Job, and in chapters 36-37 he claims to be

perfect in knowledge (36:4), and proceeds to declare the ways of God. It’s

interesting that Elihu makes many true statements about God, but he does so in

a manner that distorts God’s character and judgement. Elihu is a perfect accuser

of the righteous.

Job 38-42

What a glorious crescendo we have when the Lord speaks, and all the noise

of empty words are silenced! God calls Job to account for the things he had said

about Him, but not in anger or judgement. God then takes most of these five

chapters in providing example after example of His works that men do not

understand.

In the end, God blesses Job with a double portion of what he previously had,

as well as long life to enjoy those blessings. He rebukes Job’s three friends, and

says he will forgive them when Job prays for them, but God completely ignores

Elihu.

Exodus 1-4

Between the last verse in Genesis and the first verse in Exodus some 400

years have gone by, and everything has changed in Egypt. Israel’s descendants

out number the Egyptians, and they are now being persecuted as slaves. God

raises up Moses as His appointed man to lead Israel out of bondage in Egypt.

As a child Moses is raised as an adopted grandchild of Pharaoh, but later flees

Egypt and lives in the Midian desert (now Jordan) for most of his life.

When Moses is 80 years old God appears to him in the desert, and calls him

to be His ambassador to Pharaoh, and to lead Israel out of slavery. God

declares Himself to Moses as “I AM”, which is the Hebrew verb form of His own

Name (Jahweh).

So Moses goes back to Egypt, meets with his brother Aaron, and then the

leaders of the tribes of Israel, proving that God sent him to lead them out of that land.

Exodus 5-8

God sends Moses to Pharaoh, saying “let My people go”, but Pharaoh

refuses. God turns the Nile to blood, He brings up a plague of frogs upon the

land, He turns the dust of the ground into a plague of gnats, and then brings vast

swarms of flies against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. But in the face of these

plagues, Pharaoh’s heart remains hard, and he refuses to let them go.

Exodus 9-11

God then strikes the livestock in Egypt, afflicts the Egyptians with boils, and

devastates the land of Egypt with destroying hail - yet Pharaoh persists in

hardening his heart against the Will of God. These plagues are followed by

locusts that ate up the rest of living plants, and then three days of oppressive

darkness in Egypt, but to no avail. Moses goes out from the presence of

Pharaoh, and God then promises to bring one more judgement upon Egypt.

Exodus 12-13

God flips the Hebrew calendar, making the 7 th month (Nisan - also called Abib)

now the 1 st month, and provides instructions to them in advance of the first

Passover. A spotless lamb is to be taken for each household on the 10 th of the

month, inspected for several days (for purity), and then slain on the 14 th , with the

blood to be painted on the doorposts and lintel of each house. Unleavened

bread is to be eaten for 7 days, from the 14 th through the 21 st .

The Lord slew all first-born males in Egypt that night, but all were spared who

had the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their house. Pharaoh’s own son

was killed, and he finally instructs Moses and Aaron to leave, after all of Egypt

was (essentially) destroyed. The Lord instituted the feast of Passover to be

celebrated every year thereafter on the 14 th day of the first month.

Jesus was crucified on the 14 th day of the first month, and became the

fulfillment of the type, represented in the first lamb that was slain to save people

from the judgement of God.

As Israel goes out from Egypt, God declares that the first-born males in Israel

are His, and institutes the feast of Unleavened Bread, which Israel will eat for the

next 7 days, due to traveling. God establishes His visible presence in the form of

a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, which will lead Israel for the next 40

years. He also leads them to the Red Sea, rather than taking them Northeast

along the sea coast, so that Israelites cannot later turn around and go back.