Exodus: God’s Hand of Deliverance (Exodus 1)

If Genesis is the book of beginnings, then Exodus is the book of becoming. It’s where the children of Israel move from being a family to becoming a nation, and where the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob begin to unfold in power. The very name “Exodus” means departure—and that’s exactly what this book records: the mighty deliverance of God’s people out of Egypt’s bondage through the leadership of Moses and the strong hand of the Lord. Nearly four centuries have passed since Joseph’s day, and the Israelites who once lived as honored guests in Egypt now labor as slaves under a Pharaoh who “knew not Joseph.” Yet while Egypt forgot, God did not. The covenant He made with Abraham was still alive, and Exodus proves that God always keeps His word, even when His people seem forgotten.

More than a record of Israel’s history, Exodus is a mirror for the believer’s journey. Egypt represents the bondage of sin, the Passover lamb points to Christ’s redeeming blood, the crossing of the Red Sea pictures salvation, and the wilderness portrays the Christian walk of faith. From the burning bush to the cloud and fire, from Mount Sinai to the glory filling the tabernacle, every scene reveals one central truth—God desires to dwell among His people. What begins as a cry in slavery ends as a song of worship in freedom. Exodus reminds us that redemption is more than an escape from something; it is a call to something—a life of fellowship, obedience, and worship in the presence of the living God.