Day 2 -- Thursday -- Exodus

Day 2 -- Thursday

The Book of Exodus

The word Exodus means “a way out.” At the beginning of Exodus the Jews are slaves under Pharaoh. But God gives them “a way out” by dividing the Red Sea. In Exodus God is the Liberator. He opposes oppression and sets people free.

An important passage in this book is chapter three where Moses finds a bush that is burning, but not burning up. Out of the bush comes the voice of God. It is here that God reveals her name, which is I Am. The Hebrew word is Yahweh, originally without vowels—so, YHWH. Jews consider this Name so sacred that they do not say it or write it. Instead, they substitute the Hebrew word Adonai, which is translated as “LORD.”

There is a history of understanding I Am philosophically as Being. God is That which gives “being” to all things. We are human beings because we come from Being-Itself, and we are part of Being-Itself. Without Being we would not be.

In Exodus 20 God gives the Ten Commandments. God has already given the people the gift of freedom and identity. The Ten Commandments are the Instructions that come with the gift. “Here,” says God, “is how you shall live as the people who are partners with me.”

Since God is the Liberator, any time you see people (or animals or any part of the creation) being set free, you may confidently assume that God is at work.

Finish this sentence: God, I still need to be set free from…..