Exodus, if that's your REAL name...

Well, at the very least, doing all of this reading is going to help my blog stats...

Exodus came and went in three days. Some impressions:

1. Is "Exodus" really the best name for this book?!? Coming into the reading, I anticipated that the pivotal, dominant event would be the crossing of the Red (or is it Reed?!?) Sea and, with it, the larger journey out of Egypt. And while this is certainly a key event, I'm not sure it's the big one. I think the centerpiece of the narrative might be the giving of the law and specifically the construction of the tabernacle. I mean, if you go by sheer numbers, chapters 1-18 get the nation out of Egypt into the desert. From 19 on, it's all about the law and the tabernacle. So, the belt goes to the tabernacles by a split decision. Better names? How about "Horeb?" Or "Tabernacles?" Or "Lawgiving?" Who got to pick out the names for the books of the Bible anyway?!?

2. Grumblers! Wow these people are whiners! God himself calls them stiff-necked and mulls destroying them completely. He even has to remove himself from contact for fear that he'll do them in right there in the desert! And poor Moses. How'd you like to lead these folks?

3. Why is God so particular about the minutae? God is so specific in the book of "Tabernacles." I mean, everything matters in this text, from the number of cubits to the color of the tunic to the materials used in the pole stands. Why is God so concerned with the details? It's not like He doesn't have stuff to do! I know, maybe God is a planner. Yeah, I like that. He's the holy planner. Also, has anyone recently tried to follow every last detail and build one of these babies? Models, sure, but what about a real size one? Nothing came up on google...

4. How about that Jethro story?!? What a gem of a passage that is. Chapter 18. Wow. That baby will preach!

5. Some of those Laws are bizarre. Just a foretaste of Leviticus, methinks. One set of laws that I did like were those from the middle of 21 that protect women in the context of marriages. The OT (along with the Bible as a whole) gets some bad press when it comes to the status and plight of women. Here at least there is a bright spot that demonstrates Yahweh's compassion and concern for women.

6. We get to see the development of Moses. In fact, perhaps the book should be called "Moses." He dominates the narrative after all. When we meet Moses in his call episode, he's reluctant at best. Later in the story, he's pushing back to the Lord with moxie and bluster! I love it that we get to see that transformation; it gives me hope for my own leadership.

Now, on to Leviticus. Wonder what the significance of that name is anyway...