The book of Exodus is the second book of Moses. This second book recounts the growth of the nation of Israel. At the end of the previous book, Genesis, Jacob and his family were living in Egypt. Joseph had been sold by his brothers to traders, human traffickers, who had sold him on to Potiphar one of Pharaoh’s leading officers. A great famine was raging, and Jacob had sent his sons for food and eventually they meet Joseph, who, instead of getting his revenge on them, sends for his father and they all settle in Goshen in Egypt. In a way it had unlikely beginnings but that is all down to our amazing God. He brings good out of seemingly bad situations and His work lasts for ever.
In Genesis He formed the world and the universe out of nothing, in Exodus He formed the nation of Israel from seeming disaster. Exodus signifies ‘departure’ or ‘going out’ which we get from the leaving of Egypt. It is said that there are more ‘types’ of Christ in this book than any other.
The book begins with the names of the sons of Jacob who came with him to Egypt, “…. each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.”
This had taken place over 400 years earlier and in verse 7 we read that they had multiplied, were fruitful and increased, grown exceedingly mighty and the land was filled with them. They had grown rapidly in Egypt and because of that the Egyptians were afraid of them.
