WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:02.970 Malcom: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience. 00:00:03.083 --> 00:00:04.153 Day 100 and 2 00:00:04.535 --> 00:00:06.125 Immersed in Exodus. 00:00:08.585 --> 00:00:12.485 The Book of Exodus describes how God makes his third covenant with humanity, 00:00:12.995 --> 00:00:17.705 Abraham's descendants multiply into the ancient nation of Israel, and God 00:00:17.705 --> 00:00:21.785 appoints Moses to serve as the mediator of Israel's covenant relationship with God. 00:00:23.255 --> 00:00:27.215 The Bible describes this covenant in such detail that its story and 00:00:27.215 --> 00:00:31.205 provisions make up the rest of the first five books, a sign of how 00:00:31.205 --> 00:00:33.215 crucial it is for what follows. 00:00:34.445 --> 00:00:37.235 Exodus continues the story from the book of Genesis. 00:00:37.685 --> 00:00:41.915 It explains how the descendants of Jacob's sons, after settling in Egypt, 00:00:42.245 --> 00:00:47.135 multiply into a nation and become enslaved by Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. 00:00:48.005 --> 00:00:51.725 God sees the suffering of his people and intervenes to save them. 00:00:52.415 --> 00:00:56.135 A move that establishes the pattern for God's future acts of rescue. 00:00:57.005 --> 00:01:01.205 Moses is chosen as the leader who will deliver the Israelites from slavery 00:01:01.535 --> 00:01:05.885 and bring them to their own land through a series of terrible plagues. 00:01:06.155 --> 00:01:11.135 God convinces Pharaoh to release the people the plagues represent the Lord's 00:01:11.135 --> 00:01:13.805 judgment against all the gods of Egypt. 00:01:14.585 --> 00:01:20.195 God reveals his name to Moses Yahweh, meaning I am who I am. 00:01:20.825 --> 00:01:24.695 And shows himself to be more powerful than these false gods and powers. 00:01:25.835 --> 00:01:29.345 These stories are told in the same astic arrangement as many 00:01:29.350 --> 00:01:30.605 of the stories in Genesis. 00:01:31.655 --> 00:01:35.825 Once they are free from slavery, the Israelites set off toward Canaan, 00:01:36.155 --> 00:01:38.855 the land God had promised to Abraham. 00:01:39.575 --> 00:01:42.815 God goes with them along the way, and at Mount Sinai he 00:01:42.815 --> 00:01:44.285 renews his covenant with them. 00:01:44.975 --> 00:01:47.135 If the people obey God's instructions. 00:01:47.600 --> 00:01:52.610 There will be God's special treasure from among all the peoples on earth, his 00:01:52.615 --> 00:01:55.700 kingdom of priests, and his holy nation. 00:01:56.600 --> 00:02:00.500 The implication of this covenant ceremony is that Israel is not being 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:02.210 chosen merely for their own sake. 00:02:02.510 --> 00:02:06.650 They are being given a special vocation as part of God's mission to restore 00:02:06.650 --> 00:02:12.050 the world At Mount Sinai, God begins to deliver the laws starting with 00:02:12.050 --> 00:02:16.010 the 10 Commandments that will shape the Israelites into his community. 00:02:17.210 --> 00:02:20.060 Many of these laws teach the way of life that God intends for 00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:23.450 his people by explaining what to do in specific situations. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:28.280 For example, one law states, if you see that the donkey of someone who hates 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:34.160 you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by instead, stop and help and 00:02:34.160 --> 00:02:35.930 perhaps make a friend out of an enemy. 00:02:36.890 --> 00:02:39.020 Other laws speak in more general terms. 00:02:39.200 --> 00:02:43.640 For example, you must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. 00:02:44.150 --> 00:02:45.920 Remember you yourselves. 00:02:45.920 --> 00:02:48.530 Were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 00:02:49.670 --> 00:02:52.640 Many more laws of both kinds are given in the books that follow. 00:02:53.210 --> 00:02:57.290 But Exodus, after presenting an initial collection of laws, then 00:02:57.290 --> 00:02:59.300 turns to describe the tabernacle. 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:04.580 This is a beautiful tent with a courtyard and furnishings where God will live in 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:06.230 the midst of the people's encampment. 00:03:07.160 --> 00:03:09.830 The tabernacle is filled with representations of different 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:10.910 parts of the creation. 00:03:11.450 --> 00:03:17.150 Earth, sea lights in the sky, et cetera, revealing that God intends for 00:03:17.150 --> 00:03:21.620 the world to be his home with humanity living in close fellowship with him. 00:03:22.730 --> 00:03:27.650 The Tabernacles description is actually recounted twice in detail once as the 00:03:27.650 --> 00:03:31.340 plans for the tabernacle are given, and again, when those plans are carried 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:36.740 out, then the Tabernacles construction is summarized three additional times. 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:41.240 These repeated descriptions of the tabernacle indicate the importance of 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:44.030 God returning to live among his people. 00:03:45.050 --> 00:03:48.710 This is one of the places in the Bible where it can feel like the story stops 00:03:49.100 --> 00:03:53.420 because there are practically no action episodes for a very long stretch. 00:03:54.050 --> 00:03:58.310 Although Moses does put down a rebellion among the people between the two detailed 00:03:58.310 --> 00:04:02.930 descriptions of the tabernacle, but the story of God's covenant relationship 00:04:02.930 --> 00:04:04.970 with humanity continues to unfold. 00:04:05.720 --> 00:04:08.840 As that relationship is given statutory expression through the 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:13.550 law and artistic expression through the craftsmanship of the tabernacle. 00:04:14.570 --> 00:04:18.410 It's early in the Bible story, but God is already working to create 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:20.630 a new humanity and a new world. 00:04:26.230 --> 00:04:27.370 The Book of Exodus. 00:04:30.035 --> 00:04:32.765 These are the names of the Sons of Israel. 00:04:33.065 --> 00:04:39.185 That is Jacob who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family, Ruben, 00:04:39.755 --> 00:04:52.115 Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, Benjamin, Dan, Naftaly, GAD, and Asher. 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:53.900 In all. 00:04:54.230 --> 00:04:58.670 Jacob had 70 descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who 00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:01.610 was already there in time. 00:05:01.700 --> 00:05:07.460 Joseph and all of his brothers died ending that entire generation, but 00:05:07.460 --> 00:05:11.900 their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. 00:05:12.470 --> 00:05:16.610 In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:18.920 powerful and filled the land. 00:05:20.510 --> 00:05:25.100 Eventually a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing 00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:27.740 about Joseph or what he had done. 00:05:28.820 --> 00:05:34.040 He said to his people, look, the people of Israel now outnumber 00:05:34.045 --> 00:05:35.690 us and are stronger than we are. 00:05:36.200 --> 00:05:39.410 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:44.630 If we don't, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies 00:05:44.630 --> 00:05:48.580 and fight against us, then they will escape from the country. 00:05:50.090 --> 00:05:53.630 So the Egyptians made the Israelites, their slaves. 00:05:54.290 --> 00:05:58.190 They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear 00:05:58.190 --> 00:05:59.810 them down with crushing labor. 00:06:00.890 --> 00:06:05.180 They forced them to build the cities of Python and Rames as 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:06.800 supplies centers for the king. 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:11.660 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:16.550 multiplied and spread and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. 00:06:17.195 --> 00:06:18.575 So the Egyptians worked. 00:06:18.575 --> 00:06:23.825 The people of Israel without mercy, they made their lives bitter, forcing 00:06:23.825 --> 00:06:27.575 them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. 00:06:28.115 --> 00:06:30.185 They were ruthless in all their demands. 00:06:31.175 --> 00:06:37.205 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shrah and P. 00:06:38.525 --> 00:06:43.115 When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch, as they deliver, 00:06:43.745 --> 00:06:46.055 if the baby is a boy, kill him. 00:06:47.075 --> 00:06:49.385 If it is a girl, let her live. 00:06:50.495 --> 00:06:55.715 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king's orders. 00:06:56.165 --> 00:06:58.475 They allowed the boys to live too. 00:07:00.125 --> 00:07:03.005 So the King of Egypt called for the midwives. 00:07:03.635 --> 00:07:05.045 Why have you done this? 00:07:05.495 --> 00:07:09.185 He demanded, why have you allowed the boys to live? 00:07:10.415 --> 00:07:13.055 The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. 00:07:13.565 --> 00:07:17.615 The midwives replied, they are more vigorous and have their babies so 00:07:17.615 --> 00:07:20.285 quickly that we cannot get there in time. 00:07:21.575 --> 00:07:26.735 So God was good to the midwives and the Israelites continued to multiply, 00:07:27.155 --> 00:07:29.255 growing more and more powerful. 00:07:29.975 --> 00:07:35.075 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 00:07:36.725 --> 00:07:40.205 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people. 00:07:40.730 --> 00:07:48.050 Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River, but you may let the girls live 00:07:50.660 --> 00:07:51.920 about this time. 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:55.730 A man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:59.630 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 00:08:00.230 --> 00:08:04.640 She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:10.280 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds 00:08:10.280 --> 00:08:12.560 and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. 00:08:13.250 --> 00:08:16.880 She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds 00:08:16.880 --> 00:08:18.680 along the bank of the Nile River. 00:08:19.580 --> 00:08:25.100 The baby's sister then stood at a distance watching to see what would happen to him. 00:08:26.090 --> 00:08:30.710 Soon, Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe in the river and her 00:08:30.710 --> 00:08:32.930 attendance walked along the riverbank. 00:08:33.830 --> 00:08:37.100 When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:38.720 sent her maid to get it for her. 00:08:39.530 --> 00:08:42.320 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. 00:08:42.890 --> 00:08:46.460 The little boy was crying and she felt sorry for him. 00:08:47.540 --> 00:08:50.810 This must be one of the Hebrew children, she said. 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:56.450 Then the baby's sister approached the princess, should I go and find one of the 00:08:56.450 --> 00:08:58.370 Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you? 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:00.650 She asked, yes. 00:09:00.680 --> 00:09:00.830 Do. 00:09:01.565 --> 00:09:02.735 The princess replied. 00:09:03.545 --> 00:09:08.435 So the girl went and called the baby's mother, take this 00:09:08.435 --> 00:09:09.995 baby and nurse him for me. 00:09:10.505 --> 00:09:14.435 The princess told the baby's mother, I will pay you for your help. 00:09:15.455 --> 00:09:18.305 So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. 00:09:19.385 --> 00:09:23.765 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Farrell's 00:09:23.765 --> 00:09:26.195 daughter who adopted him as her own son. 00:09:27.065 --> 00:09:30.815 The princess named him Moses, for she explained. 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:33.710 I lifted him out of the water. 00:09:35.330 --> 00:09:38.060 Many years later when Moses had grown up. 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:43.220 He went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw 00:09:43.225 --> 00:09:45.410 how hard they were forced to work. 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:51.140 During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating, one of his fellow Hebrews, 00:09:52.100 --> 00:09:55.490 after looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching. 00:09:56.090 --> 00:09:59.540 Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. 00:10:00.365 --> 00:10:03.935 The next day when Moses went out to visit his people again, 00:10:04.325 --> 00:10:06.545 he saw two Hebrew men fighting. 00:10:07.535 --> 00:10:09.275 Why are you beating up your friend? 00:10:10.025 --> 00:10:15.395 Moses said to the one who had started the fight, the man replied, who 00:10:15.395 --> 00:10:19.685 appointed you to be our prince and judge, are you going to kill me as 00:10:19.685 --> 00:10:21.485 you killed that Egyptian yesterday? 00:10:22.805 --> 00:10:27.215 Then Moses was afraid, thinking everyone knows what I did. 00:10:28.280 --> 00:10:33.290 Sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened and he tried to kill Moses, 00:10:33.890 --> 00:10:37.490 but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. 00:10:38.540 --> 00:10:42.740 When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. 00:10:43.430 --> 00:10:47.480 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:50.750 to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's flux. 00:10:51.770 --> 00:10:54.710 But some other shepherds came and chased them away. 00:10:55.580 --> 00:10:58.790 So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. 00:10:59.450 --> 00:11:01.490 Then he drew water for their flocks. 00:11:02.390 --> 00:11:06.590 When the girls returned to rule their father, he asked, why 00:11:06.595 --> 00:11:08.360 are you back so soon today? 00:11:09.170 --> 00:11:11.660 And Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:16.400 They answered, and then he drew water for us and watered our flocks. 00:11:16.910 --> 00:11:18.140 Then where is he? 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:21.800 Their father asked, why did you leave him there? 00:11:22.160 --> 00:11:24.050 Invite him to come and eat with us. 00:11:25.745 --> 00:11:31.715 Moses accepted the invitation and he settled there with him in time. 00:11:32.165 --> 00:11:35.855 Rule gave Moses his daughter, Zipporah to be his wife. 00:11:36.605 --> 00:11:43.685 Later she gave birth to a son and Moses named him Gershom for he explained I 00:11:43.685 --> 00:11:46.175 have been a foreigner in a foreign land. 00:11:48.305 --> 00:11:51.185 This concludes today's Immer reading experience. 00:11:51.305 --> 00:11:52.505 Thank you for joining us.