When the Lord Jesus came to fulfill all that was prefigured in the events surrounding the exodus from Egypt, similar signs and wonders were present. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter reminded his listeners that Jesus of Nazareth was “a man attested . . . by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst” (Acts 2:22). The miraculous events during Jesus’ life and ministry were intended to draw attention to the mighty redemptive acts that were to take place at Calvary.

It is impossible to understand the book of Exodus without noting its place in the Pentateuch. It follows the account of the patriarchs in Genesis, but instead of there being a very limited number of Israelites in Egypt (Gen. 46:26–27), by the time of Moses’ birth they had proliferated (Ex. 1:7). The relationship with the Egyptians had also changed, in that the friendliness between the Egyptians and the Israelite incomers had been replaced by hostility.

The record in Exodus highlights the redemptive activity of God. The Israelites, suffering cruel oppression from the Egyptians, needed God to intervene. He alone could, by His almighty power, bring His people out by means of His stretched-out arm. Moses had to learn that any human activity, such as his killing the Egyptian (2:12), could never succeed in freeing an enslaved people. This pattern of redemption became basic for the theology of the Old and New Testaments. The return from exile in Babylon became a second exodus, while Jesus, on the Mount of Transfiguration, talked with Moses and Elijah of the “departure” (Greek exodos) that He was going to accomplish by His death (Luke 9:31).

The book of Exodus points to the central place of covenant in God’s redemptive purposes. Not only was the exodus going to be freedom for the Israelites, but God was going to take them to be His people, a “treasured possession” (Ex. 19:5). The Hebrew word segullah here denotes something highly esteemed in God’s sight. How God was going to do this was by means of a covenant relationship. This had been promised to Abraham (Gen.15:13–14), a message that was repeated as Moses became the leader of his people (Ex. 6:6–8). Though the language of redemption is used, there is no suggestion of God’s making an actual payment to the Egyptians. Freedom from slavery in Egypt was part of the redemption, but the biblical text clearly sets out that it is inseparably linked with the new secure bond that tied God and His people together.

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