Four hundred years had passed since Joseph welcomed his family into Egypt. What started as a promise of provision had turned into generations of slavery. God’s people multiplied, but they were oppressed and cried out for deliverance. The book of Exodus is all about God’s power to set His people free. The theme is simple: Deliverance. Exodus = Exit-Us.

I AM – The Burning Bush Encounter

Moses’ life unfolds in three chapters: forty years in Pharaoh’s courts, forty years in Midian, and forty years leading Israel. After eighty years of preparation, he encounters God in the desert through a burning bush. When Moses asks, “Who am I?” God answers, “I will be with you.” His presence, not Moses’ competence, is the guarantee.

Then God reveals His name: I AM WHO I AM. The self-existent one. The uncreated one. The one who is bigger than words. Jesus echoes this name when He declares, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” and again through the seven “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John.

The Lamb – Passover and Deliverance

Pharaoh resisted God’s command to let His people go, so God sent ten plagues, each mocking Egypt’s false gods. The final plague brought death to every firstborn—unless a spotless lamb’s blood marked the doorframe. The Lord would see the blood and pass over that house. This became the foundation of Passover.

Centuries later, Jesus redefined Passover at the Last Supper, showing that He is the Lamb of God whose blood delivers us from death.

The Ten – Covenant at Sinai

At Mount Sinai, God offered Israel a covenant: “You will be my treasured possession… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The people said yes, and God gave the Ten Commandments. These commands revealed God’s holiness and set the foundation for Israel’s culture.

Jesus later fulfilled the law, teaching from another mountain and deepening it to the heart level. He gave us the Holy Spirit so that righteousness is not just about rules, but inner transformation.

The Tent – God Dwells with His People

Exodus devotes ten chapters to the Tabernacle, God’s mobile dwelling place among His people. Every detail pointed to the gospel. The Ark of the Covenant, the altar, the laver, the lampstand, the veil—all of it foreshadowed Jesus. Hebrews 8:5 tells us the tabernacle was a shadow of heavenly reality.

And in John 1:14 we read, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Literally, Jesus tabernacled among us. God pitched His tent in our backyard.

The Thread Through It All

Exodus is more than history—it is a preview of Jesus.

• I AM – Jesus is the eternal one, the light, the shepherd, the bread.
• The Lamb – Jesus is the sacrifice who takes away the sins of the world.
• The Ten – Jesus fulfills the law and transforms hearts.
• The Tent – Jesus dwells with us, the Word made flesh.

The story of Exodus is the story of God’s presence, power, and deliverance—pointing us forward to Christ.

Message recap adapted from September 21, 2025, message by Minister Mark Ashton

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