2:24 Covenant with Abraham Genesis 15:18
2:18 the 'Reuel' here spoken of is elsewhere called 'Jethro' so this is the beginning of the relationship between Jethro and Moses which develops through this book

1:9 Do we really think that there were more Jews in Egypt than Egyptians at this time? Or was it simply a ruse to destroy the Jews?

2:10 'The child grew' might seem to be a very causal comment. However it passes into Biblical use in a very significant way speaking of men who became faithful servants of God Judges 13:24 1 Samuel 2:21,26 Luke 1:80 2:40 and has it's origins in Genesis 21:8

Exodus 1:1- "Now these are the names" - Better "And these are the names..." Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers all start with "And" linking all these books together in one flowing narrative. Having travelled in Genesis from life in Paradise to death in Egypt, Exodus introduces us to the creation theme again. In the first few chapters of Exodus we will find new life being formed in the land of Egypt, the seed of the woman prevailing, King Sin reigning, death highlighted, along with hard labour etc.

Exodus 1:8 - "which knew not Joseph" - a change of dynasty in Egypt. Not so much that the new Pharaoh had not heard of Joseph, but that he did not acknowledge any obligation to him.  We may therefore understand by the new king’s not knowing Joseph, his disapproving of that system of government which Joseph had established, as well as his haughtily refusing to acknowledge the obligations under which the whole land of Egypt was laid to this eminent prime minister of one of his predecessors.

Exodus 1:12 - "Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens" - One of the themes of this portion of Exodus is, "Whose house is being built?" This Pharaoh was all out to build himself great treasure houses, but in v21 we learn that God was making "houses or families" for the children of Israel.

Exodus 1:16 - "if it be a son, then ye shall kill him" - The grand plans of Pharaoh are thrown into a real spin, as we read the record from here and make a note of what women (including his own daughter) do, which completely undoes all his schemes. The strength of God is truly made perfect in weakness.

[Peter's Note: Cliff has produced a Word document - a Bible insert which is a timeline for the book of Exodus. Click here to display or download it (which happens depends on your browser and your settings). It is a single page (86.7K) with two copies of the insert. Please print off and distribute if you wish. Our thanks to Bro. Cliff for this work. The required paper size is A4.]

1:8 Given what Joseph had done for Egypt and the fact that this could not have been more than 100 years or so after Joseph it is difficult to understand ‘know’ as meaning other than that this new king did not regard what Joseph had done as being because of his faith in his God.

2:3 The place of vulnerability of Moses – by the river’s brink became the place of conflict (7:15) when Moses confronted Pharaoh some 80 years later.

1:7 Notice the 4 words to indicate the increase in Israel’s numbers. 70 people went down to Egypt, and 2,500,000 went out. (Num 1:46 the soldiers were 603,550. Multiply this by at least 4 for a wife, 2 children, elderly parents, maiden aunt etc = 2,400,000, and round it off = 2½ million)

The following opinion assumes that the Hyksos kings were in power at the time of Joseph's sojourn in Egypt. 

The Hyksos kings had ruled the delta region of Egypt, where Goshen was, while the native Egyptian kings ruled southern Egypt.  A war arose between the two groups in which the Egyptian kings defeated the Hyksos.  The Hyksos, who were kindly disposed to the Israelites, were expelled.  However, the native Egyptians were contemptuous of Semites, which accounts for the hostility of the new ruler towards the Hebrews (1:8).  It is suggested that this new ruler was Rameses Miamun or his son Amenophis who succeeded him about 1604 BC. The date for Moses birth has been given at 1525 BC (although some sources cite a later date). 

Moses means drawn out of the water.  He was saved by water in an ark just as Noah was saved in his.  This is a figure of baptism which also saves us (1Pet 3:20,21). 
Moses is a type of Christ, and right away there is an echo of Pharaoh's attempt to kill him (1:16) with the attempt of Herod to kill Jesus (Matt 2:16).
Moses went into exile to Midian for forty years.  The number forty is associated with trial.  The flood was forty days upon the earth (Gen 7:17); the temptation of Jesus lasted forty days (Mark 1:13). 

Exodus 2:6
"This is one of the Hebrews' children"
The famous movie with Charleston Heston shows a piece of cloth in the basket as being Hebrew threads, but I believe that the identity was most likely because of circumcision.

1:7       In saying ‘Israel were fruitful’ we are being asked to consider that the promise to Abraham – Gen 12:2 – is still being fulfilled even though Israel were not in the land of Israel.

1:1-6This section of this chapter summarises the background to the affliction of the book of Exodus. In saying ‘Joseph died’ we are seeing a link with Gen 49:26 where Joseph died. So whilst the book of Exodus follows on from the end of Genesis there must be a time gap between the books of around 100 years.

2:3    We learn a little here about life in Egypt in the days of Moses. Bathing was done in the river therefore we can conclude that even in Pharaoh’s palace there were no bathing facilities.

Exo 2:14;Acts 7:27-28.

1:15-19 Given the midwives could have killed the children after they were born even if the midwife arrived after the birth it would seem, reading between the lines, that the Egyptians wanted to make the deaths appear natural.

There is a tendency amongst those who think themselves scholarly to dismiss biblical anomalies as being a copyist error. There's one of these anomalies in Exo 1:5 (70 persons) compared to Stephen's speech in Acts 7:14 (75 persons). So where did the extra 5 people come from? The bible margin unhelpfully suggests it's an error.

But the answer is Joseph of course; because he had come to Egypt ahead of the others. This omission is confirmed in that very same verse: "for Joseph was in Egypt already". So let's check if his family comes to five:

Joseph himself, that's one. His wife, two. Their two sons, four. Ah. That makes just 4. More problems. So shall we go for a double copyist error then? Or why not just take it in faith that both passages are correct? It would be better to trust God's word than scholarly advice wouldn't it? And if we just trust, then maybe years later we would stumble on the fact that Jacob himself was the 5th person, as he's not counted in the 70 either: "these are the names of the children of Israel... descendants of Jacob" (v1,5). Let's not be quick to point the finger at the word of God, quoting so called scholars, when the answer is often in the same text we thought we had a problem with.

Psalm 54 - David's own countrymen were his betrayers - Ziph was in the inheritance of Judah Josh 15:24. Even though betrayed by his own tribe David still seeks for God to bring deliverance :2. He left things in God's hands rather than seeking justice himself.

Psalm 55 - This Psalm is for instruction 'Maschil' in the title. It speaks of David's feelings when Ahithophel betrayed him. David's distress was because a friend had betrayed him :13,14. We must take care that we do not let our friends down. The closer we are to someone the greater is the pain if we fail them.

53:6 The cry that salvation would come out of Zion is voiced against the background of the wickedness in Israel. Do we sigh for the abominations of this world and long for the restoration of Zion and the kingdom?

54:2 The Ziphites betrayed David to Saul but David prayed that God to intervene on his behalf. He did not take vengeance himself.

55:12 In lamenting and reflecting on the hurt cause by the treachery of Ahithophel David voices the deep sorrow of one betrayed by a friend. Do we think of the consequences of our actions when we choose to sin?

7:1-4 This section of the letter is an appeal to those Jewish believers who could not see that life in Christ transcended the law of Moses.

8:14 'Led by the spirit' catches the words used to speak of Jesus' temptation (Matthew 4:1) It is not some mystical force in our lives. Rather it is that force which comes from an understanding of and desire to fulfil the will of God.

Psalm 55:12-14 - " For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company" - Though this Psalm was originally written by David, and the one he speaks of here is undoubtedly Ahithophel, the Psalm is also Messianic and probably provides an insight into Jesus' estimation of Judas that perhaps we might not otherwise have ascribed to that man. Was part of the bitter cup that Jesus wanted the Father to remove from Him, the bitterness of being betrayed by a friend and his kiss? - Matthew 26:28.

53:2 That God ‘looked down’ is rather like the way that He looked and then went down to Sodom (Gen 18:21). Of course God can see everything and could bring judgement from afar. However He involves Himself in the judgement.

54:3 Whilst we pointed out that the Ziphites were men of Judah we notice that David calls them ‘strangers’. They were strangers because they did not know David. Their hearts were set on mischief. In a similar way people we know well may well be strangers. We must appreciate that a relationship with God determines friendship and alienation.

55:14 The behaviour of Ahithophel demonstrated his hypocrisy. David had no idea of his treachery and deceit. However God did. We do well to remember that even though our brethren and sisters do not know our motives our Father does and will act in due course.

Psalm 53 In this psalm there is a plea that God would remove the "captivity of his people" V.6  This psalm is very similar to Psa 14

Psalm 54  David's prayer for God's help at the time when the Ziphites betray David's location to Saul. (1Sam 23:19)

Psalm 55  Once again a prayer of David. This would have been when Ahithophel defected to Absalom. (2Sam 15:31) You might also take a look at Psa 41

53:1      Scripturally a ‘fool’ is someone who does not listen to sound instruction. Prov 10:8

55:7 Maybe in saying ‘then would I wander far off and stay in the wilderness’ David is commenting on his feelings when he fled from Absalom. 2Sam 17:16

Raping a man's wife and then murdering him to cover up is a gross sin by anyone's standards. This is what David did, and as a direct result he obtained the hatred of Ahithophel, the woman's close family relation and David's chief advisor. Psa 55:21 describes this man's inner feelings: "war was in his heart".

One might think that it was right for Ahithophel to hate david. He had seen a great sin committed and he wanted justice to be done. He viewed David as a transgressor. Yet in the next verse (v22) David describes himself as righteous, and in v23 how God would protect him from his enemy.

The big lesson here is that God forgives; and when He forgives it is total. David was now a righteous man again. God had removed his sin so that it didn't exist any more. Ahithophel, however, still remembered, and therefore he faced the wrath of God. We need to be careful when retaining memories of another's sins. How are we to know if God has already taken that sin away? If we judge another person in our hearts, we can set ourselves up in direct opposition to God, who will go to any lengths to vindicate His righteous (forgiven) servants. This is why Jesus commanded "judge not, that you be not judged" (Luke 6:36-37).

53:8 The Psalmist saw that the only way in which the ‘wicked’ would end their activities would be when Zion had brought forth salvation – clearly a reference to the work of God through Christ in the kingdom.

55:17 David’s prayer three times a day is like Daniel – Dan 6:10. Is this an indication that it was common for faithful men to pray at three specific times in the day?

Romans 8:1 - "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" - Baptised and walking with our Lord day by day, there is nothing that can conspire against us to keep us separated from Him. Our past sins are far removed, and our present shortcomings are covered in the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world to take away our sins, so frail as we are and weak as we may feel, there is no condemnation levelled by God against those who are in Christ Jesus.

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THE GOLDEN THREAD - As Psalm 53 told us, only the fool would say there is no God. Pharaoh, thinking that he was God found out this truth to his eternal chagrin in Exds, and Paul teaches us to rejoice in the fact that there is a God, therefore nothing can pluck us out of His hand - Romans 8:28-39

Here, God states beforehand his intended 'end of the road' for us! The predestined end is set for His angels to see on our foreheads, it reads, 'This individual is intended to be conformed to the image of my Son'. Israel's High Priest too, wore on his forehead God's intended destination of the nation, 'Holiness to the Lord', although successive generations (with notable individual exceptions) have failed to complete the journey.

What a privilege we have to be so foreordained by God, we only have to steadfastly complete our course. The questions of v31-37 lead us to realise that God is on our side and so finally (v38-39), we are brought to the glorious realisation of God's love.

7:11 In saying that he was ‘deceived’ Paul is quoting Gen 3:15 to show the origin and all pervading influence of sin.

8:9 The ‘spirit of Christ’ is not some mystical inner experience for the believer. It is a tangible manifestation and acceptance of the work of Christ as a pattern for our lives. If we do not manifest his life we are none of his.

8:23 We, like Paul cannot feel complacent about our walk in Christ.  It is a struggle - the flesh is always contending with the spirit.  If we are not constantly cognizant of our failings then we should take stock (1Cor 10:12). 

If we are not yearning to be free then we must be satisfied with this passing life. When times are tough, let us remember the words of the psalmist: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. (Psa 31:24)

7:10      That the law of Moses was ‘ordained to life’ is an exposition of Lev 18:5 – that man that kept the law would live, unfortunately men cannot live by that law. The shortcoming is in man, not in God.

7:22-23 We may well be troubled by the fact that we know that we sin even though we do not want to. We should, in a sense, be encouraged by this awareness. If we do not experience these feelings then we do not appreciate how we can be delivered from our sinful nature.

8:2    Being ‘free from the law of sin and death’ does not mean that we do not sin. However  it is the status of the one who is justified by fait as his faith is counted to him for righteousness – that we are counted righteous by God despite our nature.

References to Eden:

7:7-11 is a commentary on what happened in Eden by the tree. The commandment not to eat the fruit. The deceit of the serpent.

8:20-22 specifically mentions all the curses (except the curse on the serpent - but see below!)

Rom 8:35, 38-39 refer to the separation of mankind from Eden by God, effected by the angels/cherubim in the first instance, and ultimately by death. Notice it even mentions the sword and nakedness - two further separating factors (Gen 3:10, 24)

and finally the quote in 8:36 refers to Psa 44 where in v15 we read of shame and a covering, in v21 God searching out their secrets, v24 hiding, and v25 the curse on the serpent: to cling to the ground and wallow in the dust.

If you can find any more references to Eden, please post them here or email me!

SAVED

I. things required for salvation: hope Rom 8:24-25; belief or faith John 3:16; obedience Heb 5:9; baptism after belief in the Gospel Mark 16:15-16; the blood of Christ (or sacrifice of Jesus) 1John 1:7; the grace of God Eph 2:8-9; keeping in memory what has been preached 1Cor 15:1-2 

(note how all the above are interrelated and dependent on each other).

II. three types of being saved:

     A. past tense - saved when the believer avails himself of Christ's sacrifice at his baptism 2Tim 1:9;Titus 3:4-7.

     B. present tense - saved as a continuous process throughout life Acts 2:47 (RSV,NIV); 1Cor 1:18 (RSV,NIV);1Cor 15:2;2Cor 2:15-16 (RSV,NIV); Phil 2:12-13.

     C. future tense - saved in the ultimate future sense Matt 10:22;Matt 24:13;1Cor 3:11-15;Rom 13:11;1Cor 5:5;1Tim 4:16.

III. is eternal security (i.e. once saved always saved ) Scriptural? Not if by believing this it is thought impossible for him/her to fall away Heb 3:12-14 (notice the condition "if"), 4-6; 6:4-6;10:26-31;1John 1:6.

IV. the process of being saved Acts 22:10,16;Phil 3:10-13;1Cor 9:27;Titus 3:7;Rom 8:24;2Pet 1:4-11;Col 1:22-23; Jude 1:20-21 (KJV).