Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS025027S
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00:00 [uplifting music]
00:10 [uplifting music] 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:15 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 We're glad that you are joining us today. 00:20 We are beginning a brand new 13-week, 13-lesson journey 00:25 through the book of Exodus. 00:27 The book of Exodus is an incredible story 00:30 of how God led and continues to lead 00:33 His people, and we're going to be exploring that 00:36 as we journey through this book. 00:38 But before we begin, let's start with prayer. 00:41 Father, we wanna thank You for being with us today, 00:45 and as we begin this brand new journey 00:46 through the book of Exodus, we ask that You would lead us, 00:50 guide us, direct us into Your truth, help us 00:53 to get a clearer picture of Your character and to see 00:57 how we can live our lives to glorify You in the last days 01:01 of earth's history. We ask Your blessing upon our time together, 01:05 and we thank You, in Jesus' name, 01:07 [both] amen. 01:08 Well, we are also grateful to have with us the author 01:12 of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 01:15 Dr. Jiri Moskala. He is the dean 01:17 of the Theological Seminary at Andrews University 01:20 and also a professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology. 01:25 Dr. Moskala, thank you for joining us. 01:27 >>Dr. Jiri Moskala: I am very excited to be here with you. 01:29 >>Eric: This is an incredible story 01:31 that we're going to be going through, 01:33 a journey, in many senses of the word, 01:36 to see how God has led in the past 01:38 and to see how He is leading us today 01:40 and desires to lead us in the future. 01:43 Now, you've written on the book of Exodus 01:45 and on this journey that Moses kind of leads us through. 01:49 Why is this subject, why is this topic, 01:52 why is this book something that you are 01:55 clearly passionate about? 01:56 What about this kind of grabs your attention 01:59 and your heart and compels you to study 02:02 into this subject more deeply? 02:04 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, the book of Exodus is actually 02:06 the foundation because it's part of the Torah, the Pentateuch, 02:14 and the Torah is really what you have in the basis 02:17 for the whole teaching of the Bible. 02:20 And Exodus is a very beautiful narrative, 02:24 is a story about God, how He was leading His people 02:27 out of the difficulties of life, and it was very close 02:31 to my heart. I always was teaching about that, 02:35 but beside lecturing, it was going back also 02:39 to my life, because I was growing up 02:42 in the former Czechoslovakia. 02:45 It was a communist country, and there was some kind 02:48 of oppression there for the religion. 02:51 And the book of Exodus was speaking to my heart 02:54 because this was God who also was hearing our prayers, 03:00 our cries, our frustrations, and He was also helping us. 03:05 So this is certainly one of the backgrounds 03:08 which helped me to really embrace 03:11 the book of Exodus, and when I was invited 03:13 to write about that, I said, "Yes, why not?" 03:18 Because this is really close to my heart. 03:21 >>Eric: So it's something that you're very passionate about. 03:23 It has a personal application based on experiences 03:25 that you've had and something you've been studying 03:27 for many, many years. 03:29 How long, how far back were you asked 03:32 to write about this? Several years ago? 03:35 When did this begin? 03:36 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, it was, I think, like five years ago 03:40 when I was asked if I would take this task, 03:42 and I said, "Yes, of course. 03:45 This is a excited book." 03:47 It's, you know, a book which brings 03:50 all the biblical themes, biblical teaching together. 03:55 It's part of the Torah, and Torah is not only something, 03:59 you know, like a law, which is iron and cold 04:05 and telling us what to do and what not to do, but Torah, 04:08 this biblical message, is actually God's instruction. 04:12 It's coming from the word "yarah," 04:15 Torah from "yarah," and it's like pointing 04:18 with a finger to the path on which we should go. 04:23 And there are God's instructions, 04:26 and these instructions are not only laws. 04:28 Actually, the first law is coming in chapter 20 of Exodus. 04:34 But there are stories, there are narratives, 04:37 there are songs, there are beautiful conversations, 04:40 and all this is teaching us something deep 04:45 about God and about life and how to relate to God and to life. 04:50 >>Eric: And so we're going to get to at least touch on 04:53 many of these themes as we go through here. 04:55 Of course, we don't have an entire semester 04:58 at the university to go through it. 05:00 We're kind of taking 13 half-hour episodes 05:02 and condensing as much as we can into it, 05:04 but we'll get the most that we can out. 05:06 You also teach at Andrews University. 05:09 I notice you've got a pin on your lapel there. 05:12 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, it's now very recent pin, 05:15 because university, Andrews University, 05:17 now celebrating 150 years of existence. 05:22 It was first in Battle Creek and then come later 05:24 to the Berrien Springs, Michigan. 05:27 So it's 150 years. And then I have the pin 05:31 of Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, 05:34 where I have the privilege to be the dean. 05:36 And we have all the important things 05:39 in this beautiful logo that we need to, you know, 05:43 serve God, we need to prepare how to serve, 05:47 and also to proclaim, and it's all under 05:50 the power of God. 05:52 It's like a flame there representing the Holy Spirit, 05:56 also the Trinity, and also the eternal gospel, 06:00 three-angel message. 06:02 And also the globe is in this setting 06:06 that we are university for the worldwide church. 06:10 >>Eric: Fantastic, taking the gospel 06:12 to all the world, that's wonderful. 06:14 Well, we're gonna get to experience part of that 06:16 as we look at the book of Exodus. 06:19 So I want to dive in to our first chapter here, 06:21 our first lesson. Let's start with a good place to start, 06:25 and that is, what about the meaning 06:27 of the word "Exodus?" What does the word "Exodus" mean, 06:30 and why in the grand scope of the biblical narrative 06:33 is understanding this really important for us? 06:37 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, the word "Exodus" is actually 06:39 from the Greek "Exodos," which means "to go out." 06:43 It's like "ex," "out," and then "odos," like "the way," 06:49 so it is "the way out." 06:52 And yes, it is God who is leading 06:55 in this way out. 06:57 Here, God's people are in Egypt, they are in oppression, 07:03 and God is finding the way in His intervention, 07:06 in His love, in His care, to take these people 07:09 out of Egypt. 07:12 >>Eric: So, we're going to go with them out of Egypt, 07:15 and of course, as the book gets started-- 07:17 and we'll delve into it here very shortly-- 07:19 they're in Egypt, and they would really like 07:22 to be somewhere else. 07:23 >>Dr. Moskala: That's right, and, you know, 07:25 even the word "Egypt," if you take it from "mitzrayim," 07:29 it's like a dual-- it's like God's people 07:32 are in double grip. 07:35 They are there, and they need to be liberated, 07:39 so God wants to lead them out. 07:41 So Egypt is not only like the country, 07:44 but we can take it as a model for us. 07:47 And it was for me, personally, that we are in this grip of sin, 07:52 of difficulties of life, persecution and misery 07:56 and despair, and God who is intervening, 08:01 and He can find the way, to from these difficulties out, 08:07 "ex," so, "exodus," so that He can really bring liberation, 08:13 deliverance, and redemption. 08:16 >>Eric: And we're going to see that as we continue throughout. 08:18 You know, I was in Greece not too long ago, 08:22 and driving along the highways, as you get ready to go off 08:24 on an exit, it's "exodos." "Exodos," right? 08:28 That's the exit sign. >>Dr. Moskala: Exactly. 08:30 >>Eric: So it's the way out. 08:31 So you still see that, day to day, driving through Greece. 08:34 >>Dr. Moskala: Or you're in the building, 08:35 and then you have "exodos," where to go out. 08:38 >>Eric: This is the way to go out, very good. 08:41 How does the book of Exodus begin? 08:44 We've kind of touched on it a little bit. 08:45 How does the book of Exodus begin? 08:47 What are some of the key events that sort of set the stage 08:50 for the story in the book of Exodus? 08:52 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, of course, the book of Exodus 08:54 is continuation of Genesis, and in Genesis, at the end, 08:59 you see after God created everything, 09:02 and sin came and flood, and God called God's people Israel 09:07 to existence through, you know, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 09:13 then you end with Joseph, who is in Egypt, 09:19 and then the whole family is coming to Egypt. 09:23 So--and the book of Exodus in the first verses 09:27 starts with that and is enumerating 09:30 the family of Jacob. 09:32 But what is important is not now the names and so forth. 09:36 The most important is that God is now fulfilling His promises, 09:41 because He said, "I will bless you. You will multiply. 09:46 You will be great in number. You will be successful." 09:49 And now, you have it, right in the very beginning, 09:53 you have this enumeration of the people of God. 09:57 They came, they were 70, and now you read 10:01 in that passage that they are now, 10:03 the Israelites were "fruitful, multiplied greatly, and became 10:07 exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them." 10:11 So it starts with the beautiful message 10:14 that God is fulfilling His Word, fulfilling His blessings. 10:20 His promises are certain, and it starts there. 10:24 So I would say that the whole book 10:26 is like a gospel, and this gospel is about God, 10:31 who is behind all these stories and is leading His people 10:39 to the new journey, and He is with them. 10:43 >>Eric: So we see as the book begins 10:44 that they have indeed been fruitful, 10:46 they have multiplied, but it doesn't take very long 10:49 for us to realize that even though they are numerous, 10:51 their condition is not very good in Egypt. 10:56 So, what was the condition of the Hebrew people 10:58 when Moses was born, and how did that impact his early life? 11:03 >>Dr. Moskala: Yeah, you know, after this beautiful story, 11:06 how God fulfilled His promises, you read that there is now 11:11 new government, new pharaoh in Egypt 11:13 "who did not know Joseph." 11:17 So, he is now trying, when he see this numerous nation, 11:23 to subject them to the service. 11:27 So he see the cheap labor. [chuckles ruefully] 11:30 And we read, you know, right from the very beginning 11:34 of chapter 1, after this, what God made for God's people, 11:41 that there is oppression. 11:43 Then now, there is the first, it's like 18th dynasty in Egypt. 11:50 Before, there were the Hyksos there. 11:53 Now it's changing, and Ahmose is starting 11:56 the dynasty who did not know Joseph-- 12:01 probably personally, of course, he did not know. 12:04 And then you have these other pharaohs 12:08 who make it more and more difficult. 12:11 >>Eric: So it's an interesting situation 12:13 that Moses' family finds themselves in 12:15 when Moses arrives on the scene, and we're going to 12:18 delve into that in just a little bit. 12:19 >>Dr. Moskala: And this is actually probably 12:21 by God's providence that Moses is born, 12:25 because people of God are crying to God, "Lord, help us! 12:29 We are in misery. We are in desperation." 12:32 And then, you hear that God is seeing that misery, 12:39 that God is hearing their cries. 12:42 So God sees the tears of God's people, 12:45 so He decides, "Yes, I will do something." 12:48 And by His providence, He's leading, you know, 12:52 this family to have a baby, 12:57 and this baby is called later Moses. 13:00 >>Eric: And we're going to see how Moses grows up 13:02 and how he helps to set God's people free. 13:05 Before we go there, though, we're going to go to break 13:07 in just a moment, but there is a companion book 13:10 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 13:12 which you have also written, that kind of goes 13:14 into a little bit more depth and detail in what we're studying. 13:18 Share with us a little bit about that companion book 13:20 and why someone might want to pick that up. 13:22 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, it was a joy for me to also be an author 13:26 of this companion book because here I can give 13:29 some more details which are not in the quarterly. 13:33 Like in the first chapter, I can speak more 13:37 about this 18th dynasty and explain who was who 13:45 in that family and match 13:48 these names of different pharaohs, 13:52 which are not named in the biblical text, 13:54 with the different verses there. 13:58 So, I think it's a very important companion 14:02 in order to see more about this God of Exodus, 14:06 God of Moses. 14:07 >>Eric: Very good, so if you would like to pick up 14:09 that companion book to the "Sabbath School" lesson, 14:12 you can do so very easily. 14:14 You will find it at itiswritten.shop, 14:16 again, itiswritten.shop. 14:19 Just look for the companion book to this quarter's 14:21 "Sabbath School" lesson by Dr. Jiri Moskala. 14:25 We're going to be back in just a moment 14:26 as we continue delving into the book of Exodus. 14:30 We'll be right back in just a moment. 14:32 [inspiring music] 14:37 >>John Bradshaw: You know that at It Is Written, 14:39 we are serious about the study of the Word of God, 14:42 and we encourage you to be serious 14:45 about God's Word also. 14:47 Well, I want to share with you another way 14:49 that you can dig deeper into the Word of God, 14:51 and here it is: itiswritten.study. 14:56 Go online to itiswritten.study, and you can access 15:01 the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, 15:04 25 in-depth Bible studies that will walk you 15:07 through the Bible. 15:09 It's going to be good for you, and it's the sort of thing 15:11 that you will want to tell somebody else about 15:15 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 15:18 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 15:21 As you get into the It Is Written 15:23 online Bible study guides, you'll understand 15:25 the prophecies of the Bible, the plan of salvation, and more. 15:29 So don't forget: itiswritten.study, 15:32 itiswritten.study. 15:36 [uplifting music] 15:41 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:43 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:45 We are looking at lesson number 1 of 13 15:48 as we study the book of Exodus. 15:51 Dr. Moskala, as we're looking at the book of Exodus, you and I 15:55 already know that this is really a book about how God is working, 16:00 how He is orchestrating things and giving opportunities 16:04 for Moses and His children-- that is, God's children-- 16:07 to glorify Him in the world. 16:09 Talk with us a little about, a little bit about who this God 16:12 of the Exodus is and how is He described 16:16 in terms of His character, of His actions? 16:19 What do we get to know about God through the story of the Exodus? 16:24 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, I am always excited 16:25 when I can speak about the God of Exodus 16:28 because it's the God of Moses, God of hHis people. 16:31 And the whole book is not actually about Israelites 16:35 or about Moses, even though he's the author 16:38 of these beautiful narratives, how God was leading. 16:43 It is the book about God. 16:45 It is real gospel. It's a good news about Him. 16:50 And what I really see in the whole book 16:54 is that beauty of God, beauty of His character, 16:59 because here are the people, and they are His people, 17:04 but of course, they are growing, and they are now in oppression. 17:10 They are praying to God, and we read 17:12 right in the very beginning that they are now crying to God. 17:17 They are groaning in their misery, 17:20 they are in desperation, and I think that this is why 17:23 so many people who are marginalized 17:26 or in oppression or in persecution, 17:29 or they are overlooked, or they are, like, at the periphery, 17:35 you know, and they are in their despair, 17:38 they can relate to the Israelites, 17:41 and then they can relate to God. 17:44 Because you read right here at the end of chapter 2, 17:49 "God heard their groaning and He remembered 17:52 "His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 17:57 "So God looked on the Israelites and [He] was concerned 18:01 about them," so this compassion of God. 18:04 And then you have many stories, and in the stories 18:10 you have how God is seeing their misery, 18:14 hearing their cries, that He is the one 18:16 who is intervening into their lives. 18:19 And it's really the best description of God 18:24 in that book is what I call the John 3:16 18:28 of the Old Testament, 18:30 and this is in Exodus, chapter 34, verse 6 and 7, 18:34 and I am sure that later on we will study this text 18:36 in more details. 18:39 But this is the text which says that the God is this Yahweh God, 18:45 the God of His people who is intervening, close God, 18:49 intimate God, personal God, and this God is gracious, 18:54 compassionate, slow to anger. 18:57 He's full of patience, He's not only love 19:00 but abounding in love, He's faithful, He's forgiving, 19:04 but He's also just, and He's also holy. 19:07 So, you have all this variety of different pictures, 19:10 and if you go through the different stories, 19:13 of course, He is the leader, He is the legislator, 19:17 He is also the warrior who is fighting for His people. 19:22 He is the one who is like the mother or father 19:25 who is taking care of His people. 19:29 The picture on one of them is that God is like the eagle 19:34 who is carrying His people on His back like an eagle, 19:41 you know, the little ones, and that He is really the one 19:45 who is taking care of what they need. 19:49 So, I think that when you read the book of Exodus, 19:53 you must be excited about this God 19:55 because He is not only the mighty, defeating, you know, 20:00 the enemies, defeating Egyptian gods, 20:03 but also intervening for those who were, like, 20:08 on the periphery, marginalized, suppressed, oppressed, 20:12 persecuted, those who are crying to God, 20:17 and God knows their tears. 20:19 And I think that this is a picture that we can know, 20:22 that God knows your tears, my tears, and our tears, 20:25 everyone, and we can be sure that God is for us 20:30 and never against us. 20:32 >>Eric: So we see this picture of God being the one 20:34 who is for us, but in the story, we see some personifications 20:40 of those who are against God and His people, 20:42 and those would be the pharaohs; 20:44 at least, by the time we get to Exodus, 20:46 that's the case. 20:48 Walk us through-- we have a brief amount of time, 20:51 but give us an idea of who these pharaohs were, 20:54 as best we can match the Bible up with world history. 20:57 Who do we think these pharaohs likely were? 21:00 >>Dr. Moskala: You know, that is very interesting 21:01 that when you read through the book of Exodus, 21:04 there is no one pharaoh named. 21:08 You have the story about two ladies, midwives. 21:13 Their names is there, but, like, these pharaohs 21:18 are without name, but they are powerful, of course, 21:21 and they are making misery for God's people. 21:26 They are oppressing them, and they are against 21:30 God's purposes, so they are really fighting 21:33 against God and His people, against His law. 21:37 And when you start with the book of Exodus, 21:40 you can see that you have then, in verse 11 of chapter 1, 21:45 "So they put slave masters over them to oppress them 21:48 with forced labor." 21:50 And the pharaoh of oppression, we can say that was Amenhotep I. 21:58 And then, of course, you have in verse 15, 22:03 that was now the pharaoh of the death decree, 22:08 when he wanted that all boys who will be in--the baby boys 22:13 who will be born need to be killed. 22:16 And this pharaoh, we can say this was Thutmose I. 22:22 And you can go through it. 22:25 But the most famous pharaoh, where we call, like, pharaoh 22:30 of the Exodus, was Thutmose III, and he is called in literature 22:36 like the Napoleon of the 18th dynasty, 22:42 Napoleon of the Middle East. He was very famous. 22:45 He led so many battles and was always victorious. 22:50 So this was, his army was like the most famous, 22:55 splendid army in that time, 22:58 and he was leading everything 23:02 in order to crush God's people and not allow God to do 23:08 what He wanted with His help for the Israelites. 23:13 >>Eric: So you make an interesting point 23:15 that in the Bible, God doesn't name these pharaohs, 23:18 but we can pretty well put together which ones they were 23:21 through looking at history. 23:22 But He does, as you mentioned, name the two midwives. 23:27 Talk with us a little bit about these midwives 23:29 and the role that they played in God's plan. 23:32 >>Dr. Moskala: You know, the name of these two midwives 23:34 is Shiphrah and Puah. 23:37 It is very interesting, it is there, and it is stated, 23:42 like, the characteristic, that they did not fear the pharaoh, 23:47 but they feared the Lord. 23:50 And because they were not afraid of the pharaoh 23:53 and they were not afraid of pharaoh because they feared God, 23:56 and what does it mean to "fear God"? 23:58 It means that they made their decisions in respect, 24:02 in regard of what God wants, not what pharaoh wants, 24:06 but what really the Lord wants. 24:09 And especially when they were under, you know, 24:14 the command of the pharaoh, they did everything possible 24:19 to save the babies, and they did 24:24 because they feared the Lord, and God blessed them. 24:27 This is what we have in the text. 24:30 And then when pharaoh saw that he cannot change it, 24:33 then he ordered even his people to kill these babies. 24:37 So, this is a very, very sad story of Thutmose I, 24:42 who was so afraid that this nation 24:47 will be maybe stronger than they will be, 24:49 and they try to oppress more and more to make their life 24:53 very miserable and subject it to their commands. 24:57 >>Eric: So these two midwives played a significant role 25:01 in preserving Moses' life. 25:05 And let's talk about the birth of Moses very quickly. 25:09 We don't have a lot of time, but the birth of Moses, 25:11 why was that significant? 25:13 And what about the first 40 years of Moses' life-- 25:18 what did that look like? 25:20 And again, we don't have too long, but let's touch on that. 25:22 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, this was a miracle 25:24 that his life was preserved. 25:26 And we know that when the pharaoh's daughter 25:28 was coming, it was, again, I believe strongly, 25:32 by God's providence. 25:34 And again, from the history, the best fitting lady 25:38 which will be fulfilling that role was the daughter 25:43 of the pharaoh, which was Hatshepsut. 25:47 And this, you know, queen later on 25:52 saved, actually, Moses, and she actually 25:56 gave also the name to Moses, and maybe the name 26:02 was much more longer, like "Thutmoses." 26:08 You know, you have this "Moses" at the end always. 26:11 Maybe because the god of Nile was happy, 26:16 maybe he was happy Moses, like, taken out of the Nile. 26:23 But then biblical narrative always speak about Moses 26:27 as Moses, as the one who is "taken out." 26:31 And this was, like, a big miracle. 26:35 And then, you know, all, everybody know the story 26:40 that then was the sister of Moses 26:43 plays very important role there 26:45 and spoke about the mother 26:48 of the baby, of Moses. 26:52 And then Moses could stay, like, 12 years in the home 26:56 and was educated about the true God, living God. 27:01 Who is He? What is His plan? 27:04 What is His will? What is His teaching? 27:07 So these 12 years, I am strongly persuaded, 27:11 were the formative years. 27:13 And mother, of course, father, and the family, Israelites 27:17 play very important role in it. 27:20 >>Eric: The book of Exodus and the story of Moses 27:22 gives us a lot to think about, 27:24 a lot that we can learn from, and we're going to be continuing 27:28 to learn from this story from the book of Exodus 27:31 as we delve more deeply into the story of Moses, 27:34 the choices that he made, some choices good, 27:37 some maybe not so good. 27:39 But regardless of the choices that he made, God was able 27:41 to work with him to bring about some incredible things. 27:45 And we have just, just scratched the surface today 27:48 as we are beginning this incredible journey 27:50 on the book of Exodus. 27:53 We invite you to join us next week as we continue 27:57 this journey, looking more at the story of Moses, 27:59 more at the story of God, 28:01 and more at the story of you and me. 28:05 We will see you again next week here on "Sabbath School," 28:08 brought to you by It Is Written. 28:10 [uplifting music] 28:25 [uplifting music] 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.aberdeen.io] |
Revised 2025-06-24