Some Notes on the Exodus Sermon Series

There have been many popular sermons preached on portions of the book of Exodus. This sermon series endeavors to respect both the times truths and the rhetorical literary aspects of the text. For instance, the story of the birth of Moses is filled with Irony, which seems to build an anticipation which initially meets with dissapointment. The hope to dissappointment cycles in the literary structure of the first two chapters is a virtual emotional roller coaster.

The first two chapters of Exodus barely even mention God. No mention is made of God's hand in the events of the first two chapters. Many sermons speak of what God must have been "doing" during those 80 years. However, the way the story is arranged and told purposefully leaves God's intervention out of the story. The "absence" of God in the first two chapters becomes even more pronounced in light of the fact that God is the "central" figure throughout the rest of Exodus. The first two chapters do not portray God's action, but rather the action of "people" trying to survive by their own wits.

Many sermon series pay little to no heed to the second half of the book of Exodus. The story goes lightning speed through at least eighty years in the first two chapters, then slows, giving greater detail to the call of Moses and the ten plagues. After the crossing of the sea and the journey to Sinai, the story slows to a snails pace. This means that there is a great emphasis to what is said and done at Sinai, yet many preachers give little or no attention to the second half of the book of Exodus. There is something significant about what is said and done at Sinai, especially in light of the fact that so much attention is given to it.

This sermon series will take into account peculiarities such as this.