Exodus 1 - Finding Jesus in Exodus - Part 1 "Redemption Flow from Promise, not Performance"

Join us today as Dr. Becker begins our series in ExodusQ: How do we reconcile Exodus 12:40?              “...the time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years...” – Masoretic Text (MT)                “...the time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt and Canaan was 430 years...” – Septuagint (LXX) and Samaritan Pentateuch                                 Paul’s interpretation in Galatians 3:17 clearly assumes this broader timeline                                                ...the 430 years does not begin with Egypt                                                ...it begins with promise – Egypt is part of the sojourning, not the starting line                                God’s promise to Abram (Gen 12:6) when he entered Canaan is the beginning of the 430 years                                                ...Israel is defined by promise, not by geography -- Israel is a people counted before they are a people enslaved                       ·         The promise to Abram in Canaan                         Gen 12:7                                                                                               The START of the 430 years·         Sojourn in Canaan by the Patriarchs    Gen 12:8 – 45:28  ·         Descent into Egypt by Jacob (Israel)                     Gen 46:1 – 50:26·         Enslavement, affliction, & the Exodus Ex 1:1 – 18:27·         Mt. Sinai and the giving of the Law                      Ex 19:1, “...on that very day...”                       The END of the 430 years Q: Why does this matter (theologically)?Paul’s point (in Gal 3:17) is that Israel was God’s people before Egypt. They were heirs before the Law. Redemption flows from promise, not performance.                                ...God did not rescue Israel because they kept the Law                                ...God gave them the Law because He had already redeemed them                The Bible is showing us that God’s promises are never rushed, God’s deliverance is never late, and redemption happens “on that very day” that He appoints.                                ...the Exodus wasn’t random; it was a scheduled grace. Q: How do we construct a conservative, Bible-believing chronology for the Patriarchs with key dates leading up to the Exodus?1.       Determine an anchor point date for the Exodus: date of the Exodus is 1446 BC (See 1 Kings 6:1, “...480 years from Exodus to Solomon’s 4th year...” in 966 BC) 2.       Work backward using Paul’s 430 years: date of the Exodus is 1446 BC minus 430 years = date of Abram’s promise is 1876 BC (See Gal 3:17)3.       Check it against Abram’s age: Abram’s call in 1876 BC minus 75 = birth of Abram is 1951 BC (See Gen 12:4, “...Abram was 75 years old when he departed”)                 Timeline:·         1951 BC                                        Birth of Abram·         1876 BC                                        The promise to Abram in Canaan                                                                                 The START of the 430 years·         1876 -- 1660 BC                           ~215 years in Canaan·         ~1660 BC                                      Jacob (Israel) enters Egypt·         1660 -- 1446 BC                           ~215 years in Egypt·         1446 BC                                         The Exodus; the Law given at Sinai                                                                                     The END of the 430 years  Q: Why this matters theologically (again, Paul’s point)                ...the clock starts with grace, not bondage; with promise, not law; with justification by faith, not works.                ...Israel is God’s people: before slavery, before Sinai, before obedience -- which is precisely why Paul goes back to Abraham when explaining the gospel!                                ...the Exodus isn’t the beginning of redemption; it’s the fulfillment of a promise made centuries earlier.