Theology

 Book of Exodus

● takes place roughly 400 years after the death of Joseph — the Israelites have been enslaved in Egypt that

whole time.

● Meaning of the word: "Exodus" = to exit, to go out — God’s saving act to free the Israelites from slavery.

● Genre: Epic — a very long story about a hero who goes through many trials and embodies the traits of a

people; the hero is a model to look up to. It’s a traditional epic — first told orally, then written down.

● Sources: written by many different people/sources over time, not one author. Most of the Old Testament was

written & edited during the Babylonian Exile era — but Exodus is actually the first story written, even before

Genesis.

● Theme: the foundation story of the Jewish people; Moses is remembered as their great savior. The journey

(Egypt → Red Sea → Mount Sinai) ends in a major renewal of the covenant — the moment Jews mark as

becoming the nation of Israel.

■ 2. Moses' Early Life

● A Hebrew woman with two children puts baby Moses in a basket on the river to save him from Pharaoh’s

order to kill Hebrew baby boys.

● His sister’s role: she watches the basket and, once Pharaoh’s daughter finds him, arranges for his own

mother to nurse him — so Moses grows up knowing his real family.

● Pharaoh’s daughter finds him, thinks he must be special, and names him — Moses means "drawn from

water."

● Raised as an Egyptian even though he’s Hebrew, since he was adopted into Pharaoh’s household. This

gave him access, education, and status — but he always knew he was a Hebrew at heart, a dual identity that

later lets him move between both worlds.

● Moses, his brother Aaron, and sister Miriam are from the tribe of Levi — the priestly tribe.

■ 3. Time in Midian

● Why he went: as an adult, Moses sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite, murders the soldier, and has to

flee for his life — he ends up in Midian.

● What happened there: he meets a man named Jethro and lives with him, working as a shepherd.

● This quiet shepherd period prepares Moses to later lead the Israelites through the wilderness

 Call of Moses & God's Names

● Theophany = a visible/physical appearance of God. God appears to Moses as a burning bush at Mount

Horeb — the bush burns but is never consumed, and Moses hears God’s voice.

● This is the first time since Abraham that God has direct communication with someone.

● God says He has heard the cries of His people and chosen Moses to save them.

God’s Name — Yahweh: means "to be" (past, present, future all at once). Out of respect, Jews stopped

saying it aloud and used Adonai ("Lord") instead; today many say Hashem ("the Name"). Jehovah is

actually a mistranslation — the consonants of YHWH combined with the vowels of Adonai.

● Why it matters: knowing God’s true name meant a real, personal relationship with Him — not just knowing

about Him.

● Did Moses accept? No — at first he refuses, using his stutter as an excuse ("I can’t speak").

● Aaron’s role: because of Moses’ speech impediment, God has Aaron speak on his behalf. God also gives

Moses 2 signs of proof: (1) his staff turns into a snake, then back, and (2) his hand turns leprous in his robe,

then heals.

■ 5. Return to Egypt & the 10 Plagues

● Moses tells Pharaoh "Thus says the Lord..." — Pharaoh doesn’t believe him.

● Moses’ staff becomes a snake; Pharaoh’s sorcerers copy it, but Moses’ snake devours theirs.

● Pharaoh’s heart is hardened — he refuses to free the Israelites and increases their workload. So God

sends the 10 plagues.

● What’s unique about the first 9: each is based on a real natural occurrence in Egypt (the river turning

reddish, insect swarms, hail, etc). They’re called "wonders" because of 3 things: (1) Moses predicted exactly

when each would happen, (2) they hit out of season, and (3) they struck with extreme intensity far beyond a

normal event.

 What we learn: God works through the natural world, but controls its timing and scale in a way nature alone

can’t — proving His power to both Israelites and Egyptians

■ 6. Passover

● The 10th plague is a twist on the story’s start — soldiers once drowned Hebrew babies; now Egyptian

firstborns die.

● What Passover is: God gives rules so Israelite firstborns are spared — (1) slaughter a lamb, drain its blood,

smear it on the doorframe so the plague "passes over"; (2) cook the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread (no

yeast — no time for dough to rise); (3) celebrate this meal every year in remembrance.

● Jewish people still celebrate Passover (Pesach) today — a reminder of freedom from slavery and a longing

for freedom.

Connection to the Eucharist: this meal is the Last Supper — Jesus, the "Lamb of God," is sacrificed on

the cross like the Passover lamb. For Catholics it becomes about freedom from sin rather than slavery,

which is why we celebrate Mass/Communion. This is central to our faith.

■ 7. Freedom from Egypt & the Desert

Crossing the Red Sea

● Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites go, then changes his mind and sends the army after them.

● Moses stretches his staff over the Red Sea — the water parts (tides are a normal occurrence there, but this

happened out of season, at the exact moment Moses said it would, and to an extreme degree). The

Israelites cross safely; the returning tide drowns the pursuing army.

● Miriam leads the women in a victory song — the "Song of the Sea" — the oldest surviving document in the

Old Testament, and the first time a woman leads public prayer.

Time in the Desert

slaves."

● Israelites’ attitude: they start complaining almost immediately — "we should have stayed in Egypt, even as

● How God showed His love: He provides water (from a rock Moses strikes), quail (bird meat), and manna

(bread from heaven) to keep them alive. Manna is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist.

● It takes 50 days after the Red Sea to reach Mount Sinai; later, Joshua — not Moses — leads them into the

Promised Land (see Section 9

 8. Sinai Covenant & the Golden Calf

● God appears in a cloud with lightning and thunder at Mount Sinai. Moses climbs the mountain and stays 40

days while the Israelites wait below.

● This renews the covenant God made with Abraham — adding something new: the 10 Commandments.

● Decalogue = another word for the 10 Commandments (literally "10 words").

● The first 3 commandments teach how to love God (put Him first); the rest teach how to love ourselves

and others.

● Results: a big deal — a blood-sealed oath. Moses builds an altar and sacrifices an animal to seal it. The

Commandments become Israel’s civil AND moral law, and receiving them is the moment Israel truly becomes a

nation.

● Ark of the Covenant: sacred chest holding the 2 stone tablets and a jar of manna.

● Tabernacle: the tent where the Ark was kept ("tabernacle" = tent); Israelites believed God dwelled there. The

innermost part was the Holy of Holies — only priests (Moses & Aaron, tribe of Levi) could enter.

■ The Golden Calf

● While Moses is on the mountain, the people grow impatient and build a Golden Calf to worship (Aaron helps

make it) — this is idolatry.

● Moses comes down, sees it, and throws down and breaks the tablets. Everyone is sorry and asks to be let

back into the covenant.

● Moses gets a new set of tablets and instructions to build the Ark.

● Punishment: the Israelites wander the desert 40 years (a symbolic generation) instead of entering right

away. Moses only ever sees the Promised Land from a distance before he dies.

■■ 9. Joshua & Conquest of Canaan

● Genre: military history — records of wars, battles, and the conquest of a land.

● Who is Joshua: his name means "savior" — a Hebrew root related to the name Jesus.

● Connection to Moses: personally chosen by Moses as the next leader, filling the gap between Moses’

death and the eventual monarchy.

● Joshua parts the Jordan River so Israel can enter the Promised Land ("land of milk and honey"); God gives

them victory.

● First city conquered: Jericho.

● The Israelites settle and divide the land into the 12 tribes of Israel

 10. Judges

● Genre: national/military history — the era right after Joshua dies.

● It takes about 200 years to fully secure the Promised Land.

● Their role: Israel’s first form of government — 12 people, one per tribe, spiritually selected by God

(mostly military leaders). 11 men, 1 woman — Deborah. Goal: defend/reclaim the Promised Land.

Cycle of Apostasy: Israel is faithful → wins battles & prospers. Israel is unfaithful (idolatry) → suffers

defeat & oppression → cries out to God → God sends a new judge to save them → cycle repeats.

■ 11. The Monarchy

Samuel

● Hannah is married to a Jewish priest (tribe of Levi) but can’t have children — she prays and promises her son

will follow in his father’s footsteps. God answers; she names him Samuel.

● Samuel becomes a priest — the most significant judge of Israel. God speaks to him directly.

● Israel had won back the Promised Land, but the Philistines (advanced weaponry) now threaten it. The

people beg Samuel for a king. Samuel warns against it — a king means giving up their theocracy and risks

corruption. God lets them have what they want anyway.

King Saul

worst kings.

● Saul becomes Israel’s first king. Starts out good, then stops listening to God and becomes one of the

● Samuel travels to Bethlehem ("house of bread") to meet Jesse and his sons, and anoints David. (Samuel

anointed both Saul and David.)

● Saul grows jealous of David and tries to kill him — eventually, Saul kills himself.

King David

● From the tribe of Judah, born in Bethlehem, works as a shepherd. Believed to have written the Psalms.

● Shows greatness young — defeats the giant Goliath. Plays the lyre, which is how he gets close to King Saul.

● Becomes the greatest king of Israel: marries Saul’s daughter, defeats the Philistines, makes Jerusalem his

capital — the "City of David" — where the Ark is moved.

● His flaw: women/adultery. Biggest failure: the affair with Bathsheba — gets her pregnant, sends her

husband to the front lines to die to cover it up. Their first child dies as a consequence; they marry and have

another son: Solomon.

● Davidic Covenant: God promises (1) the Messiah will come from David’s line, (2) his descendants will

live forever (fulfilled in Jesus), and (3) the first Temple will be built — by Solomon.

King Solomon

● Rules 40 years; Israel becomes a true powerhouse.

● Asked God for: wisdom — to discern good from evil for his people. God granted it.

● Great accomplishment: builds the first Temple, whose purpose was sacrifice.● How he got corrupted: political marriages for alliances left him with 600 wives, many worshipping other

gods — spreading idolatry (polytheism). He dies, and every king after him is bad

 12. Idolatry, Divided Kingdom & Exile

● Idolatry = worshipping other gods instead of (or alongside) the one true God — treated as spiritual "adultery,"

breaking the covenant. Solomon’s 600 wives spread it across Israel; it’s among the worst levels of sin.

● Divided Kingdom: after Solomon dies, the kingdom splits — South = Judah (tribes of Levi & Judah), North

= Israel.

● Exiles: Assyria destroys the Northern Kingdom (Israel); later the Babylonian Exile conquers the

Southern Kingdom (Judah).

● Diaspora = the scattering of the Jewish people outside their homeland. Many begin to fear the Messiah won’t

come.

■■ 13. Prophets

● Who they are: messengers who spoke for God, sent to warn the people about idolatry/sin and call them

back to the covenant.

● Their 2 roles: (1) warn Israel about its unfaithfulness and consequences, and (2) reassure the people the

Messiah is still coming, even during exile — this is when they start writing books to preserve that hope.

● 1st Isaiah (before the exile): predicts the Messiah will be born of a virgin, calls him the "stump of Jesse" (a

shoot growing from David’s line, even though it looks cut down).

● 2nd Isaiah (near the end of exile): known for the "Suffering Servant" songs — a suffering Messiah who

takes on the people’s suffering, pointing forward to Jesus’ Passion.