The Casual Catholic's view on Exodus

There is only one word to describe this book, weird. The animal sacrifices were one thing, but then you have Moses's wife circumcising their son, and then rubbing the foreskin on Moses's feet. I try to be open minded about other cultures' traditions, but just eww.

I said earlier that I wanted to see how God developed in exodus, and well I'm gonna get grief for saying it, but god was pretty much a show off in this book. It was almost like he cared more about messing with the Egyptians than he did saving the Israelites. There were at least four times when god hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the people go, thus god now had an excuse to keep putting on the plagues. For at least the frogs, gnats, locusts, and hail the lord hardened pharaoh's heart, even though Pharaoh had already decided to let the Israelites go. I mean it didn't have to escalate to the first borns if God had just let Pharaoh be and not forcibly changed his mind.

What's next is interesting, God starts being more responsible. It's here that he starts fulfilling the covenant he had with Abraham. He feeds the people of Israel, gives them water to drink, and cures their sicknesses. It's also here that God finally puts down the rules and regulations on which to officially live by. Some of which are weirder than the others.

We have God the interior decorator in this book. I'm not even joking, a part of me wishes that I was. Chapter 26 was all about how to decorate the first tabernacle. the first line literally reads "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet stuff; with cherubim skillfully worked shall you make them." Chapter 27 is all about how God wants his priests to dress. I have a hard time not imaging God saying "this will look FABULOUS"

Though I am impressed with one little aspect of this book, the first recorded time that God Changes his mind. 32:14. God decided not to be vengeful on the Israelites that had made the golden calf, though Moses did slay 3000 of them. Up until now God had been very reactionary towards things; banishing Adam and Eve from Eden, Flooding the world, even responding to all the complaints by the Israelites. This is the first time we see god's temper flare, but thanks to Moses, he was able to regain his composure. I do believe that this is a sign for things to come centuries later. But I will discuss that when I get to the New Testament, which is still 37 books away.