{"id":19735,"date":"2025-04-11T04:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/?p=19735"},"modified":"2025-04-10T22:53:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T02:53:56","slug":"echoes-in-the-exodus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/concise\/echoes-in-the-exodus\/","title":{"rendered":"Echoes in the Exodus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The exodus. Other than Jesus\u2019s death and resurrection, it is arguably the most famous story in the Bible, helped by Paramount\u2019s Ten Commandments<\/em> (1956) and DreamWorks\u2019 Prince of Egypt<\/em> (1998). Roberts and Wilson call it, \u201cthe clearest example of a recurring, time-condensing, rhythmic, melodic theme in the entire Bible\u2014one that illuminates the opening pages of Genesis and the closing pages of Revelation, the whole history of Israel, the Gospels, the Letters, the Christian life, and of course the death and resurrection of Jesus.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/sup> Without doubt, the exodus is the quintessential pattern of redemption in the Old Testament\u2014its echoes reverberate everywhere. And yet, have you ever asked how the promise of redemption in Genesis 3:15 fits into that pattern? Is it possible that the exodus itself<\/em> echoes God\u2019s promise from the garden?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

King Tut<\/a> Cover Photo by Sergiy Galyonkin<\/a>, licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In this brief article, I will argue that the answer is Yes.[2]<\/a><\/sup> The seed of redemption was indeed planted in the garden. The exodus echoes the garden promise in at least three ways: (1) problem and preview, (2) paradigm and plagues, and (3) Passover and pursuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson, Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture<\/em> (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 27.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. John Currid agrees: \u201cThe remainder of Scripture is an unfolding of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. Redemption is promised in this one verse, and the Bible traces the development of that redemptive theme. The place of the book of Exodus in the seed conflict is crucial\u201d (John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Exodus<\/em>, 2 vols. [Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2001], 1:20).<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Problem and Preview (Exodus 1\u20134)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The book of Exodus opens with the Israelites oppressed and enslaved. Yet, perhaps forgotten by them but not by a reader of Genesis, God is about to fulfill the promise he made to Abraham in Genesis 15:13\u201316, that he would bring back his descendants from the land in which they would be oppressed for centuries. In that time, God has continued to keep covenant and bless his people as Exodus 1:7 demonstrates, echoing the \u201cfruitful and multiply\u201d language from Genesis (Gen. 1:28; 8:17; 9:1, 7; 17:20; 28:3; 35:11; 47:27; 48:4). But there is a problem: Pharaoh sets himself against God\u2019s multiplying blessing (Exod 1:10, \u201cCome, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply\u201d). This serpentine craftiness is amplified as he commands the death of the male offspring of God\u2019s people (Exod. 1:15\u201322). It is not without reason that Ezekiel would call Pharaoh king of Egypt \u201ca dragon<\/em> [i.e., serpent] in the seas\u201d (Ezek. 32:2).[3]<\/a><\/sup> If Pharaoh\u2019s infanticide succeeded, not only would the nation of Israel be devoured, but the line of Abraham, through whom the promised snake-crusher was to arise, would be swallowed up too.[4]<\/a><\/sup> This pharaonic embodiment of the serpent must be crushed before he devours the hope of God\u2019s people, and because God always keeps his promises, we anticipate a great reversal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Why a dragon? Naselli explains, \u201cAs a general rule, the form a serpent takes depends on its strategy. When a serpent in Scripture attempts to deceive<\/em>, it\u2019s a snake. When a serpent attempts to devour<\/em>, it\u2019s a dragon. Snakes deceive; dragons devour<\/em>\u201d (Andrew David Naselli, The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer<\/em>, Short Studies in Biblical Theology [Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020], 18, italics added).<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. James M. Hamilton Jr., \u201cThe Seed of the Woman and The Blessing of Abraham,\u201d TynB<\/em> 58.2 (2007): 253\u201373; see also T. Desmond Alexander, \u201cGenealogies, Seed, and The Compositional Unity of Genesis,\u201d TynB<\/em> 44.2 (1993): 255\u201370<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

God previews three aspects of the forthcoming redemption in the commissioning of Moses: (1) the goal, (2) the signs, and (3) the final means. First, the goal of the exodus is redemption. The seed(s) of the serpent in Genesis 4\u201311 (e.g., Cain, Lamech, Babel) aim at self-exaltation at the expense of others and\/or in rejection of God. Though the Israelites are enslaved as cogs in Pharaoh\u2019s City-of-Man machine (cf. Gen. 11:1\u20139), the Lord will bring them out with a mighty hand to a promised garden-like land (Exod. 3:8 cf. Deut. 8:7\u20139). This garden-like land will become home to the garden-like sanctuary of the tabernacle (Exod. 25).[5]<\/a><\/sup> God does not plan to quickly dispatch Pharaoh because he aims to magnify his name in all the earth (Exod. 9:15\u201316), which is why he hardens Pharaoh\u2019s heart (Exod. 3:19\u201320; 4:21). Pharaoh\u2019s City-of-Man project is about to\u2014unwittingly\u2014make Yahweh\u2019s name great. Just as the created<\/em> serpent will not outwit God (Gen. 3:1), so too the created<\/em> Pharaoh is no match for his Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. See T. Desmond Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem: Exploring God\u2019s Plan for Life on Earth<\/em> (Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 20\u201342.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Second, in Exodus 4:1\u20139, the Lord enables Moses to perform three signs so that people will believe that the Lord really sent him. One of those signs involves the staff of God turning into a snake<\/em> (Exod. 4:2\u20134, 20), but, other than the miraculous nature of this sign, we have to wait to see what it signifies (Exod 7:8\u201313 [see below]). Third, the Lord explains to Moses that Pharaoh won\u2019t let the people go until the tenth plague, the killing of firstborn sons (and this is by God\u2019s design). He says, \u201cThen you shall say to Pharaoh, \u2018Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, \u201cLet my son go that he may serve me.\u201d If you refuse to let him go, behold I will kill your firstborn son\u2019\u201d (Exod 4:22\u201323). Here, God describes Israel as a corporate Adam (another echo of Eden), whom Luke calls the son of God (Luke 3:38 cf. Gen. 5:1\u20133). Thus, when God previews the coming redemption over this draconian despot, he makes clear it will come by the death of the seed of the serpent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paradigm and Plagues (Exodus 5\u201310)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Positioned as a prologue to the plagues, the serpent sign in Pharaoh\u2019s court in Exodus 7:8\u201313 \u201cis critical for our understanding . . . because it is a paradigm of the plague narratives.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/sup> In other words, what the throne room scene symbolizes<\/em> the plague narrative televises<\/em>. Therefore, I will focus our attention on Exodus 7:8\u201313 in this section. To grasp the import of this text, we need to understand its symbolic ancient Egyptian context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. John D. Currid, \u201cThe Egyptian Setting of the \u2018Serpent\u2019: Confrontation in Exodus 7,8\u201313,\u201d BZ<\/em> 39.2 (1995): 205; see also Currid, Exodus<\/em>, 1:159\u201360.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s focus upon the ancient Egyptian background of the staff and snake. First, the staff. Renowned OT scholar and archaeologist, John Currid explains,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The staff of Pharaoh in ancient Egypt was emblematic of royalty, power, and authority. The rod as a symbol of Pharaonic sovereignty began at the coronation of the king, when the crook was placed in his hand. Pyramid Texts 196\u2013203 describe that scene of enthronement . . . The crook became one of the most significant characteristics of Osiris beginning in the Late Predynastic period and continuing throughout the dynastic ages. Osiris, of course, rose to the level of universal deity in Egypt. He was king of the underworld and conqueror of death, and he embodied the Egyptian conception of kingship . . . Pharaohs carried the shepherd\u2019s crook and the flagellum as emblems of their identification with Osiris and their having received his authority and power.[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

7. Against the Gods: The Polemical Theology of the Old Testament<\/em> (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 114\u201316. For greater explanation, see pp. 111\u201319 of this work.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

When Moses and Aaron enter into Pharaoh\u2019s court, to an Egyptian they bear a symbol of an alternative and rival authority\u2014the staff of Yahweh. This rod\/staff is no comfort to Pharaoh (Ps. 23:4)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the snake. Have you ever wondered why the pharaonic crown features a serpent? No, it was not because Pharaoh is the Heir of Slytherin, nor because of that scene from Indiana Jones<\/em>. Instead, Duane Garrett explains,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cobra . . . was a potent religious and national symbol [for ancient Egypt]. Several deities had snake form, including Renenutet, a cobra-goddess who was the guardian of the pharaoh, and Edjo (Wadjyt), a cobra-goddess who was the patron deity of Lower Egypt (where the Israelites lived). Usually depicted as a rearing cobra, the uraeus, Edjo famously appears on the pharaonic crown alongside Nekhbet, the vulture goddess and patron deity of Upper Egypt. YHWH has therefore co-opted a major symbol of the power of Egypt and of the pharaoh personally. The spiritual guardians that Pharaoh thinks he can depend upon are actually under the direct control of YHWH.[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

8. Duane A Garrett, A Commentary on Exodus<\/em>, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2014), 275, italics added. In p275n11, Garrett adds, \u201cIf Pharaoh had been Chinese, the miracle would have involved a Chinese dragon; or if American, it would have involved a bald eagle.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

When Aaron casts down the staff and it becomes a serpent, the power and protection of Egypt are called into question. The showdown between the staffs-become-serpents pits God\u2019s authority against the gods of Egypt. When Aaron\u2019s serpent swallows (Exod. 7:12, b\u0101la\u2018<\/em>) the Egyptian serpents, it symbolizes the destruction of \u201cthe authority and power that those rods symbolized.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/sup> The symbolism reveals that all authority ultimately belongs to Yahweh. \u201cHe does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand\u201d (Dan. 4:35). The serpent-king is no match for our Creator and Redeemer, and the rest of the plagues, Passover, and pursuit broadcast this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Currid, Exodus<\/em>, 1:172.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Passover and Pursuit (Exodus 11\u201315)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The culmination of Yahweh\u2019s crushing defeat of the serpent-king arrives with the fulfillment of two earlier passages (Exod. 4:21\u201323; Exod. 7:8\u201313). First, the Lord God keeps his promise to Moses that their redemption would come with the death of the seed of the serpent: \u201cEvery firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. . . . But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel\u201d (Exod. 11:5, 7). How are God\u2019s people delivered from such destruction? Well, the seed of the serpent are characterized by unbelief<\/em> and an attitude that says, \u201cWho is Yahweh that I should obey his voice . . .?\u201d (Exod. 5:2). God\u2019s people, on the other hand, are delivered by actively<\/em> trusting<\/em> in God\u2019s promise. They need not fear God\u2019s imminent judgment, because a spotless male lamb<\/a> died as a substitute. The Passover is a pointer to the reality that God\u2019s ultimate victory over the seed of the serpent will include a blameless male substitute sacrifice\u2014the Lamblike Servant<\/a> (John 19:31\u201337).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the symbolism of Exodus 7:8\u201313 is realized and experienced in the defeat of Pharaoh\u2019s host at the sea. In Exodus 14:26\u201328, we read of how the Lord crushed Pharaoh\u2019s army, deluging the dragon. When Moses leads the people in song praising Yahweh\u2019s victory, they sing, \u201cYour right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy . . . You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters . . . You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed (b\u0101la\u2018<\/em>) them\u201d (Exod. 15:6, 10\u201312). The shattering blow with which the Lord crushes the army of the serpent-king is when he causes the earth to swallow them up, just as his serpent-staff had swallowed theirs.[10]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Exodus 7:12 and 15:12 are the only passages in Exodus that use the verb \u201cswallow\u201d (b\u0101la\u2018<\/em>). Thus, Morales writes, \u201cIt is quite likely . . . that the divine demonstration of Aaron\u2019s staff threatened Pharaoh with being swallowed up by chaos, a foreshadowing of the demise of his hosts in the sea\u201d (L. Michael Morales, Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption<\/em>, Essential Studies in Biblical Theology 2 [Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2020], 59).<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I conclude, therefore, that the exodus itself<\/em> echoes God\u2019s promise from the garden. The exodus deepens that promise with the addition of satisfaction through substitution\u2014the Passover lamb dies in the place of the firstborn. In the climactic fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, the serpent is defeated by such lamblike substitution. John paints this picture in Revelation 12, where the Lamb, Jesus Christ, conquers the dragon (\u201cthat ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan\u201d [Rev 12:9]) by the blood of his substitutionary death! This is the substance to which every knight versus dragon story points\u2014Jesus kills the dragon and saves his Bride, the Church.[11]<\/a><\/sup> Hallelujah, what a Savior!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. On this point, see Naselli, Serpent<\/em>, 17\u201331.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Exodus\u2014one of Scripture’s most famous stories and the template for Old Testament redemption\u2014is itself a fulfillment of the serpent-crushing promise of Genesis 3:15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"David Christensen: Echoes in the Exodus","_seopress_titles_desc":"The Exodus\u2014one of Scripture's most famous stories and the template for Old Testament redemption\u2014is itself a fulfillment of the serpent-crushing promise of Genesis 3:15.","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[]","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1970,32,12,38],"tags":[690,695,217,823,57,688,745,689,82],"scripture-reference":[2056,2055,1037],"post_folder":[],"ppma_author":[251],"class_list":["post-19735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-april-2025","category-article","category-concise","category-theme","tag-abraham","tag-atonement","tag-biblical-theology","tag-christ","tag-christ-as-center","tag-exodus","tag-genesis-315","tag-passover","tag-political-theology","scripture-reference-2056","scripture-reference-exodus","scripture-reference-genesis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/42824412251_59701956ae_c-e1744339732229.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-01-13 11:38:21","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"authors":[{"term_id":251,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"david-christensen","display_name":"David Christensen","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/David-Christensen.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/David-Christensen.jpeg"},"author_category":"","job_title":"","church_city_state":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","church_site":"","user_url":"","description":"David Christensen<\/b> is an adjunct Professor of New Testament and Greek at both Carolina College of Biblical Studies and the University of the Cumberlands. After earning his MDiv from Faith Bible Seminary, David received his ThM in Systematic Theology and PhD in New Testament from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. David and his wife Kelly have three beloved daughters and serve as members at Hunsinger Lane Baptist Church in Louisville, KY."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19735"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19748,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19735\/revisions\/19748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19735"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-reference","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-reference?post=19735"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=19735"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}