NEW STUDIES IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY 28

Series editor: D. A. Carson

The God who makes himself known

the missionary heart of the book of exodus

W. Ross Blackburn

Apollos

InterVarsity Press

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS 60515

© W. Ross Blackburn 2012

W. Ross Blackburn has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.

InterVarsity Press®, USA, is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA® ˂www.intervarsity.org˃ and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.

Inter-Varsity Press, England, is closely linked with the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk

Unless stated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, published by HarperCollins Publishers © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

First published 2012

USA ISBN 978-0-8308-2629-2

UK ISBN 978-1-84474-573-9

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Blackburn, W. Ross.

The God who makes himself known: the missionary heart of the book of Exodus / W. Ross Blackburn.

p. cm.—(New studies in biblical theology; 28)

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes.

ISBN 978-0-8308-2629-2 (paper; usa: alk. paper)—ISBN

978-1-84474-573-9 (paper; uk: alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T. Exodus—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Missions—Biblical teaching. 3. God (Christianity)—Knowableness—Biblical teaching. I. Title.

BS1245.52.B53 2012

222’.1206—dc23

2012007758

For Lauren

Contents

Series preface

Author’s preface

Abbreviations

1 Introduction

Concerning biblical mission

Purpose and approach

2 The name of the redeemer (Exod. 1:1–15:21)

The problem: Exodus 6:3 and the name of the Lord

That the name be known (Exod. 1:7)

The name unknown (Exod. 1:8–2:25)

The name made known (Exod. 3–14)

Israel’s continued acknowledgment: ceremonies of deliverance

The name known (Exod. 15)

Conclusion: concerning Exodus 6:3

3 Training in the wilderness (Exod. 15:22–18:27)

The problem: the significance of the wilderness

Exegesis of the wilderness section

Conclusion: the ...