In Exodus, we can see a powerful character of God who punishes sin, forgives the penitent, most importantly, He remembers His promises. Indeed, Israel became a great nation as He promised to Abraham ( Gen. 12:1–3) though it was opposed by Egypt which was the greatest superpower in the ancient world of the time. God fights for His people throughout the book of Exodus and do not let them go. Not because they are worthy, but He set His affection on them.
He is a God who gives grace to the guilty. This is fantastic news for teens who filled with guilt and shame, struggling with temptation, filled with anxiety and insecurity, needs a friend and filled with doubt. When Israel continued to fail Him, instead of renouncing them, He did something surprising. We teens think by simply avoiding certain things which makes us feel good. Especially, regular churchgoing teens believe that they are pretty righteous by comparing with their peers. For example, drinking and watching porn are some measuring sticks they use. “Sin taints our motives and desires, and shows up in who or what we worship – the false gods we turn to looking for an identity.” God established a permanent relationship through a covenant that declared him to be their God and they are his people. The hope of Israel and the hope for us rests on God’s faithfulness to fulfil his promises guaranteed by His Word. Christ has fulfilled what we see in God’s deliverance of the Israelites by becoming the sacrificial lamb so God’s wrath could pass over us. Our teens need to encounter this Word who is Christ in the story of the Israelites in Exodus to help them trust what remains true for God’s people in every age.