#1: Life in Egypt
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Exodus 1:6-14 ESV
6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
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TAKE IT IN
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Go to Genesis 15:5, 15:13-14 to find out what God said to Abraham about his descendants. How was his word fulfilled?
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Why did the Egyptians ruthlessly oppress Israelites as slaves?
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DIG IT
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Did Egyptian oppression of Israel stop or hinder the fulfillment of the promise of God? Why is this worth noting?
Do you see connections between Israel’s slavery under Egypt and humanity’s slavery under sin? What similarities or parallels do you notice between them?
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[Go Deep] Read Genesis 1:28. Are you able to see a connection between Genesis 1:28 and Exodus 1:7? Why is this significant? What does it mean for us?
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LIVE IT
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What are some of God's promises for you? Share if you ever doubted God’s promises due to your personal circumstances. How did you personally deal with such doubts?
Share how you face difficult times when there seems to be no hope.
#2: The Call
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Exodus 3:1-14 ESV
1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
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TAKE IT IN
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Why do you think Moses answered God “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” What was Moses' identity up to this point? (Ref. Exodus 2:12-15)
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How does God describe himself to Moses? Why does he introduce himself this way? (v.6)
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DIG IT
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What do you find significant in Moses' first encounter with God? What was God’s purpose in calling Moses?
How does God answer Moses when he doubts his own abilities? What is the significance of God's response?
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[Go Deep] What is the personal name of God given to Moses to bring to the people of Israel? What does it mean and why is it so important?
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LIVE IT
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What was your first personal encounter with God like? If you cannot pinpoint a significant encounter experience, feel free to share how you first heard or accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Contemplate how you see yourself and your own identity. Then meditate on who God is and how he sees you. How does knowing God influence how you serve his Kingdom purpose?
#3: Nine Plagues
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Exodus 5:1-2, Exodus 7-10 ESV
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
Read through Exodus 7-10 individually
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TAKE IT IN
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What patterns do you notice in the plague narrative?
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What are the first nine plagues? Learn how each of them is associated with the deities ancient Egyptians worshipped.
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DIG IT
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At this point in history, Israel has been under Egyptian rule for 400 years. Why were God’s miracles and wonders demonstrated in the plagues so important for Israel?
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Why do you think God sent multiple plagues instead of simply eliminating the Pharaoh?
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[Go Deep] Sometimes the Bible says Pharaoh hardened his own heart, but other times it says God hardened his heart. How should we navigate the tension on whether Pharaoh was responsible for his own agony or if he was unfairly destined for destruction by God?
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LIVE IT
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What are some false gods and perspectives in your life that need to be defeated?
God took faithful and persistent steps to deliver His people from Egypt. Share if there was a time in your life when God took special steps to deliver you. How is he involved in your life nowadays?
#4: The Last Plague and Passover
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Exodus 12:21-32 ESV
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”
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TAKE IT IN
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What was the last plague? How did the Israelites avoid the calamity that struck the Egyptians?
How did Pharaoh respond to the last plague? How did his response to God change over time?
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DIG IT
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Learn about the religious significance of Pharaoh in ancient Egyptian culture. What does God’s judgment toward Pharaoh in taking his firstborn demonstrate?
Why do you think God commands Israel to keep the Passover rite forever? (vv.24-25)
[Go Deep] Read Luke 22:7-20. How is Jesus foreshadowed in the Passover lamb? How are those who believe in Jesus kept from the wrath of God that they deserve?
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LIVE IT
How does your church offer Eucharist / Holy Communion / Lord’s Supper*? Why do you think this tradition is important?
*These three terms are largely interchangeable between different Christian traditions. Eucharist means “Thanksgiving” in Greek from 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, Holy Communion comes from 1 Corinthians 10:16, and Lord’s Supper is from 1 Corinthians 11:20.
Reflect on the ultimate Passover lamb Jesus and his great sacrifice for us. How should we respond to the giving of the Passover lamb?
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#5: Cloud and Fire
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Exodus 13:17-22 ESV
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
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TAKE IT IN
Which way did God lead the people of Israel? Why didn't God let Israelites take the shortest way out of Egypt to the Promised Land?
Learn about Theophany
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DIG IT
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What was the purpose of the pillar of cloud and fire, and what did they signify? Why do you think God revealed His presence among the people through the pillars of cloud and fire?
The pillar of cloud went before the people of Israel, and the pillar of fire gave them light by night. What does this teach us about walking with the Lord throughout our lives?
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[Go Deep] Find out how clouds will be involved in Jesus’ second coming by reading Revelation 1:7.
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LIVE IT
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What route of life is God leading you through now? What will you do if God leads you on a different path than your expectations?
Do you ever feel led by the presence of the Lord? If so, please share your experience.
#6: Red Sea
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Exodus 14:5-31 ESV
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
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