This week, we shall
begin the study of Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament.
Introduction to Exodus
In the Hebrew Bible, the second book of Moses is called, “These are the names of”. These are the opening words of the book. In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Bible, it is called, “Exodus” which means departure (ek means out of, hodos means road).
It gives an account of the first stage in the fulfillment of the promises given to Abraham, with reference to the multiplication of his descendants into a numerous people, their deliverance from Egypt, and the adoption at Sinai as the people of God. According to commentators, it embraces a period of 360 years, extending from the death of Joseph (with which the book of Genesis ends, hence its unity with the first book of Moses) to the building of the tabernacle at the commencement of the second year after the departure from Egypt.
The main theme of Exodus is redemption — the deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt; this deliverance symbolizes God’s redemption of mankind. Moses, as its leader, is considered a type of Christ.
(At this point, I would like to reiterate that what is being provided here are suggested questions only to help the readers read the Scripture more reflectively. In no way, should the questions take over your own thought process, nor are they meant to be all answered as an exercise. I pray and know that the Holy Spirit, Himself, will lead you into His truth.)
(1) As we begin the study of Exodus, let’s take a look at how the last book, Genesis, ended in 50:26. What kind of a picture does this last verse depict?
(2) If you had no prior knowledge of the history of the Israelites in Egypt, what might you expect its future to be with such an ending in Genesis?
(3) Does the description in 1:6-7 fit into your expectation? In what way is God fulfilling His promise to Abraham? (See Gen. 15 and Acts 7:17.)
(4) In what way does this covenant or promise remain unfulfilled at this point?
(5) While the first verses of the opening chapter of Exodus portray a prosperous future, what has happened to spoil this picture?
(6) What lesson can you learn from such a change in fortune?
(7) If you were this new king of Egypt, what would you have done with the multiplying Israelites?
(8) If you were among the leaders of the Israelites, how would you respond to this treatment by Pharaoh?
(9) As important and as faithful as Joseph had been, he faded into history, and now it is all about the people of God and the covenant that God has promised the patriarchs. What lesson can you learn from this change of focus?
(10) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) Subjection to slavery is one thing; genocide is quite a different thing. While the later sufferings of the Jews in the hands of foreign powers were deemed by the prophets as God’s punishment for their sins, what then was the reason here for their plight?
(2) Why did Pharaoh target the babies? What view then did he hold concerning babies? Why then would Pharaoh allow the girls to live?
(3) There were over ½ million Jewish males, so it is a puzzle why only two mid-wives are mentioned. Many commentators see them as the heads of their profession. The Bible says that these midwives feared God.
- How would you define “fear” in this context?
- How unusual is the character of these two women? Would you have done the same?
- How special was the reward they received for their fear of God?
(4) What did Pharaoh finally decide to do in v. 22?
- What did such an edict do to the Jewish populace in Egypt?
- What did such an edict do to the relationship between the average Jews and Egyptians?
- Would it make his crime any less horrific, if it was directed to girls instead?
(5) Throughout history, genocide for one reason or another has been carried out. Can you recall some recent ones and under what pretense they were carried out?
(6) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) Through this birth story of Moses, not once is the name of God mentioned and yet His hand was all over the page. Do you agree? Can you cite instances, one by one, where you can see His hand in all of this?
(2) No one can choose
his or her birth—when, where and how. Can you analyze the following?
a. The kind of time Moses was born into.
b. The kind of a place he was born into.
c. The kind of a family he was born into.
d. The reason for which he was preserved, when presumably many other Jewish babies were not.
(3) During such a time as Moses’, why would his parents bother to form a family? Why would they bother even to have children?
(4) How does this story speak to those who purposely refrain from having children because of the time we are in?
(5) The word for the “basket” in which Moses was put, is the same word used for Noah’s “ark”. How similar were the two “arks”?
(6) Throughout history, many parents have gone through a similar heart-wrenching experience of seeing their children die helplessly.
a. To the Jewish parents of Moses’ time, what was God’s message to them through the birth of Moses?
b. To all parents of humankind, what is God’s message to them through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ?
(7) What have you learned today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) How would you describe Moses at this point of his life as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, growing up in the palace of Pharaoh? (See Acts 7:22.)
(2) What did his killing of the Egyptian who beat up a Hebrew signify?
(3) Why did the fight between two Hebrews appear to bother Moses very much, especially given their condition in Egypt?
(4) Do you share a similar kind of grief as Moses had when you see a church-fight around you? Which should be even more grievous and why?
(5) What was the answer Moses got from his fellow Hebrew? What did such an answer signify? (Note that this attitude persisted throughout their journey in the wilderness.)
(6) What does the rescue of the girls at the well tell you about Moses?
(7) Moses now appeared to have settled down, married and had a son. (In fact, as Stephen said in his sermon in Acts 7:30, he would spend 40 years in Midian.) Why did he call his son Gershom? Do you share his sentiment in your life?
(8) Read the following NT commentary on the life of Moses at this point in Acts 7:19-29, and Hebrews 11:23-27.
(9) What further insights have you gained about Moses?
(10) What is the main message for you today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) During that “long period” of suffering in slavery, we read of no rebellion or military revolt. How did the Israelites respond to their condition? What lesson can we learn from them? (Note that, at most they had oral traditions of their history and of God's covenant with the patriarchs. There were no prophets, no priests, no apparent religious leaders in their midst.)
(2) Vv. 24-25 vividly describes the response of God to their cry. List the various verbs used to describe His response. What do they tell you about the God of Israel?
(3) After forty years in
the wilderness of Midian, Moses had been far removed from his patriotic
passion, and had no use of his advanced and sophisticated knowledge and
training in science, art and culture. Try to put yourself in his shoes, and
imagine how he might view the following:
a. His past
b. His present
c. His future
(4) Do you have any idea why God chose to appear to Moses after such a “long period”? (It was even longer time for the Israelites, as a people!)
(5) This was Moses’ first encounter with God. How did God reveal Himself to Moses? What messages did He try to convey to Moses concerning Himself through the following?
a. The use of a miraculous fire that did not burn up the bush
b. Appearing to him in a fire
c. Warning him not to come closer
d. Asking him to take off his sandals
e. Introducing Himself to him as the “God of your father…"
(6) Do you think God achieved His desired effect upon Moses? Why?
(7) What is the main message for you today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) In commissioning Moses to save the Israelites, God describes the process of His deliverance in vv. 7-8 with several key verbs. What are they? How fitting are they when applied to the salvation plan through Jesus’ incarnation?
(2) In accomplishing this plan of deliverance of the Israelites, what courses of action could He have used? Try to list them out. Which one did He chose and why?
(3) Moses objected to God’s choice of action in v. 11. What excuse did he use? Do you think his excuse was valid? Why or why not?
(4) What was God’s reply? Do you think this was a good enough reply? Why or why not?
(5) What was the next excuse that Moses gave? Was it a valid concern too?
(6) God replied with giving His name as the “I AM Who I AM” or in short, “I AM”.
a. Normally, by whom is a person’s name given?
b. What is in a name?
c. Reflect on God’s name carefully. What does it mean, especially in terms of Who God is?
(7) What should it mean to Moses and his mission?
(8) What might your excuse(s) be for not sharing the gospel more actively or taking on His task for you?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) God emphasizes
that His name, “I AM", is to be remembered from generation to generation. How important is it that each generation,
irrespective of their time, should remember that their God is the following?
- “I AM”
- “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”
(2) God made a very important promise that the elders of Israel will listen to Moses (3:18). However, if you were one of the elders, what might convince you to listen to him?
(3) The elders did not only have to listen to Moses, they were to go with Moses to approach Pharaoh. How important was it that it would not be Moses alone who goes to see Pharaoh, but that he will go together with them to make the request to Pharaoh?
(4) What was the request they were about to make to Pharaoh? Were they not lying to Pharaoh? How did such a request point to the ultimate purpose of Exodus?
(5) In the final part
of the instructions, God foretold the following:
- The resistance of Pharaoh
- The striking of the Egyptians by God with wonders
- The plundering of the Egyptians upon their departure
How hard would it be for the people and their elders to believe in the words of Moses?
How hard a job was it going to be for Moses?
(6) What is the main lesson for you today and how may you apply it to your life?