In this week’s class presentation we are beginning a study in the book of Exodus by covering answer for Exodus chapters 1-4 from last week’s homework, and looking at the connection between the time of Joseph and the time of Moses. These chapters introduce this new time period in which the Nation of Israel has grown to over two-million people who are now bound in slavery to a new Pharaoh, and we meet a new player in the historical narrative known as Moses.

As part of the apologetics for this time period, events and major players, we are recommending Timothy Mahony’s “Patterns of Evidence” documentary series, and we will now be focusing specifically on the first one simply called “The Exodus” which will help us understand the debate in academia today, over the dating and events of the Exodus. Each week’s class includes prayer, an “apologetics” presentation, a review of last week’s Bible study, and a homework assignment. You will also find the presentation notes, Bible study questions and additional resources below.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

Overview Notes from the Presentation

Joseph to Moses: An Introduction to Moses

Prayer and Reflection

Write out your prayer cards and exchange them at the end of the class.

Bible Knowledge Practice (answers can be found in the introduction session of this class):

1. What are the five categories of the Old Testament books in the Christian Bible and what are the 39 books of the Old Testament in each of those five categories? (Hint 5-12-5-5-12)

2. What are the “Major Historical Events” – the “Major Players” involved in those events – and the “Major Covenants” found in Genesis and Exodus?

3. What is the “Big Picture” of the Bible (12 points to remember)?

4. What are the (8) most important focus points to watch for when studying the Old Testament?

Read, or recite, the memory verses out loud with your group:

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Genesis 50:20 (NASB)
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB)

Review of last week’s Bible Study with Basic Answers: Exodus Chapters 1 – 4

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

1. Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

Last week we looked at the importance of dating the Exodus Biblically and the controversy therein: 1446 BC = Early Biblical dating based on chronologies and points of history in the Bible vs. 1250 BC = Late secular dating based on…

1) Dating from Egyptian history and secular historians; 2) The Name Rameses related to the area and city that the Israelites were in and supposedly helped build.
Skeptics claim that the Exodus never occurred because there is no evidence found in 1250 for occupation in that area by Israelites, but Mahony shows that there is evidence earlier in 1446 found by secular archeologists who say it can’t be them because of the “Paradigm” that it occurred (if it occurred) later.
This is a fairly new problem since the 20th century due to the growth of secular archeology not interested in the Bible as guiding history.

Dating debates are fair discussions, even within Christianity, but when it leads to denial of the events even happening, it puts the entire Gospel message and the person of Jesus in question, and we know that is the ultimate goal of the enemy.

Read Exodus Chapters 1 through 4, then answer the following questions:

2. (Exodus 1:1-22) In this opening chapter we see the connection to the end of Genesis and the story of Joseph and the Israelites. How, and why, did the people of Israel go from being a welcomed family in Egypt to a nation in slavery? What did the Pharaoh tell the midwives to do, and why; then what did they actually end up doing?

Discuss: Do you see any similarities in this story with Pharaoh’s command concerning the Hebrew boys and what happened to Jesus after he was born? (Cross-reference with Matthew 2:13-18)

Going Deeper: How does this slaughter of Hebrew boys, and other such incidents that seek to wipe out the Nation of Israel, connect to the original promise God gave in Genesis chapter 3:15?

“Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: ²Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; ³Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; ⁴Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ⁵All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. ⁶Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. ⁷But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. ⁸Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. ¹⁰Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” ¹¹So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. ¹²But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. ¹³The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; ¹⁴and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them. ¹⁵Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; ¹⁶and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. ¹⁸So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” ¹⁹The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” ²⁰So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. ²¹Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. ²²Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.” Exodus 1:1-22 (NASB)

Israel, a nation in Egyptian slavery

Verse 8 tells us: “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.”
The ruling class of Pharaohs during Joseph’s time were Asiatic Semites (Shemites from the line of Shem, Noah’s son) – They would have been distant relatives of the sons of Israel who would have had an allegiance to this ruling class
The ruling class of Pharaohs by the time of Moses, were Egyptian Hamites (from the line of Ham) and had overthrown the previous class of rulers and thus would have hated any Semites, including the people of Israel
The people of Israel had grown from a population of 70, to over 2 million and would have posed a threat to the ruling Hamite leadership in Egypt
Note: There is some debate to the actual number, but it does not change the story, or dramatic supernatural intervention from God. (From gotquestions.org) “Shortly after leaving Egypt (Numbers 1:17–46), while Israel was at Sinai, God commanded a census. As typically translated into English, the post-exodus Israelite army numbered well over 600,000 men. This figure implies a total Israelite population of about 2.4 million, a staggering figure for that era. Enormous enough, in fact, to engender debate.”

Pharaoh and the Midwives

Verse 16 tells us that the Pharaoh said this to the midwives: “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” This was a deliberate effort to stop the growth of the Nation of Israel (via Satan).
It is interesting that these midwives had Semitic names: Shiphrah and Puah, although they may have been Semitic, they were probably not part of the nation of Israel, but another Semitic group.
1:15 – 21 These midwives feared God and did not do what the Pharaoh commanded, instead they told him that the Hebrew women were vigorous, and had the babies before they could get there.
God blessed these women and “established households for them,” and we remember their names still today.

Discussion: Pharaoh’s command and that of Herod’s in Jesus’ day

Jesus and His family’s flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-18 NASB)

“Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. ¹⁵He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” ¹⁶Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. ¹⁷Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she refused to be comforted, Because they were no more.”

1:22 “The Pharaoh commanded all his people saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.””
It is interesting that a similar command is given in Jesus’ time as we see Herod being used as an instrument of Satan’s, and again failing.

Going Deeper: Connection to Genesis 3:15

As we learned in Genesis 3:15 God’s Promise of a Savior who will “crush the head of the serpent” leaves Satan with a mission to stop this from happening and we see his attempt to stop the “righteous Seed” all throughout the Old Testament.
This will continue to happen on through the history of Israel in the Old Testament, and ultimately with Jesus in the New Testament, and on throughout human history, but as we know, Jesus defeated him, and his final demise is reported in the book of Revelation.
God is sovereign and nothing happens that He does not allow, even though they will continue to try, we can take comfort by trusting in God’s ultimate authority over all things.

3. (Exodus 2:1-25) In this chapter we are introduced to Moses and his family. What tribe was Moses and his family from, and (if you know) what is the importance of that tribe later on? What did Moses’ mother and sister do to save him after he was born, what happened to him and how do you see God’s hand in this event? When Moses had grown up, what did he do to an Egyptian he saw beating a Hebrew; what happened to Moses afterward and where did he go? What happened at the well after Moses fled, who did he meet and who did he end up marrying?

Discuss: Why do you think Moses acted against an Egyptian at this time, and why do you think his own people not side with him, but rejected him?

“Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. ²The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. ³But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. ⁴His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. ⁵The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. ⁶When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” ⁷Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” ⁸Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. ⁹Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

¹¹Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. ¹²So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” ¹⁴But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.” ¹⁵When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. ¹⁶Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. ¹⁸When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” ¹⁹So they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock.” ²⁰He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” ²¹Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. ²²Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” ²³Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. ²⁴So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.” Exodus 2:1-25 (NASB)

Moses’ tribe and their importance

Moses and his family were from the tribe of Levi
Levi was the third son of Jacob, and his tribe would eventually become the tribe of Priests for the Lord – Aaron in fact, would be the first in the line of Priests
This tribe would not inherit any of the Promised Land, and they would be divided amongst the other tribes to serve, teach preserve the Law

Moses: His sister, mother and the daughter of Pharaoh

Because of the Pharaoh’s decree they hid him for the first three months, but when they could no longer keep Moses, in fear of being found out, they placed him in a secure basket in the Nile River and Miriam, his sister, followed to see what would happen.
Many scholars believe that Moses family knew of the Pharaoh’s daughter’s routine, and they timed this placement so that she would find him – it is also widely thought by scholars that this daughter could not have children, and therefore would have been eager to adopt a son as an heir.
It is important to note that it would be in God’s sovereignty to have this event occur at this time with such precision and outcome, including the interaction between Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses’ sister and ultimately Moses’ mother who was allowed to wean him, and even get paid for it!

Moses and the Egyptian

2:11-15 tells us that Moses “went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”
Moses thought that no one would know about what he did, and he even thought that his people would accept and congratulate him, but instead they shunned him, and because the Pharaoh found out, he had to flee, and ended up in Midian.

Midian and the well

Moses fled to Midian where he settled and then rescued seven daughters from harassing shepherds who were driving them away from watering their father’s flock. (Ancient Midian is believed to be located in northwest Arabia/Saudi Arabia but it’s exact location is unknown and is part of current archeological processes that include both Mt. Sinai and the Red Sea crossing – see Patterns of Evidence Documentary).
Reuel, also known as Jethro, brought Moses into his clan and Moses married his daughter Zipporah, and they had two sons (Gershom and Eliezer).

Discuss: Moses’ rejection by his people

There may be several reasons this happened as speculated by scholars:

He was looked at, by his people, as the ruling class and therefore not one of them so they did not trust him.
Moses’ adopted mother had died and some scholars think that the new Pharaoh was going to get rid of Moses anyway as a competing ruler.
Some scholars have said that because Moses knew he was Hebrew, he felt that he could be a deliverer for them because of his position, but his timing was obviously off from God’s, and he ultimately was rejected by his own people.

Note: at the end of this chapter this phrase is used: “So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.”

When the text says God “remembers” something, or took notice, it means that it was now time for His intended action (God does not forget things).

4. (Exodus 3:1-22) Moses meets God while in the land of Midian. From what we previously learned in Genesis, describe who it was that spoke to Moses in the burning bush, and what are the clues that tell us specifically who it is? What did God want Moses to do, and why?

Discuss: What are some ‘prophetic’ things God tells Moses would happen in Egypt before they actually happened?

Going Deeper: Research the name God used for Himself when Moses asked ‘who should I say sent me?’ What are some interesting facts you can find about this name, and is it ever used in the New Testament?

”Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ²The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. ³So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” ⁴When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

⁷The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. ⁸So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. ⁹Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” ¹¹But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹²And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” ¹³Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” ¹⁴God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. ¹⁶Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ ¹⁸They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ ¹⁹But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. ²⁰So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. ²¹I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. ²²But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:1-22 (NASB)

Who spoke to Moses from the burning bush?

3:2 tells us “The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.”
Anytime we see the term “angel of the LORD” we know that it is the second person of the Godhead, Jesus – A Theophany/Christophany.

What God wanted Moses to do, and why

God wanted Moses to go to Pharaoh, so that he could bring God’s people out of Egypt, as it was time to return to the Promised Land in Canaan.
God was about to display His power, might and glory to, not only Pharaoh, but the people of Israel – so that they would know their God and trust Him above all others (but they will prove to be an obstinate people, and God will have to discipline them over and over again).

Discuss: God’s Prophetic Words to Moses

That they would worship God on that very mountain
That God would bring them out of Egypt to Canaan (the Promised Land)
That the Pharaoh would not let them go unless under compulsion, and only after God displays His miracles
That God would grant the Israelite favor in the site of the Egyptians and they would leave with silver, gold and clothing, thus plundering the Egyptians
Note: Scholars have said that this plundering of the Egyptians was back pay for the years of free labor.
In the next chapter God also prophesizes that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened and that the firstborn son would be killed.

Going Deeper: The Name of God

LORD in the English Bible always references the name of God = YHWH – this is the name that God gave Moses when he asked who he should say sent him in v. 13: “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ’I AM has sent you.’”
YHWH (Yahweh) used about 6,000 times in the Bible: pronounced YAH-way.
The LORD (all caps) “I AM,” The One Who Is, The Self-Existent One.
This name is derived from the imperfect form of the verb “To Be.” The proper name of the divine person that speaks of God eternally existing. It has always been regarded as the most sacred and personal name of God. The Jews avoided using this name because of Leviticus 24:16, “The one who blasphemes the name of Yahweh shall surely be put to death.” They would substitute the name Adonai and eventually used the word Jehovah.

From the New Testament:

Jesus uses “I AM” in reference to Himself, and there are seven famous ”I AM” statements in the Gospel of John – This was one of the ways Jesus’ claimed to be God, (also through His miracles and ultimately His resurrection).
Example: “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, beforeAbraham was born, I am.”” John 8:58 (NASB)
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I AM the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.”

5. (Exodus 4:1-31) In this chapter Moses is given power and some help to complete God’s mission. What miraculous powers did God give Moses, and why was Moses reluctant? Who did God give to Moses to be his spokesperson, and how did the people of Israel respond when they met with the elders?

Going Deeper: At the end of this chapter (verses 24-26) there is a strange incident, and scholars have debated the meaning of what happened here. Research and share your findings on what this might have been about.

“Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’” ²The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” ³Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. ⁴But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— ⁵“that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” ⁶The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. ⁷Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. ⁸“If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign. ⁹But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” ¹⁰Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” ¹¹The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” ¹³But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.” ¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. ¹⁶Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. ¹⁷You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.” ¹⁸Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ²⁰So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand. ²¹The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. ²²Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. ²³So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’” ²⁴Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. ²⁵Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” ²⁶So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”— because of the circumcision. ²⁷Now the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. ²⁸Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. ²⁹Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; ³⁰and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.” Exodus 4:1-31 (NASB)

God’s miraculous powers and Moses’ reluctance

In 4:1 Moses is reluctant (and seems to be looking for excuses), he says, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, The LORD has not appeared to you.”
So, God gave Moses the ability to change his staff into a serpent, and back again.
God also gave him a sign using Moses hand: When he put it in the garment of his chest and pulled it out, it became white and leprous, when he did it again it returned to normal.
Lastly, God gave him the sign of turning the water from the Nile into blood.
Moses was reluctant because he said he had never been eloquent and was slow of speech and slow of tongue – he begged God not to send the message by him.

God gives Moses a helper

God gave Moses his brother Aaron as a spokesman (the text indicates God had already sent Aaron out on his way to meet Moses in the desert).
Then, when Moses and Aaron meet with the elders of the people of Israel, and spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people, the people believed and they bowed and worshipped (just as God had said).

Going Deeper: A Strange Incident

A plain reading of the text seems to indicate that Moses had not circumcised his son (at least his second son), and God’s requirement in the Abrahamic Covenant, on the part of the recipient, was circumcision – how could Moses represent God if he had not fulfilled his part of the agreement for faith in the Covenant?!
Other scholars have interpreted that Moses wife was at fault and did not want her children circumcised; still others have said that it was not Moses, but the child that God would have to kill if he was not circumcised.
Note: Moses wife and children do not appear in the story again until chapter 18 when the people of Israel are already in the wilderness and his father-in-law, Jethro, brings them with him to meet up with Moses. At that point the text tells us that Moses had sent them away (possibly after this incident they went back to Midian – but the text doesn’t say, so we’ll put that on the shelf!)

Bible Study

Each week, starting we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be part of the next presentation. This can also be used to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

1. Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Read Exodus Chapters 5 through 10, then answer the following questions:

God sends Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh; The First Nine Plagues and Pharaoh’s responses

2. (Exodus chapters 5 and 6) In these two chapters Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh, but things do not go so well at first. What was the conversation Moses and Aaron had with Pharaoh, what did Pharaoh do to the people of Israel because of this conversation and how did the people of Israel respond (give a short summary of chapter 5)? What did God say to Moses concerning His Identity and Covenant; and what did He promise to do (6:1-8)? and how did the people of Israel respond when Moses shared God’s message with them (6:1-13)? The rest of chapter 6 gives a genealogy. What tribe is Moses and Aaron from, and why were genealogies important to know?

Discuss: Review verses 6:10-13 and notice how God answers Moses’ complaint. How do we often respond when things don’t go according to what we think God’s will is; how did Moses and Aaron handle this type of adversity?

3. (Exodus chapters 7 through 8:15) In this section the plagues begin, and Pharaoh “hardens his heart.” What did God tell Moses and Aaron He was about to do, and why (7:1-9)? Before the plagues began God had Moses and Aaron perform a miracle. Describe the first miracle, and then describe the first and second plagues. Were the Egyptian sorcerers able to duplicate them (7:10-8:15)? If so…

Discuss how and why you think this may have been possible.

4. (Exodus 8:16 through 9:35) In these sections we find increasingly severe plagues that the sorcerers are unable to duplicate, yet Pharaoh still “hardens his heart.” Describe the third and fourth plagues (8:16-32). What did the sorcerers say, and what was the Pharaoh’s response? Now describe the fifth, sixth and seventh plagues (9:1-35). What differences do you notice about the effect of these plagues compared to the others?

Discuss any variations (ups and downs) you observe in Pharaoh’s responses after each of the plagues so far.

5. (Exodus 10:1-29) There are two more plagues before the tenth and final one, and even though it seems he may relent, Pharaoh continues to “harden his heart.” Describe the eighth and nineth plagues and the effect it had on the people. How did the Pharaoh and his servants respond to these two plagues? What was the last conversation Moses had with the Pharaoh (10:28-29)?

Discuss: Skeptics try to write these plagues off as just natural occurrences. What are some things you see in the narrative that tell you they must be miracles of God?

Going Deeper: There are differing views on the “hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.” Discuss your thoughts, and any previous teachings, or research you’ve done on this topic.

Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Old Testament, Joseph to Moses!”

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15