Bible Reading
Exodus 5:1-23 “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.’” 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.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!” The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?” Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
[03:26]1 Peter 2:18-25 “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
[13:58]Genesis 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
[28:48]Observation questions
- What purpose do Moses and Aaron give Pharaoh for Israel’s release, and what does that reveal about why God delivers his people? [03:26]
- What words does Pharaoh use to describe Israel after he removes their straw but keeps the same brick quota? What do those words show about how he views their desire to worship God? [11:04]
- What happens to the Israelite foremen when the people cannot meet Pharaoh’s demands, and how do the foremen respond to Pharaoh? [19:00]
- What hard questions does Moses bring to God at the end of Exodus 5, and what assurance does God give at the beginning of Exodus 6? [31:53]
Interpretation questions
- Why is Israel’s freedom connected to feasting, sacrifice, and worship rather than simply leaving Egypt? What does this show about the kind of life God desires for his people? [03:44]
- Pharaoh asks, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?” How does this question expose the connection between knowing God, worshiping God, and obeying God? [05:08]
- In 1 Peter 2, Christ is presented as the example for those who suffer unjustly. What does it mean that Jesus did not retaliate but entrusted himself to the One who judges justly? [15:33]
- Moses sees real harm coming to Israel after obeying God’s command. How do God’s purposes in Genesis 50:20 help explain how God can work through evil without calling evil good? [28:48]
Application questions
- What voices most often compete with God’s Word in daily life—pressure from work, fear of people, money, expectations, media, or something else? What would it look like to give God’s Word greater weight this week? [33:20]
- Worship can look unproductive to a world focused on efficiency and achievement. When is it hardest to treat time with God, gathered worship, rest, or fellowship as something deeply valuable rather than a distraction from “more important” tasks? [08:53]
- Pharaoh’s slavery demanded more and more bricks without giving what was needed to make them. Where does life feel like “bricks without straw” right now? How might God be inviting trust and faithfulness in a season of thin resources? [17:33]
- Have you experienced unfair treatment, false accusations, or suffering for doing what is right? How can Christ’s example shape a response that is honest about harm but refuses revenge? [15:45]
- Israel worried that they had become unacceptable to Pharaoh, yet faithfulness sometimes means being rejected by those who oppose God. Is there an area where the desire to be accepted by others is making obedience difficult? What would it mean to care more about being pleasing to God? [23:31]
- Moses brought his confusion directly to God rather than pretending everything was fine. What honest question, grief, or disappointment needs to be brought to God in prayer, while still trusting that his hand is at work? [32:17]
