Bible ReadingExodus 3:1–4:17Exodus 3:1 — Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
[01:04:23]Exodus 3:2 — And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Exodus 3:3 — Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
Exodus 3:4 — So when 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.”
Exodus 3:5 — Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
Exodus 3:6 — Moreover 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 upon God.
[01:11:05]Exodus 3:7 — And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.”
Exodus 3:8 — “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.”
[01:12:25]Exodus 3:9 — “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.”
Exodus 3:10 — “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
[01:13:30]Exodus 3:11 — But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Exodus 3:12 — So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
[01:15:20]Exodus 3:13 — Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
Exodus 3:14 — And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Exodus 3:15 — Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord 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 to all generations.’”
[01:19:53]Exodus 3:16 — “Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt.”’”
Exodus 3:17 — “‘And I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’”
Exodus 3:18 — “Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’”
Exodus 3:19 — “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.”
Exodus 3:20 — “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.”
Exodus 3:21 — “And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.”
Exodus 3:22 — “But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
Exodus 4:1 — Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’”
[01:19:53]Exodus 4:2 — So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
[01:20:10]Exodus 4:3 — And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
Exodus 4:4 — Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand).
Exodus 4:5 — “That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Exodus 4:6 — Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” And he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.
Exodus 4:7 — And He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.
Exodus 4:8 — “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.”
Exodus 4:9 — “And if they will not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you may take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
Exodus 4:10 — Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
Exodus 4:11 — So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?”
Exodus 4:12 — “Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
Exodus 4:13 — But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
[01:25:16]Exodus 4:14 — So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
Exodus 4:15 — “Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.”
Exodus 4:16 — “So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.”
Exodus 4:17 — “And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Exodus 5:1–23Exodus 5:1 — Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
[01:30:51]Exodus 5:2 — And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”
Exodus 5:3 — So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Exodus 5:4 — Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.”
Exodus 5:5 — And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
Exodus 5:6 — So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
Exodus 5:7 — “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.”
Exodus 5:8 — “And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’”
Exodus 5:9 — “Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”
Exodus 5:10 — And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw.’”
Exodus 5:11 — “Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.”
Exodus 5:12 — So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
Exodus 5:13 — And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.”
Exodus 5:14 — Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
Exodus 5:15 — Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants?”
Exodus 5:16 — “There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”
Exodus 5:17 — But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’”
Exodus 5:18 — “Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”
Exodus 5:19 — And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
Exodus 5:20 — Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them.
Exodus 5:21 — And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
[01:33:35]Exodus 5:22 — So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?”
Exodus 5:23 — “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
[01:39:45]Romans 5:3–5Romans 5:3 — And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
Romans 5:4 — and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:5 — Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
[01:44:13]Observation questions- What does God say He has seen, heard, and known about Israel’s suffering before He tells Moses that he will be sent to Pharaoh?
- List the different concerns Moses raises after God calls him. What does Moses fear about himself, God’s name, the people’s response, and his ability to speak? [01:25:16]
- What ordinary object is already in Moses’ hand, and what signs does God give him through the staff, his hand, and the water?
- What changes does Pharaoh make to Israel’s work after Moses and Aaron ask him to let God’s people go? How do the Israelite officers respond to Moses and Aaron? [01:33:35]
Interpretation questions- God answers Moses’ question, “Who am I?” mainly by saying, “I will be with you.” What does this show about where confidence for God’s work is meant to come from? [01:15:20]
- God tells Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh will not let Israel go easily. How does that warning help explain why Pharaoh’s resistance did not mean Moses had heard God wrongly?
- Pharaoh puts pressure on the whole community instead of only confronting Moses and Aaron. Why can pressure from familiar people be especially discouraging when someone is trying to obey God? [01:45:23]
- Romans 5 says hardship can produce endurance, character, and hope. What is the difference between simply going through a hard season and allowing God to form endurance and hope through it?
Application questions- Is there an area where God may be drawing attention—an opportunity, burden, relationship, gift, or place of service—that has been difficult to ignore? What has been the first response: “Here I am,” or “Who am I?” [01:43:14]
- What is already “in your hand” that God could use: a skill, work experience, home, time, listening ear, practical help, or relationship? What might one faithful next step look like? [01:25:04]
- When a new step of obedience brings criticism, inconvenience, or extra pressure, what thoughts usually begin to take over? How can God’s first promise be remembered before discouragement rewrites the story? [01:41:00]
- Have the words of someone close ever weakened faith, courage, or willingness to obey? What kind of wise, faith-filled support would help rather than simply telling people what they want to hear? [01:46:19]
- Moses kept returning to his weakness as a speaker. What personal weakness or limitation is most often used as a reason to hold back from serving God? How does God’s promise to be present speak into that specific fear?
- Where is endurance needed right now—not just to survive difficulty, but to keep a steady yes to God? What would perseverance look like over the next week? [01:48:27]
- Who are the “Joshua and Caleb” kind of people who can help keep faith fixed on God’s promises? Is there someone who could be invited into a more honest conversation about a vision, struggle, or next step of obedience? [01:52:04]
