Bible ReadingExodus 1:8–2:10 “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 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.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 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. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 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.
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and let the male children live?’ The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.’ So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.’
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Go.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And 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. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, ‘Because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’”
[34:20]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.”
[34:09]Matthew 2:13–18 “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”
[44:09]Observation questions- In Exodus 1, what does Pharaoh fear about the Hebrew people, and what steps does he take because of that fear? [36:15]
- Which people in Exodus 1–2 are named, and which powerful figure is left unnamed? What actions do the named women take to preserve life? [35:08]
- What details in Exodus 2 show that Moses’ mother, sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter each play a part in protecting the child? [39:10]
- What connections appear between Moses being drawn out of the water and the later rescue of God’s people through the waters? [43:18]
Interpretation questions- Exodus says the midwives “feared God.” How is that different from Pharaoh’s fear, and what does that difference reveal about the kind of choices each one makes? [37:32]
- Pharaoh does not know Joseph, the covenant, or God. How does not knowing God seem to shape the way he sees other people and uses power? [41:05]
- Moses’ rescue happens through a chain of small, courageous actions by several women. What does that suggest about how God often works when official power is aimed at destruction? [40:30]
- The pattern of Joseph, Moses, and Jesus shows God bringing life through danger, suffering, and evil intent. How does that help explain what it means to say God makes a way out of no way without calling evil good? [45:41]
Application questions- Fear can turn a person inward and make others seem like threats. Where has fear been shaping reactions lately—at home, at work, in relationships, or in the church—and what might it look like to respond instead with reverence toward God? [37:32]
- Faithfulness sometimes looks like quiet, creative action that preserves one vulnerable person. Who is “in the reeds” nearby right now—someone overlooked, burdened, or at risk—and what is one concrete way to protect or support that person this week? [46:14]
- Shiphrah and Puah honored God over a command that led to death. When has obedience to Christ required gentle resistance to pressure from a workplace, friend group, family pattern, or culture? What made that hard? [38:03]
- Moses’ mother was given back the child she loved and was even paid to care for him. Where might God be inviting trust in a situation that feels fragile, hidden, or beyond control right now? [40:10]
- Jesus also entered a story where a ruler tried to destroy children, and his path still led through the cross before resurrection. How does that truth speak to a place where there is a desire for God to remove suffering quickly, while he may instead be carrying someone through it? [45:17]
- Some of the most important people in this passage hold no public power, yet they become preservers of life. How might God use an ordinary, mostly unseen person to do something dramatic and life-giving in this season? [46:21]
- Redeemed people are called to become people who help redeem others. Looking at personal life right now, what would it mean to become a more life-preserving presence in words, decisions, generosity, or courage? [46:50]
