Bible Reading
Exodus 3:1–4:17Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
[15:00]Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
[15:03]Exodus 3:3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
[15:11]Exodus 3:4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
[15:24]Exodus 3:5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
[15:33]Exodus 3:6 And 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 at God.
[17:03]Exodus 3:7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings.”
[24:42]Exodus 3:8 “And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
[18:07]Exodus 3:9 “And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.”
[18:02]Exodus 3:10 “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
[16:33]Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
[16:33]Exodus 3:12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
[16:43]Exodus 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
[16:49]Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
[16:57]Exodus 3:15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people 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 thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”
[17:02]Exodus 3:16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.”’”
[17:41]Exodus 3:17 “And I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
[18:07]Exodus 3:18 “And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’”
[18:23]Exodus 3:19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.”
[19:01]Exodus 3:20 “So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.”
[19:26]Exodus 3:21 “And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty.”
[19:26]Exodus 3:22 “But each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
[19:26]Exodus 4:1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
[20:00]Exodus 4:2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
[20:13]Exodus 4:3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
[20:17]Exodus 4:4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—
[20:21]Exodus 4:5 “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.”
[20:41]Exodus 4:6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
[21:13]Exodus 4:7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
[21:25]Exodus 4:8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.”
[21:35]Exodus 4:9 “If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
[22:46]Exodus 4:10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
[23:25]Exodus 4:11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?”
[23:32]Exodus 4:12 “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
[23:35]Exodus 4:13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
[23:42]Exodus 4:14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
[23:49]Exodus 4:15 “You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.”
[23:55]Exodus 4:16 “He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.”
[24:01]Exodus 4:17 “And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
[24:06]Observation questions
- What does God say that God has done in response to Israel’s suffering before God ever tells Moses what he must do? Notice the words “seen,” “heard,” “know,” and “come down” in Exodus 3:7–8.
- What are Moses’ main objections to God’s call in Exodus 3–4? What different fears seem to stand behind his questions and excuses? [19:55]
- Why does God tell Moses to speak with Israel’s elders before Moses and the elders go to Pharaoh? What will the elders need to hear about God’s concern for them? [17:41]
- What do the staff becoming a snake, the diseased hand being restored, and the Nile water becoming blood communicate about God’s power? [20:41]
Interpretation questions
- God answers Moses’ question, “Who am I?” not by listing Moses’ strengths, but by saying, “I will be with you.” What does this show about the basis for answering a difficult call? [16:33]
- The request to Pharaoh is for a three-day journey to worship in the wilderness. Why might Pharaoh’s refusal of even this reasonable request reveal something important about the kind of power Pharaoh represents? [18:41]
- Moses has a concern for justice, but he has been living and acting on his own terms. How can a person care deeply about what is right while still resisting God’s call into shared responsibility and community? [27:20]
- God does not turn Moses into a self-sufficient hero. Instead, God provides Aaron to speak alongside him. What does this partnership suggest about the way God’s people are meant to serve? [23:49]
Application questions
- Moses asks, “Who am I?” when faced with a task that feels too large. Where are you currently tempted to disqualify yourself because you do not feel capable, experienced, or confident enough? How might God’s promise, “I will be with you,” change your next step? [16:43]
- An autonomous life tries to provide its own security, set its own limits, and depend on nobody. Where do you most feel the pull to remain in control rather than receive help, make commitments, or respond to God’s direction through community? [27:38]
- Moses needed Aaron, and Aaron needed Moses. Who are the “Aarons” God may have placed around you—people whose gifts strengthen areas where you feel weak? Is there a specific way you could invite someone into partnership rather than trying to carry everything alone? [23:55]
- God sees suffering that powerful rulers ignore. Who in your daily life, neighborhood, workplace, school, or family may be carrying pain that others do not notice? What could it look like this week simply to listen, acknowledge their burden, or sit with them? [33:50]
- Numbness and cynicism can protect people from feeling overwhelmed by the pain in the world, but they can also keep people from compassion. What situations have caused you to shut down or think, “Nothing can change”? What would a faithful first response look like before trying to solve everything? [34:04]
- God gave Israel hope that Pharaoh and the empire were not ultimate. Where do you see people placing their ultimate hope in institutions, leaders, money, or personal independence? How can this group practice hope rooted in God’s presence and God’s care for suffering people? [25:08]
