Bible ReadingExodus 4:18–2618 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
[37:48]19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
[38:03]20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
[38:10]21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.”
[44:58]22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
[45:11]23 and I say to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me.’ If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”
[45:18]24 At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
[56:46]25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”
[56:53]26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
[57:01]James 1:2–32 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
[50:01]3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
[50:09]Genesis 3:1–61 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
[41:05]2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
[41:14]3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
[41:17]4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
[41:08]5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
[49:17]6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
[41:14]Psalm 115:1–31 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
[53:35]2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
[53:35]3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
[53:35]Observation questions- What family relationships and family words appear in Exodus 4:18–23, and how do they build toward God calling Israel His “firstborn son”? [38:22]
- What does God tell Moses will happen to Pharaoh’s heart before Moses even begins confronting him, and what judgment does God warn Pharaoh about?
- In Genesis 3, what does the serpent cause Eve to question, and what does Eve decide about the fruit after looking at it? [41:05]
- What details in Exodus 4:24–26 connect the threatened death of a son, the shedding of blood, and the Lord relenting from disaster? [59:46]
Interpretation questions- Israel is called God’s firstborn son, yet Israel has been enslaved for generations. How does this tension press the question of whether God is good without giving an easy or shallow answer? [47:11]
- James says believers can count trials as joy because testing produces steadfastness. What does this mean, and what does it not mean, when someone is walking through real grief, sickness, loss, or fear? [49:46]
- Why is it important that God, rather than Pharaoh’s mercy, Moses’ leadership, or Israel’s strength, receives the glory for the Exodus? [52:48]
- How does the bloodshed in Exodus 4 prepare the way for understanding why Christ had to die in the place of sinners? [01:01:24]
Application questions- What situation in life most tempts you to conclude that God is not being good to you—grief, anxiety, financial pressure, physical weakness, a broken relationship, or something else? What would it look like to bring that honest struggle to God rather than quietly withdrawing from Him? [43:09]
- Where are you most tempted to define “good” as comfort, success, control, health, or having enough money? How might that definition shape the way you respond when life does not go according to your plan? [47:51]
- The difference between demand and faith is real: demand says, “God, You must give me what I call good,” while faith says, “God, You know what is good even when I do not understand.” Where do you hear demand rising in your own heart lately? [51:54]
- When God’s sovereignty and His desire for glory are discussed, do you tend toward humility and gratitude, or toward irritation, bitterness, and the feeling that you could run things better? What may be underneath that response? [54:19]
- Is there a trial that you have only viewed as an interruption or a punishment? How could you ask God to produce steadfastness in you through that trial without pretending that the pain itself is easy? [50:01]
- Christ’s blood turns away the eternal disaster sinners deserve. How does remembering that Jesus willingly took your place change the way you approach God when you have sinned, failed, or feel spiritually cold? [01:01:32]
- At the foot of a casket or in any painful circumstance, Christians may not understand the “why.” What specific truth about the cross can help you continue saying, “God, I know that You are good; I trust You”? [01:05:32]
