Exodus - Following God into Freedom: Week 2

Written By Hayley Lotter

Opening Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

You brought us freedom. You delivered the Israelites from slavery and bondage and led them to the promised land. You freed us from the slavery of sin, all so that we may bring your freedom to those still not free. Help us to be agents of your freedom in this world, in all places, in all times, to all people.
In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Key Scriptures:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Exodus 7:1-6

Sermon Summary:

At God’s command Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh, demanding that he release the Israelites. But each time they do so Pharaoh refused. In response to Pharaoh’s refusals, God punished the Egyptians with a series of plagues. There were ten in all. The first nine plagues (the tenth we will look at in detail next week) were:

  • a plague of blood

  • a plague of frogs

  • a plague of gnats

  • a plague of flies

  • a plague upon all livestock

  • a plague of boils

  • a plague of hail

  • a plague of locusts

  • a plague of darkness

Through the plagues, we see the power of God revealed. At this point in the story, it seems like Pharaoh is the one in charge, the one with all the power. He has power over all the Israelites, and to many his refusal to release them would seem like the end of the story.

But God was still in charge. God has a history of using people who we might see as weak in order to reveal his true power and majesty. And this is precisely what he does through Moses. Pharaoh thought he had the power and control. But he didn’t. In this passage of scripture, we see the power of God revealed, his power over nature and his power over human authority. Pharaoh remains helpless to do anything in response to the movement of God.

“Just as the Lord said” occurs several times throughout these chapters. God was always in control, even when it didn’t seem like it. God had a plan and through Moses, God brought it to his intended end, bringing the Israelites to freedom (as we will see). God still has a plan today and through Jesus - and us - he will bring it to his intended end as well.

But we have a choice. We can choose to be like Pharoah if we want: thinking we are in charge, ignoring the call of God and doing our own thing. Or we could choose to be like Moses who, though weak and all too fallibly human, obeyed the call of God and let God work powerfully through his weakness in order to bring freedom to people.

Questions to Consider:

Read Exodus chapters 7-10.

  • What are the plagues and what is the significance of each of them?

  • What was God’s purpose in sending the plagues? What do you think he wanted to accomplish? For the Israelites? For Pharoah?

  • What is Moses’s role in the coming of the plagues? What does he do throughout these chapters?

  • Why does God say he will harden Pharoah’s heart? What does this mean?

  • Have you ever had a moment when you recognised God’s work and then changed your mind (like Pharaoh)? Why? What happened?

  • What does God reveal about himself in these passages? What would the Israelites have seen of God? What would the Egyptians have seen of God?

  • What in our world today seems really powerful?

  • Has there been a time in your life when it seemed like God was not in charge, and yet he revealed himself to be powerful and in control? When? How did God reveal his power?

Think/Believe/Do:

How can you choose to be like Moses rather than Pharaoh this week?

Prayer Prompts:

  • Pray for the people of the Philippines in the wake of the earthquake last week.

  • Pray for peace in places experiencing conflict.

Additional Resources:

Further Study Resources:

Find the full sermon recording here
For a printable version of this guide click here

Hayley Lotter
Next

Exodus - Following God into Freedom: Week 5