GOD EXPLORATION HEARS. Central. Exodus 2:23-3:10 TRUTH. Prepare for your group meeting, by reading through the passage two times.

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1 2 GOD HEARS Exodus 2:23-3:10 EXPLORATION Exodus 2:23-3:10 Central TRUTH God hears the prayers of His people and promises to rescue them. Prepare for your group meeting, by reading through the passage two times. 23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. 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 far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight why the bush does not burn up. 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses! And Moses said, Here I am. 5 Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. 14 // Explore the Bible: Students

2 Talk it Out.01 OTHER THAN GOD, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU BELIEVE IN THAT YOU CANNOT SEE?.02 DO YOU SOMETIMES WISH GOD S WORK IN YOUR LIFE WAS MORE VISIBLE? WHY OR WHY NOT? This week s FOCUS While it isn t always clear to us, God is constantly at work in our lives, directing our paths, providing for us, and changing our hearts. While Moses and the Israelites struggled to see God moving in their midst, God was at work bringing about His plans for His people. To look at the unfortunate circumstances in our lives and assume that they are evidence that God isn t at work or doesn t care about us is to misunderstand a fundamental aspect of God He is holy. He is not like us He is infinitely wise, powerful, and good. Today we will see that because God is holy, the unfortunate circumstances we find ourselves in are not the last word for us. God knows better than us and He is at work even when we don t see it. God hears the prayers of His people and promises to rescue them. Explore OPTIONS.01 Faith and Sight Show students a series of pictures. Start by showing them a picture of trees bending in the breeze. Ask, Do you see the wind in this picture? Then show them a picture of snow-capped mountains. Ask, Do you see the coldness in this picture? Then show them a picture of the desert. Ask, Do you see the heat in this picture? Many people claim that they would seek God if they could see His presence or directly experience His work in their lives. We too, if we are not careful, can look on our life circumstances and assume that because things are not going the way we would like them to, that God isn t present or that He doesn t care about us. Moses and the Israelites likely felt this way when God s people found themselves being abused and oppressed by the Egyptians. It seems that Moses had given up hope as he chose to flee to the wilderness rather than advocate for God s people in Egypt. Today we will see that Moses and the Israelites were mistaken. The holy God of the universe understood their suffering, heard their cries for help, and promised to rescue them..02 Unreal Rescue Prepare everything technology-wise that you need to show students one of the Unreal Rescue videos in the aftermath of the 2016 Baton Rouge flood. Point out to students that some of the people who were rescued from their cars had begun to lose hope, but were rescued from certain death at the last minute. Discuss how circumstances around us can be so overwhelming that we start to lose hope. That was the case for the Israelites. They had been oppressed and abused by the Egyptians for many years and were beginning to lose hope. However, God had planned all along to save His people. Today as we continue our study of Exodus, we will see that God hears the prayers of His people and promises to rescue them. Session 2 // 15

3 2 CONVERSATION Read Exodus 2: God had promised that His people would be enslaved in Egypt and that He would rescue them (Gen. 15:13-14). However, the most likely person to lead Israel out of slavery, Moses, had fled Egypt. God had miraculously saved Moses from Pharaoh s plans to slaughter all the Hebrew babies (Ex. 1:22) and providentially led him to become a prince in Egypt. After seeing an Egyptian beating an Israelite, Moses killed him in anger. When Pharaoh found out, rather than use his platform to advocate for the freedom of the Hebrew people, Moses ran (see Ex. 2:11-15). Things were not going well for the Israelites they were being severely oppressed by Pharaoh and had no hope of rescue. God, however, was about to change things. He had not forgotten His people. He had not forgotten His promise..03 HOW DID THE ISRAELITES RESPOND TO THEIR OPPRESSION AT THE HANDS OF THE EGYPTIANS? WHAT ACTION WORDS DESCRIBE GOD S RESPONSE?.04 WHAT PROMPTED GOD TO TAKE ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE ISRAELITES? WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CRIES AND PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, AND GOD S PROMISES? God remembering His covenant does not imply that He had forgotten it. Rather, it means that He chose to put His promises into effect. Students in your group may wonder whether God hears their prayers. Suffering and difficulty can make us desperate enough to pray, yet discouraged enough to conclude that nothing can be done, even by God. When we find ourselves fixated on frustrating circumstances, we need to remember what God does. He hears. He remembers. He knows. God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and looked upon the suffering of His people with compassion. He would not stand by while they continued to suffer abuse. The same is true for students God is not indifferent to the difficulties they face. We know this because God has done something about our greatest source of oppression sin. He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. Leader Pack / ITEM 5: Display the Exodus 2:24-25 poster in your room as a reminder to students that God is deeply aware of their struggles and promises to redeem them (Pack Item 5). 16 // Explore the Bible: Students

4 COMMENTARY Exodus 2: : The word for groaning describes a man with broken arms in Ezekiel 30:24. Four different words for the Israelite outcry and four words for God s response combine to make a weighty statement of desperation and response. The formality is enhanced in Hebrew by the unusual repetition of the word God as the subject of each verb in verse 24, which also underscores God s superiority and sovereignty: God heard... God remembered... God saw... God took notice. God s remembering is more than mental awareness; it implies action in keeping with His covenant promises (Gen. 8:1; 19:29; 30:22; Lev. 26:42-45; Ps. 105:8; 106:44-46; Jer. 14:21; Am. 1:9). The command to remember the Sabbath Day is parallel to the command to keep the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8; Deut. 5:12). Took notice ( heard) translates a verb often translated know or knew (1:8; 5:2; 6:3,7; 7:5; 16:12; 18:11), which like remember typically involves more than awareness of information. Here it carries the thought of having regard for something or someone and of exercising personal concern (Ps. 31:7; 37:18; 144:3; Hos. 13:4). Because God knew their situation and took action, the Israelites and others would come to know Him in a new way. This verse assumes that readers are familiar with the promises that God had made and confirmed by covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3,7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 18:17-19; 21:12-13; 22:15-18; 28:3-4,10-22; 32:9-12; 35:9-15; 46:1-4; 48:3-4,15-16; 50:24-25). 2:25. Five important assertions are made, each bearing implications for the events that follow. First, the pharaoh who sought Moses life had died. This would make possible Moses return to deal with the Egyptian leadership no longer as a criminal fugitive (Cf. this assurance in 4:19) but as a prophet of the true God. Second, the change in government produced no relief for the Israelites, whose painful slavery continued unabated. Third, the people of Israel began to pray. Fourth, God remembered his covenant. The word berît ( covenant ) occurs twenty-five times in Genesis; this is its first occurrence in Exodus. Fifth, God was closely interested in His people and in the process of making Himself known to them. Session 2 // 17

5 2 CONVERSATION continued Read Exodus 3:1-6. Cultural Context: Where did God first meet with Moses? What was the significance of this mountain? Check out the Cultural Context note in the Commentary..05 IN WHAT FORM DID GOD REVEAL HIMSELF TO MOSES? WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT GOD?.06 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE COME INTO CONTACT WITH FIRE? WHAT SHOULD THAT TEACH US ABOUT A GOD WHO SPEAKS FROM FIRE? Fire is a purifying element. It cannot coexist with other substances without changing them. Fire is consuming and burns out impurities and so does our God. The Lord presents Himself as fire to help us understand His complete moral purity and all-consuming nature. Just as we should approach fire with great caution, we should take even greater caution and healthy fear when we are dealing with a holy God..07 THE FIRST THING GOD SAYS TO MOSES IS A WORD OF CAUTION (V. 5). WHY DID MOSES NEED THIS WORD OF CAUTION? One of the first things Moses would learn about the God of his fathers was that you do not step lightly into His presence. Moses took off his shoes because of the holiness of God. The word holy literally means set apart. He is completely separate from anything else we could ever encounter there is no one like Him. He is glorious beyond compare to anything else in all of creation. He is perfect in every attribute of His character love, justice, power, and faithfulness. Think back to Exodus 2:25 the holy God of all creation who is perfect in every way heard the cries of His people and remembered His promises to them. Knowing who God is should give us confidence in the face of difficulty and hope in the face of overwhelming circumstances..08 HOW DID MOSES RESPOND TO THIS ENCOUNTER WITH GOD (V. 6)? MUST WE HIDE OUR FACES FROM GOD TODAY? WHY OR WHY NOT (SEE 2 COR. 3:15-18)? 18 // Explore the Bible: Students

6 COMMENTARY Exodus 3:1-5 3:1. Many ancient gods were associated with a mountain where they were believed to live. The Lord was by no means limited to this mountain, however, as His actions at other mountains and other places make clear (e.g., Gen. 22:14; 1 Kings 18:20-45; 2 Kings 6:17; Isa. 2:3; Ezek. 28:14,16; Zech. 8:3). CULTURAL CONTEXT Horeb, the mountain of God, is located in the south-central part of the Sinai peninsula. It has been identified by some with the mountain known today as Jebel Musa. Horeb and Sinai were apparently two different names for the same mountain where God would later give the Law to Moses (Ex. 19:20; Deut. 5:2). 3:2-3. The Angel of the Lord was active in Genesis to inform, rebuke, protect, and provide guidance and success (Gen. 16:7-11; 21:17; 22:11,15; 24:7,40; 31:11). The account in Exodus 3 describes the following conversation as directly between the Lord and Moses, without concern for how the event occurred. Fire is frequently associated with special displays of God s presence (Ex. 13:21-22; 19:18; 40:38; Deut. 4:11-24,33-36; Judges 6:21; 13:20; 1 Kings 18:24,38; 2 Chron. 7:1-3; Ps. 18:8,12-13; 50:3; 97:1-5; Isa. 66:15-16; Dan. 7:9). 3:4-5. This passage, with its come-no-further command, is remarkably parallel to that of Exodus 19:9-25, where a series of conditions of sanctification (procedures that confer holiness) and distance (e.g., 19:23, Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy ) are imposed upon the Israelites. Thus what God s people would eventually have to learn from God through him, Moses now began to learn from God. Moses must do two things: keep a proper distance away from the bush (i.e., from God manifest in the fire) and take off his sandals. There are many references in the Bible to taking off or putting on sandals, but none has any connection with holiness except this one. Session 2 // 19

7 2 CONVERSATION continued Literary Context: Why did God speak to Moses out of a burning bush? What is significant about this? Check out the Literary Context note in the Commentary. The fire of God s holiness not only purifies, but it also illuminates. It reveals the darkness of our hearts. In the presence of God, Moses was exposed he was keenly aware of his imperfections and sinfulness. As a result, he hid his face from God. While we should strive to fear God in the sense of standing in awe of His greatness and glory, because of Jesus, we know longer need to be terrified of Him. By dying on the cross for our sins, Jesus absorbed God s wrath for our sin. Through faith in Him, we can stand in God s presence and more than that, we can embrace Him as our loving Father (Rom. 8:15). Read Exodus 3: HOW DID THE PLAN GOD DISCLOSED DIFFER FROM THE KIND OF RELIEF THE PEOPLE LIKELY HOPED FOR WHEN THEY CRIED OUT TO GOD BECAUSE OF THEIR DIFFICULT LABOR (EX. 2:23)?.10 WHAT DOES GOD ASK MOSES TO DO (V. 10)? WHY DID GOD CHOOSE MOSES FOR THIS TASK? There was nothing special about Moses that made God choose him. In fact, Moses had fled to Midian and passed up on a prime opportunity to advocate for Israel s freedom. God chose Moses because He wanted to display His power to redeem. That was the difference between God s plan and the people of Israel s plan the people of Israel simply wanted relief, but God would respond to their cries in such a way that would demonstrate His glory and His power to save. God would demonstrate that He hears the prayers of His people, and only He has the power to rescue them. The work of redemption God was calling Moses to looks forward to the ultimate redemption God would provide through His Son. Moses was born to a Hebrew slave, and he was saved from the death edict of Pharaoh to one day become the deliverer who led God s people to freedom from Egypt. Centuries later, a son was born to a Hebrew woman who called herself God s slave (Luke 1:38,48) and He was God s Deliverer in even greater ways. Discipleship Moment: It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you don t know enough Scripture or aren t a good enough Christian to be used by God to do great things. Point out how there was nothing special about Moses that made God choose him. God is great and can work mightily through anyone. Discuss with students what God might do through them this year in their homes, neighborhoods, teams, or at their schools. 20 // Explore the Bible: Students

8 COMMENTARY LITERARY CONTEXT This was not the first time God would reveal Himself to one of His people in a fire (see Gen. 15:17-18) and it would not be the last (Ex. 13:21; Acts 2:3; Isa. 66:15). Additionally, this is one of many instances in the Bible where an encounter with God or with an angel of God struck fear in people s hearts (see Isa. 6:4-5; Luke 1:29-30; Mark 4:41). This testifies to God s glory and unmatched holiness. Exodus 3:6-10 3:6. The possibility of danger implicit in human contact with God is reflected throughout Scripture (19:21-24; 24:11; 33:20-23; Gen. 32:30; Judges 13:20-23; Isa. 6:5; Acts 9:3-9; 1 Tim. 6:15-16; Rev. 19:11-21). This place was holy, not because of any quality intrinsic to it, but because of God s presence and activity. The tabernacle would be a place set apart by the Lord s presence (Ex. 29:43-44). To stay at a distance and remove footwear was then and is now in many cultures a sign of respect and humility. The Lord s self-identification, which began, I am the God of your father, connected this event with the past both by naming the patriarchs and by the wording of the statement (Gen. 15:7; 17:1; 26:24; 28:13; 31:13; 35:11; 46:3). It also had the ring of a formal pronouncement by a king (Gen. 41:44). 3:7-8. Two great challenges to Moses faith appear here implicitly, at either end of these verses. The first (v. 7) is a challenge shared by all believers: to trust that God has always and continues to be concerned about their suffering since in the present fallen world, God allows suffering. That the Israelites had been suffering oppression such a long time without rescue begs the question of God, If you are willing to help now, why didn t you help earlier? The Bible provides clear answers in principle to such a question, but individuals or groups cannot normally know why their particular suffering is so severe or has gone on as long as it has. In Egypt the Israelite flocks were limited to the region of Goshen (see Gen. 46:32-34). By comparison, the new land would be spacious... flowing with milk and honey resentful Levites later used this phrase to describe Egypt (Num. 16:12-14). In the land of Canaan, such abundance depended on rain. The word for honey may also describe a sweet syrup made from boiling dates, grapes, and other fruit. 3:9-10. The second challenge (v. 10) involves Moses past: how could one who tried and failed to help his fellow Israelites on an individual scale forty years before (2:11-14) now, in his late years, be God s choice as deliverer of the whole nation? Verse 9 reiterates both 3:7 and 2:23-25, providing yet another occasion to remind the reader, and in this case Moses in the situation of his call, that God had not forgotten His people. Nevertheless, as the ensuing portions of the narrative make clear, it was not easy for Moses to hear the command of v. 10, with its demand that he go as God s prophet ( I am sending you ) to Pharaoh to bring Israel out of Egypt. Not only was Moses to be involved in the exodus but he was to lead it, in defiance of the greatest potentate on earth, the Egyptian Pharaoh. Session 2 // 21

9 2CENTRAL TRUTH God hears the prayers of His people and promises to rescue them. NOW WHAT?.11 HOW MIGHT YOU GROW TO KNOW GOD MORE? HOW MIGHT A GREATER AWARENESS OF HIS HOLINESS CHANGE THE WAY THAT YOU LIVE?.12 WHAT ARE SOME OF GOD S PROMISES TO US THROUGH CHRIST? HOW MIGHT REMEMBERING THESE PROMISES HELP US FACE DIFFICULTIES? God has promised to never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5). He has promised us that there is nothing that can separate us from His love for us in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). He has promised to give us the power we need to live for Him (Acts 1:8) and to be with us always (Matt. 28:20). He has promised us an eternal inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3-9). He has promised to reconcile us to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son (Col. 1:20). He promises to make all things new (Rev. 21:5). When we read these promises and think deeply about their implications, we will find strength to face even the most overwhelming situations and circumstances. The promises of God change our perspective on the present and give us unshakable hope for the future..13 HOW DOES SEEING GOD S HAND AT WORK IN THE LIFE OF MOSES LEAD YOU TO TRUST GOD MORE IN YOUR OWN LIFE?.14 IN WHAT AREAS OF YOUR LIFE DO YOU NEED TO DEEPEN YOUR TRUST IN GOD S SOVEREIGNTY AND FAITHFULNESS? For an expository verse-by-verse sermon outline/discussion guide that complements this session by diving into the Gospel of Mark, see LifeWay.com/etbfal17exodus. For free training, go to MinistryGrid.com/web/ExploreTheBible. 22 // Explore the Bible: Students

10 Personal CHALLENGE Dwell Re-read Exodus 2:23-3:10 this week. Meditate on God s concern for His people in 2:23-25 and His character (who He is) in 3:1-6. How do God s promises reveal His character? How should the fact that God kept His promises to the Israelites give you hope and purpose in the present? Memorize Exodus 2:24-25 Reflect on Scripture Pray Ask God to help you live with a greater awareness of His holiness and His unfailing promises. Thank Him for promising to love you, take care of you, save you, and be with you. Pray that these promises would empower you to live more boldly for His glory. Read Exodus 2:11-15 and journal your answers to the following questions: How did God work sovereignly in Moses life to protect him, provide for him, and position him to save the Israelites? How has God sovereignly worked in your life to provide for you and protect you? How did Moses respond when he saw the suffering his people were facing in slavery in Egypt? Compare and contrast Moses response to God s response to His people s suffering that we discussed in our study of Exodus 2:23-3:10. Session 2 // 23