Session 1
EXPLORE THE TEXT
God hears us when we call out to Him.
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died.
The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, and they cried out,
and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God.
24 God heard their groaning,
and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 God saw the Israelites, and God knew.
After a long time
Exodus 1:1-2:22 provides the background for Moses and his experience in Egypt.
After being rescued from a basket in the Nile River, Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace by Pharaoh’s daughter.
But he became a fugitive in the wilderness after murdering an Egyptian.
Beginning in 2:23, readers discover that this Pharaoh died, which opened the door for Moses to return without fear.
This was a key component to God’s plans.
This was approximately four decades after Moses originally fled Egypt.
identify words in verses 23-25 that give human characteristics to God.
Talk about why those images might be comforting in times of distress.
suggest how God’s caring actions contrasted with false deities in Egypt.
Sometimes, God delays His actions; but He always follows His plan.
And, sometimes, He acts alone, but He also uses people.
Moses was one of those people God used for His purposes.
God
God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. (See Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 46:10.)
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.
A cross reference can be a valuable tool in understanding a particular Scripture. Read Psalm 139 and make notes on how it echoes the content found in Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7-15.