Session 1

September 4, 2022

God Plans Deliverance

Unit 1: The Story of a People (Exodus)

The Word

Exodus 2:1-17, 23-25

Connect to My Experience

Share a time when life seemed out of control or especially difficult for you.

· What was the nature of the situation?

· At the time this occurred, how would you have characterized God’s involvement in the situation?

· What criteria do we use to determine if God is close to us and helping us?

· What did you learn about God and God’s involvement in your life from that situation?

Connect to the Word

Read Exodus 2:1-4.

Our text will venture into the extraordinary, but our story begins quite modestly.

· When you think about major events in your own life that have profoundly altered your trajectory, how many began in regular, ordinary circumstances? Did you have any idea that something bigger was on the horizon?

In Exodus 1:17 we read of two Hebrew midwives—Shiphrah and Puah—who feared God and did not do what Pharaoh ordered. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, did the same.

· How would you have felt about having to hide your child out of fear for his or her life?

· The midwives did not do what the king ordered. Are there times when it is acceptable to defy the established authority? If so, when?

Read Exodus 2:5-10.

So far in the story, Moses’ mother placed him in a basket on the river, and Pharaoh’s daughter retrieved the basket.

· Was this mere coincidence or something bigger?

· What do you think it was that drew Pharaoh’s daughter into this scene?

· Have you been drawn into a situation that would normally be off your radar?

· How do seeing, hearing, and feeling connect us with others, especially those who are different from us?

· How have you seen or experienced God’s grace through unlikely participants? Did that experience change you in any way?

· What conclusions can we draw from this about the nature of God’s work in the world?

Read Exodus 2:11-17, 23-25.

Moses was now grown.

· What do you think led Moses to act the way he did? What are your thoughts about his response to this situation?

· Considering all that Moses had experienced in his life, how do you think he felt as he sat down by the well in Midian? What might we learn from Moses at this point?

· In verse 17, what character trait do we see reemerge in Moses? How did it manifest itself in this instance?

Although verses 23-25 do not tell us what would happen with the Israelites and Moses’ involvement, we get a sense that God knew their pain and was going to do something about it.

· What are we told about God in this passage?

· What do we learn about God’s timeline?

Connect to My Life and the World

Throughout this passage, we come upon the themes of seeing, hearing, feeling, and responding.

· Have you ever felt far away from God? What did you learn from that experience? How do we tend to respond when we don’t feel God’s presence close to us?

· On the flipside, have you ever felt that God has seen, heard, felt, and responded to the very real needs in your life?

· What does today’s passage tell us about God’s posture toward those who are crying out? How do you react to this?

· If you were to take a step back and consider the cries ringing out in our world, who is longing to be seen and heard by you? By the church?

This passage is a very real account of a human endowed with great gifts, but also limitations.

· How do we know when we’re using our gifts and sensitivities in healthy ways versus unhealthy ways?

· Who is crying out in our world? How might we see, hear, feel, and respond in a godly manner?