Exodus: A People To Belong To and a Place to Call Home

Exodus 1-2
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To belong, and to live in peace. These are basic longings for each of us. For the people of Israel, living in slavery and oppressed by violence in ancient Egypt, neither of these were realities.

Yet in the midst of their unreal persecution, there was a glimmer of hope. A delicate basket floating down the crocodile infested waters of the Nile River carried the precious cargo of hope, the baby Moses. His story, the unlikely rise to the position of deliver of the people of Israel had the fingerprints of God on it from the very beginning.  

This story, crafted by God, is not just history though. Our journey through Exodus aims at exploring how this is also our story. It is our story because of what it tells us about the bondage we live in and who our true deliverer is, Christ Jesus.

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Going Deeper
Questions for Group Discussion:

The oppression recorded in the first chapter of Exodus is on a level which had simply not been seen in the Biblical record before. However, we can often easily read these passages as such distant history that we skip over the humanity of the people involved.

• In your group, take time to slowly read through the first chapter of Exodus with an eye for the agony. Take note of the people involved, and try to put yourself in their emotional shoes. What if these were your children, parents, or siblings. Talk about your reactions.
• Right from the outset though we see the people of Israel pushing back against oppression, and as a result, God blessing them. The midwives, Shiphrah and Puah defy Pharaoh and are in turn, blessed with families of their own. Discuss what you think God is teaching through this. Can you think of other times in the Bible when God has blessed those who are faithful? Is this always a perfect equation? I.E. my faithfulness = God’s tangible blessing? Yes, or no… why or why not? And if it’s not, then how do you understand this passage? (Remember, Jesus was faithful and he died!)
• Moses, the proto-Christ! Just for fun, read over chapter 2 of Exodus and see how many parallels you can draw between Moses life and Jesus.
• Now check out Matthew 2:13-18 together and see what you come up with.
• The final destination for the people of Israel was the Promised Land. The land first promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; Gen. 15). But was this really the final destination? Read Hebrews 11:8-16 and verse 39. What is the final destination according to the author of Hebrews?
• Hebrews 4:1-2 states the the promise of entering God’s rest still stands today. If so, take some time to talk about what this means to you in these areas of life:
  • In your personal relationship with God
  • In your family relationships
  • In your relationships with people who are not Christians?