This episode in the early life of Israel is of key importance. Israel would never have become a distinct nation if God hadn't called them out and delivered them out of Egypt. Humanly speaking it was impossible for them to come out but God made a way for it. God had indirectly them there and he brought them out.

Similarly it was, humanly speaking, impossible for us to come out of the world and be delivered into God's kingdom (see Colossians 1:13), but He did it.

In the Passover we have a picture of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ who died as the Lamb of God (see Revelation 5:6) so that we might be freed from the wrath of God against sin. Such are some of the lessons of this amazing book.

B. INTRODUCTION

Past History :

In the book of Genesis, God chose a man called Abram (later to be renamed Abraham) and promised that he would make him into a great nation who would be given the land of Canaan .

Later God revealed to Abram that his descendants would go through all we are about to read about in these studies.

Abraham had a son called Isaac who in turn had a son called Jacob (later to be renamed Israel ). Israel had twelve sons and he and his family settled in Egypt during a time of great famine. Thus it was, that at the beginning of the book of Exodus we find the family of Israel living and expanding in Egypt .

These Studies :

In the first twelve chapters of the book of Exodus we will see:

- Israel growing into a nation in Egypt

- them being made slaves by the Egyptians

- Moses fleeing from Egypt at the age of forty

- Forty years later Moses meeting with God

- God declaring His purpose as delivering Israel

- amazing encounters between Moses and Pharaoh

- God bringing judgement on Egypt through plagues

- the eventual deliverance of the people of Israel .

Teaching :

These chapters also teach us about:

- the sovereign purposes of God

- the foolishness of sin

- the triumph of persisting faith

PART 1 : "Moses Early Years"

In these opening studies watch for the oppression that comes through the Egyptians' fear of the Israelites, the faithfulness of Israelite midwives and the wisdom of Moses' mother.

We will also see Moses unsuccessfully trying to help his people and having to flee the land. There is a lesson here about man-centred activity that we need to take to heart. Watch for it.

Chapter: Genesis 1

Passage: Genesis 1:1-14

A. Find Out:

1. How many of Israel 's family had come to Egypt ? v.5

2. What had happened to them? v.6,7

3. What was the new king's fear? v.9,10

4. So what did he do? v.11

5. What happened instead? v.12

6. What sort of life did the Israelites have? v.14

B. Think :

1. How was Israel 's success also their downfall?

2. What, do you think, is behind the Egyptian's fear?

3. How do we sometimes see these two things today?

C. Comment :

When Jacob had come to live in Egypt , he came with only seventy people. They were welcomed by the Pharaoh of that day, given land and allowed to settle. Over the years they had grown and grown so that there were probably well over a million of them now. Success in one person often breeds envy, jealousy or fear in others. Pharaoh's fear is that this people in his land, clearly distinct from his own people, might get so strong that they could end up turning against Egypt . Pharaoh is a worshipper of demonically inspired idols and such people, not surprisingly, exhibit godless and unrighteous characteristics.

We see Pharaoh from the start then, feeling defensive and antagonistic towards Israel , who he sees as a potential threat. When he seeks to suppress them, it seems to have exactly the opposite effect to what he wants, as Israel just grows more and more. Pharaoh has yet to learn that God has plans for His people, Israel . However, while they are content to remain in Egypt He won't be able to take them out. Life has got to get much more unpleasant yet before they will really be ready to leave. We very often accept second best because it is tolerable and will only cry to get out of it when it ceases to be easy.

D. Application?

1. Do we allow envy, jealousy or fear of others to creep into our lives.

2. Ask the Lord for forgiveness if they are there.

Chapter: Exodus1

Passage: Exodus 1:15-22

A. Find Out:

1. What did the king instruct the midwives to do? v.16

2. Why did they disobey? v.17

3. What excuse did they give? v.19

4. So what happened? v.20

5. How did God honour the midwives? v.21

6. What did the king next command? v.22

B. Think :

1. What 3 stages of oppression have we seen so far in this first chapter?

2. What two ways are the midwives blessed for disobeying the king?

3. How has the principle of 1 Samuel 2:30c been working in today's

passage?

C. Comment :

Previously we read that the king of Egypt oppressed the Israelites by making them slaves in his endeavour to suppress them. Now he moves on two further stages. Stage 1 is to kill any baby boys as they are being born. If he can't suppress Israel by hard work he will do it by reducing the men in the next generation. Stage 2 is to kill any baby boys who have been born. Such activity is clearly demonic (see John 8:44 ).

The response of the midwives is excellent! They fear God more than man and therefore they disobey Pharaoh and make excuses. The Lord then obviously blesses them and this is seen in that, first of all, they are not killed by Pharaoh and, secondly, they are blessed with their own families.

What is remarkable in all this, is that God doesn't destroy Pharaoh. The Lord is going to make use of the godless activity of these Pharaohs to prise His people out of this land and back to their own. Was it a comfy materialistic lifestyle that had kept them there for so long? Why hadn't they returned to the land of promise earlier????

D. Application?

1. As Christians have we become more part of the comfy, materialistic,

godless world around us than part of the kingdom of God ?

2. Ask the Lord to show you the truth of this. Have you settled for second

best?

Chapter: Exodus 2

Passage: Exodus 2:1-10

A. Find Out:

1. From what family was the baby? v.1

2. How long did the mother hide the baby? v.2

3. In what did she leave the child? v.3

4. Who watched over the baby? v.4

5. Who found the baby? v.5

6. What arrangement was made for the baby? v.7-9

7. What happened to the child eventually? v.10

B. Think :

1. Why, do you think, the mother placed the baby in the River Nile?

2. What feelings did the Egyptian Princess have towards the baby?

3. How did the baby and family eventually come out of the story?

C. Comment :

First, we should observe in passing that Moses came from the tribe of Levi, that was to become the priestly tribe. Next we observe that his mother acted completely righteously, for she did exactly what the law from the king required, she "threw" her son into the Nile , except she put him into a watertight basket! She did this at a place where people, almost certainly Egyptians, would come. Whether it was known that the Princess regularly bathed here is not made clear. If it was, then the mother was acting with great wisdom, counting on the Princess's compassion.

Leaving the baby's sister to watch shows forethought and care. His sister acted courageously and wisely with the result that Moses survived and his family received an income from the king's household. How ironic! Thus Moses grew up being taught his Israelite heritage and then, in the king's household, learning their way of life. This child is being groomed for stardom but not in the way we might think!!! Perhaps there is no indication of the Lord's hand behind all this but it must surely be there.

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord for the wisdom He promises we can have for daily

difficult situations.

2. Commit such situations into His hand today.

Chapter: Exodus 2

Passage: Exodus 2:11-25

A. Find Out:

1. To whom did Moses go? v.11

2. How did he seek to help them? v.12,13

3. How was this received? v.14

4. To where did Moses flee? v.15

5. What happened to him there? v.21,22

6. What did God remember and why? v.24,23

B. Think :

1. What desire was obviously within Moses at the start of this passage?

2. How were his actions misguided?

3. How was he shown to be both gracious and courageous?

C. Comment :

The message of today's passage must surely be "Don't take the law into your own hands!" Moses must have had something within him that sought to see his own people again. As a member of Pharaoh's household he had easy access to wherever he wanted. When he found his own people he saw their plight and misguidedly sought to help them by killing one of the overseers.

The end does not justify the means and deliverance must not come through human endeavour of the wrong kind! When, the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting and sought to bring peace between them, he found his presence was most unwelcome and his actions of yesterday widely known. His only course of action was to flee the country.

Across the Red Sea in Midian, he arrives at a well and helps some shepherd girls, is then welcomed into their home where he eventually marries one of them, a daughter of a priest of Midian. Here Moses spends the next forty years, possibly thinking, "What a waste of my life!" while Israel 's plight became worse and worse. However, God was still watching over the situation and was biding His time. This isn't where Moses is destined to finish his life!!

D. Application?

1. Do we ever try to "do good" using our own resources without God's

help? i.e. being godless.

2. Resolve to move with Him only.

RECAP - "Moses' Early Years" - Exodus Chapters 1 & 2

SUMMARY :

In these first 4 studies we have seen:

- Israel increasing in Egypt

- the Egyptians reacting against them and pushing Israel intoslavery

- the royal decree that all Israelite baby boys be killed at birth

- the midwives honouring God saving them

- Moses being born, saved and taken into the royal family

- Moses grown up, trying to help his people

- Moses fleeing from Egypt under a murder charge

- Moses becoming a shepherd

COMMENT :

Israel who had been comfortable in Egypt for nearly four hundred years now find circumstances changing very much for their worse. Into this situation Moses is born but, through the wisdom of his mother, is brought up in the royal family.

Trying to take matters into his own hands, he finds human wisdom and human strength are inadequate for the task of helping his people. The result is forty years looking after sheep in the wilderness!

LESSONS :

1. We should beware envy & jealousy

2. The Lord wants us to honour Him, perhaps even contrary to godless, unrighteous,

national laws

3. We can have His wisdom for daily difficulties

4. Even "trying to do good" can be godless if we do it in our own strength without any

reference to the Lord!

PRAY :

Thank the Lord that His wisdom is available to help you and that He wants to be involved in all you do.

PART 2 : "Moses Meets God"

In the next Part see how the Lord meets Moses, the excuses Moses puts up, and God's patience with Moses as He shares His purposes for Moses with him.