Exodus, Giving of the Law, Worship
This week, we will learn about the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt, their time in the wilderness, and what it looked like to have a relationship with God in this time. Even though these events happened a long time ago, we can still learn a lot and relate to how the Israelites interacted with God. Often, they rejected God and ran after other idols they thought would give them meaning. Just like the Israelites, we have to understand that we cannot make things right on our own and need God to provide a way out from our sins.
- What part of the Bible are we covering?
- Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
- Scripture to read this week:
- Exodus 2–3:10;12
Moses, Passover, and Exodus
The Exodus era can be summarized with four main themes:
- Deliverance for God’s People
- Passover and Salvation
- Giving of the Law
- Law and Worship
Read Exodus 2:1–10. Who is Moses?
When Moses is older, he flees from Egypt and lives in the wilderness after he killed an Egyptian soldier for beating an Israelite slave. Moses could not stand by and continue to watch his people live in suffering.
Read Exodus 2:23–3:10. How do you think Moses is going to play a part in God’s Redemption Plan?
The purpose of the plagues was to force Pharaoh to release God’s people. Each plague combated common “gods” that the Egyptians worshiped and proved that God is the one true God, not the gods that they served.
Read Exodus 12:1–14. In your own words, describe the first Passover.
It would become tradition for God’s people to celebrate Passover every year from then on. Remembering God’s protection and faithfulness to his people is an important part of our faith. Every year at Passover, the Israelites celebrate and remember how God kept them safe in the land of Egypt.
After the last plague, Pharaoh lets the Israelites go. Thousands of people flee from Egypt, only to get caught at the Red Sea. God’s people look trapped, but once again, God provides a way out for them by parting the waters and getting all of their people to safety. God’s enemies (the Egyptians) are swallowed up by the water and die as a punishment for their attack on God’s people.
The Law, Worship, and The Promised Land
Once God’s people are free from slavery, it is time to establish their own nation. In order to do that, God gives them laws as a way to provide direction and structure. Laws are broken into three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial.
Why do you think it was important for God’s people to have laws?
This is the establishment of the Mosaic Covenant.
Ceremonial laws have to do with how sinful people will worship and relate to a holy God.
God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle where God’s presence would reside in an area called the Holy of Holies. God also established a sacrificial system so that the blood of innocent animals would atone for the people’s sin.17
The Sacrificial System would reinforce to God’s people that they were sinful and God is holy. It allowed for God’s people to be in right standing with him temporarily. It also showed that death was the necessary outcome of sin.
Big Picture:
- God provides a way out of bondage for his people.
- God establishes laws and structure for his people to live by so that they may live differently, set apart from the world.
- We cannot make things right on our own. We need God to provide a way out from our sin.
Questions
- What key ideas does God demonstrate through the plagues?
- What does the sacrificial system and the way that God’s presence was reserved for a certain area of the tabernacle reveal to us about whoe he is in contrast to humanity?
- How do we see God’s faithfulness in this part of Scripture despite the brokenness of humanity?
- How does the sacrificial system point us to a need for Christ to ultimately save us?