Life Groups // Fall 2023 // Week 5
Posted October 6, 2023 — Lincoln Berean
Arrogant Pharaoh, Doubting Leader…Faithful God // Exodus 5:1-6:30
Introduction
Exodus 5 and 6 are the beginnings of Moses and Aaron’s leadership journey. A new dialogue turns familiar as Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh with a message from Yahweh, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel. Yet when a step of faith doesn’t turn out as expected, Moses retreats to the familiar patterns of self-doubt. It is in this relatable space of inadequacy that the LORD graciously reveals his unwavering faithfulness and trustworthy character.
To think through the main ideas in the sermon and prepare for your discussion together, we invite you to look over all the questions on the following pages and write your thoughts down before you meet with your group. Due to preferences over a wide range of groups, we do not expect you will cover every question each week.
Warm Up (Suggested time: 30 min)
1) If you could do something dangerous just once with no risk, what would you do and why?
2) What one fear would you like to conquer. How would overcoming this fear make your life better?
Getting Started
1) Open group discussion with prayer. Here are a few potential prayer items:
a. For the Spirit of God to lead you in truth
b. For the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in your lives
c. For grace to hear and apply what the Spirit says to you
2) Choose someone to read the passage aloud for the group.
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
1) Our passage this week begins with a continuation phrase, And afterward. What are some important details from Exodus 3 and 4 that you can recall? How are these details significant in discerning the next part of the Exodus narrative?
2) In Exodus 5, the topic of authority becomes central in the dialogue. Under what authority does Moses ask Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to go to worship their God? What does Pharaoh’s response to Moses’ request reveal about Pharaoh’s character?
Moses’ appeal to Pharaoh produces a conflict of authority leading to a disastrous result: the intensification of Israel’s hardship and affliction. What did God tell Moses in Exodus 3:19 that should have prepared him for Pharaoh’s answer? What part of God’s character is being revealed to Moses in this interaction? How would you describe Moses’ view of God?
3) Our responses amidst conflict and struggle can be telling of our view of God. Take note of some of the responses we read in chapter 5. How did the following people respond to God’s authority? What part of God’s character are they not fully trusting?
a. Moses
b. Pharaoh
c. Taskmasters and foremen
d. Israelites
Which of the responses above is most relatable to you and why? Share of a time when you walked through a period of conflict. What authority were you living under during this time? How was it easy or hard to fully trust God?
4) Both chapters 5 and 6 end with questions in a moment of vulnerability between Moses and God. What are Moses’ concerns? In the questioning, what is Moses revealing about his view of self? What is he revealing about his relationship with God?
Notice how God responds to Moses’ questions and concerns. What does this tell us about God and our questions?
Questioning God is a special part of our relationship with Him. How you approach God in your questions can be a catalyst for further spiritual growth and faithfulness. In your moments of vulnerability with God, what are some of the questions you are asking Him lately? How has God revealed Himself to you in a way that causes you to trust Him?
5) Yahweh addresses the uncertainty by reaffirming the character in His very name and reminding Moses what Yahweh has done throughout generations to redeem His people. Count how many times the word “I” appears in Exodus 6:1-8. How does Yahweh describe Himself? What are some covenants He has made? What significance might these names hold, and how can understanding them deepen our relationship with God?
Consider the LORD’s unfolding plan of redemption from Genesis to this point in Exodus. We have a summarized version here in Exodus 6:1 – 27. How is Yahweh’s plan of redeeming Israel a picture of our own redemption through Jesus Christ?
What is a redemption story in your life? Or, how is God currently redeeming you? Is there a particular situation when you have experienced His deliverance first-hand?
Personal Spiritual Exercises
Just like physical exercises help strengthen and stretch our bodies for healthy living, these spiritual exercises are meant to move us spiritually in ways that may be new so we might experience inner growth. Since God longs for us to experience Him with our whole selves—mind, body, spirit—we invite you along each week to strengthen your souls with suggestions and prompts. Next week in Life Group, take a few moments to share how the Lord may have used this exercise in your life.
Scripture Focus: Are you fascinated by genealogies in the Bible? When you come across a genealogy one of many useful tools is to draw a family tree. YES, draw one! It may get messy, but you will eventually see something different about the family, clans or people groups.
Take time this week to map out the family line of Moses and Aaron found in Exodus 6:14-27. Include the following details in your tree.
- names, clan, or people group
- Birth ages (if provided)
- Age (if provided)
- Death age (if provided)
If you want to take your drawing a step further, use BibleHub to search the names listed. All you have to do is type the name of the family member, clan, or people group in the search tool to discover places in the Bible where they are also mentioned. This will help with getting a better understanding of who they are and how they play a role in Scripture.
Prayer Focus: Recall a time when you noticed God teaching you something specific about His character. Take time to journal the details of that moment, and also remember how God revealed Himself to you little by little. Next, journal a prayer back to God as you meditate on His character. It is a way for you to acknowledge how He has been faithful to you in all things.
Prayer (Suggested time: 20 min)
A significant part of “coming together” is being open and honest with our lives. Sitting in a group of people for prayer may be new or it may be familiar to you. If you would rather not pray aloud when it is your turn, feel free to pray silently and then say “Amen” aloud signaling the next person in the group to pray. Whether or not you choose to verbalize your prayer, everyone is a participant in sharing this time before God together.
Take a few moments to prepare a prayer request. What did the message, working through the above questions or the discussion cause you to notice about your own relationship with Jesus? Would you be willing to share your prayer request with the group?