Exodus 1-15
Out of Egypt: Slavery and Deliverance

Exodus 1

printable lesson

               This opening chapter of the book of Exodus can be a cautionary tale, in the sense that God’s blessings do not always make life easy or comfortable.  We will discover this by connecting the dots (themes) between Exodus and Genesis.  One note before we begin though is that in the Torah, this book is not referred to as Exodus, but as Names, based not only on the opening list of names, but more importantly the giving of the name to Israel as a people and the struggle over the name for God.
               First let’s connect the dots so that we can see how God’s blessings put the people of God at risk.  The blessings that have been promised to the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are land, seed (children), blessing and the blessing of all the nations.  Chapter one tells us that the people became fruitful, multiplied, and so swarmed over the land. The word for swarming is used of insects and creatures in the creation story, implying that the Hebrew people are doing what they were created to do; be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.  They were also becoming strong, another promise of God’s blessing.  Unfortunately, swarming is what leads to their enslavement.
               The story tells us that a new king arose who did not know Joseph.  The Hebrew implies that this king was not only new but was a usurper who overthrew the previous dynasty.  As such he needs to consolidate his power and will be forever looking over his shoulder to see who might be trying to usurp him. In this fear-based quest he spies the Hebrews.  They are a minority that may soon become a majority, which might conquer him.  The easiest solution is to force them to leave. Unfortunately, they have become essential workers. Thus, the king fears them and needs them at the same time.  In response he moves through a three-step process to control them.

Step one is to break their spirits by ruthlessly forcing on them hard work.  Though it is not mentioned in most English translations, the word for work is used three times (task, service, labor).  When this does not work, the king moves to step two. Step two is that of having the midwives kill all the Hebrew male babies. This will be slow genocide, but it will allow the Egyptians to assimilate the Hebrew women and produce more slaves through them. (connecting the dots again, this is what Abraham and Isaac feared Pharaoh would do with Sarah and Rebekah). Of interest here is that much Hebrew tradition believes the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to be Egyptians. This makes sense because they are commanded to only kill Hebrew babies, implying they work with Egyptians as well.  These two women, fearing God (this connects us with earlier foreigners who feared God in Genesis) lie to the king and let the children live. Step three is the King commanding his own people to kill all the Hebrew children (This connects the dots with the sacrifice of Isaac where God refuses to allow the death of the child). 
               Reflection:  It would be easy to simply pass off this story as concerning only the Hebrew people and a new king.  However, I believe it must to be a cautionary tale for us. What I mean by that is that for those of us who are white and of Anglo ancestry have often played the role of the Egyptians. This can be seen in the continual emergence of xenophobia in our nation.  We feared African Americans and so we enslaved and oppressed them. We feared the Irish, Catholics, Jews, and others and so ghettoized them. We feared the Chinese and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. We feared those of Latino heritage and vilified them. In other words, we forgot to fear the God who desires that all people flourish and that what we have is to be shared, and instead have tried to both use and cast out those we fear.
               Questions:

1. Where do you see connection between this story and the story of Genesis?
2. Where do you see connections between this story and our current circumstances?
3. What do you think of the midwives being Egyptian and their actions being acts of internal resistance to the king?

Exodus 2

Printable lesson

This chapter is about resistance, identity, and character. It begins with two acts of resistance to Pharaoh and his decrees. The first act is by a Levite husband and wife, meaning they are descended from Levi who acted to bring justice for his sister and to liberate her from her captors. Perhaps there is something that carries on in this line of Hebrews. Their act of resistance is to have a child in the face of the king’s decree that all male children will face death and ultimately all female children, assimilation. They can do nothing else because they are God’s people who have been called, even in slavery, to be fruitful and multiply. When the child is born, the mother sees that is “fine”, which is actually the Hebrew word “good” used to describe God’s initial creation. This good cannot be given up and so the mother places the child in an “ark” and then into the water. Though she does not know it, this ark will save people as well. The second act of resistance comes from the Egyptian princess who finds the child. She knows that he is a Hebrew and yet, rather than kill him in the water, she saves him, turns him over to his mother to be nursed, then raises the child as her own. Once again, the resistance of women will help save God’s people.
Resistance leads to a crisis of identity. When the child is weaned (at about three years old…meaning he has learned the Hebrew language), he is brought into the palace as a prince. As such he is named “Moses”, which is an Egyptian name meaning “son.” At the same time though the princess makes it clear that the name also alludes to the Hebrew word for “drawing out of water.” From the beginning then, Moses has no clear identity. Is he Hebrew? Is he Egyptian? It is not at all clear. In a sense Moses will have to search for his identity. He will have to discover who he is.
The first instance of character comes when Moses finally leaves the palace. He had been surrounded by power and privilege and kept safe from the outside world. Yet, as a man without a home or identity, he ends up seeing the forced labor of his own people…evidently with whom he still identifies. After observing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, Moses kills the Egyptian.

​Not a wise move, but one that seems to speak to his character; that of a man who does not like injustice. Notice Moses does not behave like a member of the Royal household who could command the Egyptian to cease and desist. Instead, Moses acts…which is character trait number two. He is man of action, who does not spend time contemplating, but acting on his “Levite” ancestry. We see both traits and one more in the next incident. When Moses sees two Hebrews fighting, he attempts to be a peacemaker. His attempt fails, but we come to know him better. These traits come together again, when in Midian he protects the female shepherds and ensures their safety and liberation.
The final demonstration of character comes not from Moses but from God. When the Hebrews have had enough of their enslavement, they cry out; not to God, but they simply cry out. In that moment we discover that God hears and remembers, God looks and notices. God’s character has not changed. This is still the God who keeps “hesed” or covenant faithfulness.
Reflection: We live in a world that attempts to draw us into time honored injustices. We are carefully groomed to go along to get along. Moses, his parents and the princess all demonstrate that God calls us to resist. We are called to be people of actions, justice, and peacemaking. We are called to do because it is these character traits that lead to freedom for ourselves and others; freedom that allows human beings to flourish. Sometimes this resistance may mean finding a new identity, or perhaps simply our own true identity.
Questions:
1. Where have you resisted, or desired to resist the powers and principalities of this world?
2. Where have you struggled with your identity? With defining who you are?
3. How would you define your essential character traits?

Exodus 3

printable lesson

Once again, we have a chapter that deals with identity, the identity of both Moses and God. As a reminder, Moses is not only bi-national (Israelite and Egyptian), but he is now also Midianite, having lived with his wife’s family for close to fifty years. In addition, he is also now a shepherd, which adds to his previous job descriptions of foundling, prince, murderer, outlaw, exile, husband, and father. Though he may be satisfied with his current situation, he will still ask, “Who am I…” when confronted by God’s call. In the same way, it is not at all clear who this God is who is calling Moses to action. We will watch as God offers us insight into God’s identity as well.
The story opens with the very familiar burning bush story. Moses has gone out beyond or deep into the wilderness, which is always the place where strange things happen. It is also a dry place (which is the meaning of Horeb) where the man drawn from water might not feel quite at home. There Moses turns aside to see a bush burning but not consumed…meaning he is a curious fellow. God informs Moses that Moses is on holy ground, not only because God is present, but because it is a space set aside for a particular Godly purpose, their conversation. God makes the first introduction. God is the God of Moses family (which is a beginning of Moses discovery of his identity). Moses is afraid. Afraid in this case is word containing awe, fear, and reverence; a fear that does not cause flight but creates connection.
God continues God’s introduction with a series of verbs. God is the God who observes (misery), hears (cries of distress), knows (deeply cares) and acts (to liberate). The object of these verbs is the misery of God’s people. The purpose of these verbs is the liberation of God’ people. In a sense these verbs act to liberate life in the same manner God’s words, “Let there be…” in Genesis create life. This introduction then leads to the first defining moment of Moses’ new identity, Moses is now an employee of God. Moses is to go to work for God to help free God’s people. Moses response is, “Who am I that I should go…?” God’s response is “I will be with you”, or to put it another way, that Moses identity is now the one who travels with God.
Still not convinced of his calling and unsure as to this God’s identity, Moses asks for more information

​Still not convinced of his calling and unsure as to this God’s identity, Moses asks for more information. “What is your name?” God’s answer is, I am the one who is always the same (I am who I am) but is free to act in new and bold ways (I will be who I will be). In addition, we find YHWH (Lord) given as a name, but it also simply means “he will be”, a reminder of the ancestral connections.
Now that Moses knows who he is (the one with whom God travels) and who God is (the one who is the covenant keeping liberator), we can discover Moses’ new job description. He is to assemble the elders of Israel, go to Pharaoh, ask for a few days off for the slaves (which by the way was an Egyptian custom…to give slaves a few days off) in order to worship this ancestral God and then be rejected by Pharaoh. In other words, here is your task and you will fail. However, God will not fail. God will do what is required to insure this recreation of life in God’s people and world. The result will be that God’s people leaving Egypt become just as wealthy as Abraham and Isaac became when they left their encounters with Pharaoh’s of the past.
Reflection: There have been multiple studies that show that an individual’s perception of God is either more closely tied to the individual’s experience of their fathers or of the images held by the individual’s parents, rather than the images of God in the scriptures. In other words, rather than allowing God to define God’s self, we define God. One outcome of this defining is that we can define ourselves in ways that allow us to stay comfortably complacent. If we allow this story to speak to us however, we are called to understand that God, while always being the same promise keeping God, is a God who will always come to us with new adventures, challenges, and opportunities. This is a God who never allows human beings to become complacent because there are always people who need to be liberated and find the life God offers.
Questions:
1. Have you ever asked God, “Who am I that you want me to do something?” What answer did you get?
2. Where have you witnessed God’s verbal identity (observes, hears, knows, acts) at work?
3. How are you allowing God to define you in the light of God’s promise to always be with you?

Exodus 4

printble lesson

This chapter is comprised of negotiations, introductions, and rededications. We will begin with the negotiations. We might assume that if the God of our ancestors appeared to us in a burning bush, we should probably listen and obey; listen to God and obey the task that is set before us, regardless of how difficult that task appears to be. This is not, however what Moses does. Moses is unsure of his ability to carry out the task. As Moses listens to God, Moses’ inability to get two Hebrew slaves to listen to him, hardly gives him confidence in his ability to get Pharaoh, a demi-god with incredible power, to listen to a Midianite/Hebrew shepherd. So, Moses makes a reasonable point that no one will listen to him. Thus, the negotiations begin.
God’s response is not one of anger but of understanding. Moses does not believe his words will convince anyone, so God offers him two phenomena with which to impress the people of Israel. The first is a magic staff that can become a snake and then return to its original form. However, it will only return to its original form if Moses grabs it by the tail which is the most dangerous way to pick up a snake. When we watch Moses pick the snake up by its head, we know that the negotiations are proceeding. God then adds a second miracle to Moses’ arsenal, the changing of Moses hand from healthy to sickly. Finally, if neither of those signs work God adds an even more impressive sign, that of turning water into blood. Moses is still not convinced and returns to the issue of speech, claiming to never have been eloquent. Again, God does not become angry. God understands Moses’ hesitancy and so assures the future liberator that God will be with Moses’ mouth, teaching him what to say.
It is at this juncture that negotiations almost fail because Moses mocks God. Moses mocks God, who has declared God’s name to be “I am who I am”, with a response to God’s offers of “You send who you will send” meaning I don’t care who you are, send someone else. At this point God becomes angry, but relents, by introducing Aaron, Moses’ brother, to us, and perhaps to Moses, to go with him. This offer at last satisfies Moses. He will have magic and a mouthpiece with which to convince the Israelites and the Pharaoh. In addition, he will have someone, Aaron, to introduce him to his long-lost family, who neither knows nor trusts him. Negotiations and introductions are complete. Moses takes up his staff, says good by to Jethro, collects his family and heads for Egypt only to be told on his way out that God will harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill Pharaoh’s first-born son.

​Now for the rededication. The story of God desiring to kill Moses as Moses and his family leave town is the most enigmatic event in Exodus. Over the centuries commentators have argued about the true meaning of the story. I will offer only one perspective. The story makes clear that Moses’ son has not been circumcised. What this means is that Moses has not initiated his son into the covenant community or, to put it another way, has not fully agreed to be part of God’s people. This is, as the old Westerns put it, “a hanging offense.” Even Zipporah, the Midianite, understands this and immediately circumcises her son and touches the blood to Moses feet (testicles) as an act of propitiation to God.
The chapter concludes with Moses family returning home (they sense the danger of this mission), Aaron and Moses having a happy reunion (odd for brothers) and the people believing that God had sent the two brothers to set them free; all of which will set Moses, Aaron and Israel up for disappointment.
Reflection: One of the great hymns of our faith is Trust and Obey. It sums up that when God says “jump”, we are to ask, “how high.” Yet in this story God does not seem bothered that Moses negotiates. Perhaps this is because God understands that Moses is, like you and me, a fearful human being. That we are men and women who do not always trust in our abilities to do what God asks of us. That we are men and women who feel more confident when we work together to accomplish God’s will for us and for the world. So God works with us to help us discover just how much we can do with God’s help.
Questions:
1. Has there been a time when you “negotiated” with God? What was that like?
2. Who has God sent to you that supported you on your journey of faith?
3. When have you felt called by God to a particular mission or ministry? What was that like?

Exodus 5

printable lesson

This is a chapter about forgetfulness; about how quickly we forget what we have been told, and consequences of that forgetting. The chapter opens with Moses and Aaron in the court of Pharaoh. In the previous chapter they had been given specific instructions by God as to what they were to do and say. First, they were to take the elders with them…must have forgotten that. Second, they were to say, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; let us now go on a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.” (3:18) Must have forgotten that as well. Instead of remembering and sticking to the script, which was a rather polite request, Moses and Aaron decide that they can command Pharaoh to let the people go. The response from Pharaoh was emphatic. Pharaoh makes it clear that he has no idea who this YHWH god is and even if he did, Pharaoh is not obligated to give YHWH anything. Moses and Aaron make a second attempt, which is closer to God’s original script, but it is too late. Pharaoh can smell their weakness and pounces.
The story makes it clear that Pharaoh does not hesitate to implicate Moses and Aaron in a plot to steal Pharaoh’s free labor. He then immediately does what despots do, increases the workload of his slaves so that they will know that he and not YHWH is their god expecting that the Hebrews will turn on Moses and Aaron, making the request for release meaningless. As he does so he also casts aspersions on the slaves that they are being lazy (the word means idlers or those who relax) and thus must have free time to go and gather straw. These commands to both collect straw and make bricks without a let up in the production schedule were passed down to the taskmasters (Egyptians) who ordered the workers to comply. In the process the taskmasters beat the Israelite overseers, who may not have even been aware of the new orders.
The beatings of the overseers lead to the next act of forgetting; that it is the YHWH who will liberate the people. We know that the people are aware of this because in the previous chapter they heard Moses and Aaron tell them so, and then the people bowed down and worshipped. Yet here the people return to the god they know, Pharaoh and ask why this is happening.

​They do not inquire of Moses, Aaron or of YHWH. Old habits die hard. When Pharaoh refuses to relent and reminds them of his orders, the overseers know that they are in trouble, and immediately blame Moses and Aaron (“You have made us a stink to Pharaoh)…which leads to the third act of forgetting.
Moses and Aaron immediately blame God for their failures to follow orders and for Pharaoh’s response, which is what God said would happen. “I know, however, that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.” (3:19) Rather than remembering God’s warning that this process would neither be quick or easy, Moses and Aaron decided they could liberate the people on their own…with their own voices.
Reflection: We forget. We human beings forget. We forget small things and large things, meaningless things, and important things. And one of the things that we often forget, are the lessons God wants to teach us. These lessons include things such as that we ought to listen to God and strive to align our lives according to God’s ways and not our ways. Things such as that we should depend on God as much as we depend on ourselves. Things such as God’s time is not always our time. In other words, we are to seek God’s guidance and support in all our actions.
Questions:
1. Have you ever forgotten something that God desired of you? How did that forgetting impact you?
2. Have you ever forgotten something that you promised to God? How did this affect your relationship with God?
3. Have you ever found yourself in a circumstance that ultimately only God could solve? How did God solve it (or not perhaps) and how did the outcome affect your trust in God?

Exodus 6

printable lesson

We begin this chapter with Moses, Aaron, and the people of Israel in despair. Moses and Aaron (ignoring God’s explicit instructions on what to say) had spoken with Pharaoh and demanded, then requested that God’s people be released. The effort had backfired spectacularly, and the life of the people had become worse than it was before. The people were now despondent and angry with their erstwhile liberators. It is in this moment of doubt and despair that God speaks and reminds Moses and Aaron that it is YHWH who will, with a mighty hand, force Pharaoh to let God’s people leave. This proclamation (it is similar in fashion to other royal proclamations) is followed by a reminder from God about 1) God’s identity and 2) what God has planned for the people of Israel.
God reminds Aaron and Moses that YHWH is the same God who covenanted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them (their descendants) the land of Canaan. YHWH is also the God who hears the cries of the oppressed and will, because of the covenant, make seven promises. The first three promises deal with liberation. God will “free”, “deliver” and “redeem” the people. The Hebrew word for “free” can also mean to “bring out.” In other words, God’s remembrance of the covenant will move a people from slavery to liberation. This marks YHWH as a god who listens, cares, fulfills promises, and liberates. The next two promises focus on God’s relationship with the children of Israel. God will “take” them as God’s people (an imagery of marriage) and will become “your God.” It should be noted that the term “will” is used in a similar fashion to God’s personal name, “I will be what I will be.” Here the name is fleshed out in relationship to a people and now a nation. I will be your God and you will be my special people. This claiming by God foreshadows the covenant at Sinai where this new relationship will be fleshed out. The final two promises focus on “bring” and “give”. These two promises deal with the land of Canaan. God will bring the people into the land and God will give them the land as an inheritance.

These seven promises are then completed with a reminder that it is the covenant God YHWH who is making them. As should be expected, the people don’t believe Moses and Aaron. Even so God commands Moses and Aaron to go and speak these promises to Pharaoh, regardless of Moses’ objections.
The genealogy that follows, though it appears to interrupt the arc of the story is in fact intended to do so. Genealogies are often used to mark the end of one section of a story and the beginning of another. This genealogy marks the end of Moses and Aaron attempting to use their powers to convince Pharaoh to set the people free, and the beginning of God’s acts of power to accomplish God’s promises to the people. A couple of things in the genealogy. First Moses and Aaron are clearly Levites, meaning they are true Israelites and are of what will be the priestly family. Second, It appears that while Aaron’s lineage will continue, Moses will not. In a sense, Moses is a man for this moment while Aaron has a continuing role to play. The chapter ends where it began with Moses being commanded to liberate the people even though Moses lacks the confidence to do so.
Reflection: One of the great myths about what God is doing here is that God is setting the people free. This is not quite true. While they will be freed from Pharaoh’s oppression, God is not freeing them to do as they please. God is liberating them so that they can be God’s special people; a people bound together in worship of YHWH and organized around the life-giving covenant Law. While some people have argued that this is simply going from enslavement to one king to enslavement by another king, the difference is that Pharaoh enslaves to bring death, YHWH marries to bring life and flourishing to the world.
Questions:
1. How have you witnessed God being a God of liberation?
2. What do you make of the thought that Moses is a man just for this moment and Aaron is a man (lineage) for the future? Why would that be?
3. How would you describe your place in the family of God?

Exodus 7

printable lesson

This chapter begins the contest between the real God (YHWH) and the nature “gods” and singular “god”, Pharaoh. Though we are often taught to think of this encounter as centering on the liberation of the people of Israel, this and the following chapters are focused on a contest of godly power. The reason for understanding what happens as a contest between gods is because both Israel and Egypt must come to know who YHWH is. Egypt must recognize that YHWH is the one God who has the power to defeat Pharaoh and Egypt’s God, thus causing Egypt to let Israel leave. Israel must come to see YHWH’s power so that the people will worship him as the covenant keeping liberator. The contest is not much of a contest because YHWH has made Moses “like a god to Pharaoh and Aaron shall be your prophet” meaning that Moses is superior to the supposed god, Pharaoh. We quickly learn two things, that Moses and Aaron now do exactly as God commands (meaning the brothers learned to listen) and their ages (which marks the beginning of a new literary section).
The first power encounter of this new section has to do with crocodiles. Though the scriptures usually refer to the staff becoming a snake, the Hebrew word is more often used to describe a sea monster or crocodile. The reason to choose crocodile is that the crocodile was considered a nature god named Sobek. Sobek not only created the Nile but protected it. In addition, the hieroglyph for “sovereign” contained two crocodiles. Thus, when Aaron throws down the staff (with no magic words) and it becomes a crocodile (and then eats the other crocodiles created by the magic arts) it shows that the God of the Hebrews has power over Sobek and the enchanters.
A note about the ten plagues. The first nine come in three cycles. In the first plague in each cycle (1, 4, 7) Moses is commanded to meet Pharaoh at the Nile and warn him. In the second cycle (2, 5, 8), Moses is commanded to meet Pharaoh in his palace and warn him. In the third cycle (1, 6, 9) there is no warning and plague just arrives.

​Next, the plagues grow in intensity and are linked in pairs (an example is the first two focus on the Nile, the second two are insects coming from the ground and so on). In addition, the plagues move upward, from the water, to the land, to the sky, to the heavens, to the sun (the god Ra) itself. Finally, all the plagues deal with nature, which Egypt worships as immutable gods, which YHWH has now turned against Egypt itself.
The second power encounter is the first of the ten plagues and has to do with the Nile turning to blood. As mentioned above, this first plague begins in the depths of the Nile. The Nile was a god and the source of life. By turning the water to blood, the entire population and economy of Egypt are put at risk. Though the magicians can emulate this plague (not sure why or where), it will be their final gasp of keeping up with Moses, Aaron, and YHWH.
Now a note about hardening Pharaoh’s heart. It has been argued that for the people to come to know YHWH’s power, YHWH must contend with Pharaoh on “equal” terms, meaning that both YHWH and Pharaoh must both bring their A-game to the contest. Only by hardening Pharaoh’s heart, meaning he will be at his most resistant, will both Israel and Egypt see the true might of YHWH.
Reflection: Over the past several hundred years people have tried to find natural causes of the plagues (red soil in the water for the blood, etc.). While such endeavors are interesting, they miss the cosmic nature of the struggle between YHWH and Pharaoh. These two were locked in a duel for both the bodies and souls of the Israelite people. Only by YHWH overcoming Pharaoh will both peoples come to know who God really is, the true ruler of heaven and earth; and who Pharaoh is, a petty, brutal tyrant and nothing more. For those of us in the 21st century, this could be a powerful reminder that all those who claim to rule over the earth are merely bit players in God’s unfolding redemption drama, and therefore, it is God who should get all glory and not those who govern us.
Questions:
1. Where do you see contests between the worship of YHWH and the worship of creatures?
2. Where do you see people pretending to be sovereign when they are not?
3. Why do you think it is important for both Israel and Egypt to “know” the God of Israel?

Exodus 8

printable lesson

This chapter is focused on three plagues and on the slowly changing power struggle between Moses and Pharaoh. The three plagues follow the pattern mentioned in the last lesson. The first plague, frogs, has Moses and Aaron go the palace and warn Pharaoh of the coming plague. The second has Moses and Aaron initiate a plague without any warning to Pharaoh. The third plague has Moses and Aaron meeting Pharaoh as he sets out for his day.
The first plague of the chapter is the second plague in the series of ten plagues. It concerns frogs. Though we are not privy to the conversation between Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh, it is implied that Moses and Aaron passed on God’s command to let God’s people go along with the threat of a plague if Pharaoh did not comply. When Pharaoh fails to comply, the frogs are unleashed. At the same time Pharaoh’s magicians were able to perform the same feat. But in what follows, Pharaoh asking Moses and Aaron to remove the frogs, implies that while the magicians could bring frogs, they could not make them leave…thus we have begun to see the limitations of magic as compared to the power of God.
It is at this point that Moses takes a tremendous risk. His risk is that when Pharaoh asks for Moses to remove the frogs, Moses asks him to name the time the frogs need to be gone. Moses does this trusting that God will accomplish the frog-ectomy on cue. Notice that Moses has not checked in with God, but we would assume that this risky request is based on Moses’ deepening faith in God, that God is the one who hears and answers. Pharaoh asks, Moses prays, and God removes the frogs on schedule. Even so, Pharaoh hardens his heart, which makes sense because to give in at this point would be to admit weakness before a foreign god.
​​We come now to the plague of gnats, or perhaps lice (the Hebrew is vague). With this plague we have reached the limits of the power of magic as Pharaoh’s magicians are unable to duplicate this feat. We also witness the magicians admitting that what Moses is doing comes from the “finger of God.” 

​This admission is the beginning of Pharaoh’s people turning on him. Even so, Pharaoh has made his decision to resist and he will not deviate from it.
The third plague of the chapter has always been known as the plague of the flies, though the Hebrew merely says “horde.” The King James was the first translation to make this into a plague of flies. Two things to note about this plague. First it is only a plague on the Egyptians (Pharaoh’s people) and not on God’s people. Second, When Moses and Aaron negotiate with Pharaoh for a three-day release, Moses agrees to pray to God once again, even though I would argue that he and Aaron knew that Pharaoh would not give in. And notice that Pharaoh and not God is hardening Pharaoh’s heart.
Reflection: In this chapter we are watching the development of a leader in Moses’ interactions with Pharaoh, as he develops skills necessary to lead a bunch of former slaves. We watch him deepen his relationship with God through listening, faithfully following God’s commands, trusting in God, and having infinite patience when things do not turn out the way he might like. At the same time, we are watching what happens to a self-absorbed political leader who finds himself getting backed into a corner, which is to negotiate, lie and resist. Self-centered leaders often do these three things because their ego is so insecure that to give in, is the same as to die. In a sense Moses/Aaron and Pharaoh represent the two ends of the spectrum with God on one end and ego on the other. On the God end, one finds true courage, patience and ultimately freedom. On the other end, one finds disaster and death. We all operate somewhere on this spectrum, but hopefully closer to the God end.
Questions:
1. Which of these plagues resonates the most with you and why?
2. Has your impression of Moses and Aaron changed over the last several chapters?
3. Where do you find yourself on the God/Ego spectrum and has your place changed over time?

Exodus 9-11

printable lesson

In this lesson we will examine these three chapters as a unit because the specifics of the plagues are not as important as the ever growing contest between YHWH/Moses and Pharaoh and the ever-increasing cost the Egyptians pay for Pharaoh’s hardened heart.
1) Egyptian animals suffer. We begin with God commanding Moses to tell Pharaoh that if the Hebrews are not released to go and worship, then God will unleash a plague on the animals of Egyptians, while sparing the animals of the Hebrews. Even when God brings this promised plague about, Pharaoh is not moved.
2) Egyptian animals and people suffer. Next Moses is commanded to take dust and throw it in the air with the result that both animals and humans will be covered in boils. In this plague we witness the increasing severity of the plagues such that both humans and animals are affected. The writer makes certain to point out that even the Egyptian magicians are affected, meaning their magic is insufficient to ward off this plague.
3) Egyptian crops, animals, and people suffer/die. The next step in this plague progression is a reminder from God that this contest is no longer simply an issue of freedom vs slavery, but of Pharaoh and the Egyptians acknowledging that YHWH is the one true God. Thus, there is a warning from God to Pharaoh that God’s patience is wearing thin and because Pharaoh is still exalting himself there will be a plague of hail. What is interesting about this plague is that many of the Egyptians failed to heed the warning and so lost their crops, animals, and lives (again note the increasing severity of the plagues as well as the differentiation between Hebrews and Egyptians). Following this plague, Pharaoh makes his first, halting attempt to confess his faults and asks Moses to get God to back off. When Moses asks and God stops the hail, Pharaoh hardens his heart again and refuses to let the people go.
4) All Egypt will be at risk of famine…so all may suffer/die. Chapter 10 begins with the plague of the locusts which threatens all life in Egypt or, as the officials see it, the nation is “ruined” because all plants will be destroyed and there will be nothing to eat.

​Again, this plague brings about a meaningless act of repentance by Pharaoh, which leads to no softening of Pharaoh’s heart and an offer of freedom for the Hebrew adults.
5) All Egypt is crippled without light. This plague reflects YHWH’s power in that YHWH can stop the sun-god Ra from shining on Egypt, while continuing to shine on the Hebrew people. This plague elicits an offer that will allow the people to leave, but not the animals. Growing in confidence, Moses does not agree and demands total and complete freedom. At this point Pharaoh threatens Moses with death if Moses ever shows his face again to Pharaoh. Moses agrees that the face to face meetings are not helpful.
6) The first born shall die. God is done with this contest and so will bring about a plague so cruel that Pharaoh will make the Hebrews leave. Before the plague is announced, God informs Moses that the Hebrews will ask for and receive parting gifts from the Egyptians…who see Moses as greater than Pharaoh. Moses then informs Pharaoh of the punishment for Pharaoh’s unwillingness to acknowledge the greatness of YHWH. The punishment is the death of the first born of Egypt (people and animals). It is only after this pronouncement that Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence for the last time.
Reflection: What these plagues reveal is the difference between YHWH and Egypt’s gods (including Pharaoh). YHWH cares about YHWY’s people. The gods don’t care about human beings. YHWH makes and keeps promises. The gods neither make nor keep promises. YHWH creates new realities. The gods only recycle what exists. YHWH hears, remembers, and responds. The gods don’t hear, remember, or respond. YHWH is a God of morality and justice. The gods are amoral or are self-centered.
Questions:
1. What do you think about this comparison between God and “the gods”?
2. Where have you seen people acting more like “the gods” than someone committed to God?
3. How do you align your life with God rather than “the gods”??

Exodus 12

printable lesson

Chapter 12 is not only the story of the final plague and the exodus of the people from slavery, but it is the story of the initial acts in the creation of a new people or, as the story puts it, the congregation of Israel. These people will leave behind Egyptian ways and take up the ways of YHWH.
The story of the creation of this new congregation begins with a new calendar. The Egyptian calendar, as with most calendars, was based on the cycles of the moon (or the rising and the waning of gods). Israel would cast aside that type of a calendar and adopt one based on the liberating work of YHWH. This is why Judaism has a different calendar than does the rest of the western world.
The creation of this new congregation continues with an act of defiance. This act of defiance is the slaughter of the lambs in the full site of the Egyptians. Until this moment, the people of Israel had been passive. All resistance to Pharaoh and his cruelty had come from Moses and Aaron. Now the people must enter the fray by publicly sacrificing a lamb, which was an animal sacred to the Egyptians. Thus, this act was a rejection of the Egyptian gods and of Pharaoh. To ensure that the Egyptians witnessed this act (and its rejection of the gods), the slaughter was to take place in the open, and at twilight, at the time of the full moon. And since the time of the full moon was considered a time of bad luck and evil, the Hebrews rejected those traditions and began their own, that this moment was now a time of blessing. Finally, this act is a rejection of the Egyptian culture, because rather than eating the meat cooked in a savory stew or with sauces as Egyptians did, the Hebrews will eat it roasted…as did their ancestors.
The congregational creation can also be witnessed in the very act of the entire community coming together to celebrate the first Passover at the same time and in the same way. The significance of these actions is that the Hebrews have become a people acting in concert with one another, rather than acting like slaves who bend individually to the will of their masters. In addition, the Passover is not a one-time event, but it becomes a tradition which will bind the people together. So, even though the Hebrews are still slaves, they are not acting like slaves.

​The process of creating a community continues when the people make a conscious choice to obey these commands of God. They choose to bow down and worship God and then obey God’s command to put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. In other words, the people are not forced to do either of these actions. There is no slave master telling them they must worship or put the blood on the lintels. Instead each family must choose whether they desire to be a part of this new community.
The story of creation also springs from the aftermath of the death of the firstborn (which is both punishment for the attempted deaths of the male Hebrews and an attack on the gods who favored the first born) when the people as a whole choose to leave their old lives behind, and on a moments notice, without provisions, leave Egypt. All they take with them are the parting gifts of gold and jewelry. Finally, the community is to have permeable boundaries, in that anyone who is circumcised is welcomed and it is to be a community of justice, in that there will be a single law for family and stranger.
Reflection: The question for any community is what binds them together? For without a common set of beliefs, practices, and rituals a gathering of people is not a community. Consider the United States. We believe that all people are created equal, we practice electing those who lead us, and we have rituals such as singing the national anthem at ball games (which no other nation does). The problem for the Hebrews was that they had none of these. They were a rag tag band of soon to be ex-slaves with nothing in common other than slavery. The gift of calendar, holy-days, and Passover offered these people the possibility of becoming community.
Questions:
1. Do you see any parallels between Israel becoming a nation and our becoming a nation?
2. What are your favorite beliefs, practices, and rituals of your religious life?
3. What are the dangers to communities when they no longer agree on a common set of beliefs, practices and rituals?

Exodus 13

printable lesson

One way to understand this chapter is, as Kass (Founding God’s Nation: Reading Exodus pg. 191) puts it, that this chapter marks the transition of the story from a tale of “freedom from” to a tale of “liberation for.” What he means by that is that the story moves from God freeing God’s people from slavery to Pharaoh to God creating a particular kind of people for a particular purpose. Please also note that Moses’ role has changed. He is no longer the liberator but has become the teacher. We will later watch this role morph into that of Law Giver.
Though the story of freedom “from” is not quite over (we will still have the encounter with Pharaoh and his troops at the Red/Reed Sea), for all intents and purposes God’s people are free from Pharaoh’s domination. The question then becomes, what next? Are the people free to do as they please? Are the people now slaves to this God of their ancestors? Where will they go? All these questions will be shortly answered, but for the moment the people, if they are to continue to become a community as discussed in the last chapter, need a foundational story that binds them together. This story will be the story of the Passover and Exodus.
As we begin this chapter, we are told what the Hebrews are to remember/commemorate the mighty acts of God that brought freedom to God’s people. This remembering/commemorating is to consists of ritual actions. These ritual actions are to remind the people of God that liberation was not Moses or Aaron’s doing, nor was liberation the people’s doing. Liberation was an act of God’s mighty hand. The action which is to commemorate this mighty act is the keeping of the feast of unleavened bread during which the people will eat unleavened bread for seven days and then have a festival. This festival is to be held on the appropriate date of the new Hebrew calendar.

​The second ritual action intended to help the people remember is that of the sacrifice/dedication of the first born. This sacrifice/dedication entails the sacrifice of the first lamb (meaning it will be killed and eaten…nothing going to waste) and the dedication to God of the first-born child. This child dedication accomplishes two things. First it is to remind the people of the price paid for the liberation of the Hebrew people, namely the death of the first born of Egypt. Second it reminds the people that God does not desire child sacrifice, only the gratitude of a people who are willing to commit their first born to God’s service.
Where are the people to go? The immediate answer is to the land promised to their ancestors. The route the people will take however is not the shortest route. God avoids the most direct route because the most direct route is guarded by Egyptian fortresses and might cause the people to either have to fight or to flee back to slavery. Fortunately, the people do not have to worry about the exact route because God leads them day and night.
Reflection: Rituals are important. They are important because they remind existing generations of their story and teach each new generation about the values of the community. Consider our 4th of July parades that remind us of the sacrifices made for our freedom. Or the rituals of Holy week and Easter where we remember all that Jesus did to break the power of sin and make eternal life available for all. These rituals both remind and teach. Within Judaism the rituals of Passover and dedication have been kept for thousands of years and continue to shape members of the Jewish community. In a sense, they continually orient the community to God’s ways because God was the liberator who brought the people out with a mighty hand.
Questions:
1. What are some of your favorite family/religious/community rituals?
2. Where have you seen the power of rituals in your life?
3. How would you describe what the Jesus’ community has been created “for”?

Exodus 14

printable lesson

The story contained in Chapter 14 actually begins at the end of the previous chapter with the almost offhand comment about the people carrying Joseph’s bones with them for burial in the Promised Land. This taking of the bones represents the fulfillment of a promise (Joseph being promised to be carried back to the “land”), the fact that the parade of slaves is a funeral procession (burying the old life in Egypt) and finally a rejection of the Egyptian religion of rebirth (Joseph would rather be buried in the ground in the Promised Land than await new life as a mummy in a foreign land). Thus, it becomes clear that the Hebrews are not merely going away for a three-day holiday but have left forever.
Even so, the exodus of the people is not yet complete because YHWY’s battle against Pharaoh and for the hearts and minds of God’s people is not over. We witness this in God’s instructions for the people’s journey to freedom. Rather than sending them to a safe location, God sends them to a location of vulnerability with their backs to the sea and the plain open to attack. This setting makes them vulnerable to the never-promise-keeping Pharaoh. Pharaoh and his people soon realize that their slaves are not coming back and so something must be done, meaning the slaves need to be recaptured; an act easier conceived than carried out. Pharaoh and his entire army set out and when they see God’s people, an Egyptian victory seems assured. YHWH has other plans.
It is at this point that we witness (and not for the last time in Exodus) the fear of those who have been slaves overwhelm the people of God. They see the greatest army in the known world approaching and they complain to Moses. They tell Moses that they would rather be living slaves than dead free men and women. What happens next is rather unexpected. Moses speaks and God tells him he is wrong.
First Moses speaks. He tells the people to stand still and if they do, the people will never see the Egyptians again because God will destroy Pharaoh and his army. Surprisingly God is not pleased with this response. God may not be pleased because “standing still” is the response of slaves who have no agency.

​God instead commands Moses to tell the people to act, to move and thus to begin understanding that they are a free people. And it is not only the people who must act. Moses must act as well. He is to raise his staff to make the waters part. In other words, free people must be active and not passive.
What we witness in the parting of the waters is nothing less than a new creation and the birth of a new people. First, the language used in the sea-parting episode is the same language used in the creation story when the “ruach” or breath of God as blowing over a chaotic creation and that ultimately sea and land parted ways. Thus, there is a new moment of creation for all the world. Second, the imagery is that of the people coming out of the birth canal of water into a new life. The result of this new birth is that the people are now called Israel (vs. 30) for the first time and that they have learned to fear and trust God and trust Moses (at least for the moment).
Two final notes. First on the death of Pharaoh and his armies. It is fitting that they die in the water because it was in the water that they tried to drown all the Israelite children. Second this is the last time in the Torah that Egypt is seen as a threat, just as Moses had promised the people.
Reflection: One of the ongoing discussions in the church concerns the question, how much should we trust God to act and how much ought we to do for ourselves? While this story doesn’t give us a clear answer, it is a reminder that we are to see ourselves as people with agency, meaning that God expects us to get up off the couch and act with hope. We are to be those who strive to do all we can to make the world better, while at the same time understanding that we need God’s help along the way.
Questions:
1. Have you ever had your back up against the wall and had God intervene? What was that like?
2. Have you ever experienced a “new birth” in your life? If so, what was that like?
3. What do you make of God’s “justice” in destroying the Egyptian army?

Exodus 15:1-20​

printable lesson

In this lesson we are examining only the first twenty verses of the chapter because the story of Israel in Egypt ends with verse 20 and the story of the wilderness wanderings begins in verse 21. We will examine the first 18 verses of the Egypt story by applying the five “accomplishments of the song” as laid out by Kass (Founding God’s Nation: Reading Exodus pg. 212-213). These five accomplishments allow us to understand the song and its purposes more fully. As a note this song is divided into four sections or strophes (vs 1b-6, 7-11, 12-18, 20-21). Verses 1a and 19 are brackets around the song of Moses.
Accomplishment 1 is to tell what happened. We see this history throughout when the story speaks of the defeat of the Egyptians in the sea. We hear of the chariots being cast into the sea, waters piling up and the enemy being drowned in the depths.
Accomplishment 2 is to give meaning to the events detailed in the song. The meaning is that this event was a mighty act of God and not a mighty act of Moses or the people. Notice carefully that while Moses writes and leads the song, he is not in it. All the praise and glory go to God and God alone. It is God’s mighty hand that has defeated the Egyptians and freed the Hebrews.
Accomplishment 3 is the uniting of the people in a common celebration of YHWH’s greatness. Again, as we have noted before, the Hebrews have been a rag-tag group of slaves without a common identity. This song brings them together as a people and as a people who have recognized that YHWH is the source of their deliverance. Additionally, this song will continue to unite God’s people and will show up later retellings of the this liberating event.
Accomplishment 4 is that they are given confidence for the battles that lie ahead. Taking the Land of Promise will not be easy and so the people need to believe that with God at their side they can do anything. We see this trust in vs. 11, “Who is like you YHWH among the gods?” In other words, there is no god and no people who can defeat YHWH and YHWH’s people. This is carried through in the third strophe when the people learn that the occupants of the Land of Promise are living in fear of the Hebrews and their God.

​Accomplishment 5 is that the people are turned toward the future. This is not simply a song of the past but of the future. This idea can be seen in verse 17 where it speaks of the people being planted upon the mountains that belong to God.
The fourth strophe is referred to as the song of Miriam. This song is thought to be one of the oldest sections of scripture and is a fitting ending to the story of Moses in Egypt. It is a fitting ending because the story of Moses in Egypt begins with women. As a reminder the story opens with Shiphrah and Puah, the two midwives who refuse Pharaoh’s orders to kill the Hebrew baby boys, which would have included Moses. Next Moses is saved by his mother who placed him in a basket and by Pharaoh’s daughter who rescues him. In verses 20-21 Miriam and the women celebrate by dancing and singing in tribute to YHWH. Women have the first and last words in this portion of Exodus.
Reflection: Over the centuries both rabbis and pastors, Jews and Christians have found this song to be disturbing. It is disturbing because it glories in the death of human beings. if God is a God of life, the question goes, how is it that we can celebrate the deaths of any person. While death may be necessary to protect life, should we sing about any death? I offer two pieces of Jewish teaching. "The Egyptians were drowning in the sea. At the same time, the angels wanted to sing before God, and the Lord, God, said to them: 'My creations are drowning and you are singing before me?'" (Midrash Megilla 10) "Do not gloat at the fall of your enemy." (Proverbs 24:17).
Questions:
1. Which of the five accomplishments holds most meaning for you?
2. Why do you think that women are given the first and last words in this portion of Exodus?
3. What are your thoughts on the “gloating” in the song over the deaths of the Egyptians?