Through the Bible: Day 51, Exodus

It is vital that we spend time in God’s Word.

But it’s not always easy.

We read a chapter and we don’t know what to get out of it or even how to start to understand it.

I thought I could try to help you get a little something out of what you are reading by providing you with some questions to ask as you look at the text.  Good questions are a good start to understanding. Sometimes there will be more questions, sometimes less.

You can do this!

So, get a notebook, a pen, your Bible, and if you would like some help, take some time to answer the questions, and you may be surprised by all God teaches you.

Exodus 1

1. You have just finished reading through Genesis. How does the very first verse of Exodus make it clear that the story he is about to tell is connected to the ones you just read?
2. What are some of the important things you think you need to remember from Genesis coming into Exodus? What are some of the questions that still need to be answered?
3. We've gone from Abraham with no children, to Jacob with seventy or so. We are seeing movement. God is fulfiling His promises. But what is the problem in the first six verses of this chapter? What parts of the promise have not been fulfilled yet?
4. What stands out as you read verse 7? What phrase does he use here that you have heard before? Where have you heard it before? What story is he connecting this one back to? What hint does that give you about what God is doing through Israel?
5. It's been many years since Joseph died, yet his influence has been felt in Egypt for generations. What changes in verse 8?
6. What is this Pharaoh concerned about in verses 9 and 10. And what does he try to do about the problem in verse 11?
7. What has God promised Abram would happen to those who curse him and his descendants?
8. What happens as a result of Pharaoh's plans in verse 12? What does this tell you about God?
9. We remember from Genesis that there are two seeds. The seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. Pharaoh here represents the seed of the serpent and Israel the seed of the woman. What is the seed of the serpent doing to the seed of the woman?
10. In verse 14, the writer gives an interesting detail. What specifically were they using to build for Pharaoh? Now go to Genesis 11:3. What is said here? Now, we don't always get lots of details in narratives. When we do they usually are significant. This is a connection. Humanity is building an anti God monument in Genesis 11. And Pharaoh, the seed of the serpent is now using the seed of the woman to build his anti God monuments. It looks like Satan is winning.
11. What does Pharaoh do in verses 15 and 16?
12. This is terrible. It is genocide. But it is even bigger. Who is Satan using Pharaoh to attack? Why do you think they are going after the first born sons?
13. Were they able to kill the first born sons though? What happened?
14. How do the midwives explain why they weren't able to kill the sons? God was protecting his people by enabling the women to give birth very quickly, so quickly that the midwives weren't even able to get there in time!
15. What did Pharaoh command the people to do since the midwives were not able to fulfill his command?
16. Think about this chapter. It's really sad, isn't it? But it's not just a sad story. This is connected to how God is going about saving the world. What can we learn about God's redemptive plan from this chapter?