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 4

1. God is speaking to Moses. What are some reasons Moses has to obey what God says? Why should he be excited about what God says? How does he respond instead? Why? What reason do you think he might had for responding that way?
2. What three signs does God give Moses? What does he say is the purpose of these signs?
3. God’s told the future. God’s made a stick into a snake, given leprosy to Moses in a moment, healed him in a moment, and promised to turn water into blood. And he’s speaking to him from a burning bush. How should Moses have been responding at this point?
4. How does Moses respond?
5. What does God say to Moses and what is he revealing about Himself in saying that?
6. Moses has no more excuses. But what does he say to God now?
7. Moses is going to do some great things. But what is this story telling you about who really saved Israel?
8. How does God respond to Moses in verse 14?
9. God says he will use Aaron to speak for Moses. Now what do we know about Aaron generally? Think about how he responds under pressure? Moses is saying he is afraid and needs someone to help him, but he gets help from one of the weakest leaders in Israel’s history.
10. In verse 15, what does God say Moses will do to Aaron? This is an illustration of what a prophet will do for God. A prophet speaks God’s Words.
11. God sends Moses back to Egypt and they ride back to Egypt on a donkey with the staff of God in his hand. What does God warn Moses will happen when Moses gets back to Egypt?
12. How does God describe Israel?
13. Next comes a very strange story. They are on the way, and what does it say God sought to do? There’s backstory here that we seem to be missing. But what does Zipporah do to save either Moses or her child? What does she say to Moses?
14. Does she seem happy with Moses or not? Was she a Jew? So would she have been familiar with this rite normally?
15. So, clearly Moses had failed to circumcise his son. Why? We don’t know. Maybe because his wife wasn’t excited about it. But, what might this be telling you about Moses’ seriousness about the Abrahamic covenant at this point? What lessons might we learn from this?
16. God sends Aaron out to Moses, Moses tells Aaron what God has told him, and they go to talk to the elders of Israel. Aaron speaks and does the signs, and what do the people believe and what do they do?
17. Moving from this chapter to the next, how we are feeling about Israel’s future at this point?