Weekly Study: Old Testament Lesson 13

(Coming from a ByCommonConsent.com blog post on this lesson)

Today’s lesson is on Moses and the Children of Israel. Perhaps one of the most recognizable accounts from the Old Testament, the Exodus story is one of deliverance, prophethood, miracles, and faith. One could read the account with each of these themes (and more) in mind and reap new insights and inspiration. Let us read through some excerpts from Exodus with the theme of oppression in mind.

In Exodus 5 Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to let the people go. Pharaoh responds by placing greater burdens on the Children of Israel. They protest but to no avail.
Read Exodus 5: 1-3 (Moses and Aaron)
    • Are there times that we can say we are like Moses and Aaron here?
    • What are they actually asking Pharaoh?
Read Exodus 5:5-9, 17-20
    • How does Pharaoh respond to Moses’s and Aaron’s plea?
    • How does Pharaoh respond to the pleas from the Children of Israel
    • Are there times where we might have a “Pharaoh-like” response to people we come into contact with? 
      • How might we echo Pharaoh in our response to people’s suffering?

In Exodus 11 the Lord promises to slay the first born and the Passover is instituted
Read Exodus 11:4-8

    • What can Moses’s “great anger” (translated “hot anger” in other versions of the Bible) teach us about both human and divine responses to sustained oppression?
    • Do we have the same reaction when we witness forms of oppression in our day and age?
    • How can we better aid those who are oppressed or in bondage?

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