Study Questions for Exodus 3:1-22

Study Questions for Exodus 3:1-22

Context: What has gone on so far in the book? What has gone on in history? Gen. 46:1-4

3:1—Where is Moses living when this story begins?
How many years passed between chapter 2 and chapter 3? Exo. 7:7
Who is Jethro?
What kinds of things do you suppose went on in Moses as a man in that time? 80 years old, in charge of the flocks, the sheep were the primary measure of wealth and sustenance.
What was Moses doing when the story begins?
Where was he? Desert probably means uncultivated land rather than barren desert. The point seems to be that Moses didn’t usually take the flocks to this remote place (i.e. far side of the desert, west of the desert).
What is the mountain of God?
Why does the text call it “the mountain of God”? 1 Kings 19:8

Vs. 2—Who appeared to Moses?
What form did he take?
Who is the Angel of the Lord? Gen 16:7-14; 22:11-18; Zech 3:6-10
What was the bush doing?
What was it not doing?
Why did God choose the burning bush as a way to manifest his presence? The ancients thought the bush represented Israel who were suffering in Egypt but God in the bush was keeping it from being consumed and he would sustain Israel as well. Exo. 13:21; 19:18

Vs. 3—What was Moses’ response to this sight?

Vs. 4—What is the Lord doing in all of this?
Who is the Lord?
Where was the Lord/angel of the Lord/God?
What does he have to do with the bush?
What was the Lord looking for in all of this?
Didn’t he know what Moses would do?
What did God do when he saw that Moses turned aside?
What did Moses say when God called to him?

Vs. 5—What did God tell Moses when he had gotten his attention?
Why shouldn’t Moses come any closer? No room for presumption, informality, or flippancy.
Why should he take off his shoes?
What does “Holy Ground” mean? Gen 2:3
What made it holy? Exo 29:43; Josh 5:15
Why would Moses have any idea what that was?
Who was Jethro?

Vs. 6—How does he identify himself?
Why do you suppose he mentioned Moses father?
Why Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Matt 22: 32
What did Moses do in response to God’s identification? Why? 1 Kings 19:13; Isa. 6:1-5; Rev. 1:17

Vss. 7-9—What did God say to Moses about the people in captivity in Egypt?
Who do the people belong to? What does “my people” mean? There will be more on this in future passages.
What do we learn about God from this small passage?
What does he mean by “come down”? Gen. 11 5; 18:2
What does he mean by “hand”? Gen. 9:2; Judges 4:9; 1 Sam. 23:16; Psa. 109:27; Amos 1:9; 1 Pet. 5:6
How does he describe the Land he is going to give to the people?
Whose land was it at the time this discussion is taking place?
What do you suppose is going to happen to them? Gen. 15:16; 1 Kings 21:26
How can God take the land from one group of people and give it to another group?
What is happening to the Israelites? Num. 22:25
Why does God say that he hears the cries of his people in both verse 7 and in verse 9?

Vs. 10—So what’s God’s point? Why is he telling Moses all this?
What is God expecting Moses to do for him?
Why didn’t God just release the people through some miraculous means instead of using Moses?

Vs. 11—How does Moses respond to the news?
Why do you suppose Moses had this attitude?
Do any other Biblical character respond in a similar way? 1 Sam. 9:21; 1 Kings. 3:7; Jer. 1:6

Vs. 12—How did God respond to Moses? Cf. KJV “Certainly”
What do you think having God “with you” would do for any command he might give you?
Does God ever say this in any other places? Gen 31:33; Deut. 31:23; Judge. 6:16; Ps. 46:7; Jer. 1:8; Mat. 28:20; Acts 18:10
How was Moses to know that God was with him?
How long did he have to wait to see the evidence? 2 Cor. 5:7—we walk by faith…
Why was worshipping God on “this mountain” significant?

Vs. 13—What did Moses say in response to God’s promise of his presence?
Was this an answer that said, “Yes! I’m all for going. Send me in.”?
If God had just told Moses who he was, so that he hid his face, why did he ask God who he should say had sent him?
How should Moses have reacted? Why?

What does Moses mean by “Name”? 1 Sam 25:25 “Nabal” means fool.

Vs. 14—How did God respond to the question?
What did God say his name was?
What does “I am” mean? Mal. 2:6; Heb. 11:6
Jehovah is a conflation of “YHWH,” the Hebrew consonants, and vowels of “Adonai” the word for lord.
Why would that kind of name make any difference to the Israelites in bondage?

Vs.16-17—Where is Moses to go next?
What is an elder? Hebrew—“bearded one”
It was not the role of the elders to frame legislation or establish legal precedents, but to administer the agreed standards of the community and to arbitrate in disputes. By accepting the authority and judgments of the elders society could live harmoniously without having to resort to violence to settle disputes between individual and families.”
Why would he go to the elders?
What does it say about Israel that they had elders?
What is he to say to the elders? Gen. 50:24
Notice all the names of God in the address.
What does God say he’s heard from the Israelites?
What is he going to do as a result?

Vs. 18—What will be the Israelites response to this good news?
After chatting with the elders where will Moses go?
And what shall he say to Pharaoh?
Who sent him?
What is a Hebrew?
What did he want to do with the people of Israel?
How long did he want to take them into the dessert?
Why did he start with this instead of telling Pharaoh that he wanted to let the people go entirely?

Vs. 19—What did God say Pharaoh’s response will be?
What does “not by a mighty hand” mean? Unless compelled.
Why would Pharaoh react negatively? Slaves, gods (Pharaoh was Horus walking on earth and after his death would become Osiris), where were they going in 3 days?, etc.

Vs. 20—What does stretch out my hand mean?
What will God do with his outstretched hand?
What will he use to smite Egypt? Gen. 8:21 “strike”=destroy
What does smite mean?
What will the result of all these wonders be? They will “drive you out” Lev. 18:24; 20:23

Vs. 21—What will the Egyptians think of the Israelites just before they leave? (NIV)
What will be the result of the Egyptians liking the Israelites?
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Egyptians will like the Israelites, but they will like the fact that they are leaving.

Vs. 22—What will the Israelites do to the Egyptians?
What is being depicted here is the Israelites getting what was owed them as wages.
What does plunder/spoil mean?

Isa. 43:2-3