Thursday, May 24, 2007

Study Questions for Exodus 7:25-8:32

Exodus 7:25-8:32

Context: What has been going on in the book so far?

V. 25—How long has it been since God struck the water?
Who struck the water?

Vss. 1-4—What happened a week after the water changed to blood?
What did God tell Moses to do? To say?
Plague/smite—Blow—the idea of striking a blow against an individual or nation. It points to divine punishment (1 Sam. 25:38; 2 Chron. 21:14).
Where all were the frogs going to be found?
What kind of people were going to be affected by frogs?
Why do you suppose God chose frogs to go after the Egyptians?

Frogs were thought of as a good thing. They came after the annual floods and represented blessing and fruitfulness. The Goddess Heqt or Heket was depicted as a woman with a frog’s head and supposedly helped Khnum, the creator god, to create mankind. Frogs were not to be killed because they were symbols of new life and growth.

Notice how often the word you “you and your” are used in these passages.

Vss. 5-7—What did God tell Moses to say to Aaron?
Why was he to stretch his hand out rather than strike the water like he had for the blood?
What did Aaron do?
Why do you suppose there is no record of the discussion with Pharaoh?
What did the magicians do in response to Aaron’s miracle?

Vss. 8-15

V. 8—What happens after the frogs over-run the place?
Notice that Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron.
Why does Pharaoh acknowledge that God has brought the frogs?
What does he say he will do if God will take the frogs away?

V. 9—What is Moses response to Pharaoh’s request?
Why does he ask Pharaoh to tell him when to pray?
“Pray” is used 10 times in the OT and 8 of them are in this narrative. 2 Sam. 24:15.

The fact that Pharaoh asked for prayer is a major shift in attitude.

V. 10—When does Pharaoh want Moses to pray for him?
Why does he wait a day?

Hoping for something to come along that will show that there isn’t a God in heaven?

What does Moses say in response to the day to pray?
What is Moses’ interest in this whole affair?
Who does he want to get the glory for the miracles?

V. 11—And what will happen when he prays?
Where will all the frogs go?

V. 12—What did Moses do after he left Pharaoh?

V. 13—How did God respond to Moses’ request?
Where did the frogs go?
What were they expecting would happen to the frogs?

v. 14—what did the people do with the dead frogs?
What happened to them next?

v. 15—What was Pharaoh’s response to the removal of the frogs?

He figured the frogs are gone, what’s the problem?

Did we know this was going to happen? How?
Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? (made heavy)
What does it mean that he hardened his heart?

8:16-19
Vs. 16—What did God tell Moses to do next?
What did he tell Aaron to do?
How long after the frogs is this?
Why is there no discussion of going to Pharaoh and discussing this whole thing with him?
What did the lice come from? Could be gnats.
Why lice? They bite.

This and the flies were probably directed towards the god Kheprer, the god of resurrection, who was symbolized by the flying beetle.

V. 17—What did Moses and Aaron do?
How pervasive was the lice?

V. 18—Did the magicians do the same thing?
What was the result?

V. 19—What happened because they couldn’t create lice?
Where did they say the lice came from?
What does it mean that it was the “finger” of God? Deut. 9:10; Psa. 8:3; Luke 11:20.
What was Pharaoh’s response to the official version that this was coming from God?

The fact that the magicians couldn’t do the “trick” shows that they had been doing tricks and attributing their gods for them. Their admission that god did it may mean that they realize that something “real” is going on here.

There is a possibility that they thought the one doing all of this was simply a strong tribal god.

Who hardened his heart? (be strong)

Cf. John 7:31-32; 11:47-53; 12:37

8:20-24
V. 20—Now what does God tell Moses to do?
What does present/confront mean? Can be used to tell someone to go to battle 2 Chron. 20:17
It usually means there is a great deal of tension on both sides. Christians are not to confront other Christians.
Why early in the morning?
What will Pharaoh be doing when Moses is to contact him?
What is Moses to say to Pharaoh?

V. 21—What is Moses to tell Pharaoh will happen if he doesn’t let the people go?
Why flies?
The word translated flies can mean pretty much any kind of flying insect. Swarms is probably a better word. The LXX translators who lived in Egypt translated it “dog-flies” which sucked blood from their victims. Psalm 78:45 gives a hint at what might have been the situation.

V. 22—How will God treat the area of Egypt where the Jews live?
Why are the flies not going to be in Goshen?
Where is God going to be showing he is ruler?

V. 23—What will separate the two peoples?
When will it happen?
What will it signify?
Distinction/division is “redemption” in Hebrew which separates them apart as recipients of divine deliverance.

The Egyptians should have looked past the flies to the one who separated one people from another and sent the flies on the evil people and saved his own from suffering.

V. 24—So, what happened?
What does it mean that the land was corrupted because of the flies?
Corruption is the word used in Gen 6:12 and Gen 9:11—thorough devastation

8:25-32
V. 25—How did Pharaoh respond to the flies?
What did he tell Moses and Aaron?
Where did he tell the Israelites to go to worship?

V. 26—How did Moses and Aaron respond to the command to leave?
Why are they so concerned about what Pharaoh says?
Why didn’t they jump on the offer? After all Pharaoh acknowledged that God was their God?
What were they afraid the Egyptians would do to them?
Why would they treat them this way?
The Egyptians worshipped virtually every animal. Nothing the Jews did with the animals would have been good in front of the Egyptians. Gen 46:34 Probably not sheep.

Not to mention in this that Pharaoh was asking Moses and Aaron to do less than God had commanded. God requires total obedience, not depending on the whims of fickle people, especially when they come up with goofy plans in order to keep God from being true God.

V. 27—Where did Moses say they’ll go instead?
Why only 3 days journey?

V. 28—What was Pharaoh’s response to this request?
How far does he want them to go?
Why so close?
If it was a simple tribal god, Pharaoh would still be in charge. He could always send his army to bring them back. And he could still say he was Lord of at least his land.

What does he mean entreat for him?

V. 29—How did Moses respond to Pharaoh’s request for relief from the flies?
What did Moses say about how far they would go to sacrifice?
Why didn’t he address that small detail?
What request did he make of Pharaoh?
If Pharaoh had really given in at this point what would Moses have known about moving the trip from 3 days to permanently?

V. 30—What did Moses do?

V. 31—What was God’s response?
How long did it take to remove the flies?
How many flies were left in Egypt?

V. 32—Oops. What did Pharaoh do in response to this grace given to him?
Why do you suppose Pharaoh hardened his heart at this?
Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? (Made heavy)

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