Class Lesson March 9, 2025

 The Whole Story

Deuteronomy 5

When many people think about the Bible, they think about a book full of rules, a bunch of thou shall, and thou shall nots. Most don’t realize that the Bible is much more than that. The Bible is the story of how God is always working for the salvation and redemption of His people. However, God, in His grace, doesn't leave us without any clue how to live.

In the Ten Commandments, we have God’s rules for how to live in a relationship with Him. Many people see these rules as restrictive. God intends them to be anything but restrictive. God intends the Ten Commandments to be freeing. When we walk in accordance with the Ten Commandments, we experience the freedom of life in God's way. The Ten Commandments function as boundaries that provide a safe space for us to run. The Ten Commandments function as guard rails that keep us from catastrophe.

The problem with the Ten Commandments is that we don’t have any power, in and of ourselves, to keep those rules. We know the commandments, but so often, our hearts long for things outside of the commandments, things the commandments forbid. The Christian does not just need a list of rules, we need a Savior who can forgive us when we break the rules. We need a Savior who can give us a new heart, a heart that wants to follow the rules. Jesus does both things. Jesus forgives our sins when we break His law. Then, Jesus gives us a heart that obeys the law because it loves the law. Jesus is here, even in the Ten Commandments.

 

Bottom Line: 

Our relationship with God leads to our obedience 

to His commands.

Deuteronomy 5:1-21 

The Ten Commandments Revisited

5 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: 6 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 7 “‘You shall have no other gods before me. 8 “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 11 “‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. 16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 17 “‘You shall not murder. 18 “‘And you shall not commit adultery. 19 “‘And you shall not steal. 20 “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 21 “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Dt 5:1–21.

Sermon Recap:

• God gives rules to follow only after he has delivered His people. This makes clear that the 10 Commandments do not function as our path to earn God’s approval. Rather, these are how we maintain our relationship with the God who rescued us.                                      
• The 10 Commandments express how to best relate to God and to others. Commandments 1-4 show how to best love God. Commandments 5-10 show how to best love others.                                                          
• The 10 Commandments allow humans to walk in freedom. When we do life as God intended, life goes better.                                                                         
• The 10 Commandments leave us in despair. Though we know we should obey these commands, we fail in obedience repeatedly. The 10 Commandments reveal one great truth: we need a savior to forgive our sin and empower our obedience.

 

Discussion Questions:

God’s Identity and Our Response (vv. 1-6):

"Verse 6 reminds us that God introduces Himself as the One who brought Israel out of Egypt before giving the commandments. How does knowing God as our rescuer — not just our rule-giver — change the way we approach His commands in our lives today?"

Exclusive Devotion (vv. 7-11):

"The first three commandments call us to worship God alone, avoid idols, and honor His name. In our modern world, what are some ‘other gods’ or ‘idols’ that compete for our attention, and how can we refocus on God instead?"

Sabbath as Gift (vv. 12-15):

"The Sabbath command ties rest to God’s deliverance, setting it apart from just a day off.

How do you currently practice rest, and what might it look like to make it a time to celebrate God’s freedom in your life?"

Relationships and God’s Heart (vv. 16-21):

"The last six commandments protect our relationships with others — family, neighbors, even enemies. Which of these feels most challenging to you right now (e.g., honoring parents, avoiding envy), and what’s one step you could take to align with God’s heart in that area?"

Law and Grace Together (Whole Passage):

"Jesus said He came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17). How do you see these commandments pointing us to Jesus, and how does His grace help us live them out in a way the Israelites couldn’t on their own?"

END

Teacher Notes:

Click Play to Watch

Mom - remember how it started, I was 5 years old, and I stole my brother’s sweets? You didn’t correct me, and I remember when I was 7 - the day I stole my neighbor’s toy and hid it at home, you said nothing. And remember when I was 12 and I hid my cousin’s ball in the garage, when he came to play with us at home and you said you didn’t see it, but you did.

Do you remember the day I was expelled from school at 15? Dad wanted to punish me, but you said no and that very day you had a big argument with dad because you were defending me. You said I was still young, you said the teachers were wrong to say that I was not attending class. You defended me, you said I was right, yet you knew I was wrong. Mom, do you remember when you saw me steal our neighbor’s bicycle when I was 17, you didn’t tell anyone I stole it, no – mom you were silent? You loved me so much, yes, you loved me, but you didn’t correct me, instead you spoiled me. That is how it started, and it graduated slowly until today when I will be executed for bank robbery and murder.

Mom, I was just a kid and I needed guidance. By the time you read this I will be gone. Yours truly, your loving son.

  

Class Lesson March 2, 2025

 The Whole Story

The people of Israel have come a long way since the Red Sea. After God delivered the people from Egypt, God began bringing them to their new home, the promised land. On their way there, God begins to give the people a new way to live in relationship with Him.

The problem is that the people of God can’t seem to stop messing things up. Right after God delivers them from Egypt, the people start grumbling and complaining. A few chapters later, the people build an idol in the form of a golden calf. Repeatedly, the people of God show one default tendency: rebellion against God.

A holy God, a perfect God, a sinless God cannot tolerate continual rebellion. Since God is infinitely good, every sin against Him is infinitely heinous. Someone must pay for this kind of treachery. God cannot overlook this kind of injustice. There must be blood. Nevertheless, God, in His grace and love toward us, doesn’t want to make us pay for our sins with our own blood. So, God makes another way.

The Old Testament sacrificial system was established in the book of Leviticus as a way for sinful humans to be able to live in and maintain a relationship with a holy God. God understands that human beings are continually sinful. So, God established a system of continual payment for sin. Sin would be paid for with the blood of a sacrifice. Repeatedly, a sacrifice would be offered, and the blood of the sacrificed animal would forgive the sins of the people.

The height of the Old Testament sacrificial system was the Day of Atonement. This day came once a year, and the day was defined by the Great High Priest offering a sacrifice on behalf of all the people. This day was so significant for the people of Israel because it was the day on which their forgiveness from God and relationship with God depended. The sad part is that the ritual had to be repeated every year, year after year, because the blood of an animal was not sufficient to save the people from their sins. The Old Testament Day of Atonement is a reminder that we needed something more than the Day of Atonement. We need Jesus. Jesus is here, even in the Old Testament Sacrificial system.

Leviticus 16:1-5

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way, Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Le 16:1–5.

Leviticus can feel strange and distant, but it points to Christ. The civil and ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Jesus, while the moral laws remain because God’s character does not change.

This chapter is the pinnacle of the Torah, showing how God provided atonement for sin through sacrifice, foreshadowing Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

Leviticus 16 reveals God's holiness through separation (man cannot approach freely), specificity (God determines how He is approached), and seriousness (improper approach results in death), emphasizing the need for reverence and the necessity of Christ’s atonement.

The Day of Atonement is a shadow of the true substance to come. The shadow is the ceremony we read about in Leviticus 16. The substance is the cross of Christ were the true sacrifice died for our atonement.

God’s holiness is such that no sin can dwell in His presence. That is the entire point of the Day of Atonement: someone must pay for sin if we are to dwell with God. Thankfully, we have a Great High Priest who has paid the price for our sins. The blood of Jesus Christ purifies those who trust in Him. The most significant question in anyone’s life is this: has Jesus washed away your sin?

Discussion Questions:

God's Holiness (Leviticus 16:2)

God warns Aaron not to enter the Most Holy Place whenever he chooses, emphasizing the seriousness of God's holiness.

Discussion: Why is God's holiness so significant in this chapter? How does the restricted access to God's presence help us understand His nature?

Application: How can we cultivate a greater reverence for God's holiness in our daily lives?

 

God's Mercy in Atonement (Leviticus 16:30)

On the Day of Atonement, God provides a way for the people's sins to be cleansed.

Discussion: How does this act of mercy demonstrate God's heart toward His people?

Application: How should knowing that God mercifully provides a way for our sin to be removed impact how we approach Him in prayer and repentance?

 

Substitutionary Atonement (Leviticus 16:21-22)

The scapegoat has the sins of the people placed on it and is sent away into the wilderness.

Discussion: What does the act of the scapegoat teach us about the seriousness of sin and God's provision for dealing with it?

Application: How does understanding that Jesus is our ultimate scapegoat change how we view our sin and God's grace? (See Hebrews 9:11-14)

 

Access to God's Presence through Christ (Leviticus 16:15; Hebrews 10:19-22)

The high priest enters the Most Holy Place with the blood of a sacrifice to make atonement.

Discussion: Why was blood necessary for atonement, and how does this point to Jesus' sacrifice?

Application: How does knowing that Jesus' blood gives us access to God's presence shape the way we pray, worship, and live?

 

Responding to God's Work of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31)

The people were called to humble themselves and rest on the Day of Atonement.

Discussion: Why were the people commanded to practice humility and rest as part of this day?

Application: How can we practice humble, faith-filled rest in the finished work of Jesus, our ultimate atonement?

END

Teacher Notes:

Yom Kippur

Why was access to God restricted?

What does this teach us about God’s Holiness?

How can we cultivate a greater reverence and awe for God’s Holiness? 

Worship Him in spirit and truth.

Live in obedience to His Word.

Approach Him with reverence in prayer.

Honor His name.

Study and meditate on His Word.

Repent and seek purity.

Fear the Lord in a healthy way.

Set apart time for God.

 

Leviticus 16 reveals God's Holiness through separation (man cannot approach freely), specificity (God determines how He is approached), and seriousness (improper approach results in death), this emphasizes the need for reverence and the necessity of Christ’s atonement.

 

A Holy God cannot tolerate continual rebellion.

The Old Testament sacrificial system was established in the book of Leviticus as a way for sinful humans to be able to live in and maintain a relationship with a holy God. God understands that human beings are continually sinful. So, God established a system of continual payment for sin. Sin would be paid for with the blood of a sacrifice. Repeatedly, a sacrifice would be offered, and the blood of the sacrificed animal would forgive the sins of the people.

How can we cultivate a sense of reverence and awe towards God?

Cultivating a sense of reverence and awe towards God is a profound journey that requires intentionality, reflection, and a deepening relationship with the Divine.

Understanding the nature of God is foundational. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is the Creator of the universe, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13).

Reflecting on God's attributes — His holiness, love, justice, mercy, and sovereignty — can evoke a sense of awe.

Engaging in regular, meaningful worship is another vital practice. Worship is not just about singing songs; it is about ascribing worth to God through our words, actions, and attitudes.

Prayer is also a powerful way to cultivate reverence. When we pray, we are entering into a conversation with the Almighty. Jesus taught His disciples to pray with reverence in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9). This opening line acknowledges God's holiness and sets a tone of respect and awe.

Studying the Bible is crucial for developing a deeper understanding of God and His ways. The Scriptures are God's revelation to us, and through them, we learn about His character, His promises, and His works.

Reflecting on God's creation can also inspire awe. The natural world is a testament to God's creativity and power. Psalm 19:1 declares, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Living a life of obedience and service to God is another way to cultivate reverence. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commands." Obedience to God's commands is a tangible expression of our reverence for Him.

Reading and reflecting on the lives of saints and other Christian figures who have demonstrated profound reverence for God can also be inspiring.

Silence and solitude are practices that can help us attune our spirits to God's presence. In our busy, noise-filled lives, setting aside time to be still before God can be transformative. Psalm 46:10 encourages us, "Be still, and know that I am God."

Gratitude is another powerful practice that fosters reverence. When we intentionally thank God for His blessings, provision, and grace, we acknowledge His goodness and sovereignty. Cultivating a heart of gratitude helps us recognize God's hand in our lives and respond with reverence and praise.

 

We Come into God’s Presence with Care

Aaron the high priest was probably highly motivated to obey God’s instructions about the Day of Atonement. Verse 1 of Leviticus 16 says that God gave Aaron the instructions “after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the Lord and died.” The story of the deaths of Aaron’s sons is recorded in the tenth chapter of Leviticus. Their names were Nadab and Abihu, and on the altar they offered a burnt offering that was contrary to God’s command. They disobeyed God in the way they worshiped Him, and because of their disobedience flames leaped from the Lord’s presence “and burned them to death before the Lord” (10:2). After that, when God spoke, Aaron must have been ready to obey, especially when God said that Aaron was not to enter the holy place “or else he will die” (16:2). God repeated that warning in verse 13. Aaron knew to take God seriously.

God gave Aaron directions about everything he was to do on the Day of Atonement. God also told Aaron how and where he was to do them. God was specific. That illustrates a truth that is expressed in various ways throughout the Bible — we are not to approach God in a haphazard way or in the way that suits us at the moment. We submit to what God says in His Word about how to approach Him. He is God, not man. He is our sovereign Lord, not our buddy, and we come into His presence with a keen awareness of that fact. In Matthew 6:9 Jesus taught us to begin prayer by saying, “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.” Holy, revered, be Your name, O God. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 100:4, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” We don’t come into His presence naming our demands or imposing our opinions; we come into His presence giving Him praise as God and bowing our hearts in reverence out of fear of His holiness and awesome power. After God sent fire to consume Nadab and Abihu for not treating Him as holy, God said, “I will show My holiness to those who are near Me” (Lev 10:3). We come into God’s presence with care.

Why was atonement so important?

How does God's provision of atonement show His Mercy?

What are some ways we can live in greater awareness of God’s Mercy?

The height of the Old Testament sacrificial system was the Day of Atonement. This day came once a year, and the day was defined by the Great High Priest offering a sacrifice on behalf of all the people. This day was so significant for the people of Israel because it was the day on which their forgiveness from God and relationship with God depended. The sad part is that the ritual had to be repeated every year, year after year, because the blood of an animal was not sufficient to save the people from their sins.

The Day of Atonement is a shadow of the true substance to come. The shadow is the ceremony we read about in Leviticus 16. The substance is the cross of Christ were the true sacrifice died for our atonement.

What is the significance of the scapegoat?

How does it foreshadow Jesus' work on the cross?

How does knowing Jesus bore your sins change how you approach confession and repentance?

 

 

This event with the two goats occurred on the Day of Atonement. The two goats represented the two ways God was dealing with Israel’s sin:

·      He was forgiving their sin through the first goat, which was sacrificed

·      He was removing their guilt through the second goat; the scapegoat was sent into the desert.

This was repeated every year. Jesus’ death replaced this system once and for all. We can have our sins forgiven and guilt removed by placing our trust in Christ. (Hebrews 10:1-18)

 

Sin was removed from the community, demonstrating God's provision for forgiveness.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.”  - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus is our scapegoat who bears our sins and removes them completely (Hebrews 9:28).

Blood symbolizes the cost of forgiveness and the gravity of sin.

Jesus' blood was shed once for all, making ongoing sacrifices unnecessary.

 

How does knowing that Jesus' blood gives us access to God's presence shape the way we pray, worship, and live?

Why were the people commanded to humble themselves and rest?

Humility acknowledges our need for atonement, while rest demonstrates trust in God's work.

We rest in the finished work of Jesus (Hebrews 4:9-10).

Why was atonement so important?

We sin. Therefore, atonement for sin is necessary for us to be in God’s presence, and being in God’s presence is important. Atonement is doing what God says is necessary to reconcile us to Him. In the old covenant period God said to atone for sin through the sacrifices and ceremonies He prescribed.

Sacrificial atonement for sin is necessary because of God’s justice. Since God is just, He must punish sin. God commanded Israelite judges to be just, clearing the innocent and punishing the guilty (Exod 23:6-8; Deut 1:16-17). In one of King Solomon’s prayers, he expressed his confidence that God is just, “condemning the wicked man by bringing what he has done on his own head and providing justice for the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness” (1 Kings 8:32). A judge who lets a guilty person go free with no punishment for his wrongdoing is not a good judge; he is not upholding justice. However, God must let guilty people go free if He is going to save guilty sinners like us. God is merciful and loving, so He doesn’t want us to perish for our sin. So how can the justice of God and the mercy of God be reconciled?

Atonement for sin through sacrifice is God’s answer to the tension between His justice and mercy. God expressed His justice against sin in the death of the sacrifice, and God expressed His mercy to the sinner by allowing the sacrifice to substitute for the sinner. The sacrifice died, not the sinner. God’s penalty for sin was applied, but it was applied to the sacrifice, not the guilty. The old covenant sacrifices atoned for sin, they taught the world the meaning of sacrificial atonement, and they prepared the world for the sacrifice of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He provided the final, perfect, once-for-all sacrificial atonement for sin. Thank God, He offers us atonement for sin!

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Class Lesson February 23, 2025

 The Whole Story

Exodus 14-15

The people of Israel needed God to deliver them from their oppression and slavery, and God has done just that. Exodus 14 finds the people of Israel on the march out of Egypt. Over the past ten chapters, God has done for them what they could never do for themselves. God waged an all-out war on Egypt and Pharaoh through 10 plagues. These plagues decimated the Egyptian government, economy, and religious sectors. With the tenth and final plague, the people of Egypt were set free and told to leave Egypt behind.

Israel’s exit took them to the banks of the Red Sea. As the people of God arrive on the shores of the sea, they turn back and see the armies of Egypt pursuing them. In an all-out panic, they call out to God for deliverance. Once more, God's plan has led to an unexpected and difficult place. It’s in the unexpected and difficult places that God does His best work.

God’s deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt and His subsequent miraculous salvation on the shores of the Red Sea reminds us that there is no enemy we face that God cannot save us from. There is no circumstance we face that God cannot conquer. When the Red Sea stood before the Hebrews, God parted the sea and destroyed their enemies. When the sea of sin separated us from God, Christ parted the waters for us to cross and destroyed sin, death, and hell. The Red Sea crossing was a miracle, but it’s just a miracle that pointed to a bigger miracle: the cross of Christ. Jesus is here, even at the Red Sea.

 Bottom Line: 

God is glorified in the deliverance of His people.

Read Genesis Exodus 14-15 and make observations about the text.

What is God teaching us in the passage? What does this reveal about who God is, what God has done, and how I should respond? Which part of the text was most meaningful to you and why? What do you need help understanding about this passage?

 

SERMON RECAP:

• Despite our beliefs to the contrary, sometimes humanity is not sufficient to deliver themselves from every trouble. There are situations in life that prove too much for us to handle. In those moments, we need a deliverer who can do what we cannot.                                                               
• “God will never give you more than you can handle.” False. This is nowhere in the Bible. In fact, what we see repeatedly in scripture is that God continually gives you more than you can handle so that you can learn to rely on him.                                                                                                          
• The beauty of Exodus 14 is that we begin to realize that there is nothing that God cannot handle. God is the God of the impossible.                                                                                                                                                                              
• The situation in Exodus 14 runs parallel to humanity's spiritual situation. In our sinfulness we face an impossible situation, but God overcomes our impossible situation with a deliverance in Christ Jesus.

 

 

FOCUS: Exodus 14:10-31

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Discussion Questions

When Have You Felt Trapped Like Israel?

(Exodus 14:10-12)

"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord."

Discussion: How do the Israelites’ fear and complaints reveal their sense of hopelessness? Can you relate to a time when you felt trapped, like there was no way out?

Application: When faced with impossible situations, do you tend to react like the Israelites — complaining or fearing — or do you turn to God in trust? How can you remind yourself of His faithfulness in those moments?

 

What Does It Mean to 'Stand Firm'?

(Exodus 14:13-14)

"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today... The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'"

Discussion: What does Moses' command to "stand fi rm" and "be still" teach us about trusting God's deliverance? Why is it hard to wait on God when we're overwhelmed?

Application: How can you practice "being still" in the middle of life's storms? Are there areas in your life right now where you need to let God fight for you instead of trying to control the outcome?

 

What ‘Red Seas’ Has God Parted in Your Life?

(Exodus 14:21-22)

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind... and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground."

Discussion: The parting of the Red Sea was an impossible event, showcasing God's power. Can you recall times in your life when God made a way where there seemed to be no way?

Application: How do these past experiences of God’s deliverance shape your faith in current struggles? Are there situations now where you need to trust Him to make a way?

 

 

How Do You Respond After God Delivers You?

(Exodus 15:1-2)

"Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: 'I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.'"

Discussion: After their deliverance, Israel responded with worship and song. How do you respond when God brings you through difficult times? Do you take time to celebrate His goodness?

Application: What specific practices can you adopt to cultivate gratitude and worship in your daily life, especially after experiencing God’s provision?

 

Why Is It Easy to Forget God’s Faithfulness?

(Exodus 15:22-24)

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea... For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water... So, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What are we to drink?'"

Discussion: Just days after witnessing God’s miraculous deliverance, the Israelites began to grumble again. Why do you think it’s so easy to forget God’s past faithfulness when new challenges arise?

Application: How can you remind yourself of God’s deliverance in both big and small ways when facing new trials? Is there a practice (like journaling or sharing testimonies) that can help you remember His goodness?

 

God is the God of the impossible. Where are you facing impossibilities in life? Where do you need God to deliver you?

END