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These small group studies of Exodus 2 contain commentary, Bible study discussion questions, and applications.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

Exodus 2 Bible Study – The Birth of Moses and God’s Sovereignty

Outline

I. Moses is born in a basket (2:1-4)
II. Moses is adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter (5-10)
III. Moses is drawn to help his brethren (11-14)
IV. Moses flees to in Midian (15-22)
V. Israel cries out to the Lord (23-25)

I. Moses in a basket (2:1-4)

Discussion Questions

• What do you think of the mother’s actions?
• What motivated her to give up her child?
• What might the risk have been to do this?
• Did she do the right thing?
• Why did she put the basket in the reeds by the river?
• Who was Moses’ sister? Why was she watching?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. A terrible dilemma –

Moses’ parents faced a terrible dilemma. If they kept and raised Moses, he would likely be discovered and put to death by the Egyptians. But giving him up was heartbreaking. In any circumstances, giving up a child would be unspeakably distressing, but even more so without knowing what would happen to him or being sure that he would even be safe.

Trying their best, they kept him secret for three months. The writer of Hebrews mentions their faith during this time.

Hebrews 11:23 – By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

Moses’ parents risked their lives to try to protect his.

As time went on, it must have become untenable to continue hiding. Therefore, they did the only thing they could and gave him up.

Reflect – Why do you think Moses’ mother adopted this method to send Moses away? What factors would you consider as a parent if you had to send your child away?

The text does not tell us the exact answers to what his parents were thinking. However, they must have taken into consideration the time of day, location, and likelihood of Moses being discovered by someone who could care for him.

In the end, it appears that they trusted God to deliver their son to safety. He did that and more.

Application – Some situations are so extreme that there is seemingly no good way out. Our best plans and decisions may do little to resolve it. Many times, all we can do is take a leap of faith and trust in God. In what area of your life do you currently need to take that leap of faith and trust God?

II. Moses is adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter (5-10)

Discussion Questions

• Was it a coincidence that the daughter of Pharaoh happened to be at just the right place at the right time?
• What does this passage tell us about God?
• How do we see the work of God here?
• Why do you think God wanted Moses to be found by a member of the royal family?
• How might growing up as a member of Pharaoh’s household have prepared Moses to fulfill God’s calling in his life?
• What can we learn from Pharaoh’s daughter?
• How does this passage point us to Christ?
• What good character qualities can we see in Miriam?

Cross-References

Ephesians 1:11 – In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Isaiah 46:9-11 – Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. God is sovereign –

The daughter of Pharaoh was in exactly the right place at the right time. If someone else, such as a soldier, were in that location instead, Moses would be killed.

From the people’s perspective, the daughter of Pharaoh appears to be a happy coincidence, a bit of good luck! When you take God out of the equation, everything is reduced to luck, chance, or randomness. But God is sovereign. He is on His throne.

Psalms 103:19 – The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

It was not luck or chance that brought Pharaoh’s daughter to the river just at the right time. It is called “providence.” Providence means that God divinely arranges circumstances and events in our lives to fulfill His good purposes for us. Often, He arranges these things unseen and unknown. To the unbeliever, these are mere coincidences. But to those who put their faith in God, we know that He causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Everything happens for a reason. There are no coincidences. The sovereign Creator of the universe knows exactly how many atoms, electrons, molecules, and pieces of dust there are in the universe, how they interact, where they have been, and where they will be. There is no information that exists that He does not know. In Him, everything holds together (Colossians 1:17).

Behind the scenes, He directs the situation to bring about His perfect plans.

Besides bringing the princess to the river that day, He moved her heart to compassion.

Exodus 2:6 – She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

The result was that Moses and, eventually, the nation, were saved.

Reflect – Share about a time when God’s providence worked on your behalf.

2. God works through people –

God used both His enemies and allies to accomplish His purposes. He used Moses’ parents, his sister, the murderous Pharaoh, and Pharaoh’s daughter to bring Moses into the palace.

In the palace, Moses would have had an advanced education and learned many skills that he would later use for leading the nation of Israel. One of the most important things he would learn was reading and writing. Writing would be essential as he would write the first five books of the Bible.

He uses all kinds of people, high and low, rich and poor, to accomplish His plans. You can either serve God willingly or as a hostile pawn in His cosmic plan. It is a privilege to be a willing instrument in His hands.

Application – What does God want to accomplish through you? Does the idea of being used by God excite you?

3. Moses’ deliverance points to Christ –

The Old Testament points us to Jesus. Let’s zoom out for a moment and consider how this historical event fits into the entire Biblical account.

Revelation 12 tells us that the dragon, Satan, has been waging a full-scale war against the Messiah since creation.

Revelation 12:4 – And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

Satan wanted to devour the child. He wanted to stop Jesus from ever accomplishing His mission to redeem humanity. And Satan’s attempts to stop Jesus started long before He was born.

When God created the world, everything was good. It was perfect. There was no darkness, no evil. But it didn’t take long for things to change. Only a few chapters later, after Adam and Eve rebelled against Him, people’s sin had become “great on the earth” (Genesis 6:5-6).

So God promised to redeem the world. Through Abraham’s descendant, He would bring blessing to all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:3). The same promise was made in front of the snake in Eden (Genesis 3:15). It is a promise that would be fulfilled in the Messiah.

Satan is not dumb. He knows Scripture. And he is aware of God’s plan to send a Messiah. He also knew that this Messiah would come through God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel (the woman).

From the beginning, Satan has attempted to block God’s plan by preventing Christ from ever being born. The best tacticians wage war on many levels. And knowing God’s plan ahead of time, Satan, being the skilled terrorist that he is, has tried to sabotage this plan over and over through the millennia.

He tries to corrupt the goodness in God’s creation. He tries to destroy the line of Christ to even prevent Jesus’ birth.

Reflect – How has Satan tried to thwart God’s plan of sending the Messiah?

Below we will see a quick overview of how Satan has tried to block God’s plan and how God has won each time.

• Satan attempted to corrupt the human race (Genesis 2). If mankind is corrupted and fathers pass down original sin to their children, then how can a perfect Savior be born? God defeated this by the miracle of the virgin birth.
• Satan attempts to kill the godly line (Able). God raised up another godly line in Seth (Genesis 4:25).
• Satan attempted to pollute all the bloodlines of the human race (Genesis 6). God instead sends the flood and preserves one chosen family.
• A famine comes that threatens the fledgling family of Israel. God protects His people by sending Joseph ahead to Egypt (Genesis 38-50).
• In Egypt, Satan tries to kill all of the male children (Exodus 1:15-16). The midwives disobey because they feared God and the nation continues. Moses was providentially saved by God and chosen to, in turn, save and preserve the nation by bringing them out of Egypt. Later, the idol-worshiping king tried to wipe out the Israelites when they were on the border of the Red Sea. But God flipped the script, protected His people, and wiped out the attacking armies.
• Satan attempted to use Haman the Agagite to exterminate all Jews from the planet. He got so far as to get the Persian king’s royal seal of approval (Esther 3:6, 13). God again flipped the script. He raised up Mordecai and Esther, putting them in the exact place and the exact time they needed to be to deliver His people.
• Through Herod, Satan attempted to have Jesus killed along with all the male children in Bethlehem under two (Matthew 2:16). God miraculously delivered the child and his family (Matthew 2:13-14).
• Satan attempted to tempt Jesus and cause Him to sin. If he were successful, Jesus could not save us. But Jesus resisted the temptation (1 Peter 1:18-19).
• Finally, Satan had Jesus killed, thinking this could stop Jesus from reigning as king (Luke 22:3). But this was part of God’s plan all along and the method by which He accomplished salvation for all.

So we see that the dragon has been after the child all along. Like a skilled tactician, he began long before Jesus was actually born. But God is a far greater tactician. He told exactly what He was going to do ahead of time. He even declared it to the enemy. Then He made it happen, using the very responses of the enemy to further His plan and reveal His sovereign power for all to see.

This account of Moses is yet one more in a long string of victories whereby God miraculously preserves His people and the lineage of the Messiah so that Jesus can one day come and free everyone from Satan’s grip.

One of the most famous plays in baseball history is when Babe Ruth pointed out exactly where he was going to homer the pitch, and then did it.

That is what God did. Nothing can thwart His plan.

Job 42:2 – I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Application – Do not fret about circumstances that seem stacked against you. God is sovereign. His perfect plans will be fulfilled, both in your life and in the world.

4. Examples from Miriam and the princess –

Both Miriam and the princess had a role in Moses’ deliverance. Miriam was a good sister, watching out for her baby brother. She took the initiative to volunteer her mother as the nurse for baby Moses.

Application – You can make a difference. We can’t change the whole world by ourselves at once, but we can impact the people around us. We cannot predict how our small actions fit into God’s immense plan, but they do. So be faithful in the little things and God may use those little ripples to create waves for His kingdom.

III. Moses is drawn to help his brethren (11-14)

Discussion Questions

• What can we learn in these verses about Moses’ heart? Did he care for his people?
• What can we learn about his morals?
• How might having grown up in Pharaoh’s family have affected his values?
• Was Moses right or wrong to do this?
• Isn’t our motivation the most important?
• What can we learn in these verses about the Israelites’ attitude toward Moses?
• Why might they have felt such disdain for him?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Moses had a heart for his brethren –

Exodus 2:11 – One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.

Later, God would use this compassionate heart to accomplish great things.

2. Moses was not ready to be a leader –

Acts 7:25 – He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.

At forty years old, Moses had a heart for his brothers. In Hebrews, we learn that he made a conscious decision to give up the passing pleasures of Egyptian royal power and identify with his afflicted brethren (Hebrews 11:23-27). So he defended one of his Israelite brethren and killed an Egyptian. It took a lot of courage to do this, as he must have known Pharaoh would not be happy. In his mind, he was ready to do something to deliver them. But it wasn’t the right method.

But the Lord deemed that he was not yet ready. The time hadn’t come. Moses was attempting to use human power (his own) to save his people, but God was going to use supernatural power, which would glorify Him much more than yet another bloody man-made revolution.

While Moses had perhaps learned about power, prestige, and academics, he hadn’t yet learned about humility, compassion, and dependence on God, all vital lessons for leading God’s people well.

A good leader must be a good man first and Moses needed to grow. Clearly, he still lacked something. He did not yet know God. He was doing things in his own strength instead of by God’s power.

Application –

A. Remember that God’s time is not our time. Be willing to wait for his timing.

B. Don’t rashly move ahead of God and act on your own. When we do things by the flesh instead of depending on God, we make things worse.

3. Right motivation by itself does not make an action right –

Vigilante justice (like we see here), euthanasia, and white lies are examples of things that may sometimes stem from good motives, but still do not please God. It is necessary to have the right motivation and right actions for something to be right in God’s sight. Murder was not the right way to solve this problem.

4. Without a home –

At this point, Moses was in essence a person without a people and without a home. He was odious to the Jews. They probably disliked him because they viewed him as a traitor. While they were slaving away in agony, he was enjoying the riches and delights of noble living. He was the privileged, spoiled, rich kid with connections that the common people love to hate.

The Egyptians likely didn’t really accept him either, since he was a Jew. They would feel he didn’t really belong and would never truly be one of them. They have been fearful, too, that he would eventually turn against them to help his people.

IV. Moses flees to Midian (15-22)

Discussion Questions

• What can we learn about Moses’ character from these verses?
• Why is this character quality important in a leader?
• What can we see about Middle Eastern culture?
• How might this time in Midian have been helpful for Moses?
• Is it a coincidence that he became part of a family of worshipers of the true God?

Cross-References

Exodus 18:12-23 – Read this passage for more information about Jethro and his role in the Exodus.

Genesis 25:1-4 – Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Midianites –

The Midianites were also descendants of Abraham through Keturah, explaining their knowledge of and worship of the true God. Later in their history, they turned almost exclusively to idol worship.

2. Moses looked like an Egyptian –

Exodus 2:19 – They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

At this point, Moses looked like an Egyptian. Probably his hair, beard style and clothes indicated this.

3. Moses saved the Midianite girls and watered their flock –

Here is another “coincidence.” God purposed that after fleeing Egypt, Moses should end up at this well at this moment. It turned out to be a catalyst for bringing him a wife and joining a new family.

Exodus 2:17 – The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.

Moses showed a willingness to mix with and help commoners. He didn’t appear to have a snobby “better than thou” attitude, even though he grew up in the royal family. This indicates he had a humble attitude, accepting his low circumstances.

Moses defended the helpless girls from some rude shepherds who tried to brute force their way in line in front of these weaker girls. Moses demonstrated a leadership quality and also bravery. Leaders should be both brave and care for people who are helpless and cannot properly care for themselves.

Here we can see what a good shepherd should do.

Ezekiel 34:2-4 – Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.

5. Jethro’s hospitality –

The culture at that time demanded hospitality and Jethro fulfilled this expectation. He went even above the call of duty by giving his daughter to Moses. This was evidently a marriage alliance. Jethro gained a man in his clan to help manage the flocks while Moses gained a home, family, and job.

V. Israel cries out to the Lord (23-25)

Discussion Questions

• What reaction did the Hebrews’ slavery cause them to have?
• Can we get any clues from this passage about why God may have allowed them to become slaves in the first place?
• What four action verbs are associated with how God responded to their prayers?
• When did God begin to answer their prayers?
• Did God save them immediately when they started praying to Him?
• What does this tell us about how God answers prayers?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. God began answering their prayer –

Exodus 2:24-25 – And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

They groaned for help and cried out to God. God heard, remembered, saw, and knew. He was not oblivious to their cries. In fact, He started moving things to answer their prayers more than forty years before this prayer was recorded, as Moses was born long before this.

The Lord knows our needs before we even ask.

Yet even though God was in the process of answering their prayers, they did not see any evidence of that for another forty years.

Reflect – Why did God not answer their prayers sooner? Why does God often answer our prayers with, “Wait?”

Application – Trust in God. Even when we don’t see Him working, He is working. He is always working, though often behind the scenes. What situation do you need to trust God for now?