Exit Us – Day 1
BIBLE READING PLAN – DAY 1
Reading: Exodus 1:8-13
Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.
Reflection:
In this week’s message, we saw that things were very hard for the Israelites, but God was at work beneath the surface.
- Where does it seem God isn’t working in your life right now?
- Talk to God about that situation, asking for patience, understanding, and insight into what He is doing.
Reading: Exodus 1
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy[a] in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Reflection
Amazingly, under brutal conditions and a fierce enemy, the Israelites continue to grow in numbers. Did you notice that three times that the Israelites multiplied in Exodus 1 (vs. 7, 12, 20)?
This is not an accident. It’s a sign of God’s work. In Genesis 1:28, God had blessed Adam and Eve and told them to “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” That is exactly what is happening in Exodus 1. The people of God are multiplying and filling the earth. So even though things look bleak for God’s people on the surface, taking a step back and with hindsight, we can see God was at work. And as we will see next week, He’s getting ready to do something extraordinary.
- What struck you about the sermon from Exodus 1?
- Where in your life does it seem God isn’t working right now?
- Talk to God about that situation, asking for patience, understanding and for insight into what He is doing.
Reading: Exodus 1:8-13
Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.
Reflection:
The Israelites were in a pretty tough situation, weren’t they? Not only did the Pharaoh not like the Israelites, he put them into slavery! But there’s a part of the story that is SO cool, did you catch what it was? The story says that the more that Pharaoh was cruel to the Israelites, the more of them there were! Even with Pharoah being cruel and wicked to God’s people, they kept on growing in numbers, until there were more and more of them! Even when things seemed terrible, God was there with the Israelites, helping them and growing their numbers every day. God helps us in bad situations too! Sometimes, we can feel like something is going to be bad, and that everything is just going to go wrong. But God is always there, helping us when we need Him, and loving us no matter what.
- Do you think God helps you when you’re in a tough situation?
- Have you ever had a time where you thought that everything was bad, but something good happened? Do you think that could have been God helping you?
Focus Verse: But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. Exodus 1:12
Devotional:
In this week’s message, we saw that things were very hard for the Israelites, but God was at work beneath the surface. Amazingly, under brutal conditions and a fierce enemy, the Israelites continue to grow in numbers. This is not an accident. It’s a sign of God’s work. So even though things look bleak for God’s people on the surface, taking a step back and with hindsight, we can see God was at work.
- Where does it seem God isn’t working in your life right now?
- Talk to God about that situation, asking for patience, understanding, and insight into what He is doing.
Reading: Exodus 1
Focus Verse: But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. Exodus 1:12
Devotional:
In this week’s message, we saw that things were very hard for the Israelites, but God was at work beneath the surface.
Amazingly, under brutal conditions and a fierce enemy, the Israelites continue to grow in numbers. This is not an accident. It’s a sign of God’s work. So even though things look bleak for God’s people on the surface, taking a step back and with hindsight, we can see God was at work.
- Where does it seem God isn’t working in your life right now?
- Talk to God about that situation, asking for patience, understanding, and insight into what He is doing.