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BIBLE STUDY
                                   
                                   
 

“Let my people go”

Read Exodus 5 and 6:1-13.

1. In Exodus 3:18-20, God gives Moses very specific instructions about what to say to
Pharaoh. Compare what Moses actually says in Exodus 5:1, 3. (Note: Exodus 5:1
marks the first time in Scripture God is referred to as “the God of [the nation of] Israel.”)
How does Moses’ (and Aaron’s) performance differ from God’s script? What might have
motivated Moses (or Aaron) to ad lib like this? How might their improvisation have
affected Pharaoh’s response?

2. Who was supposed to accompany Moses to speak with Pharaoh (Exodus 3:18)? How
might their presence have affected the outcome differently? What difference might it
have made to the confrontation described in Exodus 5:21?

3. Based on his words and deeds in this chapter, how would you describe the character of
Pharaoh?

4. What two phrases does Moses use to describe the Israelites (Exodus 5:22, 23)? What
is the significance of each phrase in context?

5. Describe Moses’ state of mind as he “returned to the Lord” (Exodus 5:22). God had
predicted Pharaoh’s reaction in Exodus 3:19-20. In light of that, are you surprised by
Moses’ complaint in Exodus 5:22-23? What questions are likely on Moses’ heart?

6. Describe God’s response to Moses in Exodus 6:1-8. To whom and to what does God
direct Moses’ attention? What does God predict Pharaoh will do, and how does it exceed
what God has already promised (Exodus 6:1)?

3/25/10: Lesson 5
7. What is God telling Moses about his forebears, and about Moses, in Exodus 6:2-5?
What does Moses learn about God’s character in these verses?

8. Three times in Exodus 6, God declares “I am the Lord” (vv. 2, 6 and 8). Whose question
is he answering here? Why is he giving that answer to Moses, and why does he want
Moses to give it to the Israelites?

9. In Exodus 6:6, God promises again to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. What
amazing promise does he make about their identity in v. 7? What further promise does
he make them in v. 8? What further details do these promises reveal about God’s
character?

10. What prevents the Israelites from listening to God’s promises (Exodus 6:9)? What
warning should we take from this in the midst of our own “discouragement and
bondage”? If we have been justified through faith and have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, what will such suffering produce in us? See Romans 5:1-5.

3/25/10: Lesson 5