Read Exodus 1-2 & Acts 7:17-29

1. What time is referred to in Acts 7:17?

2. Look back at Genesis 47:1-12 & 47:27, and describe the circumstances of Jacob's family in Egypt during the lifetime of Joseph.

3. What was the estimation of the king "who did not know Joseph" regarding the number and strength of the sons of Israel?

4. As a result, what danger did the king imagine?

5. Consider, for what it is worth, the following from Josephus:

Now it happened that the Egyptians grew delicate and lazy, as to pains-taking; and gave themselves up to other pleasures, and in particular to the love of gain. They also became very ill affected towards the Hebrews, as touched with envy at their prosperity; for when they saw how the nation of the Israelites flourished, and were become eminent already in plenty of wealth, which they had acquired by their virtue and natural love of labor, they thought their increase was to their own detriment; and having, in length of time forgotten the benefits they had received from Joseph, particularly the crown being now come into another family, they became very abusive to the Israelites, and contrived many ways of afflicting them; for they enjoined them to cut a great number of channels for the river, and to build walls for their cities and ramparts, that they might restrain the river, and hinder its waters from stagnating, upon its running over its own banks: they set them also to build pyramids, and by all this wore them out; and forced them to learn all sorts of mechanical arts, and to accustom themselves to hard labor. (Antiquities of the Jews II, 9, § 1)

6. In order to prevent this danger from being realized, what policy did the king implement? Did it have the results the king desired?

7. What instruction did the king give to the Hebrew midwives?

8. What excuse did the midwives making for failing to comply with the king's instruction?

9. Whom did the king then charge with the task of exterminating the male babies of the Hebrews?

10. Who were Moses' parents, and of what tribe were they? (Ex. 2:1, 6:20)

11. What emboldened Moses' parents to hide him? (Hebrews 11:23)

12. After three month's of hiding the child, what did Moses' mother do with him?

13. Who was assigned the task of observing what became of Moses? What was her name? (Ex. 2:4, 6:20, 15:20)

14. What emotion is attributed to Pharaoh's daughter upon discovering the child?

15. Did she know it was a Hebrew child? How might she have known?

16. Moses' sister stepped forward and made what offer?

17. Who was selected to be the child's nurse? (Do you see some planning in all this?)

18. Who named the boy "Moses" and who was regarded as Moses' mother?

19. Read Acts 7:22 and describe Moses' upbringing.

20. Did Moses know that he was a Hebrew?

21. Why did Moses kill the Egyptian?

22. Did the Hebrews who were quarreling with one another appreciate Moses' intervention?

23. Why did Moses flee to Midian? What underlying motivation was driving Moses at this time? (Hebrews 11:24-27)

24. What problem were the daughters of a priest of Midian having?

25. When they related to their father the assistance that Moses' had given them, how did they refer to him?

26. Notice the continued use of the term "Hebrew". Where do we first see this term?

27. Whom did Moses marry, and what son was born to this union?

28. How were the Israelites faring at this time, and how did they feel about their circumstances?

Read Exodus 3 and Acts 7:30-34

1. According to Exodus 3:1, what was the name of Moses' father-in-law? Compare this with the name given in Exodus 2:18. See also Exodus 4:18, 18:12, Numbers 10:29 and Judges 4:11.

2. To what mountain did Moses come while pasturing the flock of Jethro? Compare Dt. 5:2ff with Ex. 19:18ff to find another name for this mountain.

3. According to Ex. 3:2, who appeared to Moses? According to Ex. 3:4, who called to Moses?

4. In addition to the angel, what was noteworthy about the burning bush?

5. What did God say He had seen and heard?

6. How did God identify himself to Moses according to verse 6. Read Matthew 22:23-33, and explain why the multitudes were astonished. Read Mark 12:26, and note the designation which Jesus gave to the source of his quotation.

7. How did God describe the character of the land to which he would bring the Israelites?

8. God told Moses that he would bring the people out of Egypt and worship where?

9. What question did Moses anticipate being asked by the Israelites?

10. What is God's answer in verse 14? Read John 8:51-59, and explain why the Jews took up stones to cast at Jesus.

11. What name does God give in verse 15? In Hebrew, the word is , sometimes translated Yahweh. How is it represented in your translation? At the beginning of your Bible, before Genesis 1:1, most of you will find a few paragraphs, written by the translators or publisher, with a title something like "Introduction", "Notes on the Text", or "Preface". Look to see if there is a discussion of the translation of , sometimes called the tetragrammaton. It might be under a heading such as "The Divine Name."

12. Explain why the expression "The LORD, the God..." in Exodus 3:16 is not redundant.

13. In Exodus 3:18-22 God outlines the coming events. What are they?