Exodus 1:1-14 Study Guide: Forgotten

Community Group Study Guide — Exodus 1:1-14 Forgotten

Study Information:
The book of Genesis ended with an element of darkness to the story of the people of God. God made a promise to Abraham to make him a great nation and to place him in the promised land and to send forth a redeemer through his family line who’d undo the curse of sin. However, Genesis ended with a large family exiled out of the promised land in Egypt, and no redeemer to undo the curse of sin. They got to Egypt because God used a famine to preserve his people and to help them be planted under the safety of this mighty nation, but it was not the promised land. This time was a season of delayed hope and the safety they had did not last long. The protection the people of God enjoyed quickly turned to oppression.

When we go through seasons of suffering it is natural to wrestle with questions like, how could God allow his people to suffer like this? Why do we need to delay our hope? Will God hear our cry for help? Does God forget his people?

One of the themes of the book of Exodus is that God never forgets his people and is not indifferent to suffering. Rather God heard the cries of his people and sent a person to deliver them in Moses. This wonderful truth is magnified in the gospel as God heard our cries under sin and death and sent forth his son Jesus. In this study guide we explore the oppression that Egypt put on the people of God that caused their groaning and how God used that to multiply his people. 

The People of God Increased
Exodus 1:1-8
The twelve sons of Jacob were brought into safety through their brother Joseph’s suffering. Joseph was the beloved son of Jacob and his brothers jealously sold him into slavery in Egypt. Joseph was later accused of a crime he did not commit and thrown in prison. However through all of this, God was with him and showed him favor. When Pharaoh had dreams about a famine, Joseph was the one God used to provide the interpretation and direction which led to Egypt’s security. In response Pharaoh elevated Joseph to the second highest place of authority in Egypt. Joseph used that authority to protect the known world from famine and ultimately to save his family and bring them into Egypt. 

Exodus opened up with a description of the increase of the people of God during their exile in Egypt. Exodus 1:2-4 listed out the eleven tribes of Israel that came from the promised land into Egypt, along with all the descendants who numbered 70 people. The number 70 is interesting and was used in Genesis 10 with the nations of the world who came out from Babel, and then again in the New Testament, Jesus sent out 70 disciples on mission to heal the sick and preach the kingdom of God (Luke 10:1-12). This seems to be the first hint of God’s plan to use the people of God as an instrument to show himself to the world, a theme which magnified when the Law was given (Exodus 20). This family group of 70 exponentially grew into a great multitude who were exceedingly strong. The number of times their number and strength were mentioned in Exodus 1:7 communicated the importance of their sheer abundance. 

This passage also used a lot of creation language from Genesis 1 including that they were fruitful and multiplied and filled the land. Exodus 1 reads kind of like a creation story for the people of God. They were created and formed from God’s blessing and through the affliction being under Egypt. 

This favor and blessing from Egypt did not last long, Moses wrote for us that “there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” The Israelites felt like they were forgotten by God and by Pharaoh, and there went their political protection. And their increased number and strength became a threat to Egypt.

Egypt Responded with Ruthless Oppression
Exodus 1:8-14
Egypt’s response to the prosperity of Israel was to oppress them while it was still possible. The text mentioned their plan to deal shrewdly with them, to afflict them with heavy burdens, and they were oppressed, treated ruthlessly, worked as slaves under hard and bitter service; to add emphasis the last words of verse 14 read “in all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.” The repetition of the word “work” and the various descriptions about the harshness of it create an image of the affliction of the people of God. Pharaoh even used language we last read at the tower of Babel as he said “come let us deal shrewdly with them…” Why would God allow them to go through this and where was God when they cried out for help? This slavery and oppression became a predominant identity for the people of God and God’s work to free them from slavery to Egypt is picked up as an image of the gospel. 

Egypt in a way models the oppression of sin and the world.  Other scripture passages call Egypt “the great dragon” and their ruler, Pharaoh had serpent as his symbol. Egypt was also the height of world wide technology, military warfare and art. All this became focused against the people of God who became oppressed and that oppression kept the people of God down and fueled Egypt’s growth. Egypt’s plan backfired and the people of God multiplied and prospered under their harsh conditions (Exodus 1:12). 

From our perspective it can look like God has forgotten his people and his promises just as the new Pharaoh forgot Joseph. 

How can God allow his people to suffer in this systemic and abusive way? First, we should come to expect that there will be opposition and suffering as we follow God. We can often think that following God will automatically lead to blessing and prosperity. Second, We get a glimmer that God allowed this suffering in his wisdom and used it to help the people of God grow numerically and spiritually as they depend on God. Finally, we will learn over the next few chapters that God heard the cries of his people and responded. It can feel like God delays and from our perspective that he is silent to our suffering. There will be seasons in your life where the circumstances of your life look hopeless and are exceedingly hard. We’re invited throughout this book of Exodus to cry out to God for help and to wait on the Lord. What we learn is that God hears that cry and will often send a person.

At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.

How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week? 

Discussion Questions:
Read Exodus 1:1-14

Describe the suffering of the people of God in these 14 verses. Why did Pharaoh and Egypt respond to their growth with oppression? What was the motive of Pharaoh?

How did the people of God respond to the oppression? 

Does God feel silent in this passage? Notice the wording from Pharaoh in Exodus 1:10 and likewise the creation language about how God was forming Israel.

This study guide made mention to one of the themes of Exodus that God hears the cry of his people and sends help and redemption through a person. What gives you confidence that God hears you during your suffering? How have you experienced God hearing your cry for help?