Moses & the Plagues Begin
Exodus 1–7What happens in Exodus 1–7
The book of Exodus opens with a dramatic shift. Generations have passed since Joseph, and a new Pharaoh rises who does not remember Joseph or his service to Egypt. Threatened by the Israelites' growing numbers, this Pharaoh enslaves them with brutal forced labor and eventually orders that every newborn Hebrew boy be thrown into the Nile. Into this desperate situation, Moses is born. His mother hides him in a basket on the river, where Pharaoh's own daughter finds and adopts him. Moses grows up in the Egyptian palace but remains aware of his Hebrew identity.
As an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave and flees to Midian, where he becomes a shepherd for forty years. God then appears to Moses in a burning bush that is not consumed, revealing His name, 'I AM WHO I AM', and commissioning Moses to deliver Israel from slavery. Despite Moses' many objections and excuses, God patiently equips him, assigning Aaron as his spokesman.
Moses and Aaron return to Egypt and confront Pharaoh with God's demand: 'Let my people go.' Pharaoh refuses and increases the Israelites' workload. God then begins demonstrating His power through signs: Aaron's staff becomes a serpent that swallows the Egyptian magicians' serpents, the Nile is turned to blood, and frogs cover the land. The confrontation between God and Pharaoh, and between the true God and the false gods of Egypt, has begun.
Key takeaways
- God hears the cries of His people and acts to deliver them, even when the situation seems impossible.
- God calls imperfect, reluctant people and equips them for His purposes, Moses' excuses didn't disqualify him.
- God reveals Himself by name ('I AM'), He is personal, present, and faithful to His covenant promises.
- The plagues are not random acts but a direct confrontation with the false gods of Egypt, showing that the LORD alone is God.
A verse to carry
Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.Exodus 6:6-7 (WEB)
God's four 'I will' promises in Exodus 6 became the foundation for the four cups of wine in the Jewish Passover Seder. Each cup represents a promise: bring out, deliver, redeem, take as My people.
Something to sit with
Moses gave God many reasons why he wasn't the right person for the job, he wasn't eloquent, he wasn't important enough, people wouldn't believe him. What excuses do you sometimes give God when you feel called to do something difficult?
Did you know?
Moses' name connects to both Hebrew and Egyptian. Exodus 2:10 links his name to the Hebrew verb 'mashah,' meaning 'to draw out.' Scholars also note that the Egyptian element '-mose' can mean 'born of,' as in names like Thutmose and Rameses.
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