LESSON 17 · EXODUS 1–2
God Prepares Israel
for Deliverance
Exodus 1:1 – 2:25
Exodus 1:1 – 2:25
"But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them."— Exodus 1:7 (ESV)
Do you remember Joseph? God used Joseph to bring his whole family — 70 people — to live in Egypt. That was the end of Genesis. Now we're in a brand new book: Exodus!
Over hundreds of years, those 70 people grew and grew and grew. God had promised Abraham his family would be as numerous as the stars — and that's exactly what happened!
"Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, 'Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.'"— Exodus 1:8–9 (ESV)
A brand-new Pharaoh came to power — and he didn't know anything about Joseph or how the Israelites had helped Egypt. When he looked around and saw how many Israelites there were, he got very, very scared!
"So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field."— Exodus 1:13–14 (ESV)
So Pharaoh made all the Israelites his slaves. They had to make bricks from clay and straw. They built enormous cities in the boiling hot sun. They worked in the fields. It was backbreaking, unfair work — and they were treated very harshly.
But here's the amazing part: the harder Pharaoh pushed them down, the MORE they grew! God was in control the whole time.
"But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live."— Exodus 1:17 (ESV)
Pharaoh was so desperate that he ordered the Hebrew midwives — women who helped deliver babies — to secretly kill every Hebrew baby boy when they were born! But the midwives refused. They feared God more than they feared the king.
God blessed the midwives because they chose to obey Him rather than Pharaoh. 🌟
"When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank."— Exodus 2:3 (ESV)
A Hebrew mum had a beautiful baby boy. She could see he was very special. She hid him for three months — but she couldn't keep hiding him forever!
So she did something very brave. She made a little basket from reeds, waterproofed it with tar — like a tiny boat — placed her baby inside, and set it among the reeds at the edge of the River Nile. His big sister Miriam hid nearby to watch what would happen.
"When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrews' children.'"— Exodus 2:6 (ESV)
Guess who came to bathe in the river? Pharaoh's daughter! She found the basket, opened it, saw the crying baby — and felt sorry for him.
Clever Miriam ran up and offered to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. The princess said yes… and Miriam fetched Moses' own real mum! God arranged it so Moses' mother got to raise her own son AND was paid to do it. 😄
"One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people."— Exodus 2:11 (ESV)
Moses grew up in the palace with the best education in Egypt. But he never forgot he was a Hebrew. One day, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brothers. He was so upset that he killed the Egyptian.
The next day, he tried to stop two Israelites from arguing — but they rejected him and told Pharaoh what he had done! Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses, so Moses ran away to a land called Midian.
"The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock."— Exodus 2:17 (ESV)
Moses travelled far across the hot desert to a land called Midian. Tired and thirsty, he sat down beside a well. Soon, seven sisters came to water their father's sheep — but some rough shepherds tried to chase them away!
Moses stood up, defended the sisters, and even drew water for their whole flock. The sisters hurried home and told their dad, a priest named Jethro, who quickly invited Moses to come and live with them.
"She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, 'I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.'"— Exodus 2:22 (ESV)
Moses married one of Jethro's daughters, Zipporah, and they had a little boy named Gershom. For 40 long years, Moses worked as a shepherd in the quiet hills of Midian.
Egypt's palace prince had become a desert shepherd. It looked like nothing big was happening — but God was quietly using these years to prepare Moses for the biggest job of his life: leading God's people out of slavery!
"The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help… And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."— Exodus 2:23–24 (ESV)
Meanwhile, back in Egypt, those 40 years had passed and the Israelites were still suffering. They were in so much pain that they cried out to God.
Here's something amazing: Even before they cried out, God was ALREADY at work! He had saved Moses as a baby, given him a royal education, and was using his time in Midian to prepare him. God answered their prayer before they even prayed it!
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."— John 8:36 (ESV)
Moses was a wonderful rescuer — but he points us to someone even GREATER. Jesus is like Moses, but infinitely better.
Moses rescued Israel from slavery to Pharaoh.
Jesus rescues us from something far worse: our slavery to sin.
All of us have sinned. But just like God heard Israel's groaning, God hears OUR cry too. When we call out to Jesus and ask Him to save us — He will! 🙌