Lesson 2: Journey to the Real Mt. Sinai: "Moses and Midian"
Preparing for this lesson took me back in my mind to Egypt… back to our family trip in 2004 . I still remember feeling feeling vulnerable and fearful while the guys went into the Great Pyramid and the tombs in the Valley of the kings. I reflected about how I felt while I was there. Although I was awed by the ancient sites of Carnak, Cairo, AbuSimbel, and Aswan, and I enjoyed cruising the Nile River, there was an unexplainable constant tension in the air. If I closed my eyes, I could still see the Hebrew slaves in my mind’s eye… I could almost imagine the mother of Moses… her fear being very real, wrapping up her three month baby boy, and tucking him into that basket, praying that Yahweh would hear her prayers. I could feel the how out of place of Mary and Joseph must have felt as they cared for the baby Jesus when we visited the place believed to be the home where they took refuge in Cairo. And I could hear the pleading of Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh saying “Let my people go!” across the sands. I never could really relax until we landed safely at home in Portland. When I got off the plane I kissed the ground, yes, I really did, and Thanked God I lived in America.
The second Chapter of Exodus is really broken into two parts..the account of Moses’s early life, and the narrative of Moses fleeing to Midian. I am excited to study Chapter 2 in this lesson, because on our trip to Saudi Arabia, we actually went to an ancient Midianite city, named Al Bad today! So hang in there, at the end of this video we will take a look at what the local bedouins call the Caves of Jethro!
Play Video 2: (15:07)
Read Scriptures: (Exodus 2, Acts 7: 17-29., Hebrews 11:23-27). Use the Missler Commentary if you have it.
Group Discussion:
What part of this lesson was your favorite? Write it on a card.
Do you think the daughter of Pharaoh knew the woman nursing him was the true mother of Moses?
If Moses had not refused the throne, but become Pharaoh, he could have let the people go himself. Why do you think that God did not take this route?
Hebrew slaves were already treated poorly. Why do you think that Pharoah wanted to kill Moses?
Could Midian have been in Egypt? Why or why not?
Take a look at the map of the Sinai peninsula. Could Ancient midian have been here? Could Mt. Sinai have been here?
How far would you guess the well where Moses met the daughters of Jethro was from their home? Why? Why is this important?
Who are the Israelites crying out to?
Add these to your clue sheets for Chapter 2: Midian, the Well at Midian, Nile River.
What might Moses have learned in the land of Midian to help him with his calling to deliver the Israelites? In Egypt?
Here is another proposal for the home of Jethro in Midian!!
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