Opening Questions and Prayer
Who is someone who has greatly influenced your faith in Christ?
What did they show you about being a follower of Jesus that impacted your faith?
What advice did they tell you that helped your faith journey?
If someone observed your life, what might they pick up on about following Jesus?
Pray that as you study God’s Word, He would show you some practical ways that you can live out your faith to those around you, especially during this time of pandemic.
Read Exodus 7:14-15
Exodus 7:14-15 (All verses are in the NLT unless otherwise noted)
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go. 15 So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take along the staff that turned into a snake.”
Why was Pharaoh’s heart stubborn towards the things of God?
What would Moses’ staff have reminded Pharaoh of?
What are some things in your life that remind you of God’s power and promises?
Read Exodus 7:16
Exodus 7:16
16 Then announce to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, “Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” Until now, you have refused to listen to him.
What did the Lord want to tell Pharaoh through Moses?
Why wasn’t Pharaoh obeying the verbal messages from the Lord?
What has the Lord been telling you lately?
How are you obeying or disobeying what God has been speaking to you?
Read 1 Peter 2:1, 9b, 11-12, 17
1 Peter 2:1
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
9b ...for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
11-12 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
What is Peter wanting his readers to understand about the way they live their lives?
In the midst of the quarantine, what are some ways you can show the love of Christ to those around you?
When we mess up and sin against our family or neighbors, how can we still show the love of Christ to them?
Who is someone that you haven’t shown proper love to this past week that you need to offer an apology? When will you do that?
Read Exodus 7:17-21
Exodus 7:17-21
17 So this is what the Lord says: “I will show you that I am the Lord.” Look! I will strike the water of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the river will turn to blood. 18 The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”
19 Then the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of Egypt—all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.’”
20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood! 21 The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt.
How was God showing Pharaoh and the Egyptians where their source of life should come from?
What are some ways God reminds you who should have preeminence in your life when you get your priorities mixed up?
During this stay-at-home time, what are some things you’ve learned about what is truly important in your life?
How are you going to make sure you are depending more on your relationship with the Lord, than for other things that may have brought you comfort before?
Read Exodus 7:22-25
Exodus 7:22-25
22 But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted. 23 Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. 24 Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.
25 Seven days passed from the time the Lord struck the Nile.
What was Pharaoh’s response to their source of fresh water being taken away?
What are some ways people put the things of the Lord out of their minds?
Even if people refuse to listen, how can you continue to show God’s love, and tell of His Good News to those around you?
Who can you show and share the love of Jesus with this week?
Memorize it!
1 Peter2:9b ...for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Closing thoughts and Prayer
God is constantly showing us and telling us about His supremacy in our lives. He does this through His Word, the Holy Spirit, times of worship, other people, and various other ways. Many times we miss it because of the busyness of life. However, with the stay at home order, you’ve been given a unique opportunity to reprioritize your life. You can only have one priority in your life, so what is it? If it’s not your relationship with Jesus, what is getting in the way?
On the flipside, God also uses you to show and tell others about His goodness. Do you live your life in a way that reflects Him? When you mess up, are you quick to humble yourself and ask for forgiveness? How you live each day matters.
Take time to pray for those you can influence for God’s Kingdom during this time. Ask the Lord to give you opportunities to share His love and peace with them this week. Pray also that the Lord would show you where your priority lies. Pray that you would be humble enough to listen and not harden your heart.
End your time praying for those who are sick and hurting during this time. Pray for God to show you ways to help them. Also, continue praying for your church and government leaders.
Further Study
Exodus 7:14-16
How did the Lord show Pharaoh His power through Moses’ shepherd staff?
What do you have in your house that is a reminder of God’s work in your life? (artwork, Bible verses displayed)
What is something you can do this week to put some reminders of God’s promises in places you’ll see them? (Sticky note Bible verses in places you’ll see them, reminders to pray put on the TV, etc.)
Who is someone in your life that is not listening to the things of God right now?
What is the Lord wanting you to tell them this week?
When will you talk to them?
Who will remind you and follow up with you about this?
1 Peter 2:1, 9b, 11-12, 17
From the list in the first verse, which one of those is hardest for you to live out?
How can you make steps towards godly living in that area?
What does Peter mean when he says that followers of Jesus are “temporary residents and foreigners”?
How can remembering that help you when you are tempted?
What are some ways your neighbors can see your honorable behavior?
How would living out these verses help you show and tell of God’s love to those around you?
Exodus 7:17-21
Why was the Nile important to Egyptian culture?
How would this first plague have been a reminder of how the previous Pharaoh treated the Egyptians?
(See Exodus 1:22- Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.”)
If you had been there when this happened, what would you have thought about the Israelites and their God?
During this time of fear and uncertainty, what are some ways you can point people to Jesus and the comfort He provides?
Exodus 7:22-25
Why did Pharaoh just write off this miracle that he saw happen in front of him?