Opening Questions and Prayer

• Who are some leaders that have had an impact on your life?

• What was it they said or did that made you want to follow their leadership?

• Pray that the Lord would guide you as you study His word.

Read Exodus 17:1-3 NLT

1 At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 2 So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.

“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”

3 But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

• Even after several instances of the Lord providing water for the thirsty Israelites, why do they still doubt the Lord’s power and goodness?

• Why do the Israelites think that if the Lord is leading, it will lead to harm towards them?

• When have you doubted the Lord’s provision in your life?

• What are some fears you have about the Lord being the sole leader in your life?

Read Exodus 17:4-7

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

5 The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

7 Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

• How did Moses allow the Lord to lead in his life?

  • How did the Lord provide comfort for Moses?

• Why did the Lord want the elders to see this miracle?

• What were some ways the elders could have helped Moses lead the people to submit to the Lord’s leadership?

• Does the way you lead others draw them closer to the Lord or just establish your own ego?

• How does submitting to the Lord’s leadership in your life help you lead others in the ways of the Lord?

Read Exodus 17:8-9

8 While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. 9 Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”

• What might have been going through Joshua’s head when Moses told him to go fight while he was going up a hill?

• How was the Lord calling the Israelites to a new level of faith and trust in Him?

• How does trusting the Lord in the little things, lead to trust in Him in the big things?

• What are some common practices you do on a regular basis to grow and strengthen your faith in the Lord?

• How do you instill these practices in the people around you?

Read Exodus 17:10-13

10 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.

• Why did Joshua trust Moses when many of the other Israelites didn’t?

• What did Aaron and Hur do when Moses became tired?

• Who supports you when you are tired and can’t seem to go on?

• How can you learn to rely on the Lord to provide the help you need?

• Who needs your support right now?

• How can you both support them and point them to Jesus this week?

Read Exodus 17:14-16

14 After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”). 16 He said, “They have raised their fist against the Lord’s throne, so now the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.”

• What new name did Moses discover about the Lord?

• What does it mean that the Lord is your banner?

• When you allow the Lord to lead in your life, how do you see Him be your banner?

• What’s one thing you can do to remind yourself that the Lord is your banner?

Memorize it!

Exodus 17:12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.

Closing thoughts and prayer

It’s often difficult to allow the Lord to lead in our lives. It takes an incredible amount of faith and trust. For the Israelites, the Lord had been showing them in big and small ways that He would provide everything they needed. Now they face a battle that they aren’t prepared to fight. Yet the Lord proves again, if they trust in Him, He will provide. Moses submitted to the Lord’s leadership and was able to lead others to follow after God. The more we submit to the Lord’s leadership, the more He will draw people to Him by the way we lead.

Pray for those you lead. This may be your family, friend group, or co-workers. But you have influence, more than you probably realize. Pray that you would submit to the Lord’s leadership in your own life so you can lead others towards Him.

End your time praying for our nation. Pray for the leadership of our country as well as the leaders in the church.