The Movement and the Moments | Intro to Exodus | Resources
Intro
Exodus tells the story of the God who remembers His covenant, delivers His people, and establishes His presence among them.
The book opens with Israel suffering under oppressive rule, yet God sees, hears, and remembers His promise to Abraham, setting in motion a rescue that displays His unmatched power and faithful love. Through signs, wonders, and the Passover, He brings His people out of bondage and leads them through the wilderness, not simply to free them from something, but to bring them to Someone. At Sinai He forms them into His covenant people, gives His law, and commands the construction of the tabernacle so that His holy presence may dwell in the midst of an unholy people.
From bondage to worship, from Egypt to the mountain, from distance to nearness, Exodus reveals the God who moves toward His people—redeeming them, shaping them, and dwelling with them so that His presence becomes their identity, their hope, and their life.
D.A. Carson
“The Exodus becomes the controlling paradigm of redemption in the Old Testament, a pattern of salvation that shapes Israel’s understanding of who God is and what it means to belong to Him.”
Discussion/Reflection Questions
1. What stood out to you from Sunday’s text or sermon? (Observations, surprises, reminders, etc.)
2. The sermon emphasizes that God didn’t just free Israel from slavery but brought them to Himself. How does this challenge the way we sometimes think about salvation or freedom in our own lives?
3. Exodus begins with God seeing, hearing, and remembering His people’s suffering (Exod. 2:23–25). How does this shape your understanding of God when life feels unjust or painful?
4. God’s ultimate goal was to dwell with His people. In what ways does God’s presence shape your identity more than your circumstances?
5. Where might God be moving you right now toward deeper worship, obedience, or trust? What does it look like to obey this week?
Supplemental Reading
Day 1: Genesis 15:12–14
Day 2: Exodus 2:23–25
Day 3: Psalm 105:23–45
Day 4: John 1:14–18
Day 5: Revelation 21:1–4
Prepare for Sunday: Exodus 1
Gospel Connection
The story of Exodus points forward to a greater deliverance still to come. Just as God heard the cries of Israel and moved toward them in power and mercy, God has listened to the deeper cry of humanity’s bondage to sin and death. In Jesus, God once again moves toward His people, not through plagues or parted seas, but through the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb whose blood brings freedom, and He is the greater tabernacle, God dwelling with us in flesh. Like Israel, we are not merely saved from slavery but brought into God’s presence, formed as His people, and invited to live as a redeemed community whose identity is shaped by His nearness.
Response
Pray: Ask God to help you trust His movement in your life, even when His presence feels quiet or slow. Pray that you would see Him not only in dramatic moments, but also in the steady work of shaping your heart. Thank Him for moving toward you in Christ, and ask for a deeper awareness of His nearness this week.
Do: This week, intentionally pause once each day to acknowledge God’s presence. In moments of waiting, difficulty, or routine, remind yourself that God is at work, moving you not just away from something, but toward Himself. Let that awareness shape one step of obedience, worship, or trust.