OUTSTRETCHED ARMS

Summary

Don't Miss This Study: "Outstretched Arms" (March 15, 2026)

Hosts: Emily Freeman & David Butler
Main Theme: Exploring the emergence of Moses and the redemption of Israel in Exodus 1–6—especially the roles of courageous women, God's transformative power in ordinary lives, and the meaning of "I AM" (Yahweh).

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Emily and David launch into the Book of Exodus, showcasing the shift from Genesis and focusing on the foundational events leading to Israel's redemption. The hosts highlight how God works through ordinary people and everyday circumstances to bring about His grand purposes—especially emphasizing the redemptive courage of women and the sacred transformation of the mundane. Throughout, they encourage listeners to "see" God at work in unexpected places and to understand the depth of His name and character.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bridging Genesis to Exodus

• The timeline transition from Joseph's story to Israel's slavery in Egypt is clarified ([06:35]).
• The significance: Understanding how Joseph’s family ends up as a nation in bondage and the impact of several centuries passing ([06:38]–[08:54]).
• Memorable: Dave’s realization—“This is one of the moments where the timeline really made me feel like I was understanding what's going on in the Bible.” ([06:38])

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2. Insecurity and Its Consequences

• The new Pharaoh’s oppressive policies (rooted in fear) become a springboard for reflection on how personal insecurity breeds injustice ([09:52]–[11:30]).
• Quote:
  “All of the rest of the book of Exodus is in consequence to a king who was afraid and a king who was insecure... I think so oftentimes I just let myself live in insecurity instead of realizing, like, that's actually something that I need to repent of.” — B ([09:52])

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3. The Courage and Compassion of Women in Israel’s Redemption

The Four Women of Exodus 1–2

• Midwives (Shiphrah & Pua): Defied Pharaoh’s orders out of reverence for God ([14:25]).
  • Impact: Small, behind-the-scenes acts "saving one baby at a time" ([17:08], [17:47]).
  • Quote:
    “God is going to use the work that we're already in to help us be a part of saving people.” — A ([15:56])
• Moses’ Mother: Loving and sacrificial—hid Moses, then released him in faith ([17:47]–[21:37]).
  • Quote:
    “She is going to do whatever it takes to save that baby... That in one verse is a type and shadow of Jesus, of someone who looked and said, your life is more valuable than mine.” — B ([17:47])
• Miriam (Moses' sister): Watched over Moses, spoke up to Pharaoh's daughter, brought Moses home ([24:11]).
• Pharaoh’s Daughter: Compassion breaks cultural barriers ([25:21]–[27:20]).
  • Quote:
    "She had compassion on him... Compassion overpowered her. ‘See a need, fill a need.’ That is what compassion makes you do... That is the most godly part of a woman." — B ([25:21])

Reflection: Women as Types of Christ

• The traits of these women—protecting, saving, seeing the good, compassion—mirror Christ’s redemptive character ([27:20]–[31:15]).
• Quote:
  “Any of us, in small ways but with great love, can be a part of the redemption story.” — A ([28:40])

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4. God Turns the Ordinary into the Holy

• Moses, originally “just a shepherd,” finds that God can transform even "the backside of the desert" into holy ground ([32:06]–[41:35]).
• The burning bush experience: God meets Moses in his place of shame and exile, making it sacred ([37:13]–[41:35]).
• Quote:
  “That is who we believe in. A God who can take a place that is full of shame, a God who can take a place that has become ordinary... and turn it sacred, who can make that holy ground. He did it for Moses... He can do it for anyone.” — B ([39:50])
• Memorable Quote:
  “Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” — Elizabeth Browning, cited by A ([41:35])

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5. The Name of God: “I AM” (Yahweh/Jehovah)

• God reveals Himself as “I AM THAT I AM”—a powerful descriptor of His eternal, unchangeable nature ([43:04]–[48:00]).
• Various translations:
  • "I am who I will always be."
  • "I am what tomorrow demands."
  • "My nature will become evident from my actions." ([64:30])
• Importance: The foundation for trusting God’s promises.
• Quote:
  “When we remember the name Jehovah... then we can anticipate and look for him to show up that same way in our life.” — A ([47:55])
• Practical Takeaway: Every “I AM” in scripture is a promise of God’s enduring character.

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6. Moses’ Reluctance and God’s Use of the Ordinary

• Moses’ self-doubt: He feels unworthy and unqualified ([50:10]–[54:44]).
• God’s response: “What is that in your hand?”—God uses Moses’s shepherd staff as a tool of deliverance ([52:21]).
• Quote:
  “You have that stick in your hand and you're going to say, yes, it was possible. But not only that, carry it with you every single day as evidence that I am with you.” — B ([53:55])
• Analogy: The staff as a reminder is likened to wearing a memento to take courage into hard situations ([54:44]).

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7. Obedience and Knowing the Lord

• Pharaoh’s pivotal question: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?” ([54:44]–[59:14]).
• Reflection: True obedience follows knowledge and relationship—not mere command.
• Quote:
  “Who's the Lord that I would want to obey his voice? And the good news is we have an answer to it. We have a whole book full of an answer to who the Lord is.” — A ([57:22])
• Personal Application: “I know the Lord, so I'll let Jane go.” — A ([59:19]) (in context of sending a child on a mission)

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8. When Obedience Makes Life Harder

• Moses’ discouragement after Pharaoh makes things worse ([60:02]–[62:26]).
• God’s Response: A cascade of promises ("I am... I will... I will bring you out... I will redeem you with stretched out arms") ([62:41]–[66:21]).
• Quote:
  “The promise that God remembers what he promised to do. I will bring you out from under the burdens... I will redeem you... I will take you for my people.” — B ([63:44])
• Notable Word Study: “Redeem” here means “to save or rescue by any means possible.” ([64:30])

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On insecurity:
  "All of the rest of the book of Exodus is a consequence to a king who was afraid and a king who was insecure." — B ([09:52])
• On trust and parenthood:
  “When she puts that baby into the river, I mean, that is just like the ultimate act of just trusting God...” — A ([22:24])
• On compassion:
  “Compassion breaks rules.” — B ([25:21])
• On God’s character:
  “I am who I will always be.” — A ([44:30])
• On living the story:
  “It's not about figuring out facts... It's realizing what our God can do because of the pages of Scripture that are my pages in real life.” — B ([48:24])
• On sacred ordinary:
  “God takes such an ordinary place and makes it holy.” — A ([41:54])

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Important Timestamps

• Transition from Genesis to Exodus / Timeline Connection: [06:35]–[08:54]
• Reflections on Insecurity: [09:52]–[11:30]
• Women of Courage (Midwives, Mother, Sister, Pharaoh’s Daughter): [14:25]–[28:40]
• God Makes the Mundane Sacred (Burning Bush): [32:06]–[41:35]
• Meaning of “I AM” and God’s Names: [43:04]–[48:00]
• Use What’s in Your Hand (Moses’ Rod): [50:10]–[54:44]
• Obedience and Knowing the Lord: [54:44]–[59:14]
• When Obedience Seems to Make Things Worse: [60:02]–[66:21]

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Discussion Starters & Application

• When have you seen an ordinary place or experience become sacred in your life?
• How does understanding the meaning of God’s name (“I AM”) affect how you trust Him today?
• In what small ways can you, like the women in Exodus, participate in God’s redemption story?
• What promises of God do you need to remember when things get harder after trying to follow Him?

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Next Week: The story continues with God's spectacular deliverance—get ready for the next stage of Exodus.
Find more: Instagram @dontmissthisstudy / dontmissthisstudy.com

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Summary by Section

• Bridging Genesis – Exodus: [06:35]
• Insecurity & Pharaoh: [09:52]
• Women of Exodus: [14:25]
• Burning Bush / Holy Ground: [32:06]
• Name of God – "I AM": [43:04]
• Moses’ Reluctance & The Staff: [50:10]
• Obedience: [54:44]
• Discouragement & Promises: [60:02]

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Episode Theme in a Sentence:
God redeems through ordinary people, transforms the mundane into the sacred, and fulfills His promises with “outstretched arms”—inviting us all to see, trust, and participate in His story.

Transcript

[A]

Hi there. Welcome to Don't Miss this, a scripture study podcast with Dave Butler and Grace Freeman.

[B]

Each week we point out things in the scriptures that we love and think you don't want to miss.

[A]

Thanks for listening. So what's upcoming? Two awesome Things Conference and Easter. It's a double week. It's. Yeah. Oh, on the same weekend.

[B]

I think same day is Easter.

[A]

On General Conference.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You guys, I'm about to say something controversial that I don't really love. When Easter's on General Conference because you

[B]

feel like you're missing out on. Yeah.

[A]

Then you.

[B]

Two good weekends.

[A]

It's fine. It's fine. It's fine, everybody. But I'll say why I do love it. This is why I do love it when it happens. I always convince myself like this that I was like, oh, one of the things at Easter were the witnesses running from the tomb, telling everybody that that he lives. And so conference gets to be that. Conference gets to be Peter and John and Mary running from the tomb saying, the best news of all. So I take it back. I take it back. Both are fine. Both are fine. But we want to help you out with both of those. So if you've been for a while, you know that these are things are right up our alley. Let's start with the conference notebooks first.

[B]

Conference notebooks. I love these, first of all, because I just love having traditions. And so this feels like a really sweet tradition to have. And there are three different kinds of General Conference notebooks. The first one is just like a classic. If you are a note taker and you love to write things down, have thoughts, and there's just such beautiful art all throughout this entire notebook. It goes through every single session, gives you different things to think about, different things to write, different areas, different prompts. But for all of General Conference, I think one of the best tips I got is you actually don't not like taking notes about General Conference. You're just taking them the wrong way. And once I heard that, I was like, oh, maybe I don't need to write down every single thing that I've ever heard in General Conference. It sounds like it's gonna be a really cute Pinterest board, but maybe I just wanna go through and sit and be like, what's the spirit teaching me? That is such a good guide for it.

[A]

Yeah. Because I like that it actually is divided up with promptings, promises, and invitations for each of the talks that are there. And if you're an Inklings person who likes to watch, listen to that pod or the this is Kingdom podcast about general conference, then this is awesome because it can carry you through the whole six months. And actually it has perforated pages if you want to put them into notebooks. And just. Anyways, it's awesome. Not just for the weekend, but for the whole six months.

[B]

And it was, like, built for that. Like, the quality is so good, you want to treasure it. And you can. It really is a treasure.

[A]

So good.

[B]

Then the next one is I'm biased. My favorite of all time in the history of the world. It is so good. It is a watercolor journal. And so half the page is going to be like a notes page regular, so you can write your notes. And then the other half is like a black and white picture that you get to color with watercolor. It comes with paints. It comes with everything you need. So if you are the type of person that's like, how in the world am I going to sit down on my couch for four hours every single day and like, just like sit there and do nothing? No, don't worry. This is like, it's like going to give you a little something to do. Your kids will die over this one. It is so, so good.

[A]

And I don't even know why you said the kids, because when Mackenzie texted me and said, what general conference notebook do you want? I was like, what a silly question.

[B]

Why did you even ask?

[A]

I'm a note taker.

[B]

Please.

[A]

I am a color.

[B]

Me too. And I love last time to color all my notes too. If I, like, really liked something, I would write it in my pen and then watercolor over it like a little highlighter. And the last one is just a kid's one, and it is just mostly full of activities and a little bit of room for notes. So if you just want to think, what are my kids gonna wanna do during conference? It is this. And it's called Jesus Time. It's an activity book. You can take the activities, use them some for conference. Maybe you wanna take it to CH is the best little book. So those are the general conference workbooks this year.

[A]

Okay. And then the Holy Week. I don't even know what you call this. Stand up. Stand. Holy Week. Stand. Listen, I. I somehow some way, we just want to elevate Holy Week. We just want every day of that week to be so sweet and special. And I. We're hoping that this can help you so it stands up really nicely on your. What do you say? Just table or coffee table or kitchen table? Just right there. And there are beautiful pictures and thoughts and questions and family activities, discussions for every single day of Holy Week just to elevate it. And you can pick and choose. Maybe you just want to do, like, the family activity, or you just want to ask the reflection questions or read one of the verses or whatever it may be, or take the invitation. But all of it's there for you to choose from just for each day to be elevated. And then you just flip through the days and there's pictures of it, and it just sits there. And one other thing that's awesome about it is you can make an Easter banner. So go to goodnewsbrandcode.com to the Instagram page to see if you need kind of the inspiration for how to make it. But it's included in there to cut out and create this Easter banner for all seven days of Holy Week.

[B]

It's so cute.

[A]

It's awesome. I love Easter so much. And whatever we can do to just elevate the day, they give you an EE tradition.

[B]

So it's like, oh, right, I can do this.

[A]

So good. Okay, y', all, that's what we forgot to tell you. And we wanted to, since we're friends. Hi, I'm Dave Butler.

[B]

And I'm Grace Freeman.

[A]

Welcome to don't miss this. We're so happy that you are here. We. If it's your first week. Hi. And hi. Double welcome to you and everybody. Everyone gets a double welcome. We go through the scriptures, we point out things we think you don't want to miss and just hope that you fall in love with this book and these stories and you learn to love God through these pages and your faith has increased and your hope is increased. I just think any encounter with. With God leaves someone feeling better about themselves, feeling more encouraged that. That things are going to be okay, that he's watching over them. So we hope that's our goal, that every time we're together, every time we're in these books, that that is what happens for us. Today we're in Exodus. We are done with the book of Genesis, and we're moving on to Exodus. Now we start moving through books faster. I feel like it is that the

[B]

whole entire rest of the Old Testament, we go so fast.

[A]

Well, Isaiah has like, five lessons, I think.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I don't know how many are in Exodus. I'm actually just making promises. I.

[B]

It might be the exact same. That's not our business to know yet.

[A]

But we are in the book of Exodus. And so we have a. A piece that we're putting on this timeline. And I'll tell you, this is, I think, one of the times, if you're watching, I'm just sliding this pyramid on to March 16th. Okay.

[B]

Not Mark.

[A]

What did I say?

[B]

Mark.

[A]

I love mark 16. This is a great book of the Bible. I don't think it exists. I think it ends in 15. But here I'm showing this. We don't even know if it's working. But this is, I think. All right, I'll say this. This. I remember kind of looking and seeing a timeline like this, putting one together for the first time and learning Joseph's story where he's in Egypt and then going into Exodus and saying, oh, my gosh, that's why there's slaves in Egypt, because Joseph got sent there, the whole family moved there, and that's why. Anyways, I just want you to know this is one of the moments where the timeline really made me feel like I was understanding what's going on in the Bible.

[B]

So it doesn't make you feel proud? Like, should you. We all feel a little bit proud

[A]

of, like, no, listen, honest to goodness, I, like, I was like, oh, and that's why they are in Egypt for the. I. Because I knew Prince of Egypt. I knew that story. So I knew we were in Egypt. Everyone knows that. That's like. It's one of those famous parts of the Bible, you know? But. Oh, that's how it connects to the amazing Technicolor dream coat. I get it. Oh, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Jacob has Joseph. Joseph sold off into Egypt. The brothers go for the grain. They all move into Egypt. And then you get to the start of the book of Exodus, and quite a bit of time has passed between Genesis and Exodus. Several hundred years, most smart people think, and we've got a new king in Egypt. You find that out in Exodus 1, verse 8. Who didn't know Joseph, didn't know any of the promises, didn't know that he was a national hero. And so now this king sees this family, and the family is growing big, and they are. They start to get. He starts to get nervous because he says, what if this family gets so big that one day they join, like, an enemy army and take over? Or you know what? So he wants to kind of squash this family and make sure that they don't grow up to be anything good. So first he starts by making their lives really hard. And he has them make bricks and buildings. I read a Bible scholar, Grace, this is so sad. I'm sorry. I might burst your bubble. And everyone's bubbles has said they most Likely did not build the pyramids. And I just was really disappointed.

[B]

You have to change the timeline in that fact.

[A]

It's true. No, the time the pyramid represents Egypt, they're still there.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

We just don't think that they were, which makes me really, really sad about that.

[B]

In your head, you could still.

[A]

Yeah, I want to picture them building the pyramids, but he's like, if they're so busy doing so much work, they can't have any more children. But that's not the case. They still have more children. So he devises this plan, a terrible plan, that anytime a boy is born, he tells the midwives, anytime a boy is born, kill that baby boy. That way, the baby boys are being killed because they would be the soldiers today. Boys and girls are soldiers. So that plan wouldn't have worked. But back then, it was only boys. So that is how he was going to eliminate them and try and squash them from getting too big. So we're meeting these midwives, and if you go to your journey and let

[B]

me say one thing that this is so random. I've just been thinking about it a lot. So this is just, like a tiny little side note. But it is so interesting to me that all of this begins because of his. The kings, the new kings over Egypt, because of his insecurity. And that is something that I've never really liked, affiliated, or thought about in my own individual life so much, is that, like, all of these things, all of this, the rest of the book of Exodus is in consequence to a king who was afraid and a king who was insecure. And I think it's so oftentimes in my life when I think about my relationship with God and my insecurities, I just let them stay because I think it's not that big of a deal. It's not going to affect anything. It's just the way I think. It's just what I think about myself that I just let those honestly stay and just, like, grow in my head. And I don't think I ever think about what it could lead to. And this was a moment, honestly, for me, that, like, it almost called me to repentance because I, like, paused and I thought. And I was like, oh, where does insecurity lead to? And it leads to injust actions, and it leads to decisions that make no sense for anyone else other than yourself. It leads to pride. And I had this moment where I was like, wait. Like, I think so oftentimes I just let myself live in insecurity instead of realizing, like, that's actually something that I need to repent of. The things that I'm insecure of, those are things that can be overcome. And I think that the consequences are so much more lasting than I realize. And it was just like this random little thought that I had that really changed the way I saw this story. Because what would have happened if he was just like, oh, wait, what if there is abundance? Like, what if I have a mindset of abundance? What if everyone can be good? It just was interesting so randomly. That was my random thought.

[A]

I actually really, really like that. I was watching this reel this weekend and it was talking about how true friends are excited when you're growing and when you're progressing. And obviously you have the opposite of that here. Because he's trying to stop them from becoming bigger. He's trying to stop them from becoming more power. And I like that you're pointing out it's probably because of that insecurity. And later we're going to find out that there's a verse about it and we'll focus on a little bit more where he says, I don't know the Lord. And I actually think that the solution to insecurity is actually a relationship with the Lord. Because you actually see in this section of chapters, God in heaven, who will appoint Moses. We haven't met him yet. Everybody, but you probably know who he is. Appoint Moses to speak for him and act for him. Here's the King of Kings who says essentially to Moses, okay, yeah, go you. How about you do it right? I can do it so much better than you. How about you? Why don't you try and, like, let me endow you with my authority and my strength, and let's. Let's see what you can do. And there's how different, you know, you know, those are. And I think when somebody has been so graciously trusted and been given so much that they don't feel insecure anymore. If that makes sense. It's making sense in my head. Is it making sense?

[B]

No, it's making sense. I think it's for sure making sense.

[A]

Yeah. That I'm just like, I actually. I don't need to be better than you. I don't need to be more powerful than you, because I have enough. Remember we got that line, like in one of the past chapters where Esau and Jacob, the reason that they didn't have to, like, battle with each other anymore is because they felt like, God's been so good to me. I don't need to be. I'm loved by the King of Kings. So I'm actually fine with whatever happens in your life and whatever happens in mine.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Anyways, that's cool. That's awesome. Okay, open up your journals to the page in here, the digging deeper page, because we have four sets of, well, four different women. One of them is a set of women, it's the midwives who we just met, who. This chapter one is a story about the. It's the beginning of the redemption story. Right. It's not going to happen for another 80 years from Exodus chapter one. Meaning, like when they cross through the Red Sea is going to happen 80 years after Exodus chapter one. But there is these women who are become types and shadows of a redeemer, of a savior in the story. And they play a crucial part in this redemption story. And 1. It's awesome because it's just this group of women that, that unfortunately the Bible doesn't focus on very much, but they but heavily so in Exodus chapter one, these women who play a role of saving and redeeming, they're part of that redemption story. And I forgot what I was going to say. The second thing is. But it's really cool.

[B]

They're really so you're going to love it.

[A]

They are just fantastic. So let's start with those midwives, because it says I want. The Pharaoh tells them, whenever a baby boy is born, I want you to kill them. And look what happens. That's in verse 15, two of them. One of them's name is Shiphrah and the other is Pua. And he said, when you are doing your job as the midwife and you see a boy, I want you to kill it. But verse 17 says, but the midwives feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men, children alive. So one thing I wrote in that box that is part. Part of how they play a part in the redemption story is simply by looking to God. And. And they cared what God thought and they respected God and, and what he asked them to do in their lives. And then it says he called them and he says, hey, how come. How come none of the kids are, you know, are dying? Why are they all still alive? And they're like, those Hebrew women are strong is what they say. And in verse 19, therefore, verse 20, God dealt well with, with the midwives. And the people multiplied and waxed very mighty. And I just think there's something about that, that small act that they do in respect and love for God. I underline that phrase. In 17, they saved the Children alive. They just. They. And. And one thing I love is that they are. Do. They're. They're in the profession that they're in, if that makes sense.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like the lawyers couldn't help in this particular way. Only the midwives could help in this particular way. Like the fruit salesman couldn't help in this particular way. They could help in their own way. But I just love that God is going to use the work that we're already in to help us be a part of saving people, of helping people multiply and wax very mighty.

[B]

And it makes you want to look because you get their story in like four verses. And in my head, I just thought. And I think this is true for this entire chapter. And the next one also is that faithful women are everywhere and their stories litter history. It is just true. You will find that. I think we've already been seeing that in the Old Testament, that maybe their stories might be lesser known, maybe the verses might be a little bit more simple. But their stories are powerful and needed. And I just, like, wanted to, like, pause and think when I heard the story of those midwives and just pause and be like, wait, there are faithful women everywhere, and where are they? And how have they impacted my story? Even if it was just for a moment, even if it was something small, where are they? Who are they? And how have they changed my story because of who they are?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And I think something really awesome about it, there's two other things, and I think we're gonna see this with all of the women. I mean, the work that they did was inside closed doors, right? With one child at a time is the way this was happening. And there's something really powerful about that, that the impact they have in the story is happening one baby at a time inside this, you know, in an act that not anybody even knew about. And also, it's the king of Egypt, who we find out later is not afraid to kill people. Right? But for them to have so much courage to stand, you know, to do that.

[B]

And so what happens is all the midwives are helping and all the babies are getting born, and then we get to zoom. I love that David said that that was happening baby to baby. That was a one on one individual rescue mission. And it's almost as if chapter two starts and we get a zoom in on one of those stories and there is a Levite mom and she gets pregnant and she has the baby. And in verse number two, you see that she had a goodly child and she hid him three months and Already from the beginning of her story, you see this moment where you get that type and shadow of Jesus in her, I think, because all of a sudden you see a mom who looks at her baby and says, your life is more valuable than mine. And I don't know what the consequence is of, like, keeping this child and hiding it, but surely her life was on the line. And she looked at that baby and she said, you life is more valuable than mine, and I will do whatever it takes to save you. I will do anything I need to, to rescue you. That in one verse is a type and shadow of Jesus, of someone who looked and said, you life is more valuable than mine. I will do whatever it takes to save you. And you see that throughout the entire story of Moses. Mom is that she is going to do whatever it takes to save that baby. And so she looks and she says, okay, I can't hide you anymore. You're getting bigger, you're getting louder. It's getting more obvious. I can't stay here all this time. And so what I need. I need to think of a new plan. And so she builds him an ark, and she says, I am going to do anything I can to save you, whatever I possibly can do, even if that means letting go, even if that means saying goodbye. So she builds him an ark and she puts him in it and she lets him go down the river. And I just cannot imagine what that saying goodbye must have looked like for Moses, his mom. I can't imagine her putting her baby boy that she loved, her baby boy that she sacrificed for, and saying, here you go and let's just see what happens. And I don't know the ending. I don't know how this is gonna play out. But I do know that the chance, the chance that you make it is worth it. And doesn't that seem like a plan of a father that we know so well, who said, I'm gonna let you go, and I'm gonna hope whatever this looks like. I don't know exactly what's gonna happen with your life, but I hope it's gonna be for the better. And she lets him go. At the river's bank. And I'm sure there were tears, and I'm sure there was a pit in her stomach, but also I'm sure that there was a knowledge that there was something better for that baby. And we're gonna go on, and there's more women that we're gonna study. But I just think really quick, I'm gonna go back. Because what happens is obviously Pharaoh's daughter finds her and. And the sister helps and all of these things. But what ends up happening is Moses mom gets brought back and she gets to nurse and care for that baby one more time. And that's automatically tender and really sweet that she gets to have that second moment with the baby. But I also can't help but think that also meant another goodbye. That meant that one more time she was gonna have to say goodbye at some point to her baby. And I can't imagine the pain and the sorrow that it would have taken for her to say goodbye to that baby once, but for her motherly heart to have to do it one more time. But her knowing it was gonna be worth it is one of the most selfless acts that I think I've ever read in scripture that she said, I will take any time that I can, whether that's hiding my baby for three months or pretending that I don't know him and he's a stranger and I'm just nursing him because I've been called up for that role. But the fact that she was willing to do anything she possibly could for that baby and still was willing to say goodbye, that is love unlike anything I've ever read.

[A]

Well, and it's interesting because all of these people are going to play a part of this story. You're like, how did Egypt, how did the Israelites end up being saved? You're like, oh, it's because the midwives were courageous and because Moses mother was. Was willing to. To let go or whatever we add in, like, she plays a part in this story. And before I go on to the next one, her sister. I. I actually was just thinking as you were talking about that first she hid and protected him, and then it got to the point where he was too old and she couldn't do that anymore, so she had to kind of change her plan. And I was just thinking about that as a. As a parent when I'm trying to, you know, help. Help my kids, protect my kids. You know, sometimes I have this plan and then they get older and I gotta shift my plan and I gotta try something different. And I. I've never thought about this before, but, you know, when she puts that baby into the river, I mean, that is just like the ultimate act of just trusting God, like, just being okay. I did everything that I know how to do, and now I'm just gonna, like, put you fully into the hands of God. I remember feeling, I mean, obviously not the same, but in a hint of that, a small part of that when I sent off Jack and Christian on their missions, just I felt like. Honestly, I felt like I was putting them into the hands of God. I was like, I did everything I could for 18 years, and my plan changed along the way. And then I put you into his hands and I said, okay, go save the world, kid. You know, and seeing that in Moses, mom is sweet, and it's cute to

[B]

think, like, obviously I've never been a mom, but there is something so sweet about thinking about a mom who had to say, who raised him the best that she could, and then said, okay, I trust God, and you go, and we're gonna figure this out. But then I love also that she gets called back, but in a new role. And I think that that is true about parents, I think that's true about motherhood, is that there's gonna be moments when you say, okay, I'm gonna trust God and I'm gonna let him go. And then there's gonna be other moments when you get called back into the story, and maybe it's a different role. And I love that God can guide that story through all of those. God knows when to let go. God knows when to bring you back. God knows what your new role's gonna be. And there's gonna be more goodbyes, and it's gonna be hard, and there's gonna be. But there will also be miracles. And there will also be moments when you look and you say, this was worth it and this is good.

[A]

Yeah. So when the baby goes in the river and we get Miriam, Moses's sister, we don't know her name in the Bible yet, but that's what we know her name is going to be. I mean, it was at that time. It just hasn't said it yet. And it says in verse four, and his sister stood afar off to know what would be done to him. And I just like that his sister watched and just kind of watched over and waited. She didn't do anything yet, but she just followed close behind. And I think there's something really sweet about her watching over. And then when Pharaoh's daughter sees her and sees the baby and pulls it out, she actually speaks up in verse seven, and then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, I'll go and call and find a nurse of the Hebrew women that she. That you know, that. So someone to take care of the baby for you and then takes him home to their mom. Nobody knows it's her mom, but I wrote down on my thing that she watched over him. She spoke up and then she took him home. And I think there is something really sweet about that in this redemption story, that sometimes we do that when we play our part. We watch over people, and when it's time, we speak up. And ultimately we're trying to just take people home.

[B]

And then you get Pharaoh's daughter. And the most beautiful verse to me about that one is going to be in verse number six. And she's by the river, and she sees the ark come down. And then all of a sudden, she opens it, and she sees the child. And behold, the babe wept. And then, like I underlined this in a different color in my scriptures, because I think this describes women in a way that nothing else does. And she had compassion on him. That is why the story gets saved, is because someone had compassion that she looked at that baby and it went against everything that she was raised to believe, everything her father had surely taught her. It went against all the rules by the book. But it didn't matter, because compassion breaks rules. And it did for Pharaoh's daughter. She looked at that baby and her compassion made her forget anything she had ever thought, anything she had ever believed, anything that ever made sense. And she said, no, I know that this is one of the Hebrews children. But that did not stop her. Compassion overpowered her. And I just cannot help but think, I just. Like there's this phrase, I don't even know where I heard it for the first time, but see a need fill a need. And that is what compassion makes you do. It opens your eyes to see a need, and it opens your heart to fill it. And I truly don't think there's anyone that does that better than women, that they have the ability over the top, I would even say, to open their eyes and to see. See a need and to fill a need. They are born with compassionate hearts. And I just think that that describes women. That is the most godly part of a woman, I think, is the compassion they have in their hearts to open their eyes, to see a need and to fill a need. And so oftentimes, there are needs that most people don't see that often get overlooked. But that doesn't mean that the compassion isn't important. It doesn't mean that the compassion isn't safe. And you see that so clearly. I think with Pharaoh's daughter, it's awesome.

[A]

And if you want to be smart about that word compassion in Hebrew, every time you see the word compassion, the translation of it actually is womb love. And so when we talk about the way that God sees his children with compassion. It's comparing it to the way a mother sees her newborn baby, which you see played out in this story. I think that there's a word in verse six, right at the end where it says, this is where one of the Hebrews children. And I circled that word just to remember that it was. This was a story of one person. And all of these people played a part in the story of. Of this one person and the domino effect of. Of what that's going to be. But just being a part of the redemption story happens one person at a time. I was. I'm getting ready to go on this world religions tour to India, which I'm so excited about. So I'm like, like studying Mother Teresa and Gandhi and, you know, everybody, all the cool things of India. And I was wondering, you know, oh, why did Mother Teresa take on the name Teresa? Like, I'm curious why that happened. And there is this saint from France whose name was St. Teresa. And that's why Mother Teresa will take her name, because she learned her story and what she was known for. She had the nickname the little Flower because she said one time I. At one time she was like, I want to be a martyr. I want to be a missionary. I want to go out into the world, and I want to do the great things of the world. And then she realized that she could do great things. She could do small things with great love is what she said. And so she had the nickname the Little Flower because she said, there are people who are the big tall trees in God's forest, but I just want to be. Be the little flower and do those small things with. With great love. And that is the story of Mother Teresa also. Just one person at a time. And the story of all of these people right here, I mean, I wouldn't say that they were small and courageous and, and. And great. But this reminds me of this line that I found from Sister Dalton where she says, it's time to arise and shine forth. Can one righteous young woman change the world? The answer is a resounding yes. And I think you see the example of that in these people, that any of us, in small ways but with great love, can be a part of the redemption story. So it's just cool to see this and to see a type and shadow of Jesus and all these women. I mean, just take a list of some of the things that we saw. They saved alive. They helped him multiply. Multiply him wax great. They saw the good in him. They hid him, they protected him. They nursed him, they watched over him, they took him home. They had compassion. They. They saw his importance. Like, those are all things that we could say, you know, of the Lord also. So they really reflect his. His heart and character. So they saved Moses life. And Moses grows up as a. As a prince in Egypt and races chariots with his brother and knocks things down, if you've seen the movie, Prince of Egypt. But he grows up in. And has an altercation with one of the guards, and we don't really know what happens, but he kills that guard. And so. And the word gets out, and so he has to run away from Egypt. And this is interesting because we, you know, it's interesting. We know the story and we actually know that Moses is going to come back and that Moses is going to lift up his staff someday and the. And the Red Sea is going to split and everybody's going to walk through it. But the children of Israel don't know the story. They are actually still sitting, going to bed every night, praying and begging God for a redemption and thinking to themselves, he has probably forgotten us. He's ignoring us, or we're not doing it right, or maybe he's not there at all. But we have been forgotten. This is a prayer. We've been praying for 400 years, and he's forgotten all about us. But I love being a reader of the book and seeing that the redemption story has already started. The baby is already in the basket, the rescue story has already begun, and the people don't know it yet. It'll happen 80 years from now. But I love reading this and remembering that even if God is silent, it doesn't mean he isn't moving and working in my story, because he's putting everything in place right here for the redemption of these people. And I just think that's such an important lesson to remember that God is moving even when he seems silent.

[B]

And it's so interesting to me that the rest of this story happens because Moses ran away. And usually, like, when you run away, even in this moment, like, you could say, like, it was probably fear. But Moses had to have also been feeling a lot of shame, because all of a sudden he was raised and he was saved by the Pharaoh's family. He ruined that. Like, he killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh's mad at him. He runs, runs away. There had to be some level of shame that set in for Moses, and so he ran and he just became an ordinary shepherd. And I am sure that when he walked those fields the first few days, they had to have been evidence to him that he was a mess. He was a shepherd. And he looked, and he was like, this is going to be fine. And I could figure this out. But part of him had to have been thinking, this is not what I was to meant made for. I had something better for me. Things were going a lot better for me. Five years ago, five days ago, things were going like, this is not the life. It was evidence. Every single day of his life as a shepherd had to have been evidence that he ran. Had to have been evidence that he, at some point, messed up. Things did not go the way that Moses had wanted them to go. And I was never much of, like, a run. I feel like some kids are either like, runaway kids or, like, they're not the runaway kid. And I'm gonna be honest. My sister was the runaway kid. And our family, I would call her out on that. She was always a runner. But I was always like. Like, I always wanted to run away. I, like, had the idea, like, and it usually was like, it was never because I was in a fight with my parents when I was a kid. It was always because, like, I'd broken something or, like, I had colored on the walls or, like, I messed up. And then I was like, oh, no. Like, I don't want to face the consequences. Let me bolt. Like, I've got to get out of here. And every single time in my head, I'd be, like, making my plan. And, you know, like, you're, like, getting, like, goldfish for your bag, like, for the food and, like, the stuffed animal, like, that's gonna, like, help you on your Runway. And I would always think, there's, like, this big hill by my house. And I would always think, okay, but if I run away, how am I gonna get over that hill? Like, I'm not gonna make it up and down that hill. And every single time after I, like, thought of my runaway plan, we would, like, drive on that hill, and I'd be like, how could I ever, like, get over this hill? Like, I'm never gonna be able to if I run. Like, only in a car can you get up and down this hill. And every single time as a kid, that hill was marked, and it was always reminding me of running away. And it almost feels like Moses probably had the same thing for the first few days or weeks or months as a shepherd, that when he would walk those fields, it was evidence that he ran. It was a reminder of running away. And then one day, something changed, and all of a sudden, he was walking the same Fields he had always walked. And he ran away for a long time. He was gone 40 years. Like, it was not just like he, like, ran away for two weeks. Like, he was gone. He was a runner. And he ran and he ran and he ran. And he was being a shepherd, and he was being a shepherd for years and years and years. And then all of a sudden, something changed. And he was in the middle of the same desert that he had always been on, probably on a mountain that he was super familiar with. And then in verse number two of chapter three, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And we read that, and we're like, that's crazy. And it surely would have been crazy for Moses, but what I think would have been crazier for Moses is that, first of all, he was walking by those bushes every single day. They were not new. They were not new to him. It was his same route with his same sheep, his same job. It was his ordinary life. And he looked in verse number two, and behold, it really was on fire. And he started getting confused. And I'm sure he was like, well, I better take care of this fire because I've got to protect the sheep. So he's, like, going over there. Cause it's just like, maybe an ordinary thing in his ordinary day. And then all of a sudden, he starts looking, and he's like, wait, the bush is on fire, but it's not burning down. Like, something's different here. And then Moses in verse three goes, and he says, let me see this great sight. Something is great here. Something's different here. This is no longer ordinary. Why is that bush not burning? And when the Lord saw that, he turned to see. God called him out to the middle of the bush and said, moses, Moses. And Moses answers, and he says, here am I. Here I am. I'm at the bush. I've got it. And then God says, don't come any further. Take off your shoes. Because the place where you are standing is holy ground. And I wonder if that almost seemed impossible to Moses. The ground that he ran away to, the ground that was evidence of his shame. The ground that was evidence of his mistake. And then the most ordinary ground, what once was a mistake, turned to ordinary. That's the life he lived. He accepted it. He owned it. It was 40 years. That was his regular life. All of a sudden, the Lord looked and began to call it holy. That must not have initially made sense to Moses. That shouldn't be possible. Shameful ground. Turned ordinary ground now, turned holy. And I love the invitation of taking off his shoes. And I think there's a lot of symbol there. Take off your shoes. They're dirty. This is sacred ground. Let this be holy. But also, to me, I am a big, barefoot girl. I love it. I love to be bare. And I love this moment. And I think the reason I love it is because it reminds me of, like, grass, and it reminds me of sand and, like, being fully in a place. And part of me also wonders if, in that moment, the Lord wanted to look at Moses and say, take off your shoes. Forget about the path that you've walked. Forget about your history. Forget about the dirt that's covering them. Forget of everything that led you here and be fully in this moment, experience it barefoot, live right here in this moment, all the way, presently here. And then he says, I am God. I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. And I wonder if all of the memories, even though he took off his shoes, I wonder if all of the memories of the last 40 years of Moses living an ordinary life came flooding back. And the Lord said, I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cries, and I know their sorrows. I know it all. I have not been absent for 40 years. I have been watching, and I've been listening, and I've been aware of every single thing that got you here, that made you who you are, of every single sorrow, of every single person that you have even interacted with in the last 40 years. I know it all. And I have come down to deliver. I am here to rescue. And I showed up in an ordinary place to rescue you. And that road, that hill that I always, like, went to, what ended up happening is that hill randomly. One day, I was, like, driving home, and I was late for curfew, and I heard this song randomly. Come on. And it was a worship song, which was crazy, because I didn't even know how it got on my playlist. And I parked my car on the side of the road right by that hill, and I listened to that song, like, three times. And I remember sitting there one night. It was when I was in high school. And I remember thinking, I will never forget this place, because this is the place that I really came to believe that God is real and that he loves me. And it was a moment that, yeah, that place used to be, like, the place that, like, made it impossible for me to run away. And I, like always would associate it with all of those memories of running away. And then it became ordinary because I drove on it for 16 years, every single day. And then God showed up there and turned it sacred. And that is who we believe in. A God who can take a place that is full of shame, a God who can take a place that has become ordinary, a God that can take a place that is mundane and turn it sacred, who can make that holy ground. He did it for Moses. He has done it for me on a hill by my house. And he can do it for anyone. He can take ground and make it holy. And our word of the week is see. And it comes from verse number three in chapter three, Exodus. Oh, Exodus, chapter three, verse three. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and I will see this great sight. And what I love is that was an ordinary place for Moses, that God turned sacred. And all he had to do was look, and he saw something that he had never seen. And I love. On the poster, there is one of the definitions. It says, have experience. Seeing is having an experience. And we are all able to have experiences that turn ordinary places and ordinary moments into holy ground, that turn them sacred. And I think that is the lesson for me of this poster, if you're discussing or teaching with your family, is to pause and say, when has an ordinary place become sacred? When has God turned an ordinary moment into sacred ground? And when have you seen him do that, that look around, look for God turning ordinary, normal moments into sacred ones. Do you have that quote that. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, you too?

[A]

No, Well, I. This is what I was gonna say, because I actually loved that when it says, he turns aside in verse 3 to see this great thing. And I think that it's. The word's also an invitation to look for where God is turning our ordinary places into holy places. There's this quote that we both love by Elizabeth Browning. It says, earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush of fire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. And I just want to be a person who sees. I want to see where God is in all. All the common places. In fact, something you might want to mark is verse one. It was a desert. I like. I love that verse one says, the backside of the desert, right? Like a desert's already pretty ordinary. This is the backside of the desert. I don't even know what that means, but it doesn't sound great. And it's a bush. God shows up in a bush, like burning bush has become iconic, right, For Christians because of the Bible. But orig, it was a bush and Jesus was born in a cave and like the shepherds were in fields. Like, it's just incredible. So many times in Scripture where God takes such an ordinary place and makes it holy. So. Oh, another part of this conversation I want to point out is in this conversation he learns the name of God. Someone's name was a description of their character in ancient times. So when he goes to the children of Israel, he says, they're not going to believe me, so tell me your name, the name that they would recognize so they know that I really have had this experience with you. What's the name that they know? And he gives it to him in verse 14. And that name written out is I am, that I am. That will usually get shortened to just I am. And whenever that phrase I am in Hebrew is, would be translated to Yahweh. So that phrase I am, that I am, or just I am in Hebrew, if you were to say that, you would say Yahweh or in English you would say Jehovah. So anytime in the Bible that you're reading the King James Bible and it has the capitals L O, R, D like you find in verse 15, the Lord God, or in 16, capital L, O, R D. It. It was a Hebrew and Jewish custom to not say the name of God in order to keep its. Keep it special and reverent. So they replaced it in, in the English translation with the word Lord with capital L, R D. Lord with capital L. Lowercase ord just means sir, right? Good Lord, you know, or whatever that people are saying. But when you see the capital letters, that is that name I am or Yahweh. And we've talked about this before, we talked about in the introduction lesson. But that is such a great name in Hebrew. There are so many different ways to translate it. In the journal, we put two of our favorites. One is I am who I will always be. And the other is I am what tomorrow demands. I particularly like that first one, I am who I will always be. Because he reminds them in verse 15, I'm the Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And these are stories that the children of Israel would have grown up on. These are their great great grandparents. And so you start thinking to yourself when he says, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. What's. What's that mean? Right? And if you remember That I am who I will always be. You would ask yourself, well, who. You know who. Who were you to Abraham? And you remember with Abraham and Sarah that he was the God of impossible promises, that he had told them, you're going to have a baby when they were like 90 and 100 years old. And they thought, no way that's ever going to happen. And then one day the baby is born and they left and named him Isaac, which means laughter, because, like, he did it, he did what was impossible. And you remember with Isaac that he. That he. He rescued him on that mountaintop that he sent. He provided a lamb in his. In his place for him. And. And then with Jacob, you remember Jacob's story. Jacob was a mess of a human being, but God promised him, I won't give up on you. I'm the God of second chances. So when he says, I'm the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in a way he's saying, I'm the God who fulfills impossible promises. I'm the God who fulfilled will, provide you what you need when you need it. And I am the God of second chances, one who won't give up on you. And when we remember the name Jehovah, that I am, who I will always be. As we study this book this year, we are going to catalog different stories about the kind of God that he is. And then we can anticipate and look for him to show up that same way in our life. The God of. Of Moses is a God who turns ordinary places holy. And who he was then is who he will always be. So watch for that, look for, turn aside and see where he's going to do that. And watch for him to fulfill promises and watch for him to provide what you need when you need it. So that name is one of my favorite names of Jesus, of God throughout all of scripture. Just because it's. It almost is a culmination of every story that we love and every attribute that we can look forward to in our own lives. And in fact, that's one of the things that's made scripture come alive for me, is watching what God does on these pages and then remembering that name I am that I am, or I am who I will always be. And then watching for it off of these pages, on the pages of my own life. And. And so I. I love that name. I love that he introduces himself to him like that. And to take that to the children of Israel to say, especially when Moses comes and he says to them, which he's going to say, like hey, God's about to set you free. And they say, from the powerhouse of the ancient world, odds, zero. No way. And then he says, no, remember his name. I. I am the God of Abraham. I'm the God of Isaac. I'm the God of Jacob, and I am who I will always be. Like, it feels so significant that that's the name he wanted to give to him.

[B]

Oh, it's so good. I am going to butcher this, because I don't know who said this quote, and I don't even know if this is the exact right quote, but I heard a quote the other day, and it said, the goal of a fairy tale isn't to convince you that dragons exist. The goal of a fairy tale is to convince you that they can be beaten. And I think that is the same truth from Scripture that, yeah, like, we can, like, read this and we can be like, oh, yeah, like, we can. Hold on. It's like, the truth that these stories are real and they exist. But I think that the goal isn't to convince us that Moses was a real person. The goal is to show us what our God can do. And that is how you read Scripture. Like, I think David teaching. David was my seminary teacher when I was growing up. And I think that, honestly, like, David taught me how to read Scripture like that. And nothing has changed my life more. It is not about figuring out, like, facts for me every single time and, like, discovering that, but rather, it's realizing what our God can do because of the pages of Scripture that are my pages in real life. Like, how can I actually really live this?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Before we leave that story, I want to point out this. I thought this as you were doing that, because the second time we've seen it, verse seven, I would mark things like this that you see, because again, it's that whole baby in the basket principle that people feel like, oh, it's been 40 years. You forgot about us. And he keeps bringing it up and saying, I've seen the affliction, I've heard their cry, and I know their sorrows, and I am come to deliver. That, like, collection of four lines that keep showing up over and over again might be just the championship call that you need right now in your life to remember that God sees your affliction. He has heard your cries, he knows your sorrow, and he has come down to deliver. That's just, like, something that's repeated in these chapters that I just want to make sure we didn't miss, which is

[B]

so good, and there is something so beautiful about Moses story, that it is really ordinary, that it just does seem ordinary. It was an ordinary place. He was just a shepherd. He was just one boy, like, that got rescued. Like, it just is. It does have, like this, like, real life feel to it almost. And you keep that going in this conversation that the Lord's having with Moses

[A]

in chapter four, which I'm just gonna say this. It's. I mean, Moses is like a superstar, right?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Like, there's paintings of him, there's statues,

[B]

it's the story that everyone knows.

[A]

There's cartoons of him.

[B]

See? Immediate.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And so that's a little bit unfortunate. I love that he's a superstar, but it's a little bit unfortunate because we forget that he was just an ordinary guy, you know, a runaway, you know, Like, I think it's so important to keep reminding ourselves because we could easily say, oh, that's not me, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hopefully when you read about the Midwives and the sister and Pharaoh's daughter. Daughter and Moses's mom, you kind of thought, I could do that. But that's also true of Moses story too, because, like, he really is.

[B]

Which isn't trying to downgrade Moses.

[A]

No. It's upgrading God.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And so all of a sudden you get. And the Lord is looking at Moses and he's telling him all these things and he's like, I'm going to use you, and all of this deliverance is going to happen through you, and I'm going to make it happen for you, but I need you. You're going to step up. You're going to going to be an instrument for me. And all of this is happening. And then all of a sudden, sweet Moses, okay, who's just ordinary being a shepherd, looks and he says this, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like, wait, let's start at square one. Because people aren't going to believe me. People aren't going to listen to me, and they will look at me and they're going to say, there's no way that the Lord appeared to you. There's no way that what you are saying is real. This is impossible. There is no way that this is gonna happen. And I am sure Moses is going through in his hand, and he's like, in his head, and he's trying to think, what am I gonna say back? Like, I don't even have a response. Because I wouldn't even believe me if I said, this story. This doesn't make sense. And then the Lord looks back and you anticipate that the Lord's response is gonna be like, no. Like, you can't. And it's gonna be this good promise. Because the Lord is good at promises. And instead, the Lord says this. What is that in your hand? And sweet shepherd Moses, who's in the middle of his ordinary life, looks back and he says, a rod. Because this is what I use every day. Because I'm just a shepherd, and this is my ordinary life. Yeah. He's like, is my shepherd tool? I'm like, I don't know. I was just doing my job. Like, it's like, okay. And then all of a sudden, the Lord uses that little stick that Moses has probably been carrying in his hand for years, the most ordinary shepherd tool for Mr. Moses, who showed up and is like, this is who I am. I'm just a shepherd. This is my ordinary life. And then all of a sudden, the Lord says, okay, cast it on the ground. And someone is like, okay, I did. And it becomes a snake. And then the longer you read through this chapter, the more crazy things happen, and there's going to be less leprosy, and there's going to be snakes, and there's going to be blood, and it's going to be crazy. And the Lord is giving Moses all of these signs. Yeah. All of these miracles. And what's going to happen is he keeps saying this phrase over and over. I am showing you this so that they believe. I am giving you stories that you have experienced, things that you have seen that people are going to have to believe because they're crazy. Like, I'm going to show you how this works. Like, this is going to be a sign for you. And then all of a sudden, he says, listen. Okay? You've seen it. You've saw it. You know that this is real. You have been a part of this, Moses. You have witnessed this. Now, verse 12, therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth, and I will teach you what you need to say. I will be with you. Go. I am in this with you. And the sweetest little part is verse 17. And you're going to take. Take this stick in your hand, and you are going to do the signs. It's going to be evidence to you. It's going to be the way this is all possible. And what I love about all of chapter number four is that you see a God who uses ordinary things like a shepherd stick and says, take this as your evidence that I can do impossible things. But not only that. That I will be with, because you're going to walk away. And tomorrow or two months from now or six months from now, you're going to say, was that really, was that really real? Did that, was that actually possible? And you're going to look down and you're going to have that stick in your hand and you're going to say, yes, it was possible. But not only that, carry it with you every single day as evidence that I am with you. Also that I will go with you.

[A]

It reminds me of a, of my. I have one of my grandpa's ties, Pom Pom. And he was my greatest champion. Just like, just encourager, just the ultimate, like, hope giver, like, just like you can do it kind of person. And when he passed away, my grandma gave me one of his ties, his yellow tie. And I wear that anytime I have to like, go do something scary or hard that I have to wear a tie to or, or whatever it may be or like a baby blessing or something like that. Because it's my way of like taking Pom Pom with me, taking his courage or, or bringing his tenderness into a situation. And I, and I love that about Moses that he gets to take that staff. It's that reminder. It's like, no, this will kind of be like your, your reminder that, that I am with you. And I wrote in my scripture margin, by the way, if you're ever, if you're studying those, like, weird things that happens, like where it's like he turns into a snake and then leprosy and then turns water into blood. I don't know what they're trying to teach, but maybe three things that might be teaching are, hey, one, don't forget I have power over the snake. And two, don't forget that I have the power to heal. And three, don't forget that I can turn the lifeblood of Egypt, the Nile, into real blood, which seems to be a symbol of, of his atoning sacrifice. And they're. Maybe they were reminders of his, of his character. I don't know. I don't know. Okay, chapter five. Two last thoughts here. When he goes into, to talk to Pharaoh and he says, the Lord God of Israel, this is chapter five, verse one says, let my people go. And then Pharaoh responds with this question in verse two that catches me every time I read it on Pharaoh. Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And at first it seems to be the verse that says, you're the bad guy, obviously in the story, but I actually side with Pharaoh a little bit. And I think this teaches a really important principle because he comes and he says, the Lord God of Israel, or Jehovah says, let my people go. And Pharaoh is like, there's all these gods of Egypt, right? There's Yah, there's Raw, and there's Hapti, and, you know, Mut, or whatever their names of their gods are. And he's just like, I've actually never heard of that one before. So, no, I'm not going to do that. Letting them go would bankrupt the entire country. There's no way that he is going to do that for some random God that he's never heard of in all of his life. And so his answer in verse 2, it's actually a really logical answer. And I stand with him on that answer. And I can almost hear my own kids saying it to me, like, dad, why do we do this? Well, the Lord said so. And what if they answered back, well, who is the Lord that I would obey his voice that teaches an order to obedience. That's really important, that before we obey, we need to understand who it is that we are obeying. Who's the Lord that I would want to obey his voice? And the good news is we have an answer to it. We have a whole book full of an answer to who the Lord is and why you want, maybe want to obey his voice. So far in the Bible, so far, we've learned, like, I mean, we mentioned some of these already, that he's the God of creation, that he's the God who covered Adam and Eve, that he's a God who provided a well in the. In the desert for Hagar. He's the God who fulfilled that long promise to Sarah and to Abraham. He's the God who sent 300 people to go rescue Lot because he thought one person's life was worth 300 soldiers worth. And again and again and again. And I think a Pharaoh would have known that of who he was. He would have said, okay, then I'll do this really hard thing and risk bankrupting the country because I know you and I trust you. And so I think that that verse, even though it's the opposite of it, reminds us that when he says, I know not the Lord, so I'm not going to let Israel go, well, the opposite of that would be, well, I know the Lord, so I'm going to let them go. I know I've brought this up already once today, but I just can't help but think about, like, you know, the next thing happening in Our family is. My little Jane, you know, wants to go out on a mission. And, you know, sending my boys off was semi hard, but not that hard. You know, we were kind of tired of them.

[B]

Everyone that's listening to the podcast and heard you weeping over them is like, liar.

[A]

But you know, Jane, like, oh, my gosh, I still remember that little pink dress at her first birthday party. And it's like, oh, my gosh, I do not know if I can send you off, but I can read the opposite of verse two. And it's this, like, I know the Lord, so I'll let Jane go, you know, Or I know the Lord, so I'll, you know, sacrifice this or that, or I know the Lord, so I'm going to repent and try again. And I just think that there's something about that question Pharaoh asked that all of us ought to ask. Who is the Lord? That I should obey his voice. And I have an answer. And I think this book provides all of us with. With answers for that.

[B]

Beautiful.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So good.

[A]

It's a story. Why? Why won't you let them go? And it's like, oh, and. And I think, well, never mind. I was gonna jump into next time's lesson, but no reason to do that.

[B]

Okay, and so now we can go fast through this. But first, wait, let me just restart. Let me tell you why I just said that as I was like, so we could get to next time's lesson. Imagine we just do it.

[A]

It's just like, no, I'm just joking. We don't have double feature.

[B]

My bad, my bad. And what happens is, I am sure that Moses walked in there and he thought, God asked me to do this. He's gonna make it happen. Pharaoh's gonna say yes. And it doesn't make sense, but he's got to be saying yes, like he's going to do it. And then Pharaoh just simply doesn't. And he just. He's like, no, that's not gonna work. And then not only that, but things get actually way worse. And then all of a sudden, you start reading through chapter five, and he's like, I'm actually gonna make this as hard as I possibly can because there's so many of them. Like, let's just stop letting them rest. Like, let's make their life more miserable, because if they're getting all these ideas that they need to be set free, let's make it worse. And then you keep going through chapter five, and it gets worse and worse up to the point that in verse 23, sweet, sweet Moses looks and he returns to the Lord and he says, listen, why did you even send me? Why did you make me go talk to Pharaoh? Because it got worse. You told me this was gonna be a plan of deliverance. Why did I even go? It would have been better that I never showed up to Pharaoh's house. It would have been better that I never asked him for that. Because, like, we were slaves. But it wasn't this bad, so why did I even go? And then in the most human. Like, this part to me just screams. Like, I scream the same thing to God. Honestly. For since I came to Pharaoh's house and I asked him about you, he has done evil to this people. And you, you haven't delivered your people at all. You haven't even lifted a finger. God, that word at all. I just, like, circled it in my scriptures because it feels so human. Because there are moments in our lives when God asks us to do something and we say, okay, I trust you. I'm on board. I know who you are. I know who you have been in scripture. I know who you have been. I know who you have promised you will be. I will do it. And it doesn't make sense, and it's really difficult, but I will go simply because you, the Lord, have asked me. I will do it. I'm going to go. And then we do.

[A]

And you think it's going to be good because he asked me to. Right? Right. He was like, this wasn't my idea.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You asked me to go. And now my life got significantly worse because I obeyed you. That's not what they tell.

[B]

No. And I want to say this. You haven't even helped at all. Like, you haven't even given me a glimpse of hope. You haven't even given me the idea that this could be better. God, where even are you? Because you haven't even helped at all. And then in chapter six, it just seems like the most sweet, sweet promise of the Lord looking at Moses and saying, let me remind you who I am and what I will do. And if you are in the middle of a. Why did you ask me to do that? Because you haven't helped me at all. You read through the first eight verses of chapter six, and you make a mark of who God is and what he will do. And you can read through this, and it is really, really good. I am the Lord. I appeared unto Abraham and unto Isaac. I showed up. I would highlight that. I would highlight every name you see of him, Almighty Jehovah. And you'll go Through I've established my covenant with them. I have heard their cries. I have remembered what I have promised to do. That in verse number five is probably the promise that I need the most when I say, why have you not showed up at all? Oh, let me believe and let me live in the promise that God remembers what he promised to do. I will bring you out of Egypt of the burdens. Well, that's actually a great line. Verse number six, I will bring you out from under the burdens. That is a promise you might want to write on your mirror. I will rid you of their bondage. I will redeem you. I will take you from. I will take you for my people. And I will be your God. And you will know that I am the Lord. This is who he will be. Live in these promises.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's so great that if you. In my scripture, I've gone and just circled I so many times and now I want to put the word next to it, you know, because so, so many of the repeats are I am and I will. And I think that those are really powerful. This is who I am and this is what I promise I will do. And then that line that gets repeated again and again and again, I, I am the Lord. And we learn what that name meant and who I am or who I was or is who I will always be. And oh great, I forgot that I found another translation of that, of that name in a Hebrew study Bible. One other way to translate I am, that I am is my nature will become evident from my actions. And I think that's the promise of this chapter. Watch what I do and then you will know who I am. But this is who I am, who I always be. This is what I promise I will do. And that is such an amazing one of the ones in there, by the way. It's kind of unique. In verse six, when he says, I will redeem you with stretched out arms. That word redeem is the first time that shows up in the Bible, is right here in Exodus, chapter 6, verse 6. And the Hebrew for that word is so great, you might want to put this in your margin. Means to save or rescue by any means possible. And that is what I will do. Whatever it takes, I'm going to save you. I am the Lord. It's who I've been and it's who I will always be. And we get to see the beginning of that fulfillment during next time's lesson. So get excited. We're not doing it right now, but we will see you next week. If you want to follow along in everything we're doing, you can find us on Instagram at Don't miss this study, at this Week's Grace and at Mr. Dave Butler.

[B]

And if you want to subscribe to the app or get our weekly newsletter, all of the information can be found at don'tmissthisstudy.

[A]

Com. See you next week.