Read Exodus 14:1-4 [1]

The Israelites have left their homes in Egypt, and are now beginning the long-awaited journey out of Egypt and into the promised land.

• What do you imagine Moses's reaction would be to hearing the Lord give him this instruction?

Read Exodus 14:5-14

• What was the Israelite's reaction to seeing what God is doing?

• Have you had situations in your life where you have experienced something similar, and asked something like, "What have you done to us"? If you're willing to, share what happened.

• Look closely at what Moses answered in vs 13-14. How do these words sound to you, in light of the stories you've just shared?

Read Exodus 14:15-31

• What stood out to you as you read this story?

  • What was God doing?

  • What was required of God's people?

  • What did they learn from this experience?

  • What are you learning as you read about it?

• How does this story carry through to us as people saved from sin and death by Jesus?

Read Exodus 15:1-21

• Why do you think the author of Exodus decided to include this worship song in the telling of the story? What is a song doing in the middle of a story?

• How does the song (and the wider story we've just read) answer the rhetorical question in verse 11?

• How can we sing along with Moses and Miriam as God's saved people in the New Covenant of Jesus?

• Spend some time signing or praying some words of worship in response to what God has done in your life - you can use the words of this song as inspiration.

[1] The author of Exodus records a lot of geographical locations here to help readers know exactly where the Israelites travelled leaving Egypt. Unfortunately for us, ancient historians and modern geographers alike do not know for certain where any of these place are any more! It is likely that they are somewhere in the region of the modern city of Ismailia, on the shore of one of the marshy (and Reed-y) lakes in that part of Egypt (lakes which in modern times have been incorporated into the Suez Canal - and even before that, would have changed size and shape over the centuries). The body of water we now call 'the Red Sea' is almost certainly not the location of the crossing (even the northern parts of the Gulf of Suez are much too far south). If you're interested in reading a whole article on the geography of the crossing of the Red/Reed Sea, you can download a short but thorough article here.