LESSON 5 - EXODUS 5-11

GOD’S MOTIVE

Chapters 5-11 tells of the story of Moses coming to Pharaoh several

times to ask him to let the Israelites go to the mountain of the Lord to
worship Him. Pharaoh refused to let the people go as God had said
Pharaoh would do. The Scripture tells us that the reason for this is
twofold: because God hardens Pharaoh’s heart and because Pharaoh
himself hardens his own heart.Bacause Pharaoh refused to let the
Israelites go, God to performed ten plagues in Egypt. The last plague
forced Pharaoh’s hands to finally release the Israelites. In the end, the
Israelites came out of Egypt not only to make a three-day journey to the
mountain of God to worship Him. They came out for good, out from a
400-year slavery into a land flowing with milk and honey.

FOR THE LOVE OF HIS PEOPLE

It was because of His great love for His people (Ex. 2:24-25; 3:7-8) that
He remembered the covenant He made to the patriarchs and rescued
His people out of Egypt (Ex. 6:5). Let us investigate further what the
Bible says about this theme.

Gospel conncetion…

Just as the motive for bringing the Israelites out of Egypt into the promised land is great
love for His own people by sending Moses. It is the Father’s great love for His own people
that He sent His Son.
1. According to 1 John 4:9-10, what is the greatest manifestation of the love of God
toward sinful men? How does this text prove that it was not man’s merit, but God’s
love that moved Him to send His Son?

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_______________

2. Based on the following Scriptures, explain how it was God’s love and not man’s merit
that moved Him to save us.

a. Romans 5:6-10

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

b. Titus 3:4-5

_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

3. According to Deutoronomy 7:6-8, what was God’ true motivation for redeeming the
nation of Israel? How can the truth be applied to us?

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

The Scripture also tells us that God saved His people for His own glory.
Exodus 5-11 shows us that the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, God’s
mighty works of judgement He performed in Egypt, and their eventual
exodus from Egypt in chapter 12 have one great and final purpose —
the glory of God.

“…God does all that He does in order that the fullness of all that He
is might be revealed to His creation and that He might be esteemed,
worshiped, and enjoyed as God.” — Paul Washer

1. According to Exodus 7:4-5 and 10:1-2 what was God’s motivation

for bringing mighty works of judgments to Egypt and bring them
out from the land? (Read also 6:7;8:10;9:16;9:29)

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

2. Read Exodus 9:16. How can God’s glory be “proclaimed in all the
earth” in the life of Pharaoh?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Let us investigate further…

The Scriptures further tell us that all things including the salvation of man has its final end for the
glory of God.

1. According to Romans 11:36, what is the greatest purpose or “chief end” of all things?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. According to the following Scriptures, what is God’s motivation for saving His people? Is it
their merit or His glory? Match each motivation with its corresponding text.

_____ Psalm 79:9 a. For His praise.

_____ Psalm 106:6-8 b. For the glory of His name.

_____ Isaiah 48:9 c. To vindicate the holiness of His great name.

_____ Isaiah 63:12 d. To make an everlasting name for Himself.

_____ Ezekiel 36:22-23 e. To make His power known.

3. God saved us to the P______________ of the G_____________ of His grace (v.6).

(Our salvation is not the end but the means to the end—that God might be praised for the
grace that He has shown His people.)

Our response to the Gospel of God

We have studied here that God’ motivation for saving His people is His great love for them and for
the glory of His name. How do we as God’s people respond to our salvation through the gospel of
God?

**most of the questions are taken from Paul Washer’s Discovering the
Glorious Gospel workbook.

APPENDIX

Here I provided two tables. One showing the scriptures where instances of
the hardening of pharaoh’s heart were mentioned. The other showing the
mighty acts of judgment that God had performed against Egypt. Hope this
helps in your reading.

 THE HARDENING OF PHARAOH’S HEART

SRCIPTURE TEXT WHO HARDENS/ REASON/RESULT/PURPOSE

HARDENED
PHARAOH

4:21-“But I will harden his heart… God 4:21-“so that he will not let the
people go.”
4:23-“I will kill your firstborn son.”

7:3-“But I will harden…” God 7:3-“…he will not listen…”

“7:4”I will lay my hand on Egypt…”
7:5-“And the Egyptians will know
that I am the Lord.”

7:13-“Pharaoh’s hard became Not stated 7:13-“he would not listen”

hard…” “just as the Lord had said.”
(was hardened)

7:22-“Pharaoh’s heart became Not stated 7:22-“he would not listen”

hard…” “just as the Lord has said.”
(was hardened)

8:15-“…he hardened his heart.” Pharaoh 8:15-“he would not listen”

“just as the Lord has said.”

8:19-“Pharaoh’s heart was hard.” Pharaoh 8:19-“he would not listen”

“just as the Lord has said.”

8:32-“…Pharaoh hardened his Pharaoh 8:32-“would not let the people go.”
heart.”

9:7-“…his heart was Not stated 9:7-“he would not let the people
unyielding…” go.”
(was hardened)

9:12-“…the Lord hardened Pharaoh 9:7-"he would not listen”

Paharaoh’s heart “just as the Lord had said”
9:34-”he and his officials Pharaoh 9:35-“he would not the Israelites go”
hardened their hearts.” “just as the Lord had said”

10:1-“I have hardened his heart” God 10:1-“so that I may perform these
signs”
10:2-“that you may know that I am
the Lord.”

10:20-“the Lord hardened the God 10:20-“he would not let the Israelites
Pharaoh’s heart.” go”

10:27-“the Lord hardened God 10:27-“he was not willing to let them
Pharaoh’s heart.” go”

11:10-“the Lord hardened God 10-27”he would not let the Israelites
Pharaoh’s heart.” go’
 GOD’S MIGHTY ACTS OF JUDGMENT

Ref. God’s Mighty Acts What it meanstt

7:9a; Moses’ staff turns to
7:10-12b snake… swallowed the
magicians’ snakes*
7:17-19a 1. Plague of Blood — * an attack on Hapi, the god of the Nile River.
7:20-21b Turns water into blood
8:2-5a 2. Plague of Frogs — *^ mocked the goddess Heqt, a frog-headed
8:6b Frogs came up and covered goddess who supposedly helped women give
the land birth.
8:16a 3. Plague of Gnats — ridiculed Osiris, the god of death and the
8:17b Dust turns to gnats underworld, whose death and rebirth were
celebrated each year.
8:21-23a 4. Plague of Flies — ^ emphasized that just as God has power over
8:24b Swarms of flies plagued the water and the earth, he also rules the air,
Egypt but not Goshen which showed God’s power over the sky-god
Horus.
9:3-5a 5. Plague of Livestock — God exalted himself over the cow-god
9:6-7b Livestocks in Egypt died Hathor and the bull-gods Apis and Mnevis.
except in Goshen
9:8-9a 6. Plague of Boils — the soot of kilns that fired bricks used to build
9:10b Boils broke out on people structures that were the glory of Egypt. God
and animals showed his power by using these kilns
against the Egyptians, perhaps judging them
for forcing the Israelites into slavery to make
bricks.
9:18-19a 7. Plague of Hail — scorned the gods Isis and Min, who were
9:23-26b Hail struck Egypt killing all associated with harvest and fertility.
that are outside, but it did
not hail in Goshen
10:4-6,12 8. Plague of Locusts — ^
a Locusts swarms Egypt and
10:13-15b ate Allin the field that’s left
by the hail
10:21a 9. Plague of Darkness — darkness, Yahweh defeated Ra, the sun-god.
10:22-23 Darkness covered the land
b

for three days except

where the Israelites lived.
 11:4-8a 10 Plague on the Firstborn Egyptian view of divine succession was
12:29-30b — overruled when Pharaoh lost his firstborn. It
All firstborn in Egypt showed the Egyptians that God wasn’t just
including animals died the God of the Hebrews; he was also their
except on the Israelites God

Legend:

a God says what He will do

b God does what He said He will do
* the Egyptian magicians are able to copy
^ where Moses prayed to God to stop this kind of plague
tt from NIV Quest Study Bible Notes