Exodus Leaders Notes Session 4

Session 4In this session, the great show down between God and Pharaoh begins. God has given Pharaoh the ultimatum to let His people go. Pharaoh has rejected this. Now God begins the assault on Pharaoh's power as well as many of the Egyptian gods.

As we see in this passage, Pharaoh's response to each challenge is to harden his heart and reject God. He is blinded by his commitment to his gods and his own position as a deity to the Egyptians. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence of God's power, he clings to his gods and rejects the true God.

Some people in the group may wrestle with the thought that God actively hardened Pharaoh's heart throughout the plagues. This clashes with our perceptions of our free will and what we think God is "allowed" to do. Allow people to wrestle with this and don't feel that the issue needs to be solved in that discussion. Encourage them to lean into God and godly advisers as they continue to wrestle with the issue.

Schedule note: if your group is meeting every other week (i.e. twice a month), this is the week that you need to start the conversation with the group regarding the ending or continuation of your group. As the host/leader, you need to have decided if you want to continue beyond the 6th session or not. If you do desire to continue, invite the group to join you for 6 more sessions and allow people to opt out if that is what they desire. If you do not want to continue, inform the group of this and let them know that the group can either end or the CCC staff can help the group transition if someone is willing to step in and become the host/leader.