It had been 400 unrelenting years of slavery under a godless ruler who was determined to exploit and overpower the Israelites in the land of Egypt.

Moses, once a leader in Pharoah’s regime, now fled to the land of Midian, sojourning there to escape punishment for killing an Egyptian slave driver. There, God calls Moses to return to his people and lead a mass migration out of Egypt. After their exodus, God reminded his people to pay attention to those coming in and out of their communities. He wanted them to ensure the survival of the ger in their midst.

Thoughtful Questions

1. Which of these commandments God gave the Israelites stands out to you as the most surprising?
2. Why do you think God continued to remind his people to make provisions for immigrants and sojourners?
3. Throughout the Old Testament, God uses migration for his missional purposes. He continually calls people to leave their homes to journey somewhere else for some God-intended purpose. Do you think God is still actively doing this same kind of calling and leading for people today?
4. When you hear of people who are migrating to another region of the world or looking to immigrate to our country, do you ever consider that it may be God himself sovereignly moving these groups of people to places where they can flourish?