Displaying 1 - 20 of 286 in total
Exodus 34 - Terms of the covenant
The interesting dynamic between God and Moses continues after the golden calf. We are delighted to draw attention to some excellent reflective questions posed by the l...
Exodus 32 - The Lord replied "no"
Moses responds dramatically to the golden calf, but does this actually look like "substitutionary atonement"? The story of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai i...
Exodus 31 - A Sabbath of complete rest
The Sabbath theme book-ends the entire discourse to Moses on Mount Sinai. Last week we saw how the Sabbath entwined with justice at the beginning of God's instructions...
Exodus 23 - You know what it's like
Exodus 23 does re-mention the Sabbath, but it has far more to say about "living the Law". We're struck in this chapter by how strongly Sabbath is connected to broader ...
Exodus 19 - So Moses climbed the mountain
The Mount Sinai story starts differently to how it is often told. Before the 10 Commandments are given, Moses goes up and down the mountain numerous times. In fact, th...
Exodus 15 - What are we going to drink?
There are hardships for the Israelites in the desert, perhaps unsurprisingly. The lesson this week poses these challenges as "tests of Israel's faith", but we wonder w...
Exodus 14 - Why did you make us leave Egypt?
Pharaoh changes his mind quickly after the Exodus, and chases the Israelites. It is fascinating to explore the way it is described using collective language. Again we'...
Exodus 12 - What does this ceremony mean?
After looking at the plagues in general, this week pauses to examine the Passover and 10th plague in detail. It is a striking calamity throughout Egypt, and there is a...
Exodus 7 - His heart remained hard
To explore the Plagues, we pull out an episode from the archives.This was published originally on October 1, 2021, and so you may have forgotten a few of the details. ...
Exodus 4 - the Lord confronted him
There are a few ways in which the Exodus gets off to a rough start. This week we focus on a strange story that occurs between the burning bush commission and Moses's r...
Exodus 3 - See this strange sight
The burning bush is a well-known story, and helps to introduce us further to Moses. Two great things happen in Exodus three: God introduces himself by "name" with the ...
Exodus 1 - Shiphrah and Puah
We're starting a season exploring the book of Exodus, and the story opens with a focus on amazing women. By the time baby Moses gets his name in this story, the only o...
Jonah 3 - Perhaps God will change his mind
What is Jonah's challenge for a prophetic-future focused Christian? There is a widespread idea of some prophecies being conditional on our response, and others being u...
Exodus 20 - Six days you shall labour
Reading last-day prophecies with hope rather than fear is a profound perspective shift. We can't help focus on the Sabbath commandment, which features so prominently i...
Ruth 1 - In the days when the judges ruled
Moral growth and moral decline may be intertwined throughout history. The story of Ruth is well-known and widely loved, and for good reason. It's a love story, with vi...
2 Samuel 12 - You are the man!
How to "preach our unique remnant message" while staying alert to the challenge that we too can fall into the "heinous sins described in Rev 13"? The first situation s...
Psalm 67 - You judge the peoples with equity
The Psalms explore themes of suffering, judgement, good and evil. However, it is possible this is due to such things being an almost universal part of human experience...
Psalm 5 - Bloodthirsty and deceitful
How can we best use images and symbols in "God's songbook", the Psalms? The lesson this week comments on judgement themes in Psalm 5. We find it somewhat difficult to ...
Ezekiel 2 - A rebellious people
The foundation of prophecy is perhaps hope. In the end, the Bible says in so many ways, God and goodness do triumph. Prophecy seems to use this long-term hope for the ...
Isaiah 1 - Your incense reeks and offends Me!
Animal sacrifice is one of the most pervasive symbols in the Bible, and yet is foreign to modern society. One interesting aspect of the sacrificial system in the Old T...