Displaying 1 - 30 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...
Matthew 3 - Turn these stones into children for Abraham
God seems entirely willing to work with imperfect people, cultures, and institutions. This episode follows on from our last one, exploring issues of human government a...
Genesis 10 - A mighty hunter
Nations fall short of God's ideals, but removing government usually leads to anarchy. When listing the nations descended from Noah, Genesis 10 points out that Nimrod b...
Hosea 3 - And love raisin cakes
Marriage is a strong but tricky image throughout the Bible. It is interesting to see that God is able to reveal aspects of himself through this image both when marriag...
Genesis 22 - Do not lay your hand on the boy
Genesis is a foundation for many of the symbols and images that become significant throughout the Bible. But it is fascinating to reconsider just how detailed these in...
Matt 13 - Why do you speak to the people in parables?
One principle of prophecy is that God wants to be understood. But it does sometimes seem strange then that He chooses such mysterious analogies and images. This new se...
John 13 - By this everyone will know
"Love and Justice" is often narrowed to "Love or Commandments". This may not be the most helpful juxtaposition. The Adventist lesson guide this week asks "how could we...
Psalm 82 - judgment among the "gods"
What does God's concern for justice mean for us today? This Psalm is only brief, but resonates deeply with numerous bible passages about God's passion for justice. How...
Isaiah 5 - What more could have been done?
How much does understanding actually help us to cope with suffering? An interesting feature of the Sabbath School lesson this quarter is that it consistently assumes t...
Luke 16 - Won't be persuaded
Are there rules for the Cosmic Conflict? The lesson this week sets out to explore the "rules of engagement" in the conflict between God and Satan. Is this a helpful fr...
John 10 - Life to the full
What about celebrating what God does, more than analysing what he might not prevent? This conversation grows out of the previous episode, revisiting the idea of compar...