Lesson Guide: Of the Israelites: “Their most dangerous enemy was not outside their camp but within their own rank and file.” [But we do not live in a camp, and we are not organized by...
The Last Five Kings of Judah
October 10, 2015
Lesson Guide: “The book of Joshua contains some disturbing scenes. Serious questions are raised by the concept of a divine or holy war portraying a group of people with a God-given mandate to destroy another...
Israel’s crossing of the Jordan in Lesson 3 was a miraculous success: We have tried to imagine the logistics of getting thousands of people of all ages, across a swollen river, together with their animals...
Question: Nowadays the Jordan River has almost ceased to exist. What was so special about crossing this river in the time of Joshua?
It was spring, when seasonal rains, plus melting snow from Mt. Hermon,...
“Grace is simply receiving what we don’t deserve.” Question: Or perhaps is “grace” the usual, natural behavior of a gracious person?”Is it a difficult struggle for God to be gracious? Question: Do we get to...
We have recently studied the book of Exodus: Question:As God led Israel’s escape through the Red Sea, how many battles did Moses have to win against the Egyptians? Question:How did Moses respond to an unprovoked...
Last quarter’s study saw the people of Israel safely out of Egypt and to the borders of the land which God had promised. For the next three months we will discuss the book of Joshua....
Key Verses: Exodus 35-40 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“the completed Tabernacle is erected on New Year’s day, as Exodus 40:7 records. This underscores the idea that a new era in the life of the people...
Key Verses: Exodus 32 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“While the core of this incident starkly portrays human weakness and sin, our gaze must not rest solely on shame. Notice where God is in the story....
Key Verses: Exodus 32 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“Hebrew ‘egel is a young ox or bull… Throughout the Near East the bull was a symbol of lordship, leadership, strength, vital energy, and fertility. As such,...
Key Verses: Exodus 24-31 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“[the presence of God] beyond Sinai, is to be accomplished by constructing a dwelling place for God… assuring God’s accessibility to the community. Virtually all of the...
Key Verses: Exodus 21-23 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“These chapters, containing the first body of Torah legislation, have become known in English as the ‘Book of the Covenant,’ Hebrew sefer ha-berit. This name is based...
Key Verses: Exodus 19-20 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“Equality is the holy grail of revolutionary politics. It has often been sought, but never achieved. The two best-known attempts have been equality of wealth (through communism...
Key Verses: Exodus 16-18 Key Questions
Theological Insights
“Two rules govern the manna economy: limiting the daily collection to ‘an omer a head’ (Exod 16:16)—as much as a person can eat in a day—and refraining...
Practical Prayer
May 9, 2026
That We May Know Him
January 2, 1999
What Inspiration Is
January 9, 1999