I’ve been enjoying a new (to me) way of reading, and I wanted to share it here as a part of the ways of reading series. This method is very simple: Read a chapter out loud without stopping. If you want, allow yourself to look up two or three words you didn’t know. Repeat steps…
The Exodus journey started with God parting the water of the Red Sea, and it ends here in Joshua very similarly. Yahweh miraculously parts the Jordan, and the people walk through on dry ground (chapter 3). The spies of the wilderness generation were faithless, but in Joshua they are crafty and trust that their conquest…
What is the Lord doing with Abraham’s family in Deuteronomy? Remember the promise in Genesis 15:5: And [God] brought [Abram] outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Listen to how Moses addresses the people here:…
The book is called Numbers for a good reason. In the beginning at Sinai, Moses takes a census of the people, and towards the end of the book in the plains of Moab, he takes another. Between these bookends, the narrative is punctuated by a series of failures and judgments. Levites In Leviticus, Aaron and…
The last verse is one of the most well known in all the Psalms. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8) Why is it that he can lie down and sleep in peace? What it’s not It is not because all…
We saw in Exodus that as God’s presence among his people increases so increases the reflection of his character in his people. The presence and nearness of the Lord is still in focus in Leviticus: Among those who are near me I will be sanctified … (Lev. 10:3) What is God doing for Abraham’s family…
In yesterday’s post on Genesis, I tried to explain the contrast between Genesis 4 and the way the Abraham’s family treated each other toward the end of the book. God said that he was going to do something special with Abraham’s family, and you can see his work, at the very least, in the way…
I read Genesis over the past two days. I don’t think I have ever read the book in such large chunks. I want to note a few things that stood out. First, the repetition — my goodness, the narrative is like an echo chamber of swirling similar events. Second, the slow down with Genesis 12…
At the end of chapter 5, Moses lays out a very reasonable complaint to God. The situation of the Israelites has only become worse. As a result of Moses going to Pharaoh, their work has become exponentially harder, and no one is listening to him, neither Pharaoh nor the Israelites. God responds by telling Moses…
There is a string of passages at the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus that I have been pondering the past couple weeks. It starts in Genesis 48:11. Genesis 48:11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I did not even pray to see your face again. And look! God has shown it to me…
