​In today's lesson, we look at the connection between the events in Exodus, where God delivers the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai, and the Acts chapter 2 – Pentecost event – where God delivers the Holy Spirit.

To make this connection, we must know about the Biblical holiday system God implements in Exodus and Leviticus. 

The holiday of Pentecost (Acts 2:1) is not a Christian holiday, and Pentecost is the Greek word used for the holiday of Shavuot - the feast of Weeks - found in Leviticus chapter twenty-three. 

When we understand the holiday system and the associated symbolism of each holiday, the world of the New Testament opens up in ways that most cannot imagine! 

God commanded the holidays, and Jesus and the disciples observed the holidays. And most important, Jesus fulfills the holidays! 

How much more then should we be paying attention to God's canlendar?

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In today's lesson, we use Jesus' parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) as a tool to review the book of Exodus.
 
The parable of the Ten Bridesmaids is about redemption and reflects the story of Exodus and the common Rabbinic interpretations of Exodus found in the first century.

As with Jesus' other parables, we must pay close attention to the symbols and what they represent. 

Understanding these symbols is the key that unlocks the meaning that not only applies to that first-century context but to our own lives.

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​In this week's lesson, we look at the Golden Calf incident found in Exodus 32. 
 
The sin of idol worship - placing an idol or false god ahead of God - is the most common sin for humanity to commit and the sin that Israel will struggle with throughout the Old Testament. 

What can we learn about this type of sin? What can we learn about ourselves and why false idols still plague us today? 

We attempt to answer these questions and more, as well as the Biblical solution to overcoming the inherent suffering we experience in the world.

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Exodus 34:6-7 - the divine attributes of God - includes three different words for the types of sin God is willing to forgive.

The Hebrew language has numerous words that denote different aspects of sin - whereas, in English, we tend to use one word - sin - that covers all violations of God's will.

In this lesson, we explore these words for sin and how the Hebrew mind conceptualizes the nature of sin.

How does sin interact with a human being, and what are the ramifications often felt beyond the individual that committed them?

All of these questions and more are addressed in these two verses.

​Understanding the underlying Hebrew words - and their implication for the human soul - helps us understand our own walk with God and why we must seek his voice to avoid the many pitfalls that surround us in the world.

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In today's lesson, we explore the structure of the final fifteen chapters of Exodus and look at how the concept of creation or re-creation is woven into the narrative.

We mentioned in our previous lesson that the final chapters in Exodus are written in a Chiastic structure.

A Chiasm – which gets its name from the Greek letter chi – is a method of helping the reader or listener focus their attention on the main idea that the author intends to convey.

Tonight, we take a closer look at this chiastic structure and what the author of Exodus intends as the turning point.  

Within this structure, we find something interesting – creation itself is being revisited.

Building the tabernacle is creating a space for the presence of God to dwell with the Israelites. In this sense, it mimics creation as a dwelling place for God's presence and his people.

As we follow Exodus to its close, we see a motif of renewal, rebirth, or recreation.
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God and his people are back together – stepping forthrightly into the future. 

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​There is a concept within spirituality known as "Awakening from Above/Awakening from Below." 

God's revelation comes down from Heaven, but an aspect of our spiritual growth emerges from below. 

When we implement God's commands and become "doers of the word," a lasting transformation takes place. 

When we "do," we gain insight. We learn at a deeper level and begin to experience the wisdom behind the command that solidifies our spiritual transformation.

This concept is expressed in the book of Exodus through a literary device called a chiasm or a chiastic structure. 

The structure of the biblical text itself shows us the principle in action as the Israelites are transformed into a community where the presence of God can dwell. 

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The section of Exodus that scholars refer to as "The Book of the Covenant" consist of chapters 21-23. 

Within these chapters are numerous commandments that, contrary to popular belief, do not concern individual holiness. 

Instead, they focus on structuring a good and just society where the presence of God dwells and humanity flourishes.

Additionally, most of these commandments are found within the law codes of other ancient Near East cultures.  

In today's video, we will explore how the commandments in the Bible are always an improvement on the prevailing laws of Israel's neighbors and how those improvements are always in support of the individual that is made in the Image of God. 

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Today’s video explores the Hebrew word for wilderness – Midbar. 

If we take a step back and watch the movement of the Israelites from Egypt out to the wilderness, we see something unique.  

The Israelites move from a place of order – food, water, shelter – to a place of chaos – no water, no food, no shelter – and must become fully reliant upon God and his provisions.  

God has a purpose for bringing the Israelites out into the wilderness – it is where we learn to hear his voice. 
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We all go through times of walking through the deserts in life, and they are never enjoyable, but we can learn to understand how they can bring us closer to God and celebrate Him even amid the chaos. 

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This week we take a mystical view of the Red Sea crossing. 

Throughout the Bible, at moments of birth, rebirth, or transformation, we find an event that depicts the dividing of the chaotic waters.

In this video, we walk through the pattern found in scripture from Genesis 1  up to Mark 1 and Jesus' baptism.

​Ultimately, this pattern exists as part of God's created cosmos and can be applied to our own spiritual growth journey. 

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Today's video explores the Last Supper as a Passover Seder. 

The Gospel writers include details about the meal found within traditional Passover Seder celebrations. 

We can even discern where some of the disciples would have been sitting relative to Jesus that evening by looking closely at these details. 

Finally, we explore an element of the celebration called the Afikomen.

​Many scholars believe that the piece of unleavened bread (matzah) that Jesus identifies as his body is, in fact, the Afikomen.

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​In this week's lesson, we look at the details about the Passover in Exodus chapter 12. 

We can then compare the details about Jesus that are included in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. 

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are nested within the holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits.  

The Gospel writers, in particular, are sure to include seemingly small details that help their audience point back to Exodus 12 and the original Passover Lamb. 

The New Testament writers see Jesus as God's Passover Lamb that has been offered to redeem the whole world.

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​In this video, we begin short three-part series on Passover. 

Passover is the most important holiday within the Hebrew Bible and for the nation of Israel. 

This lesson takes a ten-thousand-foot view of the Passover holiday and how it connects throughout the Old Testament and into the events surrounding Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. 

We look into the "four expressions of redemption" (Exodus 6:6-7) and how it relates to the Passover meal that Jesus ate with his disciples the night before his death. 

Understanding the Biblical Holidays (Leviticus 23) and how they relate to Jesus is a goldmine for Christians to help them better understand the Gospels and so much of the New Testament

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​Exodus is not only a book that tells of the redemption of the Israelites, but it is also a book about the spiritual redemption of all humanity. 

On a spiritual level, Exodus provides a metaphor for a spiritual journey from slavery to the indwelling of God's presence.  

Exodus communicates this through the ancient near east use of symbols and repetition. 

In this lesson, we look at two seemingly insignificant details - the donkey in Exodus 4:20 and the concept of a three-day journey - to see how the message of a spiritual journey is communicated.

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Did Pharaoh repent?

We tend to think about Pharaoh during the Ten Plagues as entirely immovable.

​We imagine that he is consistent and unemotional in his responses as he rejects Moses' requests to release the Israelites.  

However, a careful study of the text gives us a different picture.

Pharaoh does change along the way! He negotiates with Moses, and his responses loosen up as the plagues' nature increases. 

In this video, we follow the trajectory of Pharaoh's responses.

The language he uses towards the final stages of the plagues is very close to what we would consider repentance.

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Pharaoh's Heart Grid:

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​The story of Pharaoh's heart has both fascinated and perplexed Biblical scholars over the years. 

Considering the Biblical emphasis on humanity having free will, the fact that it appears that God is taking away Pharaoh’s free will is difficult for many Christians to accept.   

Most Christians don't know that not all scholars agree that God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart. 

Join us in this video as we explore the underlying Hebrew words, along with the context of ancient Egypt's conception of the heart, to see if there is another justifiable way that this story can be read and interpreted.

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