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. 

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

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.

Class Handout: 

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

​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.

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

​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

Class Handout: 

Listen on Apple Podcasts: 

​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.

Class Handout:

​Listen on Apple Podcasts:

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.

Class Handout:

Pharaoh's Heart Grid:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

​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.

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

​Why did God need Ten Plagues?  

Indeed, God is powerful enough that he could have delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians with one plague. 

So why did He insist on Ten? 

In today's lesson, we explore this question and how it leads us towards understanding the "hardening" of Pharaoh's heart.

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts: 

​In Exodus 3, Moses inquires of God about His name.  

A name in the ancient world was more than just a referent but gave indications into your essence, nature, and function. 

God gives Moses a future-oriented but vague answer.

 In this video, we explore how we can understand God's name - "I will be what I will be" - and how it can impact our walk with Christ today.

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

​Moses is a 'type' of Messiah. There are numerous 'types' throughout the Hebrew bible, including Joseph and David.
 
Moses is chosen for a specific task in God's plan of redemption. 
 
In this video, we explore attributes of Moses' character that make him uniquely suited as the redeemer and lawgiver of Israel.
 
Moses is the first redeemer, and Jesus is the final redeemer. Throughout the New Testament,  the actions of Jesus and the presentation of the Gospel by the writers reflect those of Moses.
 
The more we understand Moses and the book of Exodus, the more we will understand how the New Testament communicates about Jesus.

Class Handout: 

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

Pharaoh's daughter has a remarkable place in redemptive history.

She rescued Moses – the future redeemer of Israel - from certain death and raised him as "her son" under the nose of the Pharaoh who wanted to have him killed.

 Her compassion and moral courage compelled her to disobey her father's command in the name of saving a human life.

Does God reward her for her courage and actions?

Later in the Old Testament, there is an indication that the answer is yes!
​
The Sages of Israel noted a remarkable "measure for measure" in which God provides a reciprocal blessing for her heroic actions. 

Class Handout:

The book of Exodus opens with several stories of civil disobedience, including the midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh's command to murder the Hebrew males. 

This episode explores totalitarianism, civil disobedience, and the two midwives - Shiphrah and Puah.  

When it comes to human life matters, God is the ultimate authority and must be obeyed. 

Shiphrah and Puah display the moral courage necessary to obey God during periods of totalitarian rule. 

Because of their courage, God blesses them by giving them families of their own.

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

​In this introductory video to the book of Exodus, we take a birds-eye view of the book's flow to gain a deeper understanding of its overall message.

There are two prominent themes of the book of Exodus. First, Redemption.

We explore the ancient cultural concept of redemption and how the book of Exodus serves as an example of God's plan for the world. 

The second theme is God's presence.

​The final third of the book of Exodus is about creating a space for God's presence to dwell. What are we doing to create this space? Do we crowd God out of our lives with our constant activity? If so, we must beware.  

Join us as we begin this journey through the book of Exodus.

Class Handout: 

Listen on Apple Podcasts: 

The book of Judges shows us the cyclical decline of Israel's society during the period of the Judges. The result of this decline is a descent into a civil war (Judges 20). 

Judges 19 symbolically represents the deterioration of societal norms. At the end of chapter 19, we find a disturbing story of a Levite who dismembers his concubine's body and delivers the pieces to the tribes of Israel. 

What are we to make of this act?

​Join us today as we work through some of the ancient symbolism present in the book of Judges that God uses to communicate this important message.

Class Handout:

Listen on Apple Podcasts