​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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​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.

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​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.

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​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.

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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!
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The Sages of Israel noted a remarkable "measure for measure" in which God provides a reciprocal blessing for her heroic actions. 

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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.

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​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.

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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.

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The book of Judges tells the story of Israel's cyclical descent into chaos and eventually civil war. 

In this lesson, we examine the cycle that repeats six times throughout the book, each getting worse than the last. 

Amid these cycles, we find a parable (technically a fable) that is a warning about the people making sure they choose the proper leadership. 

The key to understanding the parable is a particular tree in Israel. We examine the characteristics of the tree to see how it helps us understand the embedded message of the parable.

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What message can we understand from the narrative of Jesus' betrayal and unjust suffering found in the Gospels (Matt. 26 & 27)?

Peter helps us understand the more profound message when he explains that Jesus suffered as an "example" for us.

Should we face betrayal and unjust suffering - as we likely will - we are to look to Jesus' actions as the example of how we should respond.

​ In today's lesson, we look at a thread that is woven throughout scripture about unjust suffering, how it connects to Jesus at the pinnacle, and what it means for us as we "walk as Jesus walked" (1 John 2:6).

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"What is the greatest commandment?" 

This is a question Jesus is asked by one of the Pharisees - an expert in the Torah (Law) - as recorded in Matthew 22:36  

Jesus is asked for one commandment.  He answers by giving two. What is going on here? 

How are those two commandments related that Jesus says, "They have the same meaning." 

​Join us as we explore the background to this question of the Greatest Commandment and how Jesus' answer takes us deeper than expected.

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​In the first century, "store up treasure in heaven" was a common phrase used as an idiom for charity. 

In this week's lesson, we explore the background of this phrase as it is developed from the Old Testament - through the Apocryphal writings of the intertestamental period - and into the New Testament. 

When you give to those in need, you store up treasures in heaven, and God becomes the guarantor of your loan.

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The transfiguration of Jesus - Matthew 17:1-7 - is a challenging event to understand because of its mystical nature. 

What does this event tell us about the reality of who Jesus is?  

In this lesson, we explore the transfiguration from the perspective of Jewish mysticism. 

​We will look at numerous examples from the first century that will help us understand what is actually going on.

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Matthew 13:24-31 is commonly referred to as the Parable of the Weeds or the Parable of the Tares. 

In today's video, we will look at the plant that underlies the parable and how knowing the characteristics of that plant gives us a greater understanding of the parable. 

When Jesus tells a parable, he is precise with his details.

​We must learn to look at the characteristics of those details to see how they are pointing toward the overall message.

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