Part 1 – Special Delivery
Exodus 14
April 29, 2018
The beginning of the exodus journey. God miraculously acted to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In chapter 14, the Israelites are caught between the Egyptian army and the sea. It was here where God worked his greatest miracle of the Old Testament. He parted the waters of the sea.
Part 2 – Believing without seeing
Exodus 15-17
May 6, 2018
God is the Lord of our past, present, and future.
In these three chapters, we see three scenes in which the Israelites grumble and response in faithlessness when tested by God. We need to remember God’s faithfulness in the past and his promises for the future as we navigate through life today.
Part 3 – The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20:1-17
May 20, 2018
The Ten Commandments are one of the best known sections of the Bible. They are important to the moral teachings of the Jewish and Christian traditions. It’s easy to look at the commands as a simple list of rules, but they’re so much more than that. The commands also give us insight into the character of God.
Exodus 32
May 27, 2018
While waiting for Moses, the Israelites get impatient. They take their gold and melt it into the image of a golden calf and direct their worship towards the calf as being the source of their freedom. This is a horrible blasphemy against the Lord.
Part 5 – Daily Thanksgiving
Numbers 11
June 10, 2018
The Israelites have had a brief period of relative stability. In Numbers 11, during their journey to the promised land, God leads them back into the wilderness and they immediately begin to complain again. So often, we lose sight of the goodness and blessings of God and focus on the challenges and difficulties in our own lives.
Part 6
On the edge of the land – Numbers 13-14
June 24, 2018
So close, yet so far. The Israelites have been wandering in the desert for two years, sustained by God. And now, they are within range of the land that God had promised them. But when they send scouts to spy out the land, they’re fearful that it’s a land they can’t take. So often, we stop ourselves with fear and doubt.
Part 7
Dangerous Games – Numbers 16
July 8, 2018
It’s tempting to believe in a God who only believes in what you believe in.
When there’s a teaching in scripture with which we disagree, it’s tempting to want to disregard that, or justify why it doesn’t apply to us. There are more than enough sources to go for information that confirms what we want. But God’s truth is true regardless of what we want it to be. This isn’t something to dread. God is good, loving, and wise. It is to our detriment that we disregard God’s truth.
Part 8
Desert Trek: The Next Generation – Numbers 20
July 15, 2018
Numbers 20 begins with the second generation of Israelites, but we quickly see that they have not learned from their parents mistakes. By the end of the chapter, two of the key figures in the Exodus event will pass away and Moses will commit the biggest sin of his life.
After the Israelites have a significant military victory, they again fall into grumbling and complaining. God uses serpents as a judgment against the people. When they repent, it is through a serpent that they are healed. Just like at the cross, a symbol fo destruction is the symbol of hope.
Part 10
Settlers of Canaan – Numbers 32:1-23
July 29, 2018
After 40 years, some of the Israelite tribes are finally ready to settle. The problem? They’re not settling in the Promised Land! We so often settle for less than God’s best. They thought that some other land would be better than the land that God had promised.
Part 11
For the love of God – Deuteronomy 6:1-9
August 5, 2018
To know God is to love and obey God. Our acceptance by God and true obedience to God must first be rooted in a love for God.
Deuteronomy 7 is final instructions as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land. But the land wasn’t just sitting empty. God instructs the Israelites to devote the inhabitants of the land to destruction. It’s a divine judgment, and a reminder of the cost of sin and rebellion against the holy God of the universe.
For bettre or for worse – Deuteronomy 8
August 19, 2018
This passage calls on Israel to remember God’s work in the Exodus, for better or for worse. There would be times of discipline and difficulty but it would also be a land of abundance and blessing. In either case, there can be temptation to turn away from God. When times are bad, it can be tempting to want to blame God. When things are good, it can be easy to want to take the credit.
Part 14
Crossing the Jordan – Joshua 3-4
September 2, 2018
One of the most significant events in the Old Testament. God brings his people into the land that he had promised. In spite of all of Israel’s sin and unbelief, God was faithful to his promise. Here the Israelites finally set foot in the land that was to be there’s.
Part 15
A new home – Joshua 10:29-43
September 9, 2018
God brought the Israelites into the Promised Land. But that wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning. It’s the same way when someone comes to faith. It’s only the beginning. The beginning of a new life with Christ.
