September 2024

I’m not big on seeing the Bible from a literary perspective. That’s not because I don’t appreciate and respect the work that grammarians do in regards to the Text, but simply because that’s not my specific background or area of expertise.  So, when I see something that catches my eye—a pattern, a couplet, a parallel, […]

A few chapters earlier, when God told Moses to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go, Moses asked for a name. In response, God told Moses to tell the people that “I AM” sent you. That name carries a lot of weight. It’s ambiguous, but also precise. It’s generic, but authoritative.

We have a tendency to elevate Biblical characters to the point of divine. With the exception of the characters that are divine, like Jesus, that would be a mistake. They’re human, just like the rest of us, complete with flaws, confusion, anger, and bitterness. Moses is a great example of this. Perhaps it’s because we

From what I’ve heard, being in leadership is tough. You’re always putting out fires, always handling emergencies, and always mindful of the affairs of the people under your charge. You’re also usually the one that gets most of the blame. When Pharaoh told the Israelites to make bricks, then took away the straw to actually

It’s no secret that the structures in Egypt are some of the most magnificent of the ancient world. Contrary to popular opinion though, there’s zero evidence that the Israelites were responsible for building these behemoths. Archaeological evidence suggests that the pyramids were built several hundred years before the Israelites.  But that doesn’t mean that the

At the beginning of Exodus 4, Moses finally meets Pharaoh face-to-face and delivers God’s message. It’s simple: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness’.” And in one of the least surprising responses in the entire Bible, Pharaoh responds with

In order for Moses to have a chance at getting the Israelites out of Egypt, he had to convince two groups of people. First, and most obviously, he had to talk to Pharaoh. That much was given; the Israelites were still legally his people, after all. But he also had to convince the Israelites themselves.

Every once in a while, there’s a sudden stop in the Biblical narrative that is so abrupt it almost seems out of place. Consider what happens here in Exodus 4. As Moses and his family are traveling to Egypt, Moses is “met” by God who seeks to put him to death. The same Moses that,

In the Old Testament, the relationship between God and Israel was special. There was so much familiarity, so much intimacy, so much grace that it seemed almost paternal in a way. That was by design. From the outset of the Exodus, God makes His relationship with Israel known. They were His “firstborn.” Full stop. By

The Jews care about their lineage. Deeply.There are entire chapters dedicated to genealogies, to priest lineages, to organizational charts depicting which family will take care of certain tasks, and more. With all that attention paid to various families, why does the Bible rarely bring up the lineage of Moses, one of the most important characters