Why should we read the Bible? David Mathis answers the question simply and beautifully: to know Christ. If that answer doesn’t jazz you up, consider what Mathis has to say in this short video.
Check it out!
Archives for 2017
The Hottest Thing at Church Today
Tim Challies refers to a new trend:
According to a new study by Gallup, the hottest thing at church today is not the worship and not the pastor. It’s not the smoke and lights and it’s not the hip and relevant youth programs. It’s not even the organic, fair trade coffee at the cafe. The hottest thing at church today is the preaching. Not only is it the preaching, but a very specific form of it—preaching based on the Bible. And just like that, decades of church growth bunkum is thrown under the bus. As Christianity Today says, “Despite a new wave of contemporary church buzzwords like relational, relevant, and intentional, people who show up on Sundays are looking for the same thing that has long anchored most services: preaching centered on the Bible.” Praise God.
Challies goes on to commend this trend, delighting in the reality that God’s children do, in fact, desire the pure milk of the word. However, he also wisely cautions:
I’m glad to read these results. I’m glad that God’s people are choosing God’s Word. But I don’t want pastors and their churches to jump on the biblical exposition bandwagon. Instead, I want them to search the Scriptures, to see what God says about the relationship of his people to his Word, to understand the purpose of the weekly gatherings of the local church, and then to commit from this day forward to preach God’s Word to God’s people.
Here’s the thing: Eventually Gallup or Barna or someone else will come up with a new poll that will display new results and mere bandwagoners will veer to this new course. Their deep-rooted pragmatism will drive them to the next big thing. But people who are convinced from the Bible that there is nothing better than to preach the Bible will stay the course. Even when Bible-based preaching is the very last thing people want, these pastors will know it is the very first thing they need.
His reflections are well worth considering. Check it out!
The Obvious Diagnosis (A Parable)
Shanice Garcia (2015), public domain
The light went on for Tyler one day in his mid-twenties. He stepped on the scale and was shocked.
Tyler had always been active, playing sports as a kid and intramurals in college. But now he had a desk job. He tried to run or work out a few times a week, but he often didn’t have the energy.
He never considered himself a glutton, but he ate whatever he wanted in college. He thought nothing of cereal for dinner or a second burger at lunch. Days could pass before he ate a green vegetable.
But the slower pace of life and the gradual accumulation of the years had the effect so many have felt. Tyler was 15 pounds heavier than when he graduated college, and he finally had enough.
Tyler plunged into the world of health and nutrition. He read dozens of books from his library. He investigated the latest fad diets and held them up to the closest scrutiny. Early on, he saw the change he had to make: he needed to eat better.
More vegetables. Fewer sweets. Better choices at the grocery store.
Tyler noticed a difference right away. He slept better. He had tremendous energy. He felt sharper and more focused at work. His weight was down, but that was almost irrelevant—every aspect of his physical and mental well-being was soaring to heights he’d never known.
He soon met others in his city who shared his new passion. As a result of this new friend network, Tyler’s social life exploded. There was the softball team, the weekend triathlon training, and the shared cooking nights. Tyler and one of the women in his group started dating. His calendar was bursting.
Looking back, Tyler would see this social uptick as the turning point.
Eating healthy food takes time. Imperceptibly, Tyler’s food preparation time got squeezed. It started with walking to pick up a sandwich at lunch instead of packing his own. As he stayed out later at night he found less time for breakfast in his apartment, so he’d hit the bagel shop. Pretty soon he was eating carry-out food as often as he was making dinner from scratch.
The transformation continued for several months until Tyler caught a cold. When he couldn’t shake it after two weeks, he went to his doctor.
This doctor had been impressed with Tyler’s health in recent years, so he was surprised to see the vital signs when he walked into the room. Tyler’s weight, pulse rate, and blood pressure were all up, much higher than at his most recent annual physical.
The doctor asked questions about Tyler’s sickness and current lifestyle. He gently probed at Tyler’s exercise and diet, and Tyler confessed to feeling lethargic even before catching this cold.
The doctor finished writing in the chart and leaned back in his chair with a smile. “Tyler, I’ve seen dozens of people with this cold in recent weeks. I’m not worried about it for you. You’ll bounce back within the next two or three days.”
“That’s great,” Tyler said.
“But a healthy young man shouldn’t get knocked so low by a simple cold,” the doctor said. “There’s something else going on.”
Tyler looked worried. “What is it?”
The doctor couldn’t suppress a small laugh. “After the health journey I’ve seen you take over the last several years, I didn’t think I’d say this. But Tyler, you’re not eating well.”
“What?”
“Well, you have healthy friends. You read a lot about nutrition and even hang out in healthy places. Your influences haven’t changed.”
“OK…”
“But you haven’t noticed the slide. You might not talk or think any differently, but your diet right now is miles away from what it was a year ago. In order to be healthy, you actually have to put the healthy food in your body.”
And that’s when the light went on for Tyler a second time.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Exodus 15:22-18:27: You Need God’s Law
Step Back
When our Bible study focuses intently on each passage, one after another, we may find it difficult to step back and see how they fit together. But we must remember the Bible is a work of literature. It was not written to be scrutinized in bites; it was written to be devoured in gobbles. We should remember to read the Bible as we’d read any other book: moving through it at a reasonable pace and recognizing ongoing themes, climax, resolution, and character development. When we hit milestones in the text, we should take the opportunity to survey where we’ve been and how it fits together.
So, now that we’ve hit the end of Exodus’s short second act with the appearance and blessing of Jethro, priest of Midian, it’s a good time to catch our breath. From this point in Exodus, we’ll see God building his own house to dwell with his people in paradise. But where have we been so far?
Review
Let me list the main points I’ve proposed for each passage in this section:
- Exodus 15:22-17:7: Yahweh must give his law to expose how completely distrustful, disobedient—and thereby undeserving—his people are of his fatherly care.
- Exodus 17:8-16: Your highest and most public loyalty must be to Yahweh your God.
- Exodus 18:1-27: Being God’s people means we constantly remember our deliverance and look to his instruction for our new life.
In addition, my overview of the whole book led me to this overall main point:
Who is Yahweh, and why should you obey him? He is the God who 1) demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15), 2) prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18), and 3) builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).
And the main idea of Act I (Ex 1:1-15:21) was that Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery. He does this in two parts:
- He trains up a qualified mediator to deliver (Ex 1:1-7:7).
- He delivers his people from their enemies into a frightful joy (Ex 7:8-15:21).
Pull It Together
Now what do these things show us about the flow of thought in chapters 16-18? We are in between the mighty deliverance and the making of the covenant. How does God prepare to rebuild his people into his house?
- Act I describes God’s deliverance of his people. Act II shows how God prepares them for a covenant relationship with him.
- Exodus 15:22-17:7 exposes their rebellious hearts with clear instruction.
- Exodus 17:8-16 highlights and memorializes in writing their greatest need: to trust Yahweh above all gods.
- Exodus 18:1-27 draws together the twin themes of deliverance and instruction. We never stop looking back to the former, even while we heed, hope for, and honor the latter.
These chapters all center on how much these fallen, rebellious people need God’s instruction to survive, and yet they can’t obey it. But that won’t hinder them as long as they maintain their highest allegiance to Yahweh. These chapters foreshadow the tension and confusion God’s people have felt toward God’s law through the ages. If he gave us laws, he must expect us to obey them. But if we can’t obey them, and they expose our failure and condemn us to death, are they bad for us? Yet if they truly reveal God’s will, we have reason to love them, and strive to obey them, and forever guard their place in our community.
If we take each episode out of context, on its own, we’ll miss the clear thread of God’s law. And we’ll forever feel the tension and confusion, not seeing how God prepares his people for it even before he hands them the stone tablets. But reading these chapters as a unit, we get a foundation for God’s law:
- You need God’s law/instruction to have life.
- You can’t and won’t obey it.
- So your only remaining hope of life is to fall upon the mercy of your God and maintain to him your highest allegiance.
When we get these three points, we can’t help but love God’s law. It shows us our need, it reveals God’s mercy, and it drives us to hope not in ourselves but him.
Paige (2008), Creative Commons
We can flesh out our outline of the book a little further:
Act I: Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15).
Introduction: Nobody can prevent Yahweh from keeping his promises, but we’re not sure how he’ll do it (Ex 1).
Part 1: Yahweh appoints a mediator and ensures he is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance (Ex 2:1-7:7).
Part 2: Yahweh delivers a deserved destruction to his enemies and a frightful joy to his people (Ex 7:8-15:21).
Act II: Yahweh prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18)—by exposing how deeply his people need his law to know him.
Act III: Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).
Gaze Upon Jesus
Jesus is “the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). Those who rely on the law are under a curse, for, without perfect obedience, it cannot give life (Gal 3:10). So all it does to sinners is hold them captive to their sin (Gal 3:23). Yet such captivity leads us like a guardian to Christ so we might be justified by faith (Gal 3:24). By showing us our need for God’s law, Exodus 16-18 ends up showing us our need for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Apply
Head: Do you love God’s law (Ps 119:97) or resent it (Prov 13:13)?
Heart: The new covenant in Christ is by no means a lawless religion (Rom 8:12-14). While the law cannot empower your obedience to God, the Spirit of Christ within you can.
Hands: Walk by the Spirit, and don’t gratify the desires of your flesh. Let the law show you how to keep in step with the Spirit, not being conceited, neither envying nor provoking (Gal 5:16-26). And keeping in step with the Spirit means most of all that your allegiance is to none but Christ (1 John 5:11-12).
Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.
I’ve Consumed Commentaries But Can’t Study My Bible
David Murray recently posted a sobering question from a reader of his blog:
I have an M.Div and have read hundreds of books and still feel that I don’t know my Bible. My knowledge has been all second hand as I have consumed commentaries during my devotional times. And yet my faith feels hollow and lifeless. I don’t know how to read the Bible and study it for myself. I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown…I try and start and I get so frustrated that I turn back to commentaries and the lifelessness continues…I can’t do this anymore.
Please help me…I know you don’t know me…but please help me…..
Murray begins his response addressing the immediate mental health needs for rest and recovery to this burnt out soul. And then he moves on to address “what got you into this situation”:
What’s really important is that you do not rely on yourself or on your commentaries but that you rely on God to give you light. Ask God for his Holy Spirit to enlighten your eyes and to shine light on His Word. He has promised to give wisdom and his Holy Spirit to those who ask for it (James 1:5-8; Luke 11:13). And remember, that knowing the Bible is not the end either. The ultimate end is knowing Christ personally, and the Bible is a means to that end. So is going to church; so make sure you are doing that also.
If you do these things and there is still no life in your soul or love for the Scriptures, then you will have to consider the possibility that you still need to be converted. If that is the case, there is still hope for you to repent and put your faith in Christ. There are many M.Div. students who have been converted after graduation and even in the ministry!
Please avoid allowing commentaries to do your Bible study for you. And by all means, don’t miss Christ. The end of that road is not a pleasant one.
Exodus 18: How to Be the People of God
Yahweh has tested the people whom he delivered, to see what they’re made of, and the results were pretty ugly. Yet Moses has shown them that persevering allegiance—and not impossibly perfect obedience—is what will carry the day. How will he shepherd these disobedient people toward greater allegiance?
Observation of Exodus 18
Most repeated words: Moses (20 times), people (17x), all (14), father-in-law (13), God (12), Jethro (7), out (7), said (7), Israel (6), Lord (6), delivered (5).
- The narrator shows deep concern for Moses and the people. How will this man lead this nation toward the Lord God?
- Deliverance is most prominent in the first half of the chapter. All five occurrences of the word sit within Ex 18:4-10.
“Jethro” shows up only in this chapter, and right before (Ex 3:1) and after the burning bush (Ex 4:18)—which makes sense, since both events take place on the mountain of God, near Jethro’s home (Ex 3:1, 18:5).
- When Moses flees Egypt (Ex 2:16, 18), and when Moses departs Sinai (Num 10:29), the same man is named Reuel.
- When we first hear of him (Ex 2:16), and when he suddenly re-enters the narrative (Ex 18:1), he is labeled “priest of Midian.”
- This character plays a significant role in the narrative’s organization. He shows up; then God calls Moses from Sinai to deliver the people. He shows up again; then God gives Moses the law on Sinai. His final mention comes when Moses departs Mount Sinai for good. This guy is closely associated with this mountain and with God’s glorious revelation that takes place there.
When Moses and Jethro meet up, Jethro takes the lead in the narrative. He is the subject of most of the actions.
- Jethro hears, takes, comes, and sends (Ex 18:1-6).
- Moses goes out to meet him, bows down, and kisses. They ask each other of their welfare and go into the tent. Moses tells (Ex 18:7-8).
- Then Jethro rejoices, speaks, and brings lunch. Aaron and the elders join (Ex 18:9-12).
The rest of the chapter consists mostly of dialogue between Moses and Jethro, with Jethro’s closing speech being the longest by far (Ex 18:17-23).
- The resolution: Moses does everything his father-in-law said (Ex 18:24), and his father-in-law goes back home (Ex 18:27).
This chapter has two clear sections:
- Jethro reunites with Moses – Ex 18:1-12
- Jethro advises Moses – Ex 18:13-27
Interpretation of Exodus 18
Some possible questions:
- Why do we get so much detail just to describe the reunion between Moses and his father-in-law?
- Why does this chapter focus on Jethro as the chief actor?
- What is the point of Jethro’s advice?
My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):
- With Jethro’s character, the narrator invites us to pause once more and reflect on what’s taken place so far. This slow-mo montage signals the end of Act II. We reflect on Moses’ life experience through the names of his sons (Ex 18:3-4). As we meet Moses’ wife and sons again (Ex 18:5-6), we’re reminded of Moses’ personal Passover (Ex 4:24-26). As Moses recounts the Lord’s deliverance from the hand of Egypt (Ex 18:8), we relive the amazing stories and rejoice with Jethro (Ex 18:9-10) that Yahweh is greater than all gods (Ex 18:11). We, too, would love to sit together to share a meal before God (Ex 18:12). The details all drive us to remember the Lord’s deliverance and to sing unto him, for he has triumphed gloriously.
- Jethro is a priest (Ex 18:1), one who bridges the gap between men and God. He does this by directing their attention to Yahweh, causing them to rejoice in Yahweh, exposing their own insufficiency, and making them hungry for Yahweh’s laws. Perhaps the narrator wishes to move us to action through the figure of Jethro.
- If we focus on the need for delegation—an important point—we may actually miss the main point. Moses: “I decide…and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws” (Ex 18:16). Jethro: “You shall warn them about the statutes and the laws…Moreover, look for able men…and let them judge the people at all times” (Ex 18:20-22). In other words: “You, Moses, can teach. But you need others to decide.” (Yes, I understand this is all about delegation. But to what end?) “You are not enough for this people. You need God’s laws to be codified and written down so that others can continue the work you have begun.” The point: These people need able leaders, acquainted with God’s laws and able to apply them to everyday situations. Moses is a great leader. There must also be thousands of able leaders among the people, since they all hop right in place very quickly (Ex 18:25-26). Jethro’s advice exposes what is truly the missing ingredient: a codified body of instruction. The Law.
Train of thought:
- Remember where you came from; Yahweh has delivered you.
- Realize you are not enough; you need God’s words to direct your people from here.
Main point: Being God’s people means we constantly remember our deliverance and look to his instruction for our new life.
Connection to Christ: Jesus is our exodus, our deliverance (Gal 1:3-5, Luke 9:30-31, “departure”=”exodus”). Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe (Rom 10:4). Jesus is our life (Col 3:4).
My Application of Exodus 18
I have been struggling with treating the good news of Christ’s kingdom in a rote way, and this passage refreshes my joy in the Lord. I must not merely recite; I must remember and rejoice in his mighty deliverance.
And as I disciple and train others, I must resist the temptation to be the focus of their hope and trust. I will never be enough. My decisions, counsel, and insight will never be enough. They need Jesus, the Word made flesh, to guide them. They need to understand the Scriptures so they can apply its truths to their own lives and lead others.
One simple way I’d like to grow in this last point: Don’t answer questions for my advice. Instead, ask people what the Scripture says, and what they think the Lord would have them do. Then, if they still need help, I can direct them to some more passages or truths to consider.
Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.
More Reflections on Rapid Bible Reading
Adam Rodriguez undertook my challenge to read the whole Bible quickly at the start of 2017, and he lived to tell about it on his blog. He wasn’t sure about setting aside all the other books he wanted, but found it to be worth the effort. On his blog, he reflects on the experience, with the following reactions:
- I Gained a Deeper Appreciation of the Bible as a Work of Literary Art.
- I See More How Scripture Alludes To Itself.
- I See How the Bible’s Theology Develops Over Time.
- My Love for the Bible was Restored.
I especially appreciated Rodriguez’s third point, which arose from using a historical reading plan—reading the Old Testament books according to the Hebrew order, and the New Testament books in the order they were written. Reading in this way, in a short time, highlight the unfolding revelation of God through human history.
I’m grateful to Adam and the many others who took up the challenge and shared their thoughts on it. May the Lord bless our efforts to better understand him through his word!
How to Teach Any Bible Passage
anonymous (2017), public domain
Have you been asked to teach the Bible? Maybe you’d like to prepare something for your Sunday school class, small group, or youth group. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the task, you’ve come to the right place.
Two Elements of Preparation
There are two elements to any good communication of the Bible: getting it right, and getting it across.
First, study the Bible and understand what it says and what that means. Then, determine the best way to help your people understand the passage. All of the advice that follows falls into one of these two categories.
A Preparation Guide
Here are eleven steps toward preparing a lesson on the Bible.
- Pray — You can’t do anything apart from God. Pray for your own study and pray for God’s work through you in the class.
- Read the Bible passage as many times as you can. Depending on the length, aim for at least ten.
- Study the passage. At this blog we teach the Observation, Interpretation, Application (OIA) Bible study method. Your goal should be to find the main point (or sometimes, main points) of the passage. Expect to spend several hours on this part of the process. (You may find these worksheets helpful.)
- Try not to use commentaries or notes in your study Bible until after you’ve studied the passage on your own.
- Think through this question: how does this passage (and especially its main point) connect to Jesus and the gospel?
- Prayerfully apply the passage (especially the main point) to yourself. Application can happen in the realms of head, heart, and hands. The more God works on you personally through this passage, the greater impact your teaching will have.
- Produce an outline of the passage. This needn’t be too detailed, but try to describe how the sections of your passage fit together.
- Your first goal in teaching is to lead the class to the main point of the passage. Think about how you arrived at the main point. What supporting truths helped you get there?
- To help the class grasp these supporting truths, determine what questions (both observation and interpretation) you will ask to lead the discussion. (The size of your group will determine how much interaction you can have, but you should push for as much as possible.) Because it is easy to forget your questions in the moment, write them down ahead of time. This is one of the hardest and most important parts of teaching—asking good questions.
- Think about application for the class. What questions will help the class consider personal application? Are there corporate applications the class should consider? What are some barriers to these personal or corporate applications?
- Finally, consider how you will begin the class. To get the class primed for the lesson, you might target an application or a theme or even something related to the main point. Will you start the class with a launching question? Will you start the class some other way?
A Worksheet
If you’d like a resource to use when planning to teach the Bible, check out this worksheet. Please use it if you find it helpful.
Helpful Meetings
Here’s one last piece of advice. Talk about your lesson both before and after the class.
I’ve insisted on these conversations as I train adult Sunday school teachers in my local church. These meetings have made a huge difference, both in the quality of the class and the development of the teachers.
Find a friend and chat a few days before the class. Talk about the main point and what questions you plan to ask. Give your friend permission to ask questions and tell you if your setup makes sense.
Ask your friend to sit in on the class and then pass along feedback afterward. Make sure your relationship (and their personality) allows for honesty in this conversation. Helpful feedback will involve both the good and the bad from your lesson.
What An Opportunity!
Teaching the Bible is a serious task and privilege. Don’t try to be fancy. Explain your thinking, ask good questions, and help your people see that studying the Bible is something anyone can do.
Exodus 17:8-16: Whose Flag Do You Wave?
Yahweh has tested the people whom he delivered, to see what they’re made of, and the results were pretty ugly. How can they walk with this powerful Lord of glory?
Observation of Exodus 17:8-16
Most repeated words: Amalek (8 times), hand (7x), Moses (7), Joshua (4), Lord (4)
- When the word “hand” is used, 6 cases refer specifically to the position of Moses’ hands (Ex 17:9, 11, 12).
- The last instance states the rationale for the memorial altar (Ex 17:16). Because hands are so prominent in the episode, this concluding statement must play a significant role to help interpret the passage.
Ex 17:9 is the first mention of Joshua in the Bible. He has no introduction or explanation (as in Num 11:28 or even Ex 24:13), but the text assumes you already know who he is.
Notice the setting. We’re still at Rephidim (Ex 17:8), near the water-ejecting rock of Horeb (Ex 17:1, 6), also known as the mountain of God (Ex 3:1, 18:5). Another name for this mountain is Sinai (Ex 19:1).
- Because of how close Rephidim is to Sinai/Horeb, it is likely that, while the battle rages on the plain, Moses, Aaron, and Hur have ascended a low slope of Mount Sinai itself (called simply “the hill” in Ex 17:9, 10).
God took Israel through the Red Sea so they wouldn’t see war (Ex 13:17). Yet war has now come upon them (Ex 17:8).
- God could easily plague Amalek, block them with his cloud, or destroy them outright, as he did with Egypt.
- Yet he expects Israel to take up arms to fight (Ex 17:9).
Famously, the fight goes well when Moses’ arms are raised. It falters when his hands fall (Ex 17:11-13). This wavering is central to the narrative’s tension and climax.
The structure is not complicated:
- The fight comes to Israel – Ex 17:8.
- How Israel fights and wins – Ex 17:9-13.
- Why Israel must always remember this fight – Ex 17:14-16.
Interpretation of Exodus 17:8-16
Some possible questions:
- Why does God require Israel to fight, instead of dealing with Amalek himself?
- Why does it matter that this battle is close to Sinai, or that Moses holds his hands up from that mountain?
- Why does the narrator not introduce Joshua?
- Why does the battle hinge on the position of Moses’ hands? Does he have magic powers?
My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):
- Of course, the Lord’s motives in such situations mostly remain mysterious to us. However, we can conclude at least that he wanted them to experience something worth memorializing from generation to generation (Ex 17:14). Perhaps my other questions and answers will help me understand why.
- Moses did all his wonders in Egypt with his staff (Ex 4:17), which acquired its connection to the signs while Moses was first on Mount Sinai/Horeb (Ex 4:2-4). Moses now brings that staff back onto the same slopes (Ex 17:9). And this staff of Moses never shows up again. (Later staff-incidents involve a different staff – Num 17:2-3, 20:8-9). In other words, Moses’ hands take the staff back to the mountain, having done the signs and having accomplished the redemption he set out to do. His hands will soon trade the staff for a new tool to carry—tablets of stone written with the finger of God (Ex 31:18). In short, with this battle so close to Sinai, we’re given further foreshadowing of the people’s need for God’s law to prosper them.
- The climax clearly states that “Yahweh is my Banner” (Ex 17:15). The narrator wants us to see Moses waving the flag of Yahweh, his only God, king, and commander. While Joshua will become and important figure later, for now, he’s just an extra. He must decrease so Yahweh can increase. The people who are undeserving of a relationship with Yahweh (Ex 15:22-17:7) still have hope if their hope, their boast, their joy, their allegiance, and their banner is none but Yahweh, God of gods.
- The raising of Moses’ hands pictures “A hand upon the throne of Yahweh!” (Ex 17:16). On the mountain of God, he grasps the throne of God, signifying the deepest trust and most public proclamation of Yahweh as Israel’s God. Israel does not deserve a relationship with Yahweh, yet by hoping in him and not letting go, marvelous things happen. Note: Moses has his hands raised, on the mountain of God, with the help of two men, “one on one side, and the other on the other side” (Ex 17:12). As long as those hands are raised, grasping Yahweh’s throne and picturing trust in Yahweh, the battle succeeds. I can’t help but wonder whether there is a connection to the cherubim on the mercy seat in Ex 25:19-22, “One cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end…The cherubim shall spread out their wings above…There I will meet with you.” The ark of the covenant certainly represents God’s throne (1 Sam 4:4, Ps 99:1, Is 37:16, etc.). Perhaps the cherubim are like Moses, with hands perpetually raised to demonstrate trust and mediate blessing to the people. I wouldn’t give my life for that connection, but the verbal similarities are enough to warrant consideration.
Thompson Rivers University (2011), Creative Commons
Train of thought:
- God’s redeemed people can’t avoid hard times.
- They will succeed only when they trust Yahweh as the only God.
- Remember to wave Yahweh’s flag forever.
Main point: Your highest and most public loyalty must be to Yahweh your God.
Connection to Christ: Jesus proclaimed the Father as his only God when he faced his most severe trials (Matt 26:39, 27:46). Those who proclaim public loyalty to Christ will never regret it (Matt 10:32-33).
My Application of Exodus 17:8-16
Whose flag do I wave? Where do I find my basic identity, and where do I pledge my highest allegiance? My job? My ethnicity? My marital status? My children? My accomplishments? My ministry? My writing?
This is not a one-time decision, but something I must consider many times every day. Am I willing to publicly fly the flag of Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, King of kings and Lord of lords?
Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.
We Need More Bible in Youth Ministry
Seventeen-year-old Katherine Forster has some important words for the youth ministries in our churches: We need more Bible. Teenagers themselves see the need for better grounding, greater challenge, and more biblical instruction. Forster gives 4 reasons, from the teen perspective:
- We desperately need the truth.
- We need to see these truths for ourselves.
- We need to be challenged.
- We need the fellowship in God’s word.
Do you believe teenagers can learn to handle God’s word? Is there any other way we can equip them to face life’s challenges?
If you’re not sure how to start teaching your youth group to study the Bible, I’ve heard from many youth pastors who have found my book a helpful place to begin. Please consider Ms. Forster’s gracious appeal.
