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Exodus 5:1-21: The God of Rest and Stink

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God has entrusted his mission to Moses, and he’s enabled Moses to relate to experiences of the Israelites. Moses is now ready to act as God’s mediator and deliver these people. But first, God has a little more work to do…1

Observation of Exodus 5:1-21

Repeated words:

  • If we look only at each word, the most repeated ones are some of the usual ones: people (12 times), go, Pharaoh, said (9x), Israel, Lord (6x).
  • But if we look at word families, a major theme jumps off the page
    • Words having to do with work or labor occur more than 70 times.
    • These words include: straw (9x), bricks (7x), foremen, make, work (5x), servants, taskmasters (4x), idle, reduce, task (3x), beaten, burdens, daily, gather, get, give, given, made (2x), complete, done, find, heavier, impose, labor, scattered, stubble (1x).

Names/titles:

  • Though Pharaoh is given his usual title 9 times, once in the passage he is referred to as “the king of Egypt” (Ex 5:4). In that verse, this king demands that his slaves return to their burdens.
  • God’s name (Yahweh, or “LORD”) remains prominent, especially as Pharaoh asks, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice?” and claims, “I do not know Yahweh” (Ex 5:2).

Structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 5:1-5): Alternating dialogue about the fate of the sons of Israel.
    • Moses & Aaron (Ex 5:1), Pharaoh (Ex 5:2), Moses & Aaron (Ex 5:3), king of Egypt (Ex 5:4).
    • Pharaoh then gets the last word (Ex 5:5)
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 5:6-9): Pharaoh increases the burdens on the people.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 5:10-14): Taskmasters pass along Pharaoh’s wishes and beat the Hebrew foremen for failing to meet quotas.
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 5:15-21): The foremen cry out to Pharaoh, and are accused of being idle. On their way out, they meet Moses and Aaron and blame them for worsening their slavery.
Alain (2012), Creative Commons

Alain (2012), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 5:1-21

Some of my questions:

  1. Why are these work-related words repeated so much?
  2. What makes Pharaoh think the people are idle? They’ve already built at least 2 cities for him (Ex 1:11)!
  3. Why have the people shifted so quickly from worship (Ex 4:31) to blaming Moses and Aaron (Ex 5:21)?
  4. Why would God begin the deliverance of his people by making their lives so much harder?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The narrator shows us this new Pharaoh’s gut reaction to the problem of the people being “many” (Ex 5:5). His predecessor enslaved them and tried to murder and drown their sons. This Pharaoh wants to keep control by giving them more work to do. Work, work, work. Labor, burdens, servants. Foremen, taskmasters, bricks, straw. Words are multiplied to an extreme to show Pharaoh’s chief strategy: let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words (Ex 5:9). But what are the “lying words” he fears so much? He shows his hand in his last word to Moses and Aaron in Ex 5:5: “You make them rest from their burdens!” The word rest occurs only here, in huge contrast to the 70+ occurrences of “work”-related words. Pharaoh perceives that Moses and Aaron (and therefore Yahweh) want to give the Hebrews rest. So his solution is to increase their work.
  2. Pharaoh’s problem clearly is not with the people, but with Moses and Aaron who want to make them rest. And especially with Yahweh, the God of rest (Ex 5:1-2).
  3. Of course, they’re upset by the increased workload. But even more, they are concerned “because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants” (Ex 5:21). Moses and Aaron led them to worship Yahweh (Ex 4:31), but Yahweh has proven to be a God who makes his people stink. That’s just not fair.
  4. God already said Pharaoh would not let them go unless compelled (Ex 3:19). God would have to strike Egypt with mighty wonders (Ex 3:20). (Perhaps this is why Moses and Aaron fear pestilence or sword against themselves in Ex 5:3.) God would harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill his son (Ex 4:21-23). We don’t exactly know why God would do it this way, other than perhaps to show his people that they can do nothing to deliver themselves. To learn that lesson, they must be in a situation that goes from bad to worsest.

Train of thought:

  • Yahweh wants to give his people rest.
  • This idea stinks to those who don’t respect such a God.
  • Therefore, God’s people stink to those who don’t know or respect Yahweh.
  • It is not easy for God’s people to go through this, but it is an important part of their eventual deliverance.

Main Point: The LORD makes his people rest and stink.

Connection to Christ: Jesus came to make God’s people rest from all their works (Matt 11:28-30, Hebrews 3:7-4:13). This plan of deliverance made Jesus stink (Mark 3:1-6), and it makes God’s resting people likewise stink to those who think they must work harder for God’s approval (2 Cor 2:14-17).

My Application of Exodus 5:1-21

Inward, head application: Why am I still surprised every time my faith in Christ makes me stink to those who are perishing (1 Peter 4:12-14)? I must expect to enter the kingdom of God through much tribulation (Acts 14:22). This stink is a crucial part of attaining my rest.

Outward, hands application: When I preach the gospel of Christ, I must preach a message of both rest and stink. The work of Christ’s salvation is done; there’s nothing more we can add to it. And the world will hate us for it; men love darkness rather than light.

1Much of my thinking on this passage was influenced by a marvelous sermon preached recently at my church by my colleague Tom Hallman. Tom explained this text so well, I may never again be able to think of it apart from the categories of rest and stink.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 4:18-31: Made Like His Brothers in Every Way

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God delivers Moses through a watery judgment to preserve him as a deliverer for his people. But those people reject God’s deliverance through Moses’ hand. Forty years later, God appears to Moses in a bush the burns yet is not consumed. And though he once again calls Moses to a compassionate deliverance of the afflicted people of God, Moses is understandably reluctant to commit. He’s willing to try (or at least not risk God’s further anger – Ex 4:14) and see if it just might work.

Observation of Exodus 4:18-31

Significant repeated words in ESV: Moses (12 times), him (9x), go, LORD/Yahweh (8x), he, said (7x), all (6x), back, Egypt, let, people, son (5x).

  • This list effectively comprises a good summary of observations: Moses and Yahweh go back to Egypt to let all the people/sons of Israel go.

Names/Titles:

  • Moses, Yahweh, and Pharaoh are all named multiple times.
  • Zipporah shows up again, with a feat of courageous valor.
  • Zipporah’s son is not named (unlike Ex 2:22). He’s just “her son.”
  • Aaron comes on-stage for the first time.

Structure: This passage takes the form of 4 short scenes marked by the changes in setting and characters:

  1. Paragraph 1 (Ex 4:18-20): Moses request Jethro’s permission to leave. God repeats the mission, and Moses departs with staff in hand.
  2. Paragraph 2 (Ex 4:21-23): Yahweh tells Moses what to expect: Do all the miracles, but I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and threaten his son.
  3. Paragraph 3 (Ex 4:24-26): By means of a sudden, bloody circumcision, Zipporah delivers him when God seeks to put him to death.
  4. Paragraph 4 (Ex 4:27-31): Aaron and Moses meet, gather Israel’s elders, speak God’s words, and perform God’s signs. The people believe and worship.

Interpretation of Exodus 4:18-31

Some of my questions:

  1. Why are the first 3 paragraphs here? The story would have made plenty of sense if Ex 4:17 was immediately followed by Ex 4:27-31. And it would have saved us many questions…
  2. Why does Moses say he wants to see if his brothers are alive (Ex 4:18)? Doesn’t he yet understand his mission to rescue them?
  3. What kind of God would harden someone’s heart (Ex 4:21)? Why would God make this deliverance any more difficult than it needs to be?
  4. What on earth is happening at the lodging place (Ex 4:24-26)? Why would God seek to kill Moses when he went through all the trouble of calling him as the deliverer?
Bob Kelly (2015), Creative Commons

Bob Kelly (2015), Creative Commons

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The terminology of this section has much overlap with Genesis 46, where Jacob and his family move to Egypt: go back to Egypt, see if my brother(s) is/are still alive, took wife and sons, describe what they rode on, preparing to meet Pharaoh, encounter with Yahweh at a lodging place along the way, repetition of “people” and “son,” brother coming the other way from Egypt to meet him, happy reunion. Really, you should read Genesis 46:1-34 back-to-back with Exodus 4:18-31. You can’t miss all the similarities.
  2. This question cements the connection to Israel’s descent into Egypt in Genesis 46 (see especially Gen 45:28, 46:30). I think there is much reason to believe the narrator wants us to see the parallels, and think of Moses’ descent into Egypt as parallel to Israel’s descent to Egypt. We’ve already seen that Moses has begun to experience what Israel will later experience (Ex 3:12). If he is to qualify as their mediator, he should understand what it’s like to be them, right? What better way to do that than to have Moses relive Israel’s experience?
  3. Unfortunately, I don’t think this text answers this question. We’ll have to hang on to it for another day. At this point, it seems all we need to know is that he is, in fact, this kind of God. And that he has some reason for increasing the difficulty level of this challenge.
  4. There is much mystery here. Some translations fill in names where there are none in the Hebrew. Yahweh met “him” and sought to put “him” to death (Ex 4:24). Zipporah cut off her son’s foreskin and touched “his” feet with it (Ex 4:25). So “he” let “him” alone. Many things are unclear, but a few are clear: At a place of lodging, God draws near to put someone to death. It has something to do with the son. The thing that causes God to let him alone is the flinging of blood (blood is even repeated two times). Do you get it? This sounds a lot like Passover, yet to come in chapters 11-13! Moses experiences his own Passover-type event as part of his preparation to be a mediator for the people. It’s easy for us to forget how tense and terrifying that first Passover night must have been for the people of Israel. But Moses had already been through it. He could relate to them, and he could help them through it. It takes a gruesome display of blood to rescue God’s sons and make them his true sons.

Train of thought:

  • Moses leaves the mountain and descends into Egypt, just as Israel did 400 years earlier.
  • God will defend his son, even if he has to harden Pharaoh’s heart and kill his son.
  • Moses must experience the worst of what Israel will soon likewise experience.
  • With Moses now able to both represent God and understand what his people are going through, all are ready for the great deliverance.

Main Point: One qualified to serve as God’s faithful and merciful mediator must be made like his brothers in every way. Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Connection to Christ: You’ll see I’ve already drawn heavily on Hebrews 2:17-18:

Therefore [Jesus] had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

It’s no coincidence that the very next verses contrast Jesus, the faithful Son, with Moses, the faithful servant (Heb 3:1-6).

My Application of Exodus 4:18-31

Outward, Hands application: When I want to influence others toward Christ, words are not enough. Of course, I must speak God’s words; I cannot make excuses to do away with that step. But I must also enter in. I must experience what they experience, suffer what they suffer, weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. My evangelism should be not as focused on packaging the message just right, as it should be focused on crafting the message to connect with the real-world hopes, dreams, fears, and histories of the people God has called me to serve.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

What to Expect of My Sample Bible Studies

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I’ve been posting a series of sample Bible studies through the book of Exodus. The purpose of this post is to let you into the dark recesses of my mind, so you may know what I’m up to and why. Instead of explaining my intentions and assumptions in every post—those posts are long enough already—I’ll list those intentions and assumptions here and link back here each time for reference.

Stefan (2014), Creative Commons

Stefan (2014), Creative Commons

What I’m Doing

With these sample Bible studies in Exodus, I’d like to show you how I go about my Bible study. When I sit down to blog, I’ve probably been thinking about the passage generally, but I don’t yet know what I will conclude about the passage’s structure, main point, connection to Christ, or application. So as I write, I’m coming to the text fresh, and I’m doing my study “out loud” by writing the post. So please read these posts as simply my thought process in working through observation, interpretation, and application.

I will show you how I observe a text for the first time—almost always by collecting repeated words. Then moving on to names & titles, then grammar & structure. I’ll mention other components (genre, mood, comparison and contrast, etc.) as they pop out to me.

I will show you how I work through interpretation—taking my list of observations and being as curious as possible. Asking a few key “why” questions, with some “what” and “so what” questions where appropriate. But I’m always working to assimilate and pull things together. I want to follow the train of thought (how the author gets us from the first verse to the last verse).

I will guess at the passage’s main point, and then I will connect that main point to the good news of Jesus Christ. After I’ve figured this out, I go back and craft a title for the blog post that highlights what I think may be the passage’s main point. [NOTE: In my personal study, this is the point at which I finally crack open some commentaries to check my work. Before then, I want only the inspired text—within its context—to speak loudest.]

I will let you in on how I must change in light of this text’s message. I can’t promise I’ll always have brilliant ideas for every one of the 6 boxes in the application matrix, but I’ll vary which boxes I land in each time.

What I’m Not Doing

I don’t claim to offer the definitive analysis of each passage. I have not spent hours crafting my ideas for written presentation. I probably haven’t read any commentaries or study guides yet, and I’m not trying to enter the scholarly conversations on these texts. With each post, I am not crafting a sermon or small group discussion guide. I’m not covering every possible question or thorny issue that may arise from the passage, nor am I stating which questions or thorny issues are the right ones to pursue. I’m not suggesting that your journey through observation, interpretation, and application should look exactly like mine.

Many things in the previous paragraph are good and right things to do. I’m just not doing them with these posts.

About Application…

My thoughts on application are usually much briefer than those on observation and interpretation. There are a few reasons for this:

  1. Application is really hard, and I’m happy to admit it is so.
  2. Application takes me longer than observation or interpretation, and I don’t have enough time to process it deeply every time I sit down to blog.
  3. There are many, many articles online that focus on applying the Bible to the various aspects of life. Just google whatever topic you’re interested in, and you’ll find a trove. But there are few articles that focus on how to properly observe and interpret the Bible. I’m trying to fill that niche here.
  4. Getting specific would require pages of context every time in order to prevent misunderstanding or over-generalizing (communicating that you need to change the same way I need to change). It’s much simpler to propose a few directions for potential application.

That said, I aim to make my application genuine each time. These paragraphs capture truly how the text impacts me, at my current stage of life, as I study it.

Why I’m Doing What I’m Doing

I find that most people don’t truly grasp OIA Bible study until they’ve been able to 1) see it done well, and 2) practice it themselves. I can’t do anything about the second point, but with these posts I’d like to help you with the first. I’ll do my best to do it well, but you’ll have to judge.

On this blog, we’ve written much about the principles of good Bible study, but those principles can still leave you wondering what it looks like to follow them in real-time. Hence, these posts on Exodus. Please let me know what would serve you as I let you into my head and walk you through my study of the book of Exodus.

Exodus 3:1-4:17: The Making of a Mediator

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Exodus begins with God’s people, the nation of Israel, becoming enslaved to a devilish king of Egypt. The narrator makes it clear that God sees, hears, and knows everything that is happening to his people, and that God has not forgotten his promises to make them a great nation. But in the opening narratives, God takes a back seat. He doesn’t do much as a character in the story…

Until you get to chapter 3.

Observation of Exodus 3:1-4:17

First, let me address why I’m tackling more than a single chapter. By portraying a single conversation, the passage compels us to ignore the (somewhat artificial) chapter division and to read Ex 3:1-4:17 as a single unit:

  • Moses meets the God of his father in a flame of fire – 3:1-6
  • The LORD reveals his plan to rescue his people through the hand of Moses – 3:7-10
  • Moses objects to this plan, and God responds to each objection – 3:11-4:17
    • Objection #1: Who am I? – 3:11-12
    • Objection #2: Who shall I say sent me? – 3:13-22
    • Objection #3: They won’t believe me – 4:1-9
    • Objection #4: I am not eloquent – 4:10-12
    • Objection #5: Please send someone else – 4:13-17

Repeated words in ESV: you/your (58 times), I (31x), God (28x), said (22x), Lord (18), Moses (15), out (14), hand (13), not (12)

  • Since the passage is a long Q&A between Moses and God, we shouldn’t be surprised to see words like “you” and “I” so often. But they also highlight the nature of the conversation: This discussion isn’t about merely “what” will happen, but about what “you” and “I” will do about it.
  • The repetition of “hand” is also striking. Whose hand will be mighty enough to care for these people (Ex 3:19)? Pharaoh’s (Ex 3:8)? God’s (Ex 3:20)? Or God’s hand as represented by Moses’ hand (Ex 4:2, 6, 17, etc.)?

Names and Titles:

  • God’s name—the LORD, or Yahweh—takes center stage. He is I AM (Ex 3:14), the God of their fathers (Ex 3:15), who has seen (Ex 3:16) and promises to do something (Ex 3:17).
  • Twice, the LORD repeats the list of 6 nations who must be dispossessed from the new land of promise (Ex 3:8, 17).
  • Four times, God calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex 3:6, 15, 16; 4:5).
  • Eight times, the people to be rescued are labeled the people/children of Israel (Ex 3:9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18)—connecting them to their forefather Jacob. And once—when Moses is to speak with the king of Egypt—they are labeled as Hebrews (Ex 3:18). This latter term likely connects their identity to their ancestor Eber, in whose days the nations were divided (Gen 10:24-25). Pharaoh wanted to build another Babel (Ex 1:10-11, 14; Gen 11:3-4); he’ll get it unexpectedly, when God splits nations apart once again.
Garry Wilmore (2006), Creative Commons

Garry Wilmore (2006), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 3:1-4:17

A few possible questions:

  1. Why does God appear in a burning bush?
  2. Why won’t God just save the people himself? Why is he so committed to doing it through Moses (Ex 3:10)?
  3. Why does Moses have so many objections?
  4. Why is it so important for Moses to have God’s name to give the people?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. Twice, the text tells us the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. First, the narrator states it (Ex 3:2). Second, Moses mentions it out loud as the reason he turns aside from his shepherding (Ex 3:3). This visual image clearly matters, as it pictures the nature of God: He who burns but does not consume. He is dangerous, but not destructive. You should come close, but not too close. Later, the book will unpack this image—on this very mountain—as the consuming fire dwells in the cloud (Ex 19:18, 24:17-18). And God will more fully reveal his name to Moses as grace and truth (Ex 34:6-7). The image in chapter 3 gives us a beautiful word picture: the bush burns (truth), but is not consumed (grace). This is the nature of God’s glory. Not grace OR truth, but both grace AND truth.
  2. This is how God has chosen to do it. God says both “I have come down to deliver them” (Ex 3:8) and “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people out of Egypt” (Ex 3:10). Moses clearly represents God to Pharaoh (Ex 3:10) and the people (Ex 4:16). And, by having this experience with this God on this mountain (an experience the people will share later in the book – see Ex 3:12), Moses is representing the people before God. In other words, God will save his people, but the only way to do it is through a mediator.
  3. Well, how would you feel if you had already tried to deliver these people once before? And they had utterly rejected your deliverance? And you had to flee Egypt as a result? And you’ve had 40 years to stew on all this (Acts 7:30)? And you’re very happy with your new life and your new family? And you’ve made peace with being a sojourner in a foreign land (Ex 2:22)? Notice, however, that God is very patient in answering all Moses’ objections…until Moses renders a flat refusal (Ex 4:13). Only then does God’s anger burn against Moses (Ex 4:14). These people are as good as dead to Moses; but this God is not God of the dead but of the living (Mark 12:24-27).
  4. Vast theological treatises explore the philosophical ramifications of God’s self-revelation in Ex 3:14-15. Those are all well and good, but we must not overlook the purpose of this revelation in the story’s context: Moses needs some way to verify his testimony. If he goes back to Egypt, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to these people who have already rejected him, and he speaks of a meeting with the God of their fathers on a remote mountaintop—they’ll want to verify he’s speaking about the right God. How will they know this is the same God who made those promises to their fathers? And God’s name, his self-existence, his eternality, etc.—all provide the required verification.

Train of thought:

  • At the beginning, Moses is cheerfully keeping his father-in-laws flocks (Ex 3:1).
  • At the end, he will request leave from these duties (Ex 4:18).
  • This conversation on the mountain of God transforms Moses from being indifferent to the people’s plight to being committed to rescue them. He gets there as God lays out the plan and addresses each objection.

Main Point: God must deliver his people through the hand of a mediator, however hesitant he may be.

Connection to Christ: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). And though this true mediator wished for some other way, unlike Moses he never refused his calling (Mark 15:35-36).

My Application of Exodus 3:1-4:17

Now that I am in Christ, I, too, have a mediatorial role (James 5:19-20, Jude 23). Am I willing to embrace it? “I’m not eloquent” or “Evangelism isn’t my gift” simply won’t cut it. Unless I’m willing to risk the Lord’s burning anger at my refusal.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 2: Do You Want Deliverance Or Not?

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Exodus 1 showed us a new devil attempting to take God’s place in the life of God’s people, and the chapter left us wondering what would come of his decree to drown the sons. The Lord will reveal something about himself in this chapter that none of us would ever have expected.

Observation of Exodus 2

As usual, though my list must be highly selective, I hope it still proves representative of the narrator’s intentions.

Most repeated words in ESV: Moses, said (each 10 times), child, daughter, when (each 8x), Pharaoh (7x), God, water (each 6x).

  • Because “said” repeats so many times, dialogue will become much more important in this chapter.
  • Pharaoh sought to stamp out the sons, but God will respond through the “child” of the “daughter.” Very sneaky.
  • At first, I’m inclined to overlook “when” as being significant. But upon further investigation, the repetition clues me in on an important motif: When x, then y. In other words, the event sequence matters. There is an order to things here, and God is facilitating events to happen just so.

Names/Titles:

  • It’s noteworthy that the narrator will later tell us the names of Moses’ parents (Ex 6:20) and sister (Ex 15:20). But for now, we’re meant to think of them only in terms of their literary roles: man, woman, mother, sister, and daughter.

Grammar/structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 2:1-10): A Hebrew woman delivers a fine child through the river and into the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter.
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 2:11-15): A Hebrew man rejects the deliverance Moses attempts, and Pharaoh’s vengeance squeezes Moses out of Egypt and into Midian.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 2:16-22): Moses (thought to be “an Egyptian” – Ex 2:19) delivers seven Midianite daughters through well water. they cheerfully receive his deliverance by extending hospitality, a family, and a new identity as sojourner.
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 2:23-25): The king of Egypt dies, and the God of the living knows his people and remembers his duty to them.
Steve Perin (2007), Creative Commons

Steve Perin (2007), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 2

A few possible questions:

  1. What does it mean for baby Moses to be “fine”, and why does this fact motivate his mother to hide him and save his life?
  2. Why are we given no names except Moses, Reuel (priest of Midian), Zipporah (Moses’ Midianite wife), and Gershom (Moses’ son)?
  3. Why is deliverance such a repeated theme?
  4. Why is water such a repeated theme?
  5. So what must we conclude about Moses’ behavior in murdering the Egyptian?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. A short jaunt into a Hebrew tool reveals that the word for “fine” is the same word in Genesis 1 translated “good.” The phrase is very similar to “And God saw that it was good”—”She saw that he was good.” So, as with Exodus 1, we see more connections back to Genesis. In addition, the word used for baby Moses’ “basket” is the same word used for Noah’s “ark,” and this word occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. With the birth of Moses, God is making a new creation, a new beginning for his people, and Moses is the firstborn of this new creation. This new beginning includes a new deliverance from water through water, just like Noah. This causes us to expect something earth-shattering will soon take place.
  2. The point is not so much who these people are, but what role they play. Pharaoh targeted the sons, so the daughters (including his own) work to undermine him. And with a “man” and a “woman” conceiving and bearing a son, we can’t help but think of the first man and woman at the first creation. This leads us to see the “new creation” idea even more clearly in Moses. And interestingly, Reuel may mean “friend of God”—the priest of Midian, who invites Moses into his home and family, stands in stark contrast to both the Egyptian and Hebrew people.
  3. God foreshadows his intentions. He will, no he must, deliver his people—because of his promises to their ancestors. Moses’ role in the story of Israel will be to deliver in God’s name. He experiences deliverance himself and takes a first stab at it.
  4. Water contributes to the “new creation” theme (see answer to question #1).
  5. Many (most?) modern readers and commentators are quick to condemn Moses’ actions here as being rash and sinful. That might be true, but the text never draws attention to the rashness or sinfulness of these actions. In fact, the chief point of tension occurs not when Moses kills the Egyptian, but when the Hebrew rejects Moses as a prince or judge over him. It is that rejection, and not the murder itself, which causes Moses to flee from Egypt to Midian. What might have happened if Israel had trusted that “God was giving them salvation by his hand”? We should note that the first martyr Stephen interprets this episode in just this way (Acts 7:23-29). We would do well to follow Stephen’s lead on how to read this story.

Train of thought:

  • Pharaoh’s decree to drown the sons has an unintended effect: the creation of a deliverer (aided and abetted by his own household!).
  • But the people who need deliverance reject the potential deliverer.
  • The deliverer must flee and take his deliverance to a different people-group, who, while outside the covenants of promise, are yet eager to receive God’s deliverance.
  • But God is not yet done with his covenant people. The people who reject and thus don’t deserve deliverance will find that their God is a God who ever hears their groaning, remembers his covenant, and knows what to do.

Main Point: God will deliver his people through the hand of his appointed deliverer…just not yet.

Connection to Christ: He came to his own, and even his own did not receive him (John 1:11). And even those who have received him, who have become children of God (John 1:12), still must wait eagerly for him to appear a second time to truly, finally save them (Hebrews 9:28).

Application of Exodus 2

Application should be as varied as the people who put it into practice. Here is mine for today.

Inward:

  • Head: Do I believe that I am delivered from sin’s penalty, but must wait eagerly to be delivered from sin’s presence once and for all?
  • Heart: Do I trust God’s appointed deliverer to be a prince and judge over me?
  • Hands: Choose eagerness instead of disillusionment when I bump into rejection and the pain of life.

Outward:

  • Head: Teach my children to trust in Jesus through the pain they face today.
  • Heart: Inspire my children to long to become agents of deliverance to the world around them, in the image of the firstborn Son of God.
  • Hands: Talk with my children about how they can present Christ to some of their friends.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus 1: Though This World, With Devils Filled, Should Threaten to Undo Us

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If I am correct that the main point of Exodus is to ask, and then answer, the question, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?” (Ex 5:2)—we should expect chapter 1 to somehow set up this main idea. And in fact, it does so, by establishing the characters and creating the conditions under which the question must be posed.

Observation of Exodus 1

Of course, there are many, many observations to be made. For the sake of space, my list will have to be selective. But in these sample Bible studies, I plan to mention what appears to be most important.

Significant repeated words in ESV: Egypt (7 times), Israel (7x), people (7x), all (6x), midwives (6x), live/lives (5x), Hebrews (4x), multiply (4x), sons (3x).

  • This passage has much to say about the “people” and their experience in Egypt.
  • And the “people” are closely connected to the “sons.” They are called “sons of Israel” in Ex 1:1, but “people of Israel” in Ex 1:7 (though a quick look at an original language reference tool will reveal that the identical Hebrew phrase is used in both verses).
  • The passage ends with multiple attacks on the “sons” of Israel. God blesses the midwives with “families,” which presumably include sons.
  • In addition, the thread of “multiplication” carries through every paragraph.

Names and titles:

  • The most repeated words (see above) are specific names of the two primary nations.
  • The opening line highlights the names of characters: “These are the names of the sons of Israel…”
  • The narrator goes out of his way to name the two Hebrew midwives in Ex 1:15 – Shiphrah and Puah.
  • But he never bothers to name the hostile king. He’s referred to only as “king of Egypt” (4x) or “Pharaoh” (3x).

Grammar/Structure:

  • Paragraph 1 (Ex 1:1-7): Joseph, his brothers, and all his generation died in Egypt. But death could not prevent them from multiplying.
    • The language of these verses remind us of Genesis (sons of Israel, 70 persons, generation), especially Genesis 1: fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, land was filled with them.
  • Paragraph 2 (Ex 1:8-10): A new king over Egypt wants to deal shrewdly in order to prevent further multiplication, and to keep the people of Israel in one place.
    • The language of these verses remind us of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9): unnamed figures hostile to God, “come, let us,” prevent multiplication and scattering.
  • Paragraph 3 (Ex 1:11-14): Shrewd dealing #1: Afflict them with heavy burdens. But they keep multiplying (Ex 1:12).
  • Paragraph 4 (Ex 1:15-21): Shrewd dealing #2: Murder the sons. But they keep multiplying (Ex 1:20), and the midwives get families (Ex 1:21).
  • Paragraph 5 (Ex 1:22): Shrewd dealing #3: Drown the sons.
    • This final dealing leaves us with a lingering question: Will they keep multiplying?
Crossett Library (2011), Creative Commons

Crossett Library (2011), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 1

A few possible questions:

  1. Why are the names such an important part of the chapter?
  2. Why does it matter so much that the sons of Israel keep multiplying?
  3. Why does the king of Egypt want to prevent them from multiplying?
  4. Are the midwives lying to Pharaoh, and is it okay for us to lie to evil dictators?
  5. Will the king of Egypt succeed in his shrewd dealing?
  6. So what should God’s people expect as they live in God’s world and trust in God’s promises to the saints of old?

Answers (numbers correspond to the preceding questions):

  1. The new king of Egypt didn’t know Joseph (Ex 1:8). If we read Genesis—and this chapter seriously suggests we should read Genesis to understand what’s going on here—we can know Joseph. And God knows Joseph. And his father Jacob, and Isaac, Abraham, Noah, and Adam. God knows, and God remembers. But the king of Egypt? He’s nobody. He’s a no-name. We can’t remember him (scholars still debate over which Pharaoh this was). He can’t take God’s place or stand in God’s way.
  2. God’s people will complete God’s original mission to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28). If death can’t stop them (Ex 1:1-7), a devilish king of Egypt certainly won’t have any better success (Ex 1:8-22).
  3. Ex 1:8-10 portray him like one of the Babelites from Gen 11:1-9. He wants to take God’s place. He wants to have power over life and death, creation and recreation, justice and injustice. He wants the knowledge of good and evil (the authority to make his own decisions). He will work against God’s stated purposes, and keep these people in his land, in so far as it suits him if war breaks out.
  4. I have an opinion here. But, honestly, the question is so far removed from the author’s intention that it’s not worth as much time as we usually spend on it. Suffice it to say that one who deals shrewdly against God’s purposes will have shrewd dealings done against him. Such divine irony carries through the book of Exodus.
  5. You’ll have to keep reading Exodus, but (SPOILER ALERT) no. Pharaoh’s 3 shrewd dealings turn against him, as the Lord afflicts him with heavy burdens (Ex 7-10), murders his sons (Ex 11-13), and drowns his sons (Ex 14-15).
  6. There exist forces hostile to God’s promises and plans. But they will not succeed. Death cannot win. And devils (such as Pharaoh) run rampant and must rise up against us. Only in the context of such hostility will we truly find out who the LORD is, and why we should obey his voice!

Train of thought:

  • We pick up right where Genesis left off. Everyone dies, but God’s plans for fruitful multiplication prevail.
  • A new devil arises to claim God’s place.
    • He makes 3 attempts to bring an end to God’s plans for fruitful multiplication.
    • We’re waiting to discover what follows the decree to drown the sons

Main Point: The sons of God have many enemies, but none can prevent God’s promises from being fulfilled.

Connection to Christ: The Son of God himself had many enemies. None could prevent him from winning many brothers. If they had known what they were doing, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:8). Their own tactics (persecution and murder) have turned against them to bring about the Lord’s greatest triumph.

Application of Exodus 1

Here is my application. You’re a different person in a different context, so you may have to come up with your own. And if yours look very different from mine, that’s okay!

Inward: When I face trials of many kinds, do I allow them to shake my confidence in the Lord?

  • Head: Don’t be surprised when hostile forces (the world, the flesh, or the devil) work against my attempts to honor the Lord. Expect this to happen.
  • Heart: Fear the Lord God more than I fear any this-worldly powers.
  • Hands: Memorize Scripture, remind myself of the truth, and keep living the Christian life. Don’t stop doing what I know to do as a Christian, just because it becomes hard to do them.

Outward: When others face trials of many kinds, encourage them not to lose confidence in the Lord.

  • Head: Encourage my children and others I disciple to expect many trials. Help them learn to interpret these trials as having no power against God’s promises.
  • Heart: Train others to fear the Lord more than they fear this-worldly powers.
  • Hands: Keep preaching the gospel and making more disciples. It’s worth it to fight for traditional marriage, religious freedom, and the uniqueness of Christ. Political nations will rise and fall, but none can stop the gospel’s advance to all tribes and peoples

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Exodus Overview: Who is the LORD, That I Should Obey His Voice?

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We’ve considered the principles of Bible study in great detail. Now it’s time to put them into practice through a series of sample Bible studies in the book of Exodus. We begin with a book oveview.

While you could find many of the following points by reading a decent commentary or study Bible, you’ll have more fun—and the key points will have greater staying power in your life—if you glean them by simply reading and re-reading the book many times. To prepare this overview, I’ve consulted a few helpful sources. But I’ve spent most of my time reading Exodus 8 times in the last 3 months. I hope to read it 12 more times before the end of the year. Perhaps the repetition will lead me to change my mind at a few points.

Author

The New Testament regularly quotes or references the book of Exodus and attributes it to Moses (Mark 7:10, 12:26; Luke 20:37; John 6:32, 7:19; Rom 9:15; 2 Cor 3:13-15; Heb 7:14, 8:5, 9:19). We shall do the same.

Audience

After reading Exodus a few times, it becomes clear that the book focuses on the rescue and establishment of the people of Israel as a new nation before God. The book ends with the people at Mount Sinai, ready to move on to the land of promise. In addition, Exodus fits squarely within the flow of Exodus-through-Numbers. The book was clearly written to the Hebrews on their way to Canaan. It’s not clear, however, whether the book was “finished” for the first generation who came out of Egypt, or for the following generation. Numbers was clearly not finished until the second generation, since it reports the rebellion and death of the first generation. So Moses may have written Exodus a few decades earlier (possibly with Leviticus), for the first generation, or along with Numbers, for the second generation.

Occasion

Either way, the book of Exodus serves as a charter for this new nation. What does it mean to be not only a new sovereign state but the specially chosen people of God? When God remembers his covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, what will that mean for these frightened and fearful former slaves? And how do they know God won’t eventually abandon them?

Genre

Most of the book presents itself as historical narrative. The events that take place here will shape the nation for generations to come (such as, Ex 12:1-6). Yet this narrative has frequent sub-genres: speech, dialogue, miracle story, and law code.

About a third of the way through, we get a long poem (Ex 15:1-21). Perhaps this attention-grabbing shift signals a climax of some sort…?

Themes

Steve Day (2008), Creative Commons

Steve Day (2008), Creative Commons

Reading Exodus, you can’t miss the theme of rescue from slavery. The first part of the book (chapters 1-15) tells the story of the greatest rescue in Old Testament history. And that rescue casts a long shadow even on the laws that follow (for example, Ex 22:21).

And while we might think of Exodus as being primarily about the exodus from Egypt, that event covers less than half the book. We also see a significant chunk of laws (chapters 20-23) and tabernacle instructions/construction (chapters 25-31 and 35-40). So our summary of themes must do justice to all these major sections:

  • rescue from slavery
  • guidelines for living as God’s people
  • patterns for constructing God’s dwelling place

Interestingly, each of these three themes goes nowhere without the intercession of a mediator. God delivers the people through the hand of Moses. God issues his laws through Moses’ representation. And God passes his building instructions through the same human lips. If you happen to miss this idea early, you can no longer ignore it when the tabernacle instructions are repeated twice, in their entirety: Once in dialogue to Moses, and again as Moses’ underlings carry those instructions out.

Purpose Statements

Another thing to look for in a book overview is explicit statements of purpose from the author. In Exodus, such purpose statements abound, often placed on the lips of God.

To the Hebrews: “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Ex 6:7).

Concerning the Egyptians: “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them” (Ex 7:5).

To Pharaoh: “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Ex 9:16).

From Jethro, priest of Midian: “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people” (Ex 18:11).

Regarding the tabernacle: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God” (Ex 29:45-46).

Beginning to end, Exodus portrays a God who wants all people and communities to know who he is and what he has done. This God wants an awareness that goes even beyond humans. He wants to take down rival deities as well. “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD” (Ex 12:12).

Structure

The shifts in theme and genre are the literary clues we need to find the book’s structure.

  1. Narratives of deliverance – Ex 1-15
  2. Narratives of provision and preparation – Ex 16-18
  3. Legal instructions – Ex 19-24
  4. Construction instructions – Ex 25-40

Of course, that last section is shockingly interrupted with the Hebrew’s grievous sin with the golden calf (chapters 32-34). This incident suggests a larger shape for the second half of the book, as follows:

1. Covenant made – Ex 19-24

2. Tabernacle instructions – Ex 25-31

1′ Covenant broken and repaired – Ex 32-34

2′ Tabernacle constructed – Ex 35-40

Bringing these pieces together, we get the following big picture:

  1. Delivering from the house of slavery – Ex 1-15
  2. Preparing the house of Israel – Ex 16-18
  3. Constructing the house of God – Ex 19-40

Main Point

Connecting all the threads of occasion, genre, themes, purpose statements, and structure, we can state the main point of the book of Exodus in a single question:

“Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?” –Pharaoh, king of Egypt (Ex 5:2).

Exodus unequivocally answers Pharaoh’s question in three parts: Who is Yahweh [in English Bibles, “LORD” in all caps], and why should you obey? He is the God who 1) demolishes the house of slavery, 2) prepares to rebuild, and 3) builds his house in the midst of his people.

Now we’re ready to dive into the details. This main point will guide us as we work our way through the book.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Who Really Wrote The Psalms?

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Who wrote the Psalms?  Predominantly King David wrote them.  Who spoke the Psalms?  The witness of the New Testament is that Jesus is the primary speaker of the Psalms.  It’s his voice we should hear as we read the Psalms.

Jesus Spoke The Psalms

When the author of Hebrews read Psalm 22, instead of David, he heard Jesus telling the Father of his intent to be the worship leader for the church: “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Heb 2:12)

When Luke read Psalm 31 he knew David wrote it, but the voice that resounded in his ears was Jesus’ voice as he hung on the cross, calling out with a loud voice, saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)

Jesus had grown up hearing Psalm 118.  It was written ages ago, but to him the words of Psalm 118 were his words.  Psalm 118 was about him, and it expressed his thoughts.  So, when rejected by the religious leaders, he spoke the words of Psalm 118 as his own: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes”. (Matt 21:42)

We should hear the voice of Jesus when we read the Psalms.  Jesus is the new David who spoke the Psalms, the new worship leader who leads his people through the Psalms in worship (Heb 2:12) and the new David who experienced the more ultimate suffering and victory that his ancient father expressed in his psalms (Matt 22:44).

Reading The Psalms Afresh

This truth has unlocked new treasures in some of my favorite Psalms.  If Jesus is the primary speaker of Psalm 20, did you know that his prayer for you is …

May God grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! (Psalm 20:4)

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! (Psalm 20:1)

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! (Psalm 20:1)

May we shout for joy over your salvation! (Psalm 20:5)

Do you ever doubt that Jesus is for you?  Does it seem that he has forgotten?  I’ve lost loved ones, experienced heart-wrenching break-ups, seen loved ones destroyed by Parkinson’s, seen churches and ministries split because of fighting and pride, and experienced deep loneliness and separation.  I’ve wondered if God even cares.  Does he pay attention?

The resounding answer is “Yes.” He cares.  In fact, right now he is praying for God to grant your heart’s deepest desires.  He is praying for an overflowing joy in the very salvation that he bought for you.  He is praying that God would protect from trouble.  We know God hears his son!

Do you see the power of reading the Psalms with Jesus as the speaker?  I encourage you to read the Psalms in a fresh way.  See that Jesus is the primary speaker of the Psalms.  See that the Psalms are all about Jesus (Luke 24:44).

Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

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When Jesus entered Jerusalem, shortly before his execution, why did the crowds quote from Psalm 118? “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9). In the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, Rick E. Watts states:

Although the evidence is late, its widespread nature suggests that Ps. 118 was sung during the Second Temple era on Passover Eve and subsequently integrated into other feasts in which Ps. 118:25 [“Save us!” = Hosanna] was recited.

Lawrence Lew (2007), Creative Commons

Lawrence Lew (2007), Creative Commons

So, as Jesus entered Jerusalem for that last Passover feast, Psalm 118 would have been on worshipers’ minds. No wonder Jesus also quotes from the Psalm a few days later while disputing the religious leaders (Mark 12:10-11). To understand Jesus’ triumphal entry, his passion week, and Good Friday, we should get a handle on this Psalm.

Observation

Psalm 118 has more repetition than most psalms:

  • Let so-and-so say, “His steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 118:2,3,4)
  • The Lord is on my side (Ps 118:6,7)
  • It is better to take refuge in the Lord that to trust in… (Ps 118:8,9)
  • In the name of the Lord I cut them off (Ps 118:10,11,12)
  • They surrounded me (Ps 118:11,12)
  • The right hand of the Lord (Ps 118:15,16)
  • You are my God (Ps 118:28)

All this repetition gives the psalm a lilting, chanting feel. You can imagine the energy and rhythm carried throughout.

We find the most significant repetition in verses 1 and 29. The psalm begins and ends with the same statement:

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

These bookends highlight the psalm’s main purpose: To recruit others to give thanks to the Lord. Why?

  1. For he is good.
  2. For his steadfast love endures forever.

Structure: Digging deeper, we can see the psalm following these thoughts in its very outline:

  1. Introduction: Let all who worship the Lord give thanks – 1-4
  2. For he is good – 5-18
  3. For his steadfast love endures forever – 19-28
  4. Conclusion: Give thanks to the Lord – 29

Interpretation

Why is there so much repetition of short phrases? Clearly, the poet wants the people to join him in giving thanks. He tries to whip up the crowd, and he does so with a poem, a few mantras, even a song. He says it explicitly in verses 14-15:

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous.

While Ps 118:5-13 describes the Lord’s salvation for this distressed king, out among the nations and fighting the Lord’s battles, Ps 118:14-18 shows him including the crowds in his celebration.

So in Ps 118:19, a homecoming parade begins at the city gates. From Ps 118:22-23, the pronouns shift from singular (I) to plural (we), so the crowds have joined the parade. In Ps 118:26, the parade makes its way to the temple, from which the priests call down a blessing on this returning, conquering king. And the parade continues into the temple complex, up to the altar of burnt offering, where they give thanks for the festal sacrifice (Ps 118:27).

The parade climaxes with the offering of a substitute for king and people. The king didn’t die among the hostile nations (Ps 118:10,17). The people didn’t die; God is building them up around the cornerstone of their king (Ps 118:22-24). But the festal sacrifice dies in their place so they can shout, “You are my God…You are my God” (Ps 118:28).

Main Point

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good (saving the king from his distress); for his steadfast love endures forever (causing the people to join the king’s celebration).

Connection to Jesus

Can you see any parallels yet between Psalm 118 and Jesus’ passion week? He rode into Jerusalem like a conquering king (Mark 11:7-10). The crowd joins the homecoming parade.

Yet his true distress is yet to come. He is not threatened by the hostile nations, but by his own people. Upon entering the city, he makes a beeline for the temple (Mark 11:11), but he finds no celebration. Instead of blessing him, the chief priests try to trap him (Mark 11:27-12:44).

Instead of a celebrating a climactic festal sacrifice, Jesus must himself become the festal sacrifice. If the people are to rejoice in the day the Lord has made, this king must die.

Application

  1. On this Good Friday, please remember what kind of savior Jesus had to be. His distress brought you a song. He died, so you could live. He was disciplined, so you could become sons and daughters of God.
  2. Turn your distress into song. Life is hard, and distress is real, but Psalm 118 gives you a way forward – a way to turn your distress into song. Though distress is real, it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in presidential primaries. Remember often and recount the Lord’s salvation, and see if that doesn’t put your distress in perspective.
  3. Join the parade. Though our faith focuses on one man’s death for all the people, Christianity is not ultimately a funeral march but a homecoming parade. If the music or the children are too loud in your church, it might mean you’re not vigorous enough. Please try to keep up when we worship the Lord Jesus, the blessed king who has come in the name of the Lord.

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40 Application Questions From Isaiah 40

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Angell Williams (2008), Creative Commons License

Angell Williams (2008), Creative Commons License

Isaiah 40 is rich with imagery, promises, and soaring truths about God. If you’ve spent time worshiping with Christians, you’ve probably sung a hymn or song which draws on this chapter.

And though we’ve sung from Isaiah 40, I suspect far fewer of us have studied it or dug deeply into the application of this passage. After all, application is hard—we’re usually satisfied if we can find one token application before we move on to the nachos.

Not today, my friends. We’re going deep with application today.

The Main Point

The main point1 of Isaiah 40 can be stated succinctly.

Take comfort: the incomparable God will come and care for his people.

Preparing for Application

When beginning to apply a passage, remember that there are two directions of application (inward and outward). We are confronted with these questions: How do I need to change? How can I influence others to change?

There are also three spheres of application: the head, the heart, and the hands. The author’s main point in a Bible passage should affect what I think/believe, what I desire, and what I do (respectively).

Finally, the best applications are specific and keep Jesus and his saving work in mind.

Application Questions for Isaiah 40

Instead of providing my own application of Isaiah 40, I’ve written questions to guide your application of the passage. I worked hard to get forty questions, just to show that the Bible reaches far deeper into our lives than we usually allow.

Head Application, Inward

  1. Do you believe that God is the creator of everything (Is 40:12, 22)? Do you believe that God is the ruler over the nations (Is 40:15–17)? Do you believe that God directs and names the stars in the sky (Is 40:26)?
  2. When are you likely to forget that God is the creator and ruler?
  3. How can you remind yourself that God is the creator and ruler?
  4. Do you believe that God is wise (Is 40:14)? Do you believe that God is unique, unlike any idol (Is 40:18–20)? Do you believe that God is able to strengthen the weak (Is 40:29–31) and protect the vulnerable (Is 40:11)?
  5. When are you likely to forget that God is wise and unique, the source of protection and strength?
  6. How can you remind yourself that God is wise and unique, the source of protection and strength?
  7. Do you believe that God wants comfort for (and not vengeance upon) his people?
  8. Do you believe that God is devoted to his people? When are you likely to forget this? Why?

Heart Application, Inward

  1. In times of distress or uncertainty, what brings you comfort? Do you find comfort in hearing truth about God?
  2. What do you rely on for strength or energy? Do you depend on caffeine, sleep, “comfort food,” or something else?
  3. Do you know the burden of exhaustion and discouragement shouldered by God’s people? Do you want God to comfort his people?
  4. Do you want to be comforted by God, or would you prefer to find comfort in something (or someone) else?
  5. Do you rejoice that God has come to be near/with you in the person of Jesus? What specifically about Jesus’s presence brings you joy?
  6. Do you rejoice that God is eager to give you His strength? What difference does God’s provision of his strength make in your life?
  7. Do you fear the nations? How can you pray so that you will not fear them?
  8. Do you fear the government? How can you pray so that you will not fear it?

Hands Application, Inward

  1. With what actions do you seek comfort? When do you desire comfort? How can you train yourself to seek Biblical comfort?
  2. How can you turn God’s creation into reminders about God’s character for yourself? (Witness the way Isaiah uses these images to teach about God: a shepherd with lambs (Is 40:11), stars (Is 40:26), nations (Is 40:15–17), grass and flowers (Is 40:6–8), scales and measurements (Is 40:12), grasshoppers (Is 40:22), craftsmen (Is 40:19–20), eagles (Is 40:31), youth (Is 40:30).)
  3. When do you find yourself needing strength? How can you seek/receive the strength that God promises?
  4. How can you seek God’s strength through his word?
  5. How can you seek God’s strength through worshiping him?
  6. How can you seek God’s strength through fellowship with his people?
  7. How can you seek strength from God through the means he provides (sleep, recreation, etc.) and still acknowledge God as the source?
  8. What does it look like for you to “wait for the Lord” (Is 40:31)? In what circumstances is it difficult for you to wait for the Lord? Why?
  9. How will the truths from this passage affect the way you celebrate Advent/Christmas this year?

Head Application, Outward

  1. What are some false/inadequate comforts you have given to other people? How can you replace these imitations with Biblical comfort?
  2. When do you have opportunities to remind other Christians what God is like? How can you plan to be ready in these situations?
  3. What questions can you ask your neighbors or friends to lead to a discussion about God?
  4. What questions can you ask your children to lead to a discussion about God?

Heart Application, Outward

  1. Do you desire that all of God’s children know his comfort? Are there some you would rather not be comforted?
  2. How can we help each other discover what brings us comfort?
  3. How can we help each other discover where we turn for strength?
  4. How will you build friendships so that these are natural/welcome topics of conversation?
  5. Are you hesitant to reveal your own misdirected comfort-seeking to others? If Jesus has died for you and welcomed you into God’s family, why are you hesitant?

Hands Application, Outward

  1. How can you extend God’s shepherdly comfort to his flock?
  2. Identify at least two people within your sphere of concern who are especially vulnerable. How can you care for them?
  3. How can you encourage others to seek God for strength?
  4. How could you involve others in a Christmas celebration that focuses on God’s comfort and care for his people in Jesus?
  5. How can you use creation to discuss God with your children?
  6. How can you use creation to discuss God with your neighbors?

Back to Jesus

How do these application questions specifically remember Jesus? I haven’t made that explicit, but consider this. In the beginning of the chapter (Is 40:2), when God calls for comfort for his people, the basis of the message is this: “her warfare has ended, her iniquity has been removed, she has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” The foundation of the message is reconciliation with God, initiated by God. Jesus has come near and provided comfort and care for us; therefore, we can exhort ourselves and others to seek out our merciful God.

  1. Here’s a brief outline of the passage to support this claim. (But you should study the passage yourself to check my work!) The theme of comfort is introduced in Is 40:1, and the three “voices” that respond to this command introduce their own sections in Is 40:3, Is 40:6, and Is 40:9. Isaiah discusses God’s unmatched actions and abilities in Is 40:12-14 (his creation and wisdom), Is 40:15-17 (the nations are insignificant before God), Is 40:18-20 (God is unlike any human idol), Is 40:21-24 (God dwells in the heavens and brings earth’s rulers to nothing), and Is 40:25-26 (the Holy One directs the stars by his power). We also read of God’s coming to his people in both Is 40:3-5 and Is 40:9-11, and his concern for his people is evident in Is 40:9-11 (his ruling arm provides tender care, especially for the most vulnerable) and Is 40:27-31 (God gives his own strength to his people).
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