Hindsight can be a beautiful thing but sometimes hindsight blinds us rather than illuminates us. As the people of Israel are ready to leave Egypt for good, they have little idea of the epic journey has in store for them. As we read the story of Yeshua’s life in the New Testament, we have the same benefit and “curse” of hindsight as we read about the last few weeks of his life. We tend to be a little judgmental towards His favorite disciples because of they lacked a true understanding of Yeshua’s mission until after His death and resurrection. Today, ignore hindsight and discover some truths in these stories that hindsight otherwise obscures.
Category: Discussions
Few generals and kings approach an upcoming battle and know for absolute certainty that they will be dead by the end of it. This was Saul’s predicament here. The burden of that knowledge must have been unbearable. Questions about how Saul actually died abound since there seems to be two different version of the story in the Scriptures which need to be reconciled. This chapter also sparked conversation about ancient Israelite burial methods and suicide.
The exile of the Israelites in the land of Egypt comes to a climatic end with the 10th plague — the death of the firstborn — and the first Passover, or Pesakh in Hebrew.
Paul returned to Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) to celebrate one of the appointed times of the LORD. While there, the leadership of the body of believers there note the great work God’s Spirit is doing among the nations but point out opposition from some believers who claim that Paul is teaching believing Jews to disregard Torah — the first five books of the Bible — and tradition. This was a revisiting of the ruling by the Yerushalayim Council, recorded in Acts 15, on what standard the new believers from the nations were called to follow.
Some claim this passage shows Paul’s “being all things to all people,” by going along with the supposedly obsolete Torah. A new body of New Testament scholars are warming to what’s called the New Perspective of Paul, which views the traditional interpretation of “works of law” in the letters to the Galatians and Romans as referring to the Torah itself to be misleading. Today’s discussion of this passage is a beginning point for looking at “works of law” before the study of Galatians begins after Acts.
David volunteers to follow the Philistines into war but the Philistine leaders rebuke him and send him away. David remains in favor with Achish as he leaves the Philistines in peace and they battle the Israelites on their own. This release from service was a blessing because David had to rescue his wives and family as well as the families of his men from the raiding Amalekites.
The people of Israel didn’t follow Moshe (Moses) initially. Moshe didn’t believe that Pharaoh would hear him either. God affirmed Moshe yet God told Moshe and Aaron to go to Pharaoh anyway. God had a plan to elevate Moshe and Aharon (Aaron) in the eyes of Pharaoh and the people of Israel. The first three plagues were unleashed on Mitsraim (Egypt) but the magicians of Mitsraim have the same power and Pharaoh doesn’t want to believe that the hand of the Creator is at work in Moshe and Aharon.
In today’s discussion, we explored Exodus 6, focusing on God’s promise to deliver Israel and the meaning behind His name, “I Am, that I Am.” We talked about Moses’ doubts, the Israelites’ broken spirits under oppression, and how God’s actions fulfill His promises. The group reflected on the importance of faith during hardship, the pattern of God revealing Himself, and the significance of genealogy in understanding Israel’s story. We also connected these lessons to our own spiritual journeys.