Weekly Bible Study Review
April 29, 2012

 


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Class Schedule
Go to www.theocentrix.org click on the "Events" tab
for maps and more information.

classroom
Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Hutchins Hall Room 402
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 7:00 pm

peacock 1
Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month

 

January 7, 2012 

February 4, 2012 

March 3, 2012

March 31, 2012 

 April 28, 2012 

May no class

June 2, 2012 

July 14, 2012 

August 11, 2012 

September 8, 2012 

October 6, 2012
November 3, 2012
December 8, 2012
 
topofpageGreetings! 

This newsletter is sent to people who attend one of Sandy's weekly Bible studies. The left column has the current class schedule. Be sure to watch for the links in each article. Clicking on them will lead you to charts, diagrams and additional articles related to your class. 

Anyone can subscribe to this free newsletter by using the link in the upper left corner. If you would like to forward this issue to a friend all you have to do is click on the link below.




rtbclassThursday Read-to-Believe Class  
Exodus

Exodus 2:1-5:23

2:1-10 Last week we read Pharaoh's order that all the baby boys must be thrown into the Nile River. Moses' parents were both descendants of Levi. When their son was three months old and they couldn't hide him anymore his mother placed him in a basket in the Nile. Moses' sister followed the basket and when Pharaoh's daughter found him the girl was allowed to go get Moses' mother to care for him. When Moses got older he was returned to Pharaoh's daughter and became her son.

 

v. 11-25 When Moses grew up he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew man. The next day he saw two Hebrews fighting and intervened but was frightened when he realized they knew he killed an Egyptian. Pharaoh tried to kill him so Moses fled to Midian where he sat by a well. The seven daughters of a pagan priest of Midian came to water their flocks but were driven away by some shepherds. Moses came to their rescue and watered their flocks. Moses stayed at the priest's house and the priest gave him Zipporah in marriage. They had a son named Gershom which means "an alien there." In class we talked about how familiar this story sounded. We read in Genesis that Jacob met Rachel at a well and Abraham's servant met Rebekah at a well. A long time later the Pharaoh died. The Israelites cried out to God to rescue them from their slavery. God heard them and was concerned about them.

 

3:1-10 Moses was tending his father-in-law's flocks on the far side of the desert and came to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai) where the angel of the Lord appeared to him "in flames of fire within a bush." God called him by name and told him to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground. God identified Himself as "the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord told him He has seen the misery of His people and has come down to rescue them and bring them into the land of Canaan. The Lord was sending Moses to bring them out.

 

v. 11-22 Moses did not want to go. God assured him that He would be with him and gave him this sign--  after He brought them out of Egypt they would worship God on this mountain. Moses wasn't sure the Israelites would believe him so he asked God for His name. The answer was, "I am who I am." "I am" was sending Moses. God also said He was the "the Lord, the God of your fathers--  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." This would be His name forever. Moses was to assemble all the elders and tell them what God was about to do. God said the elders would listen to him. Then Moses and the elders must go to Pharaoh and tell him the Lord wants them to take a 3-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to Him. But God said Pharaoh would not be willing to let them leave unless "a mighty hand" compels him. So God will strike the Egyptians with plagues and then Pharaoh will let them leave. On their way out of Egypt the Hebrews will plunder the Egyptians and take with them gold, silver and clothing.

Click to read more... 

Take the Romans Challenge
Take the Romans Challenge
The Romans Challenge
If you're reading this newsletter you already know the importance of reading the Bible aloud in a group. In this video Albert Baroody invites people to take the Romans Challenge and read Romans in two translatons with three other people.

The object is to encourage as many people as possible to read Romans out loud together. The Spirit of God inhabits the Word of God and we believe this simple act of reading an entire epistle together will be fruitful in ways we may not be able to see or measure.

Please watch the video and consider taking the Romans Challenge yourself. Even if you choose not to participate please like us on Facebook and forward the video to some of your friends and family. 
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Since ancient times the Bible has been read aloud to groups of people who were eager to hear the words of Life. We're really no different today. Believers still look to the Bible for wisdom and instruction. We belong in the Word together. Thank you for your participation in these classes. I hope you will pass this email on to others and invite them to attend a Bible study.

Grace and peace,
Sandy Blank



readtobelieveThursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Exodus 2:1-5:23

4:1-9 Continuing the conversation at the burning bush--  Moses wanted to know what to do if the people didn't believe that the Lord had actually appeared to him. So the Lord gave him the power to perform three dramatic signs: 1) Moses could throw his staff on the ground and it would turn into a live snake. When he picked it up again it would return to being a staff. 2) Moses could put his hand inside his cloak and it would become leprous. When he put his leprous hand back in his cloak it came out healthy. 3) Moses could take some water from the Nile and when he poured it on the ground it would become blood.

 

v. 10-16 Moses still didn't want to go back to Egypt. He reminded the Lord that he is "slow of speech." Perhaps this would disqualify him. But the Lord said He is the one who gave man his mouth, who makes him deaf or mute, and who gives sight or makes a man blind. The Lord promised to help Moses speak and He would personally teach him what to say. But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." The Lord was angry with Moses and said his brother Aaron could speak well and could serve as the spokesman. It would be as though Moses were God and Aaron was his prophet. The Lord would help both Moses and Aaron speak to the people. In class a question came up about free will. If Moses refused to be the leader then shouldn't the Lord respect his decision? If Moses has free will then didn't the Lord violate that free will? When a man wants one thing and the Lord wants something else, who gets their way in the end? It was an interesting discussion.

 

v. 17-20 The Lord reminded Moses to take his staff with him because he would need it to perform miraculous signs. Moses left the burning bush area and went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, asking for permission to go back to Egypt to see if any of his own people were still alive. Jethro sent him in peace. The Lord told Moses that the men who wanted to kill him were dead. So Moses took his wife and sons on a donkey, picked up his staff, and set out for Egypt.

 

v. 21-23 The Lord told Moses that in spite of all the miraculous signs Pharaoh would not let them go because the Lord would harden his heart. In class a question came up about how the Lord could blame Pharaoh for his hardened heart if it was the Lord who hardened his heart in the first place. Moses must tell Pharaoh that Israel is the firstborn son of the Lord. Pharaoh must let His son go so he may worship the Lord. But if Pharaoh refuses then the Lord will kill Pharaoh's firstborn son (which He did in the final plague).

 

v. 24-26 In a lodging place on the way to Egypt the Lord met Moses (or Moses' son) and was about to kill him until Zipporah circumcised her son and placed the foreskin at the feet of Moses. She said, "surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me." (speaking of circumcision). The Lord did not kill him. Scholars disagree about whether this refers to the Lord threatening to kill Moses or Moses' son. Given the reference to firstborn sons in the previous paragraph it seems likely that it was Moses' firstborn son who was in peril. His mother was not a Hebrew and the boy apparently hadn't been circumcised. This is a difficult passage to understand.

 

v. 27-31 The Lord sent Moses' older brother Aaron into the desert to meet him. They met at Mt. Horeb where Moses told him everything the Lord said and showed him the miraculous signs. They brought together all the Hebrew elders and Aaron spoke to them. They believed him and were moved to bow down in worship when they heard of the Lord's concern for them.

 

5:1-9 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him the Lord wanted him to let the Hebrews go into the desert for a festival. Pharaoh said he didn't know the Lord and had no reason to obey Him. They told him if he refused to let them go then the Lord might strike the Hebrews with plagues or even kill them. But Pharaoh sent Moses and Aaron away. The same day Pharaoh ordered the slave masters to stop supplying the Hebrews with straw but still require the same number of bricks to be made each day. He said the Hebrews were just lazy so he would make their work harder, then they'd pay no attention to Moses and Aaron.

 

v. 10-23 The Egyptian slave masters beat the Hebrew foremen for not meeting their daily quota of bricks. The foremen appealed to Pharaoh saying it wasn't fair for him to expect them to make as many bricks when they had to go out and forage for straw. But Pharaoh just told them they were lazy and sent them back to work. The Hebrew foremen realized they were in big trouble. When they saw Moses and Aaron waiting for them they were angry and blamed them for the trouble they were in. Moses went to the Lord and asked Him why He had brought such trouble upon the Hebrews. Moses said, "You have not rescued your people at all."

Much more next time.

 --Sandy Blank

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This newsletter is maintained by Sandy Blank (Ph.D. Educational Studies, Biola; MA Biblical Studies, Grace University). If you would like further information about any of her classes or would like to know how to start a Bible study in your area please contact her at [email protected]. This newsletter is sponsored by Theocentrix, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting God-centered Bible literacy. Visit www.theocentrix.org for more information.