Motivation (Matt 3:1-6)
Matt 3:1-6 Many of you reading this will know that at the end of last year I finished up as OT lecturer at Carey Baptist College, which meant moving my office to the spare bedroom at home. I ordered some…
Preparation for change (Matt 3:1-3)
I am taking a break from Exodus and continuing a series on Matthew (from ch.3) that I started over Advent and Christmas. For a summary of chs. 1-2, see my Christmas post here. Other posts on Matthew 1-2 are under…
Redemption and a foretaste of what’s to come (Exod 4:24-31)
Exod 4:24-31 This post concludes my reflections on God’s attack on Moses (you can read Part I here and Part II here). The question left to be answered is Zipporah’s action: what exactly is she doing and how does this…
Under attack – Part II (Exod 4:24-26)
Exod 4:24-26 In today’s post I want to address some uncomfortable questions that we might have about God’s attack on Moses (see Part I here). Why did God want to put Moses to death when He has just sent him…
Under attack – Part I (Exod 4:24-26)
Exod 4:24-26 As we continue the story of Moses, we come to one of the most obscure incidents in Scripture. Although translations often identify the characters in order to make sense of the events, the original leaves much of it…
Israel, my firstborn (Exod 4:21-23)
Exod 4:21-23 Despite the difficulty in understanding the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (see my post here), we should not allow it to take over our understanding of the passage. God is speaking to Moses on the eve of his return…
The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
Whenever I mention that I am a specialist in Old Testament, I encounter questions of what people find difficult there. High on the list, along with the issue of violence, is the topic of Pharaoh’s hardening by God. As I…
Please, Lord, send someone else! (Exod 4:13-20)
Exod 4:13-20 Despite the Lord’s repeated reassurances, the bottom line is that Moses feels too inadequate to take on the job God called him to. One can almost hear the panic in his voice as he says, ‘Please, Lord, send…
Qualifications for God’s work (Exod 4:10-12)
Exod 4:10-12 Only days after I decided to give up my job as an English language teacher, I went to a friend’s party where a casual conversation with a new acquaintance led to my applying for a PA job at…
Getting to know you (Exod 4:1-9)
Exod 4:1-9 At one time I was listening to the conversation of some Christian friends from a charismatic background, who were bemoaning the fact that the initial glow of God’s presence seemed to have faded from their experience: they no…