Bible reading notes
Sabbath rest I (Exod 20:8-11)
Exod 20:8-11 Symbolic actions can be hugely significant. They can transform our attitudes, as in the case of my friend who had a difficult relationship with her mother. She wrote her a letter and put into it all her anger…
Jealous God, intergenerational punishment (Exod 20:5)
Exod 20:5 In my last post on the second commandment I had no space to engage with two particular issues that causes concern for readers and I address them here. Jealous God The motivation clause in Exod 20:5 describes God…
Idols and not taking God’s name in vain (Exod 20:4-7)
Exod 20:4-7 We might wonder what meaningful application might be drawn from these two commandments for today. After all, making images of either God or other gods is hardly a temptation among evangelical Christians. In a similar way, not taking…
No other gods (Exod 20:1-3)
Exod 20:1-3 Most of us have met people who do not wish to be associated with the Church yet maintain that they are trying to be good and keep the Ten Commandments as a baseline. What they have in mind,…
Approaching God with reverence (Exod 19:16-25)
Exod 19:16-25 Christians often contrast our open approach to God (Heb 10:19-20) with the distance kept by Israel at Sinai (Exod 19:12-13). However, we should not drive too great a wedge between the OT people of God and ourselves and…
Be prepared! (Exod 19:10-15)
Exod 19:10-15 For the past few weeks in NZ, we have heard the repeated warning to prepare for another COVID outbreak, yet many have remained complacent and impatient of such advice. As the threat has now become reality, we realise…
All that the Lord has spoken, we will do! (Exod 19:7-9)
Exod 19:7-9 A girl in the young adults’ group I belonged to was getting married and at her wedding the minister emphasised the importance of putting the other person first in the relationship and prioritising love for them before one’s…
A kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod 19:1-6)
Exod 19:1-6 One of the questions that Christians face in connection with the Old Testament is how to understand the role of the Mosaic Law. The Law for us evokes the hypocrisy of some Pharisees condemned by Jesus and pernickety…
Jethro’s advice (Exod 18:13-27)
Exod 18:13-27 A church I was involved in my teenage years went through a period of revival when a number of folk from different age groups came to faith. One of those was a middle-aged woman who was very controlling…
That they may know that I am God (Exod 18:1-12)
Exod 18:1-12 For many who live with family members who are not Christians, feeling that invisible separation is a heartache. When we ourselves have experienced God’s redemption, it saddens us to see a gap between us and our loved ones…