DAY 1 Genesis 45-46; Matthew 20
DAY 2 Genesis 47; Matthew 21
DAY 3 Genesis 48-49; Matthew 22
DAY 4 Genesis 50; Exodus 1; Matthew 23
DAY 5 Exodus 2-3; Matthew 24
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been swayed to the "read all of the Old Testament and then all of the New Testament (or vice versa)" routine, so I'm going to format my notes/questions accordingly. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still trying to find my posting groove with our new study. Prayerfully, we'll all be in a rhythm soon.
GENESIS 45 Notes:
GENESIS 46 Notes:
GENESIS 47 Notes:
GENESIS 48 Notes:
GENESIS 49 Notes:
GENESIS 50 Notes:
EXODUS 1 Notes:
MATTHEW 21 Notes:
MATTHEW 22 Notes:
MATTHEW 23 Notes:
MATTHEW 24 Notes:
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been swayed to the "read all of the Old Testament and then all of the New Testament (or vice versa)" routine, so I'm going to format my notes/questions accordingly. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still trying to find my posting groove with our new study. Prayerfully, we'll all be in a rhythm soon.
GENESIS 45 Notes:
GENESIS 46 Notes:
GENESIS 47 Notes:
GENESIS 48 Notes:
GENESIS 49 Notes:
GENESIS 50 Notes:
EXODUS 1 Notes:
- Ex 1:8 "Now a new king [i.e. Pharaoh] arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." (Amp)
- As the generations of people who experienced Egypt's roller coaster of plenty and famine died, so too, did the people's understanding of how bad the famine had been and their depth of appreciation for Joseph's leadership during that time.
- This reminds me of younger generations of Americans with respect to the Great Depression and World War 2. The generation of people who lived during that time are all but gone. How are we seeing our society change as a result? What are the dangers associated with forgetting this time?
- A theme we will begin to see woven throughout the Bible is deliberate remembrance. Why do you think deliberately remembering is/will be important?
- Ex 1:9-22 "... Behold the Israelites are too many and too might for us ..." (vs. 9)
- Pharaoh started into a series of schemes to keep the Israelites under control, but we're going to see one after the other backfire.
- Scripture doesn't seem to indicate that the Israelites had made any waves up to this point. In fact, having been in Egypt for hundreds of years, the people had probably begun to blend in with the Egyptians.
- We'll see that Pharaoh's attempts to tighten his grip on the Israelites will actually end in his losing it altogether.
- Like Pharaoh, have you ever imagined a problem into existence?
- Like the Israelites, has God used someone else to make you uncomfortable in your own comfort zone?
- Plan A
- Pharaoh's first plan was to beat the Israelites down, "but the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied ..." (vs. 12).
- As a result, Pharaoh turned the heat up on their slavery. The Amplified Bible calls it "severe slavery" in verse 13.
- Plan B
- How would killing the Hebrew baby boys help Pharaoh?
- Pharaoh's initial Plan B was to have the Egyptian midwives kill the Hebrew boys at birth.
- What does verse 17 say about the midwives?
- What do you think caused the midwives to fear God?
- What explanation did they give to Pharaoh in verse 19?
- This leads me to believe that Pharaoh wanted the Hebrews to think their sons were stillborn.
- As with Plan A, Pharaoh escalated Plan B. When the midwives couldn't get the job done, who did Pharaoh enlist to take care of business?
- No longer trying to hide behind stillbirth, Pharaoh just wanted those babies gone, and he commissioned every Egyptian to make it happen.
- When did Moses' mother hide him (vs. 2)?
- Would every mother feel the same, i.e. that her baby was beautiful? I wonder if mothers giving birth at this time would choose not to look at their babies. If it was a girl, then she would look. If a boy, then seeing would be too heartbreaking.
- Moses' mother "saw him" (vs. 2), and once she did, she couldn't let him go.
- This thought reminds me of the current push to get ultrasound machines into clinics. Statistics show that, if a woman (even if she is abortion-minded), sees her baby, then she is much more likely to choose life.
- When did Pharaoh's daughter take "pity on" Moses (vs. 6)?
- When did Moses kill the Egyptian (vs. 11-12)?
- After Moses spent 40 years in Midian, when did God remember His covenant and decide "it time to act" (vs. 25, NLT)?
- How do you find the things you see to affect your actions?
- When did Moses turn away from tending Jethro's flock (vs. 3)?
- When did God call "out to him" (vs. 4)?
- Moses made eye contact with the Angel of the Lord, and that was all it took.
- What about you? Are you one who avoids eye contact hoping you won't get called upon? ;)
- What was Moses's response to God's direction (vs. 11)?
- I imagine Moses's playing over and over the words of his Hebrew brother from Exodus 2:14, the desire of Pharaoh in Ex 2:15, the guilt of being spared as a baby (Ex 1:22).
- God did not try to pad Moses's ego when He responded. Moses asked, "Who am I?" God's answer was "I AM."
- It wasn't about Moses. It was about God working through him.
- Take a second to go back and read Genesis 15:13-16.
- In verses 18-22, God gives Moses some good news and some bad news.
- What was the good news?
- What was the bad news?
- Expect to come back to this bad news later. (I can hardly wait!)
MATTHEW 21 Notes:
MATTHEW 22 Notes:
MATTHEW 23 Notes:
MATTHEW 24 Notes:
