God gives instructions for the setup of Israel's camp so he might dwell in their midst. This is a picture of the covenant relationship where he is there God, and they are his people. The shape of the camp is meant to shape Israel's life — and — it anticipates the way God will dwell with his people forever.

In Numbers, or 'through the wilderness', Israel is camping with God and tested to see whether they will be people who move towards God, and so 'fruitful garden life' or away from God towards the 'desolate wasteland.'

Children are part of the household of God in the Old Testament, and the New; and we should read the Bible to them.

But — we also need children to teach us how to enter the Kingdom of God as 'little children' — filled with awe, and wonder, and questions — so reading the Bible with children is a chance for us to learn from them.

God gives us community — through time and across space — to teach us how to read the Bible from outside our own moment.

When we read New Testament letters we are reading other people's mail. They are very human pieces of correspondence. How do we see the difference between 'bring me my coat' and other parts of Paul's letters to Timothy? Could the 'human' parts of the letters be the key to understanding them and applying them to our situation?

How do we read the Old Testament as those who read it after Jesus, and especially as gentiles?

Should we read the David and Goliath story identifying as David, or those who lined up behind Goliath who faced God's anointed king while cosplaying as a Serpent?

The Bible is literarily true; not simply 'literally true' — and its authors use conventions like genre not just to give texts meaning but so that they fulfil a purpose. We test this framework out on some apocalyptic texts.

We can treat the Bible like it's 2D words on a page, where our job is to pull the text apart and comprehend its meaning; or like it is in 4D; where it pulls us into a way of seeing and living in the world as those who are brought face to face with Jesus in his glory.

God's words are given to us through ancient people speaking and writing ancient languages that are translated (and interpreted) into English. They are true in timeless ways as they reveal the glory of Jesus to us and invite us to be transformed into his image and likeness. Remembering that they are ancient and entering the world 'of the text' — seeing how words are used throughout the Bible's story — and the world 'behind the text' — seeing how words are used in the ancient world adds richness and helps us avoid domesticating texts in ways that make them speak only to our time.

The Bible is fully human, and fully divine and fulfilled in Jesus.