Reading with Ben

Reading with Ben

By Ben LopezArtsBooks
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Reading with Ben episodes

  • The Book of Exodus Chapters 23 & 24. ESV Version.

    Welcome back to Reading with Ben! It's time to continue with episode #12 Exodus chapters 23  & 24.


    Exodus chapter 23.

    • This one's easy: don't mess with other people.
    • Don't lie at someone else's trial; bring back Bob's donkey when it gets lost; don't take bribes; be nice to immigrants.
    • Oh, and here's an interesting issue that relates to our times: "When you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit." Decide the case on its own merits, and don't be biased against one side. Sounds like the pledge they make you take at jury duty.

      • Chapter 24
      Who's On First?
      • Whew. Now that all that nice legal mumbo jumbo is over (hint: it's not), let's get back to our tour of Mount Sinai.
      • God tells Moses in 24:1-2, "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship at a distance. Moses alone shall come near the Lord; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."
      • Basically, this is Moses's party. The elders get to witness stuff, but they can't really be in tune with God like Moses can.
      • Moses goes to the people and reads to them from the Book of the Covenant. You know, just some light reading.
      • Everyone is hunky-dory, so Moses sprays the people with animal blood to make everything nice and official. Talk about the blood oath of blood oaths.
      • Here's where things get confusing. Moses and the elders go up to see God, and the text is pretty explicit about them doing it together. Didn't God say that this was a Moses-only club?
        • 10 min
      • The Book of Exodus Chapters 21 & 22. ESV Version.

        Welcome back to Reading with Ben! It's time to continue with episode #11 Exodus chapters 21  & 22.

        Chapter 20:1-21

        The Ten Commandments
        • Big chapter, people. Heads up.
        • The Ten Commandments are some of the most influential words in the entire Bible, and they've influenced thousands of years of Western thinking. Even in our day-to-day lives, the Ten Commandments resonate with how people think about right and wrong. As you go through them, think about how they relate to your life. We dare you.
        • God gives the people the Ten Commandments orally. Let's tackle them one by one.
          • 12 min
        • The Book of Exodus Chapters 19 & 20. ESV Version.

          Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #10

          Exodus chapters 19  & 20.


          Chapter 19

          The Holy Zone
          • Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrive at Sinai.
          • God tells Moses to assemble everyone for a big announcement. But one thing: they can't come up onto the mountain (where Moses chats with God) or they'll die. Noted.
          • Everyone washes up to look nice for the party.
          • God descends upon the mountain in fire, smoke, and eerily loud trumpet blasts.
          • God tells Moses, "Do not let either the priests or the people break through to come up to the Lord; otherwise he will break out against them" (19:24). Notice here that access to God is restricted to the few. For a guy who wants to adopt these people as his own, God doesn't seem to want to get too close to them.

            • Chapter 20

            The Ten Commandments
            • Big chapter, people. Heads up.
            • The Ten Commandments are some of the most influential words in the entire Bible, and they've influenced thousands of years of Western thinking. Even in our day-to-day lives, the Ten Commandments resonate with how people think about right and wrong. As you go through them, think about how they relate to your life. We dare you.
            • God gives the people the Ten Commandments orally. Let's tackle them one by one.
              •  
              10 min
            • The Book of Exodus Chapters 17 & 18. ESV Version.

              Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #09

              Exodus chapters 17  & 18.

              Chapter 17

              The Israelite Water Board Convention and Amalek
              • Again in the desert, the Israelites do some more complaining. This time, it's about the lack of water. The desert is one dry place.
              • Moses asks God for help again, and God shows Moses a rock. Moses hits the rock with his magic staff, and water pours out.
              • That was easy.
              • Next up, another tribe, the Amalekites, attacks. Moses chooses his lieutenant, Joshua, to go out and fight the enemy.

                • Chapter 18
                Jethro and the Israelite Court System
                • Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, comes for a visit. He brings Moses's wife Zipporah and Moses's sons Gershom and Eliezer (who finally has a name). It's unclear whether Moses and Zipporah were getting along well before this.
                • Moses fills Jethro in on all that has happened to the Israelites, and not surprisingly, Jethro is amazed.
                • Jethro, Moses, and Aaron worship and eat together. Like ya do.
                  • 9 min
                • The Book of Exodus Chapters 15 & 16. ESV Version.

                  Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #08

                  Exodus chapters 15  & 16.

                  Chapter 15

                  Sing! Sing! Sing!
                  • Moses and the Israelites sing a song to God after their triumph. Wouldn't you be singing after that?
                  • The song that the Israelites sing has a ton of historical nuggets: it talks about the character of God, has a different understanding of water (check out "Symbols" for more), and also celebrates the destruction of the Canaanites.
                  • But wait. The Israelites haven't even gone into Canaan yet, so what's going on? There's a contradiction in the text.
                  • This one's a sure bet. Why would you sing about something that hasn't happened yet?

                    • Chapter 16
                    Food, or Something Like It
                    • Not surprisingly, the Israelites get hungry.
                    • They complain to Moses, who asks God for help.
                    • God tells Moses that each day, he will give the Israelites food, but that they can't take more than their fill for one day. Every sixth day, he will give them twice as much food, so that on the seventh day (the Sabbath), he can take a break.
                      • 12 min
                    • The Book of Exodus Chapters 13 & 14. ESV Version.

                      Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with episode #07.

                      Exodus chapters 13  & 14.
                      Chapter 13

                      Recap, Circumcision, and Magic
                      • Moses reminds the people how big a deal their liberation from Egypt was, and proclaims that the festival of the Lord will occur every year to commemorate the event.
                      • This was the guy who said he wasn't qualified to do the job. Just look at him now!
                      • Circumcision is established as a way to mark God's covenant on males.
                      • In a not-so-great turn of events, God steers the Israelites away from the land he promised them. He does this because the Philistines, a coastal nation, is in the way of Canaan, the land God promised the Israelites.
                      • God is worried that if the Israelites get into a war with the Philistines, they will forget that he, God, just saved them. So they go the long way around.
                      • God leads the people "in a pillar of cloud by day," and "a pillar of fire by night" (13:21-22). Whoa.
                      • Moses takes the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had wanted to be moved with his people.

                        • Chapter 14

                        The Parting of the Red Sea
                        • God tells Moses to take the Israelites in a funky direction so Pharaoh will think they're aimlessly wandering around. God will also harden Pharaoh's heart so that he regrets letting the Israelites go.
                        • Pharaoh's heart is hardened. Again.
                        • Pharaoh decides to go after the Israelites. He rallies 600+ chariots to do the job.
                        • Quick note: here's a great example of the text contradicting itself a little bit. If Israel has 600,000 men, then how does Pharaoh expect to beat them with 600 chariots? The text could be trying to make Pharaoh seem stupid, or it could be the work of two different writers. You decide.
                        • Back in the story, the Israelites see the Egyptians advancing, and start panicking.
                        • When Moses cries out to God, God tells him to stretch out his hand and divide the sea.
                        • God's angel keeps the Egyptian army at bay while the sea opens up to create a passageway. The Israelites pass through the sea on dry land.
                          • 13 min
                        • The Book of Exodus Chapters 11 & 12. ESV Version.

                          Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 30, 2022, and Episode #06!

                          Exodus Chapters 11  & 12.

                          Chapter 11

                          Prepare for the Final Plague
                          • God lets Moses know that something big is coming. God instructs Moses that the Israelites should all ask their neighbors for silver and gold.
                          • Moses tells Pharaoh that God will claim every Egyptian firstborn (the prince, the slaves' first sons, the animals' firstborn—everyone) at midnight. That means they'll die.
                          • Yikes.
                          • And guess what? Pharaoh refuses to let the people go after God hardens his heart again.

                            • Chapter 12

                            Everybody Out!
                            • This is it. The big one. God and the destroyer kill every firstborn Egyptian, from the prince right on down to the firstborn calves. Exodus tells us in 12:30 that, "There was not a house without someone dead." Grisly.
                            • The Egyptians, including Pharaoh, have had enough and tell the Israelites to get lost ASAP.
                            • The Israelites leave so quickly that their bread doesn't rise in the oven, but they do save enough time to "plunder" the Egyptians of all their gold and silver (12:36).
                            • Exodus tells us that 600,000 men, plus some unmentioned number of women and children, left Egypt at the end of 430 years in that land. Time out: 600,000?! The world population at the time was less than 50 million people, so we're talking at least 2% of the entire planet's population. That's a lot of people.
                              • 13 min
                            • The Book of Exodus Chapters 9 & 10. ESV Version.

                              Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 29, 2022, and Episode #05!

                              I'll continue the lecture on the book of Exodus with chapters 9  & 10.

                              Plagues 5, 6, and 7: Fire, Brimstone, and Disease
                              • Plague #5 comes sweeping in. All Egyptian-owned livestock—donkeys, cows, sheep, camels, and horses—are hit with a nasty thing called pestilence, a disease that wipes them out. All Israelite livestock are spared. Natch.
                              • Pharaoh again refuses to let the Israelites go. He's really not getting the picture.
                              • Plague #6 is a nasty one. Moses takes some kiln soot (dust gathering at the bottom of a pottery oven), throws it in Pharaoh's face, and nasty boils pop up all over all the Egyptians' bodies. Ew.
                              • Pharaoh's magicians not only can't fix this plague, but they actually fall before Moses.
                              • God again makes Pharaoh stubborn, and so Pharaoh plays his part and refuses to let the Israelites go.
                              • God explains to Moses why he continues to "harden Pharaoh's heart," saying, "I have let you [Pharaoh] live to show you my power and to make my name resound through all the earth" (9:16). So this is all for self-exaltation?
                              • God unleashes Plague #7. This is it, folks. The original fire and brimstone passage. The seventh plague is a huge amount of hail, accompanied by fire raining from the sky. And guess what? None of it hits the Israelites.
                              • Pharaoh finally relents and tells Moses to call off the fire. Moses does so, but then Pharaoh decides—surprise!—to keep the Israelites in slavery.


                                • Chapter 10

                                Plagues 8 and 9: Locusts and Darkness
                                • Team Israelite threatens to unleash locusts on Egypt if Pharaoh continues to be a meanie. Pharaoh's advisers tell him to release the Israelites, and so Pharaoh asks Moses how many Israelites Moses and Aaron intend to take into the wilderness.
                                • Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh that they're taking everyone.
                                • Pharaoh laughs out loud, and tells Moses to get lost.
                                • Bad movie, Pharaoh.
                                • Locusts devour every green thing in Egypt: "Nothing green was left, no tree, no plant in the field, in all the land of Egypt" (10:15).
                                • Pharaoh says he'll let everyone go if the locusts go, so Moses and God lift the plague. God again hardens Pharaoh's heart, and he reneges on his promise again.
                                • Next up, God unleashes Plague #9, a darkness that covers all of Egypt. This isn't normal darkness. God describes it as "a darkness that can be felt" (10:21). Yikes.
                                • Pharaoh again tells the people to go, but asks Moses to leave the Israelite livestock. After all, the Egyptians' animals are all dead. Moses tells Pharaoh that that isn't cool, and Pharaoh gets super annoyed. He tells Moses that if he, Pharaoh, ever sees Moses again, he'll kill him.
                                  • 15 min
                                • The Book of Exodus Chapters 7 & 8. ESV Version.

                                  Welcome back to Reading with Ben! I'm very excited to start reading the second Book of the Bible... Yes! I'm talking about Exodus. This is Episode #02 of this new season, Reading chapters 7 & 8.

                                  Chapter 7

                                  God again comes to Moses and Aaron, and says to Moses, "I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet" (7:1). He's not making Moses a god, but he is giving him divine powers. God again promises to make Pharaoh stubborn so that the Egyptians can witness God's power. There's no show if he says go. Aaron gets his turn using the magic snake-staff, but the Egyptian priests turn all of their staffs into snakes, too. Not to be outdone, Aaron's snake eats all the others. Grizzly.

                                  Chapter 8

                                  God, Moses, and Aaron again team up to dump thousands and thousands of frogs onto the Egyptians. Pharaoh's magicians can reproduce the miracle, ironically only worsening the problem. Oops. Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh when he'd like the frogs removed, and Pharaoh lets them know he'd like the friendly amphibians gone by the following day. Moses and Aaron pray and the frogs leave. Pharaoh, happy that his bed is frog-free, decides to ignore the Israelites' requests for freedom. Next plague. Gnats. Millions and billions and millions of gnats. Everywhere. On animals, people, the works.
                                  12 min
                                • The Book of Exodus Chapters 5 & 6. ESV Version.

                                  Welcome back to Reading with Ben! I'm very excited to start reading the second Book of the Bible... Yes! I'm talking about Exodus. This is Episode #02 of this new season, Reading chapters 5 & 6.


                                  Genesis chapter 5 They had to work harder and could not diminish their production. Moses returned to the Lord asking ‘what’s up with that? Moses thought he was going to walk in and walk out with the Israelites.

                                  Genesis chapter 6 God satisfies Moses as to his complaints, ver. 1. He gives him fuller instructions on what to say to the children of Israel, ver. 2 - 8.
                                  but to little purpose, ver. 9. He sends him again to Pharaoh, ver. 10, 11. But Moses objects against that, ver. 12. upon which a strict charge is given to him and his brother, to execute their commission with vigor, ver. 13. An abstract of the genealogy of the tribes of Reuben and Simeon, to introduce that of Levi, that the pedigree of Moses and Aaron might be cleared, ver. 14 - 27 A repetition of the preceding story, ver. 28 - 30.

                                  11 min

                                About Reading with Ben

                                From the publisher's feed

                                Hello everyone I'm glad to introduce myself in this first episode.