Key Verses: Exodus 16-18

Key Questions


What is God teaching the Israelites (and us) through the daily provision of manna and the prohibition on storing it? How does this practice challenge the empire mindset of accumulation and control? How do these wilderness experiences reshape Israel’s understanding of God—not just as deliverer, but as sustainer?

How is Sabbath more than a religious observance—how is it a political and social act of resistance? What are modern forms of “Sabbath resistance” in today’s work-driven culture?

How does the people’s panic and complaint reflect the difficulty of transitioning from slavery to freedom? How does God’s response show ...

Key Verses: Exodus 13-15

Key Questions


Why does God ask for the consecration of the firstborn after the Exodus? How might this ritual be understood as a way of remembering that life belongs to God, not Pharaoh?

What role does embodied ritual (like eating unleavened bread) play in helping future generations internalize liberation? How do our bodies remember what our minds sometimes forget?

How does the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night signify God’s leadership? What might this say about divine guidance in uncertain, in-between spaces in our lives?

How does the “Song of Moses” function as a theological and political ...

Key Verses: Exodus 11-12

Key Questions


How does the Passover ritual help shape a collective identity for the Israelites? What role does the household play in Israel’s liberation? How does the command to share the lamb among neighbors reflect communal values, especially under threat? How does shared ritual function in your own community or faith tradition?

What does the use of blood on the doorposts signify? What does this action represent, and how is it developed in the Bible?

Why are the people told to eat with sandals on and staff in hand? What does this urgency say about faith in movement?

What does ...

Key Verses: Exodus 7-10

Key Questions


Chapter 7 begins with a clarification of the dynamic between God, Moses and Aaron in terms of prophetic activity followed by an announcement of judgment that God would bring to the land of Egypt. How does this text anticipate later prophetic activity within Israel?

How do the miraculous signs performed by Moses and Aaron challenge Pharaoh’s authority? In what ways do the “plagues” challenge the Egyptian worldview and its pantheon of gods?

What does Pharaoh’s continued resistance reveal about the nature of human obstinacy in the face of justice? What is the meaning of “hardening of the ...

Key Verses: Exodus 5-6

Key Questions


Pharaoh responds to Moses’ call for justice by increasing oppression (questioning “rest” and adding to the labor so that the people will not regard “lying words”). What does this say about how oppressive powers react to the demands for liberation?

How can the Israelite response to increased hardship inform contemporary understandings of faith under oppression?



Egyptians perceive the Israelites as “idle.” How does derogatory language precede de-humanizing actions in the Bible and in history?


How does God's reaffirmation of the covenant with the patriarchs strengthen the Israelites’ faith (especially in 6:3)? What is the role of memory in ...

Key Verses: Exodus 3-4

Key Questions


Abraham J. Heschel talks about “the prophet” being one who feels deeply what God feels (pathos). Consider the possible symbolic meanings of the burning bush—what do they disclose about the nature of God, his relationship to the world, and Moses’ mission?

Why is the revealing of God’s name significant in the development of the story of God and His people? 


What does God’s statement, “I have seen… I have heard… I know… and I have come down” reveal about God’s stance toward the oppressed? How should this inform the ethical sensibilities of communities of faith today?



How ...

Key Verses: Exodus 1-2

Key Questions


Why is it meaningful to consider the title of the book (Exodus x Shemot) as we think about the nature of the book of Exodus itself?


What kind of a world is the world in the first chapters of Exodus and how similar is it to our world today? 


Where is God and where are “His people” in the introduction of the book of Exodus? How do the women depicted in the first two chapters of Exodus provide insights into possible answers to this question.


How does the author use irony and reversal in the scene of ...

Opening QuestionWhat is the largest natural disaster you’ve experienced personally?

IntroductionOur lesson this week concludes the study of prophetic foreshadowings or types from the Old Testament that predict or hint at final events. The key here is that they show how God’s actions in history give us reasons to have hope in the future. The same struggles and victories of His people in the past are ours today. 

This lesson looks at Jonah’s calling, and then takes us to Babylon to watch it fall, and reveals a pagan “Messiah” who delivered God’s people from their exile. Yes, God even uses pagan ...

Opening QuestionWhat aspects of the future worry you most?

IntroductionThis lesson is primarily drawn from Daniel 2 and 3 and some New Testament parallels, especially Relation 13. Generally, Daniel can be divided into two sections: chs. 1-6 are narrative while chs. 7-12 are more prophetic/visionary. Yet in both chs. 2 and 4, Nebuchadnezzar has dreams. In both, Daniel interprets them for the king, setting the stage for, and giving us clues of interpretation regarding, the later chapters of the book. 

It often surprises Bible readers when they learn that the narratives of Daniel are just as significant to helping interpret Revelation ...

Opening QuestionWhat value do you find hearing ancient stories?

IntroductionThis lesson focuses on two small books: Ruth (4 chapters) and Esther (10 chapters). These stories have been told in Christian and Jewish circles with much respect for these faithful women, holding them up as beautiful exemplars. The stories contain some surprises when read beyond the children’s books, but these only make the stories more complex and dramatic. I highly recommend reading through both books in their entirety, rather than reading a section here or there. We will find, as the quarterly addresses, that these stories have a future-focus as well.

RuthRead ...