Studying through the Life of Moses
I'm fortunate to be in a church that values solid biblical instruction. We have adult Bible classes every Sunday following worship. About 75% of folks stay for classes.
We're currently going through a three-month-long study in which my sermons and all adult classes focus on the same material. This is the second time we've tried this approach. Last spring, we went through the gospel of Luke. It met with such a positive response that we're repeating the concept.
This time around, we're looking at the life of Moses. It allows us to highlight important material from the Pentateuch. We spent the first month in Exod 1-15. We've moved on into the wilderness. Over the final six weeks, we'll touch on material from Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. If not for this study, when would I ever preach from Leviticus?
I've learned (and said) that this study is less about the man Moses than about the formation of God's people. How God forms a people is something crucial to our church's journey, given our current spot. We are in the midst of renewal that is taking us in unexpected and exciting directions. We need to be able to recognize God's work in our midst, and this study seems to be timely for that reason.
Plus, this material is some of the most theologically rich in the whole Old Testament. It shapes the trajectory for the eschatological preaching of the prophets (and psalms) and forms the basis for much of Paul's midrash. Passages like Exodus 34 are sadly unknown to most church people.
I prepare lessons for the teachers of all our adult classes. These cover way more material than I can in a 30-minute sermon. Plus, the goal for me in preaching is less to "cover material" than to help move the church somewhere. The class material is built to complement the sermons.
Here's a breakdown of our 13-week study:
Apr 1 Moses’ Unlikely Birth (Exod 1:1-2:10)
Apr 8 Midian’s Burning Bush (Exod 2:11-3:10)
Apr 15 God’s Call and Moses’ Five Excuses (Exod 3:11-4:17)
Apr 22 God’s Battle Versus Pharaoh, aka Ten Plagues (Exod 7:1-10:29)
Apr 29 Escape from Egypt (Exod 12:29-36; 13:17-22; 14:1-31)
May 6 Sinai and the Ten Commandments (Exod 19:1-20:21)
May 13 Golden Calf and God’s Mercy (Exod 32:1-35; 34:1-9)
May 20 Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10)
May 27 Call to Holiness (Lev 19)
Jun 3 Rejecting the Promised Land (Num 13-14)
Jun 10 Sin and Consequences (Num 20:1-13; 21:4-9; 25:1-9)
Jun 17 Looking to the Promised Land (Deut 4:39-40; 6:20-25; 11:2-7; 30:15-20)
Jun 24 Death of Moses (Deut 34)
We're currently going through a three-month-long study in which my sermons and all adult classes focus on the same material. This is the second time we've tried this approach. Last spring, we went through the gospel of Luke. It met with such a positive response that we're repeating the concept.
This time around, we're looking at the life of Moses. It allows us to highlight important material from the Pentateuch. We spent the first month in Exod 1-15. We've moved on into the wilderness. Over the final six weeks, we'll touch on material from Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. If not for this study, when would I ever preach from Leviticus?
I've learned (and said) that this study is less about the man Moses than about the formation of God's people. How God forms a people is something crucial to our church's journey, given our current spot. We are in the midst of renewal that is taking us in unexpected and exciting directions. We need to be able to recognize God's work in our midst, and this study seems to be timely for that reason.
Plus, this material is some of the most theologically rich in the whole Old Testament. It shapes the trajectory for the eschatological preaching of the prophets (and psalms) and forms the basis for much of Paul's midrash. Passages like Exodus 34 are sadly unknown to most church people.
I prepare lessons for the teachers of all our adult classes. These cover way more material than I can in a 30-minute sermon. Plus, the goal for me in preaching is less to "cover material" than to help move the church somewhere. The class material is built to complement the sermons.
Here's a breakdown of our 13-week study:
Apr 1 Moses’ Unlikely Birth (Exod 1:1-2:10)
Apr 8 Midian’s Burning Bush (Exod 2:11-3:10)
Apr 15 God’s Call and Moses’ Five Excuses (Exod 3:11-4:17)
Apr 22 God’s Battle Versus Pharaoh, aka Ten Plagues (Exod 7:1-10:29)
Apr 29 Escape from Egypt (Exod 12:29-36; 13:17-22; 14:1-31)
May 6 Sinai and the Ten Commandments (Exod 19:1-20:21)
May 13 Golden Calf and God’s Mercy (Exod 32:1-35; 34:1-9)
May 20 Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10)
May 27 Call to Holiness (Lev 19)
Jun 3 Rejecting the Promised Land (Num 13-14)
Jun 10 Sin and Consequences (Num 20:1-13; 21:4-9; 25:1-9)
Jun 17 Looking to the Promised Land (Deut 4:39-40; 6:20-25; 11:2-7; 30:15-20)
Jun 24 Death of Moses (Deut 34)
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