A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

by Pastor Gayle Evers

021 Exodus Through Deuteronomy - The Golden Calf

The Golden Calf When Moses finally gets down off that mountain he's greeted with the Israelites running amok. Fireworks ensue. Moses pleads with God to spare the people...and God does! Aaron doesn't even lose his job as High Priest. Amazing. In this lesson we see God's holiness in its stark power, and it raises a lot of questions. Join us for the discussion as we try to understand the "Both/And" God. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

022 Exodus Through Deuteronomy - Chickening Out and Grumbling

Numbers 13-21 The Israelites make it to the border of the Promised Land. Moses tells them to go for it! Take the land! And they chicken out. Then, to make matters worse, a big group of the Levites stage a coup, accusing Moses and Aaron of being power hungry. The result of the coup is not pretty. But even that fiasco isn't enough to stop the Israelites from grumbling and rebelling. God does some incredible, amazing things--so much so that Jesus even talks about it in a secret meeting with a powerful leader. And we make some surprising connections between the seraphim of the Hebrew Bible and a story about a snake on a pole. Who knew all this was in the Bible??? A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

023 Exodus Through Deuteronomy - Balaam and the Ass

Numbers 21:10-27:11 Balaam is a prophet for sale. Israel's enemies hire him to curse the Israelites and the results are hilarious. From a talking donkey to "You're fired!" this is a complete fiasco for Balaam. You can almost hear God say, "Who's your Daddy?" Are sorcery and divination fake or real? What was Balaam's most grievous sin in this whole sorry saga? (It'll probably surprise you.) We give some thought to discernment, gifts and calling in the discussion afterwards. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

024 Exodus Through Deuteronomy - Moses' Parting Shot

Deuteronomy If you were leading these stiff-necked, stubborn folks, what last words would you say to them? How would you persuade them to choose good things over bad things? How would you convince them that God loves them and will care for their every possible need, if they haven't understood that already? Moses tries everything--telling them, giving them object lessons, writing it all down, telling them to write the important stuff on their hands and their foreheads, appointing (and praying for) a new leader, and even teaching them a song! We finish the Torah, the first five books of the Bible today. What would you write on your forehead? What have you discovered about God? A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

025 Joshua, Judges, Ruth - Entering the Promised Land

Joshua 1-5 World powers at war. Migrations of displaced peoples. And the Promised Land is caught in the crossfire. Israel readies itself to enter the Promised Land and God shows up in a big way. In fact, the Commander of the Lord's Army shows up. I wonder who that is? Lots of things happen in this liminal space as Israel crosses over from slavery into the land of promise. Cutting off, heaping up, spies and sex workers--it all comes together in a dramatic way as we follow the Israelites across the Jordan River. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

026 Joshua, Judges, Ruth - Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho

Joshua 6 thru Judges 2:9 This class is for the skeptics in the bunch. Walls falling down when you shout at them? The sun standing still for 24 hours? Must we suspend all laws of physics? What about Biblical Inerrancy? What do we do with all this stuff? We tackle these tough questions. There is room for everyone at the table--the skeptics and the literalists. We finish up Joshua today and get the Israelites settled in the Promised Land. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

027 Joshua, Judges, Ruth - Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah

Judges 2 thu 5 This book is the cesspool of the Bible. And we often mistake that cesspool for being a reflection of God when it is actually a reflection of the people he was trying to communicate with. These stories are violent, earthy, and often overtly sexual--and they are in the Bible for a reason. Join us as we explore "campfire theatre" at its best. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

028 Joshua, Judges, Ruth - Gideon the Timid and the 300 Not-So-Great Warriors

Judges 6 thu 9 It's a good thing God shows up for Israel. I'd hate to have to rely on Gideon. And, really, that's the point God is making. God often picks the weakest to be the "hero" so there is no question at all as to who is doing the saving. Gideon is a sort of Clark Kent/Superman hero. Half the time he's timid and cautious and half the time he's a brilliant, courageous hero. His son, on the other hand, is ambitious, arrogant, and a serial killer. As usual, the Bible takes some crazy twists and turns. This time, the question is how to know God's will for us. Gideon's answer was to "fleece" God. What do you do? A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

029 Joshua, Judges, Ruth - Jephthah's Daughter

Judges 10 thu 11 This is one of the most difficult stories in Scripture. So it is rarely taught and most people don't even know it's in there. What do you do with child sacrifice--especially when it is done as an act of devotion to YHWH? We don't just use one backpack tool on this tough story--we use two! And the results are startling. If you have time, stick around for the after-class discussion at the end of the video. There's some good stuff in there. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

030 Joshua, Judges, Ruth - Samson, the Incredible Hulk

Judges 12 thu 16 What happens when God's call goes off the rails? We all know about Samson's long hair and Delilah's treachery, but there's a lot more to the story. The enemies du jour are the Philistines. They've been a thorn in the side of the tribe of Dan from the git-go and now the Lord's going to do something about it. The problem is, God picks Samson as the hero this time. Why is that a problem? Because Samson is all about Samson. This week we'll see what happens when the hero is an immature hothead who thinks he's God's gift to women. And we'll talk about our own gifts and how God is using them...or not. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

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