The Rambling Disciple

In the book of Exodus we are introduced to many important elements that appear throughout the rest of the Bible. This is where we meet Moses, the first prophet sent to the nation of Israel. It is in Exodus that we first learn of the tabernacle and God's intention of living among his people. It is in Exodus that we witness the first Passover, which is the type of what is to come in Jesus. There are several other events that we could look to in Exodus, but there is one in particular that is very important that we have largely ignored; God revealing his name. We typically only refer to God by his titles. We call him Lord, Father, Judge, King, and God (yes, God is technically a title). I would like to emphasize now that there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. In fact I would say that it is right for us recognize the power and authority of God in what we call him. What today's post is about is the fact that we have forgotten or even ignored the fact that God reveals his n...

The book of Genesis is all about beginnings. From the cosmos to Israel, the entirety of the first book in the Bible is dedicated to explaining how things began. To the Israelites, now free from bondage in Egypt, it was the story of how they got to now. It showed them that God had been with them from the beginning, even before there was a nation. The next book, Exodus, continues the story. Background The book of Exodus was likely written around the same time as Genesis; while the Israelites were camped at Mt. Sinai. This means that the same dating issues that surround Genesis also exist here. The author, Moses, recorded how God rescued Israel from Egypt and forged a covenant with them.  The name of the book, Exodus, refers to one of the two central events of the narrative; the Israelites exiting Egypt. This name comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. The Hebrew name for the book, however, has nothing to do with the contents of the boo...

So last week's entry was about the Bible, specifically what the Bible actually is. We established that the Bible is an extraordinary document with the primary purpose of pointing people to Jesus. We also discussed just how incredible it is that the Bible is made up of so many different parts, yet manages to stand strong as a whole. This is the first of 66 blog posts that will cover every single book of the Bible. Each book has something unique and powerful to teach us about God. I can also think of no better way to explore the character of God than to go piece-by-piece through the Bible. The Bible's purpose, after all, is to point people to God. So each of these blogs will be comprised of three sections. The first is some background information on each book. This will include things like the author, date, and significant events surrounding the book. Remember that each one was written in a specific time and place in history with various events, people, and ideas floating aro...

The past few weeks have been devoted to the question of "Who is Jesus?" I pray that those entries have been helpful, even if in the most minute ways. What is great about starting with Jesus is that he is the focal point of our faith. Jesus is the hub from which all other aspects of Christianity is founded and linked. As such studying about Jesus leads to studying about everything else as well. But what are we studying exactly? This is a valid question. Something we Christians tend to take for granted is the Bible. We know that it is authoritative and what we should study, but what is it exactly? Have you ever stopped and pondered what the Bible is? The answer is somewhat surprising (in a good way). What is the Bible? First there is an important distinction that needs to be made. Ready? The Bible is not the primary source through which we know God. That would be Jesus. It is through Jesus, not the Bible, that we come to the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the l...