Sabbath School From Home

There are plenty of similarities between the opening parts of Philippians and Colossians.  We love the salutation "grace and peace", and are intrigued by the emphasis on knowledge and understanding. Both passages have phrases which might seem to point towards legalism and a kind of perfectionism, but our conversation leads us to quite a different understanding. 

Our new season exploring Philippians and Colossians starts with consideration of their context.  Paul was writing from prison, and certainly had experience of circumstances going against him. This gives an interesting complexity to the famous verse about him being able to do all things through Christ. We share some personal reflections about the book of Philippians and discuss a few other verses t...

The final chapter of Joshua seems to focus on themes of God's agency, idolatry, and continuity.  There is a strong emphasis on God's actions that have led the Israelites since Abraham - and especially since the Exodus. The history that has unfolded in Joshua is described as God's doing. Calls against idolatry are perhaps an expected theme as Joshua nears the end of his life, since this issue has b...

The narrative changes gears considerably in the last two chapters of Joshua.  We get "the years passed" and mention that "Joshua was now very old", and it is clearly a conclusion to the story of this mighty leader. It is interesting to notice the ways in which Joshua himself can't easily see how emphases might change as God continues to lead his people. This entirely normal human limitation is per...

We're back at Joshua 22, and the story of avoided conflict continues to fascinate us.  Despite some difficulties with logistics and audio (sorry for lower quality this week) we explore a few new ideas from the story of a contentious altar. It is interesting to connect this with the phrases used in Joshua 4, when stones are also erected as a memorial. We discuss a connection with the tradition of c...

Joshua and Jesus are the same name, but how well does the Old Testament character point to the Messiah?  The lesson dives into slightly technical detail about "type" and "antitype", and we explore how Joshua might be interpreted in the light of God's self-revelation through Jesus. 

In the days when the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, they nearly came to civil war. This is a re-publication of an episode from 2021 (season 7 episode 5 if you're counting) because life has been hectic, and it is slightly pre-empting a bit of the lesson coming up in 2 weeks. This conversation explores a lesser-told story in Joshua that grows out of an important rule in Deuteronomy 12.

Caleb is a mighty warrior with a fantastic attitude!  It is amazing to read him at 85 years old asking for the hardest cities to conquer all because he "is as strong as" when Moses sent him on the spy journey 45 years earlier. The story of Caleb seems to play a few roles in the narrative of Joshua, and we are intrigued by a part of the story devoted to his daughter.

Worship rituals are interspersed between the conquests in Joshua.  This leads to a Sabbath School lesson emphasis on the need to prioritise time with God even amongst adverse circumstances. But reading the book of Joshua suggests that the Israelites may not have seen these events in this context. We've already seen how the military and religious aspects of entering God's Promised Land were entwine...

The difficult story of Achan and his family being destroyed again raises the question of "God's endgame".  Achan and his family stole plunder from Jericho against the specific command to set these things apart for God. Worse, they lied about it and buried the treasure suggesting deliberate deception. There's a lot to be horrified in this story, but perhaps the most intriguing thing is that it show...

We continue to grapple with the issue of divine war in Joshua.  The lesson this week follows closely on the topic from our previous episode, expanding on some of the context and background of the conquest of the Promised Land. In many places the people being dispossessed had deeply troubling rituals and traditions, and we ponder the tricky idea that (at least in principle) there could be "cultures...

The "Commander of the Lord's Army" shows up in this chapter with an important reframing of the narrative.  Joshua has already been described as a warrior, and asks whether the stranger is friend or foe. The response famously is "no", with an implied reminder that God's side might not be as simple as our human allies or enemies. This passage is only brief, but resonates with other parts of the Old...

Crossing the Jordan river with Joshua is a bit like crossing the Red Sea with Moses, but some differences are intriguing.  This story is told in Joshua 3 using a lot of dialog, and it is striking how many different messages are given to different groups. In some ways it highlights the connectedness of the community, and at the same time it almost seems to speak of a stricter organisational hierarc...

An interesting theme of "deception" shows up in the story of Rahab of Jerico.  Even more fascinating is the way a similar kind of thing happens slightly later with the Gibeonites, but the narrative frames it differently. Rahab is often lauded as a brave hero, but upon finding out who the Gibeonites really are the Israelites grumble and Joshua "says a curse". But they keep their word and do not kil...

The book of Joshua starts with a new key character very much in the shadow of Moses.  It is hardly surprising that he needs to be encouraged to be strong and courageous! There are a number of details in this opening chapter that foreshadow key ideas that feature in the ongoing story of Joshua as leader of the Israelites. 

There's a lot of building and crafting towards the end of Exodus, and we explore various aspects of expertise.  In many churches there is an awkwardness involved with celebrating human excellence. It somehow seems in conflict with gratefulness to God, but what if this distinction is not actually very useful?

The interesting dynamic between God and Moses continues after the golden calf.  We are delighted to draw attention to some excellent reflective questions posed by the lesson this week, and we turn our attention to Exodus 33 and 34. After the golden calf incident Moses continues his advocacy to God on behalf of the Israelites. The narrative seems to suggest that God is keen about leading Moses, but...

Moses responds dramatically to the golden calf, but does this actually look like "substitutionary atonement"?  The story of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai is well-known, but a pointed question about the substitutionary model of atonement gives us a particular lens through which to explore this part of Exodus. Some well-known details turn out to be in a different sequence, and we are in...

The Sabbath theme book-ends the entire discourse to Moses on Mount Sinai.  Last week we saw how the Sabbath entwined with justice at the beginning of God's instructions, and in this episode we find Sabbath featuring at the end. In this case the emphasis seems more on holiness than on justice, and we explore some of these juxtapositions.

Exodus 23 does re-mention the Sabbath, but it has far more to say about "living the Law".  We're struck in this chapter by how strongly Sabbath is connected to broader ideas of justice. God seems highly focused on the plight of the poor and the foreigner, and the Sabbath is to be a blessing for them as much as it is for the blessed and wealthy. There are challenges here for anyone wishing to be a...

The Mount Sinai story starts differently to how it is often told.  Before the 10 Commandments are given, Moses goes up and down the mountain numerous times. In fact, this chapter starts with a wonderfully direct statement by God which is willingly agreed to by the Israelites. It almost seems as though the friction is gone from the story, perhaps highlighting the disobedience which eventually occur...

There are hardships for the Israelites in the desert, perhaps unsurprisingly.  The lesson this week poses these challenges as "tests of Israel's faith", but we wonder whether some of the issues that arise might be better categorised as raw disobedience. How much does it change our reading of the story, and what does this mean for us today?

Pharaoh changes his mind quickly after the Exodus, and chases the Israelites.  It is fascinating to explore the way it is described using collective language. Again we're challenged to ponder the ways in which we might be a bit like Pharaoh, and of course it is dramatic that the Israelites cry out in dismay so soon after the Plagues which spoke of God's power.

After looking at the plagues in general, this week pauses to examine the Passover and 10th plague in detail.  It is a striking calamity throughout Egypt, and there is a lot to think about here. The lesson has an interesting prompt - asking us to ponder what our decisions and actions might be in situations of responsibility like Pharaoh. We explore this story from a few unusual angles.

To explore the Plagues, we pull out an episode from the archives. This was published originally on October 1, 2021, and so you may have forgotten a few of the details. It was an episode that we particularly enjoyed, and Cameron shares some interesting insights about the Plagues on Egypt that featured in a sermon he preached.