Reading with Ben

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! This is the first episode of the book of Leviticus third book of the Bible This is episode #01 Leviticus chapters 01 & 02. Leviticus Chapter 1 Written by Moses, Leviticus gives sets of instructions to the Israelites and the priests for living and making sacrifices. These instructions were intended to draw them to a deeper understanding of God’s infinite holine...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #20 Exodus chapters 39  & 40. Exodus Chapter 39 Exodus Chapter 39 is the final chapter in the book that deals with the construction of the Tabernacle and what God wanted to have inside it. It tells of the garments Aaron and his sons were to wear and Moses’ inspection of it once it was completed. Exodus Chapter 40 Exod...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #19 Exodus chapters 37  & 38. Exodus Chapter 37 Exodus Chapter 37 discusses the construction of the furnishings in the sanctuary of the Tabernacle. God gave Moses very specific plans for each of the items within the holy sanctuary. He told Moses that he should follow all of these so that God could be worshiped there a...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #16 Exodus chapters 31  & 32. Exodus Chapter 35, Moses continued to tell the children of Israel to keep the Sabbath holy. He gathered all of the Israelites together and explained to them that God gave him direct orders. Exodus Chapter 36 of the book of Exodus, Moses tells of how Bezalel and Oholiab were getting prepar...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #17 Exodus chapters 33  & 34. Chapter 33 Closing Time God tells Moses to peace and that the land of Canaan will be his for the taking. He also tells Moses that he, God, will no longer be personally accompanying the people. He's kind of sick of them: "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up am...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #16 Exodus chapters 31  & 32. Genesis Chapter 31, Introducing the Builders Now God introduces the guys who are going to be the primary contractors on this job, Bezalel and Oholiab . They're skilled and majorly cool. Think about why the Bible bothers to mention these guys. To give them glory? To glorify their houses or...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #15. Exodus chapters 29  & 30. Exodus Chapter 29. Here God indicates what he wants for dinner each night. Well, maybe not dinner, but God needs burnt offering every day. It's just part of the deal. God even provides us with a little recipe: "and with the first lamb one-tenth of a measure of choice flour mixed with one...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #14 Exodus chapters 27  & 28. Chapter 27 God ordains that an altar should be put in the Tabernacle for burnt offerings. And it has horns! Say what? Check out our " Symbols " section to find out why. Chapter 28 This section deals with the way an Aaronite priest (related to Aaron) should dress and be ordained. This was...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! It's time to continue with episode #13 Exodus chapters 25  & 26. Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #13 Exodus chapters 25  & 26. Chapters 25  The Priestly Shopping List Okay, Shoppers. We're going to be completely straight with you. This whole section has some important pieces, but to be frank, it's very...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! It's time to continue with episode #12 Exodus chapters 23  & 24. Exodus chapter 23. This one's easy: don't mess with other people. Don't lie at someone else's trial; bring back Bob's donkey when it gets lost; don't take bribes; be nice to immigrants. Oh, and here's an interesting issue that relates to our times: "When you bear witness in a lawsuit, you sh...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! It's time to continue with episode #11 Exodus chapters 21  & 22. Chapter 20:1-21 The Ten Commandments Big chapter, people. Heads up. The Ten Commandments are some of the most influential words in the entire Bible, and they've influenced thousands of years of Western thinking. Even in our day-to-day lives, the Ten Commandments resonate with how people thin...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #10 Exodus chapters 19  & 20. Chapter 19 The Holy Zone Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrive at Sinai. God tells Moses to assemble everyone for a big announcement. But one thing: they can't come up onto the mountain (where Moses chats with God) or they'll die. Noted. Everyone washes up to look nice f...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #09 Exodus chapters 17  & 18. Chapter 17 The Israelite Water Board Convention and Amalek Again in the desert, the Israelites do some more complaining. This time, it's about the lack of water. The desert is one dry place. Moses asks God for help again, and God shows Moses a rock. Moses hits the rock with his magic staf...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with the episode #08 Exodus chapters 15  & 16. Chapter 15 Sing! Sing! Sing! Moses and the Israelites sing a song to God after their triumph. Wouldn't you be singing after that ? The song that the Israelites sing has a ton of historical nuggets: it talks about the character of God, has a different understanding of water (check out " Sy...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Its time to continue with episode #07. Exodus chapters 13  & 14. Chapter 13 Recap, Circumcision, and Magic Moses reminds the people how big a deal their liberation from Egypt was, and proclaims that the festival of the Lord will occur every year to commemorate the event. This was the guy who said he wasn't qualified to do the job. Just look at him now! Ci...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 30, 2022, and Episode #06! Exodus Chapters 11  & 12. Chapter 11 Prepare for the Final Plague God lets Moses know that something big is coming. God instructs Moses that the Israelites should all ask their neighbors for silver and gold. Moses tells Pharaoh that God will claim every Egyptian firstborn (the prince, the slaves' first sons, the anim...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 29, 2022, and Episode #05! I'll continue the lecture on the book of Exodus with chapters 9  & 10. Plagues 5, 6, and 7: Fire, Brimstone, and Disease Plague #5 comes sweeping in. All Egyptian-owned livestock—donkeys, cows, sheep, camels, and horses—are hit with a nasty thing called pestilence, a disease that wipes them out. All Israelite livesto...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! I'm very excited to start reading the second Book of the Bible... Yes! I'm talking about Exodus. This is Episode #02 of this new season, Reading chapters 7 & 8. Chapter 7 God again comes to Moses and Aaron, and says to Moses, "I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet" (7:1). He's not making Moses a god, but he is giving...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! I'm very excited to start reading the second Book of the Bible... Yes! I'm talking about Exodus. This is Episode #02 of this new season, Reading chapters 5 & 6. Genesis chapter 5 They had to work harder and could not diminish their production. Moses returned to the Lord asking ‘what’s up with that? Moses thought he was going to walk in and walk out with the Is...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! I'm very excited to start reading the second Book of the Bible... Yes! I'm talking about Exodus. This is Episode #02 of this new season, Reading chapters 3 & 4. Exodus chapter 3, This chapter provides one of Scripture's most infamous encounters: Moses and the burning bush. This chapter can be divided into four sections, as God calls Moses to a position of lead...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! I'm very excited to start reading the second Book of the Bible... Yes! I'm talking about Exodus. This is Episode #01 of this new season, Reading chapters 1 & 2. Exodus 1 consists of four main sections. The first section describes the context of the children of Israel after the death of Joseph. The twelve sons become twelve tribes, expanding from seventy people...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 24, 2022, and Episode #24! I'll continue the lecture with chapter 50. Genesis chapter 50, immediately following Jacob's death (Genesis 49:33), Joseph weeps openly and falls on his father's body, kissing his face. This death hits him hard. After ordering Jacob's body to be embalmed—likely meaning mummified—by the Egyptian doctors, Joseph will set about...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 23, 2022, and Episode #23! I'll continue the lecture with chapters 48  & 49.| Genesis chapter 48, Jacob had talked about dying for many years (Genesis 37:35; 47:9), but now he truly nears the end of his days. If this scene takes place immediately before the events of chapter 49, Jacob is literally on his deathbed. Joseph, hearing of his father...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 22, 2022, and Episode #22! I'll continue the lecture with chapters 46  & 47. Genesis chapter 46 can be divided into three sections: Jacob's final encounter with the Lord, a count of all of Jacob's descendants at or around this time, and Jacob's reunion with his son Joseph in the land of Egypt. Genesis chapter 47 answering the brothers directly...

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today April 17, 2022, and Episode #21! I'll continue the lecture with chapters 44  & 45. Genesis chapter 44 Joseph's test continues by having his own personal, valuable silver cup hidden in the grain sack carried by Benjamin. Under Joseph's orders, the steward catches up with the brothers on the road back to Canaan. He questions them harshly, accusing the...