Exodus – questions and recording
Folks,
Our call tonight went very well. Thank you.
Here’s the recording:
Download ConferenceRecording-4018012-803808.mp3
Below are the questions we discussed.
Phil
– What is Exodus? A liberation story or a story about the glory and power of God?
– If Exodus is a liberation story why does God “harden Pharoah’s heart” repeatedly thus stopping Pharoah from releasing the Jews earlier?
– If Exodus is simply about the power of God why has the story held such resonance through the ages and, for example, become the basis of liberation theology?
– Moses asks God his name. The Hebrew of this part 3:13 – 3:15 is a play on words. The Hebrew for “I am” or “I will be” is eheyh. Changed into the third person this would be yihyeh or in an older form yahweh, which was likely the prunciatino of YHWH. Knowing this makes this passage both more fun and more meaningful.
– Throughout Exodus God is the main actor – controlling both the Egyptians and the Jews – except when Moses argues with God after the Israelite rebellion (the rebellion led by Moses’ brother while Moses is up on Mt. Sinai the first time)? God is put in a bad position after this incident – to destroy the Jews or to restore them to favor are both difficult choices that frustrate God’s plans. How does God resolve these tensions.
– Why is so much time spent in Exodus detailing the design of the sanctuary?
Phil