21-27 September 2026 (Exodus, Luke, Psalms)
Bible Reading Plan
Monday: Exodus 2:11-4:31
Tuesday: Exodus 5:1-7:7
Wednesday: Exodus 7:8-10:29
Thursday: Luke 3:1-4:13
Friday: Luke 4:14-5:16
Fluid (fit in any time): Psalm 13:1-6
Reflection and Discussion Questions
Monday (Day 1): Exodus 2:11-4:31
What caused Moses to flee to the land of Midian?
Who was Moses’ wife, and who was her father?
What are your thoughts on Pink’s (1962) (and Haldeman’s) comments about Moses? He writes:
From Adam to Christ there is none greater than Moses. He is one of the few characters of Scripture whose course is sketched from his infancy to his death. The fierce light of criticism has been turned upon him for generations, but he is still the most commanding figure of the ancient world. In character, in faith, in the unique position assigned him as the mediator of the old covenant, and in achievements, he stands first among the heroes of the Old Testament. All of God’s early dealings with Israel were transacted through Moses. He was a prophet, priest, and king in one person, and so united all the great and important functions which later were distributed among a plurality of persons. The history of such an one is worthy of the strictest attention, and his remarkable life deserves the closest study.
“The life of Moses presents a series of striking antitheses. He was the child of a slave, and the son of a queen. He was born in a hut, and lived in a palace. He inherited poverty, and enjoyed unlimited wealth. He was the leader of armies, and the keeper of flocks. He was the mightiest of warriors, and the meekest of men. He was educated in the court, and dwelt in the desert. He had the wisdom of Egypt, and the faith of a child. He was fitted for the city, and wandered in the wilderness. He was tempted with the pleasures of sin, and endured the hardships of virtue. He was backward in speech, and talked with God. He had the rod of a shepherd, and the power of the Infinite. He was a fugitive from Pharaoh, and an ambassador from heaven. He was the giver of the Law, and the forerunner of grace. He died alone on Mount Moab, and appeared with Christ in Judea. No man assisted at his funeral, yet God buried him” (Dr. I. M. Haldeman). (p. 16)
What did the Israelites do in Exodus 2:23-24? What did God do in Exodus 2:25?
How does “the angel of Yahweh” or “the angel of the LORD” present to Moses in Exodus 3? Why is the word “lord” sometimes upper case and sometimes lower case?
What does the term “theophany” mean?
Why did Moses have to remove his sandals in Exodus 3:5?
Did Moses show reverence and fear towards God?
Does Moses appear confident in his speaking ability?
Do you relate to Moses in his fear of speaking?
How might you look to overcome a fear of public speaking?
Is it speech or judgement that we fear?
Are some people more talented at public speaking than others?
Do we need to be the best speaker to have something worth saying? Similarly, should we judge a speaker purely on their homiletical and oratory skills?
Who was Aaron?
Bailey (2007) notes that the second sign shown to Moses in Exodus 4:6-8 does not appear again except in Miriam’s case of leprosy (Num 12:1–16), which probably harkens back to this event.3” (p. 90) He also observes, however that all ten of the plagues come back to the three signs (Staff → Snake; Healthy → Leprosy; and Water → Blood).
Match the three signs with the following three types of plagues: Sickness, Disease, Death (two plagues); Animal Life (five plagues); Powers over Nature (three plagues).
Tuesday (Day 2): Exodus 5:1-7:7
In Exodus 5:2 Pharaoh states, “Who is Yahweh that I should listen to His voice….” Do we hear similar hard-hearted arrogance today?
Have you heard such messages in education, the media, business, politics, etc.?
What are some areas that you have heard people dismissive of Yahweh?
To strike a sensitive cord, do we ever hear similar words or reasoning from those within the church?
If so, is this a flaw of the faith or of the person and their failure to grasp the religion?
In Exodus 4:21 Yahweh says to Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart. How do you see the hardness of Pharoah’s heart in this passage?
Below are a couple of comments that help explain why straw was necessary for the making of bricks, and situation that had befallen upon the Israelites:
Straw serves as a bonding agent in the brick as it is heated. Without sufficient straw or with poor-quality stubble, the bricks would not form as easily and a higher proportion would fall apart, thus making the quota harder to achieve. Quotas found in Egyptian literature often do not clarify the number in the crew or the time period involved, but we do know that the quotas were often not met. (Matthews, Chavalas, & Walton, 2000, electronic ed., Ex 5:6–14)
Pharaoh devastated the spirits of the beleaguered masses of Heb. slaves with his commands but did not harden their hearts. Straw, provided by the state before, was replaced by stubble as straw. The Israelites would have to gather this for themselves for making bricks (וְקֹשְׁשׁוּ). The verb indicates that they gathered “stubble” that was scattered around in the land, which was far inferior to the straw they had been given. This inferior material now replaced their straw (תֶּבֶן; cf. 5:12). This incident foreshadows the mention of stubble when Yahweh, in anger, destroys the Egyptians like stubble (15:7). (Carpenter, 2016, p. 24)
How do you imagine you would feel if you were one of these Israelites?
Are Moses and Aaron in a comfortable position in 5:20-23? Does it feel like they are ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place’?
What do you think you would choose to do if you were facing what Moses and/or Aaron were?
Do you think the genealogy in Exodus 6 is abridged? Why or why not?
How did God inspire confidence, vision, obedience and camaraderie in 7:1-7?
Wednesday (Day 3): Exodus 7:8-10:29
How do you think today’s passages contribute to the confidence, vision, obedience and camaraderie (or unity) of the people of Israel? Does it help our faiths when we see action and miracles? Is it more difficult when we don’t?
Do you think the message of the parable of the Sower (Mt. 13:1-23; Mk. 4:1-20; Lk. 8:4-15) will likely show some relevance when the magnitude of miracles subsides and times become more difficult and uncertain?
Was the wonder that Moses and Aaron performed in Exodus 7:10-12 superior to that of the wise men and sorcerers, the magicians of Egypt? Did his snake swallow the other snakes, or did his staff swallow up their staffs? Why do you think the term staff rather than snake is used?
What were the ten plagues?
What do you find most interesting about the ten plagues?
Are there any particular plagues that you find most interesting or intriguing?
Thursday (Day 4): Luke 3:1-4:14
What role did Tiberius Caesar hold? What about Pontius Pilate and Herod?
John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Was repentance a new or old concept in Judaism?
Looking at Luke 3:6 do you see how Luke shows that while John’s message may be directed to Israel, it is part of the universal theme of “God’s larger project of bringing redemption to all humanity”?
What does John mean in Luke 3:8 where he calls for the production of “fruit worthy of repentance”? Do you think this is an issue to be addressed in the church today? Why (or why not) or how so? (Consider the context, looking at the rest of the verse as well as surrounding verses)
Did people ever wonder if John the Baptist was the Messiah? What was John’s response to those wondering? Why was Jesus so great?
Is it harder to share with others when we feel there is peace and an excess of goods, or when it is tight and competitive? Should it matter? Why or why not? What needs to be on our hearts as Christian believers? Do you think our actions should serve as a witness to others?
Why was John the Baptist imprisoned?
About what age was Jesus during his ministry?
What differences do you see between the genealogy of Jesus presented in Luke and that presented in Matthew?
Luke 4:1-13 emphasises how Jesus was victorious over temptation. What two sources did he rely on to sustain him?
Do you think Luke uses the story of Jesus’ temptation (Luke 4:1-13) to underscore the humanity of Jesus? Why or why not?
Friday (Day 5): Luke 4:14-5:16
What two passages from Isaiah does Luke 4:18-19 conjoin? Do you think it was misleading for the author to join two different verses? Why or why not?
Luke presents the account of Jesus rejection at Nazareth earlier in his Gospel than Matthew (Mt. 13:53-58) and Mark (Mk 6:1-6), and he also gives a longer account. What themes or messages do you think Luke is communicating to his audience in 4:14-30?
What does the text imply, when it recalls the people of Capernaum astounded at Jesus’ teaching, “because he spoke with authority”? (Lk 4:31)
What is or was a synagogue? Was it like what a church building is for Christians?
Do you think demons and unclean spirits are real? Why?
Why did Jesus look to silence the demons who were acknowledging him as Christ and Son of God? (Lk 4:41)
Was Jesus praying in Luke 4:42?
How do you think the people of Capernaum received Jesus?
What did Jesus illustrate to Peter by telling him where to place his net in Lk 5:4-7? What does Simon Peter’s response (Lk 5:8) show in his response, falling to his knees and asking Jesus to leave as he was a sinful man? What does the amazement and actions of those who were with Jesus construe in Luke 5:9-11?
What qualities do you see in the attitude and behaviour of the leper who addressed Jesus in Luke 5:12-13? Do you think these are relevant to us in how we should address God in prayer, and show love and respect to God in and through our lives?
What offering required under the law of Moses was Jesus referring to in Luke 5:14?
How was leprosy viewed in Jesus’ time and through the Law? What was leprosy? How did Jesus change the lives of those with ailments such as leprosy and epilepsy both in the time of his ministry and afterwards (i.e. through the teaching of his ministry)?
Psalm 13:1-6
Any thoughts or experiences to share regarding Psalm 13?
Note: The questions that are emphasised in italics are introduced at the Medium level
References
Bailey, R. C. (2007). Exodus. College Press Publishing Company.
Black, M. C. (1995). Luke. College Press Pub.
Carpenter, E. (2016). Exodus (Vol. 1). Lexham Press.
Green, J. B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed.). InterVarsity Press.
Pink, A. W. (1962). Gleanings in Exodus. Moody Press.
