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).
Which of the individual plagues match with which type? (cf. Exod. 7:14-11:10)
After reading Bailey’s words, explain the differences and relationship between a sign (’ôth) and wonder (môphēth). He writes:
This dual focus allows ’ôth (sign) to emphasize the particular extraordinary event itself while môphēth (wonder) stresses the end result, what is accomplished, or the meaning of the event. So, the “signs and wonders” in passages such as Exodus 7:3, the “sign” (’ôth) would have reference to the extraordinary nature of the signs already given to Moses (staff à serpent, healthy skin à leprosy, and water à blood; 4:1–9), while the “wonder” môphēth embodies that as well, but also emphasizes that God was the author of such extraordinary events, forcing Egypt to acknowledge God’s power, paving the way for Israel’s exodus (Exod 7:4–5), and building faith for their future conquest of the land (Deut 7:19). Signs such as these (’ôth), without an interpreting factor, remain just that: unexplained extraordinary events. But when “wonder” is added (môphēth), the unexplained “sign” receives a purpose and meaning. In the Exodus, the unexplained “signs” become “wonders” (miracles) attributed to the particular God, Yahweh, as part of his means of bringing Israel from Egypt.22 These “signs and wonders” validated Moses’ claim to represent Yahweh and demonstrated Moses’ and Yahweh’s superiority over the Egyptian magicians and deities.23 (p. 85)
What was the response of the elders of the Israelites in Exod. 4:31 after hearing from Aaron the words of Yahweh, and seeing the signs Yahweh had given to Moses?
Did the people worship God or Moses and Aaron? In our current times do you think at times we may be prone to dismiss God to an extent in appreciating the greatness of a person (or persons)?
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?
Is this something that we can face in ministry? Does the strength of God always pave an easy way for His will? If not, how is it that we must discern what to do?
Moses appears both dismayed and uncertain. With the positive image we place on Christianity and Christian ministry, are these types of feelings uncommon for those in ministry? Why or why not? Is it okay to feel lost and defeated? How do you think or find it is best to proceed?
How important are Yahweh’s words from Exodus 6:2-8? Are they strong and important?
Do you think the genealogy in Exodus 6 is abridged? Why or why not? Comparatively, were the genealogies of Genesis schematized or exhaustive?
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?
Bailey writes about Exodus 7:14-25, “These verses begin the retributive justice of Yahweh on Pharaoh for his oppression of Israel” (p. 119). Do you agree? Do you think there is a lesson in that the people of Egypt also pay for the leader’s actions? Does injustice occur because those in power are not always entirely aligned with the will of the people? What are your thoughts?
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?
How does Pharaoh behave? Does he give in? Bargain? What are your thoughts?
Thursday (Day 4): Luke 3:1-4:14
What role did Tiberius Caesar hold? What about Pontius Pilate and Herod?
What was a high priest, and why does Luke name two of them?
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)
Consider reading Isaiah 40 and comment on something in it that you find interesting or relevant to the message of John the Baptist
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?
John the Baptist tells his audience that “the one who is more powerful than I” (i.e. Jesus) will baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire. How do you understand Luke 3:15-17?
Do you think the parallels we see in Acts 1:5 and 11:16 show a realisation of the Gospel’s words in Acts? About Luke 3:16, Green states:
Clearly, Luke saw the full actualization of John’s promise in the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and subsequently in the Christian mission (see the reference to “divided tongues, as of fire,” in Acts 2:3). This also encourages a reading of the phrases in Acts as elliptical—that is, as the reduction of the definition of Jesus’ baptism (“with the Holy Spirit and fire”) to the first term (“with the Holy Spirit”) for purposes of emphasis.76[1]
Do you agree with Green’s comments?
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, in Lk 4:1-13, shows God’s son in Christ as obedient, true to his nature, remaining faithful to God. How do you think this compares to Israel in the OT, where Israel is referred to as God’s son (cf. Exod. 4:22; Hos. 11:1)?
Black (1995) states, “Jesus here “relives” the wilderness experience of the Israelites. This is clear from the references to Jesus being led to the wilderness forty days (paralleling Israel’s forty years), and the scriptural citations by Jesus, all of which are from Deuteronomy 6 and 8 (where Moses reminds the Israelites of their wilderness experiences). The point seems to be that, just as God led Israel through the wilderness where they so miserably failed, succumbing to every temptation, Jesus was also led by God (through his Spirit) into the wilderness, where he faced the same temptations but was successful. Deuteronomy 8:2–5 provides the proper perspective: “The Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.… Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.”[2]
Do you think this is an intended comparison for the audience?
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?
Luke has a different order of the temptations from Matthew. Black comments, “The reasons for the difference are unclear, the best guess being that Luke wants to end the story in Jerusalem, a common feature of Luke.3[3]”
Do you agree or have any other thoughts or theories?
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 states that Jesus went to Galilee, and “he began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by all” (cf. Luke 4:13-15). As Nazareth was a town in Galilee, does this clash or complement the words of Luke 4:16-30?
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?
Do you find this calling of the disciples reminiscent of Old Testament accounts such as Isaiah (see Isa 6:1-13), Moses (cf. Exodus 3) or Gideon (cf. Judges 6)?
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)?
Why do you think Jesus needed to pray?
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 Advanced 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.
3 Friedman, Torah, p. 188.
22 Childs has argued that (a) two formulae (“Yahweh brought you out of the land of Egypt,” and “Yahweh showed signs and wonders in Egypt”) have been combined in this material, and (b) that these should be interpreted more broadly than narrowly. That is, they refer to more than the plagues themselves. See B. S. Childs, “Deuteronomic Formulae of the Exodus Traditions,” in Hebräische Wortforschung. Festschrift zum 80. geburtstag von Walter Baumgartner, VTSupp 16 (Leiden: Brill, 1967), pp. 30, 33.
23 Sarna, Exodus, p. 20.
76 On this form of ellipsis, see Dupriez, Literary Devices, 151–52.
[1] Green, J. B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke (p. 181). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
[2] Black, M. C. (1995). Luke (Lk 4:1–13). College Press Pub.
3 Notice Luke’s 30 uses of the name Jerusalem in the Gospel and 58 in Acts! (12 times in Matthew; 10 in Mark; 12 in John). The most plausible explanation for this emphasis is that Jerusalem is important for the same reasons that all things Jewish are important in Luke-Acts. Jerusalem tends to represent unfaithful Israel, given many chances but rejecting them, only to be punished in the end.
[3] Black, M. C. (1995). Luke (Lk 4:1–13). College Press Pub.
