Post by Jennifer AfalavaLilio

16 hours ago Week 1

· What particular insights have been helpful in understanding Exodus in terms of their place within the story of the Bible?

In reading Exodus, I have heard this story many times and have read it several times but not in the manner of dissecting it in the way of understanding the time period, why the Israelites were captive and what needed in order to be free. Exodus is the second book of the Bible, which is very early in the history of understanding captivity. A lot of things can run parallel of what keeps us captive today (internet, social media, information overload, etc.). When I read this story, the overall idea I see is the importance of being led out of captivity and going to the land of milk and honey. As it is today, I believe that we are being led to choose a higher calling and follow God versus man, which can be confusing now days with the world “happenings” being at our fingertips, literally! I love the story of Moses, because God chose someone who didn’t want to lead, who felt less than and used him to magnify Him, which ultimately gives us an opportunity to lead others to Him as well. 

· What are points of confusion for you?

I don’t have a lot of confusion around Exodus, other than God telling Moses that He hardened Pharaohs heart and his officials in Exodus Chapter 10.  I understand that God did it so He could be magnified, but would Pharaoh have backed down if his heart wasn’t hardened by God? 

Post by Tanya YarritoMena

1 day ago Week 1 disscussion- What is this Story        I learned that the Bible was given/made for God’s people to try to understand him and understand that even our ancestors before us such as Abraham, Moses, Issac, etc have made the same mistakes and or had doubts. In Exodus God had to keep reassuring Moses that he could help set his people free from Egypt and kept giving and tellin Moses tools such as his staff. But even when God was literally telling him what he says will be done will be done Moses was still skeptical. God gave Moses the step by step game plan so to speak, from what do and say or the Pharoah and even told him how he was going to have the Pharoah respond and yet Moses was skeptical. But honestly I don’t blame him in fact we all in any and every aspect of our lives been or can be very skeptical we feel the need to have to understand every single thing and expect plans to go wrong. Because at the end of the day we are human and we come wired this way. But only when we get released from worry and doubt is when we walk in complete faith. One very important insight for me to help me understand Exodus is that we are supposed to be able to relate to the “characters” that is why the Bible is considered the “book of life”. God intended us to be able to use the Bible as a  tool such as Moses’s staff for us to use to help guide us and help us seek and find in him confidently. The main thing I was very confused about with this week's reading was if God can so easily change things and cause things why did he have things play out like it did? Is there more lessons in this particular story that he wanted his people to seek? And if so what?