The prospect of death raises three questions for us: 1) What about the way I’ve lived (or not lived)? 2) What about a life after death? 3) What about the people and things I’m leaving behind? As we look at
the death of Moses we find God addressing all three. And how, like Moses, we might not only live well, but die well.

Study Guide: 06.22.08 What Are Community Groups?

The choices we make really matter. They end up prospering or destroying us. And the Bible teaches that they effect our eternal destinies. And, yet we’re also reminded daily of our inability to choose what is good, right and true. Moses holds out hope for the Israelites and us. He speaks of God’s Word coming near in a way that enables us to choose life and not death.

Study Guide: 06.15.08 Life of Moses: A Word to Live By

Everyone sees life through a lens. And, that lens, in many ways, is our view of God. Who we understand God to be has everything to do with how we see the landscape of our lives; especially our fears. As Israel draws near to the land there are two distinct responses and two distinct view of God.

Study Guide: 06.15.08 Life of Moses: A Word to Live By

We are called to two simultaneous, but difficult things with respect to the burdens of others. One, is helping others bear burdens, the other learning where that responsibility begins and ends. How do we know when we’re over-burdening ourselves? Moses helps us see. He is
showing signs of being over-burdened. And, God lifts his burden in the very way ours is most often lifted.

Study Guide (pdf): 05.11.08 Life of Moses: Sharing the Burden

Envy is probably one of the most pervasive but least dealt with “sicknesses” in our hearts. Why don’t we deal with it? We don’t think envy’s that bad; we don’t really know how to fix it anyway; and honestly dealing with the true envy of our hearts is sometimes too threatening—we might discover stuff we really don’t want to know about ourselves. But God gives us grace for our struggles with envy—he did in case of Miriam and Aaron, and also does so for us—first, by showing us how envy grows within us, and then by pointing us to the way he heals us of this spiritual disease.

Study Guide (pdf): 05.04.08 Life of Moses: Grace for the Green-Eyed

When we understand there is a purpose to pain, we’re willing to endure it. Athletic training is an example – enduring the pain for the sake of victory. Or, the way our bodies communicate to us via pain, letting us know that healing is needed. God is seeking to teach Israel that lesson. We often don’t pay attention to God until pain enters our lives. However, he doesn’t bring it casually. Pain both points us to spiritual danger, as well as the Healer.

Study Guide (pdf): 04.27.08 Life of Moses: The Point of Pain

A pattern emerges in the life of the people of Israel: they find themselves thirsty, and then instead of crying to God they complain, instead of reflecting on his faithfulness, they accuse. And, we find ourselves doing the same. In the areas where we feel thirst of soul, our temptation is follow the path of complaining and accusation. But, Israel’s accusation leads to an astonishing response from God, whereby the sinful get cleansed, and the thirsty get filled.

Study Guide (pdf): 04.20.08 Life of Moses: Breaking the Pattern

Many of us are aware of our need for human mediation, that is, someone to stand between ourselves and another to reach agreement; perhaps it is a friend standing between ourselves and another friend, a boss standing between ourselves and a co-worker, or a counselor standing between ourselves and a spouse. But, we don’t often think about our need for divine mediation, that is, between God and ourselves. And yet, the more aware we become that God is indeed a real person, and that we have a relationship history with him, we also become aware that all is not right, and we’re in need of mediation. At that point, our impulse is try and mediate our relationship with God ourselves (unsuccessfully). The Christian faith gives us another option, not self-mediation, but divine mediation.

Study Guide (pdf):
04.13.08 Life of Moses: Divine Mediation

What do you turn to when you’re afraid, especially when it feels like God has abandoned you or is slow to show up? When the Israelites faced these fears, they turned to a calf made of gold to give them security and stability. We do the same thing: there’s a Golden Calf Maker in all of our hearts. But God heals our hearts by the work of his mediator — Moses, in Israel’s case, Jesus, in ours.

Study Guide (pdf): 04.06.08 Life of Moses: The Golden Calf

What does the “law of God” mean to you? An ancient set of standards that once ruled a small nation? The representation of a strict deity who micromanages our lives? What about a story? This is how God understands it. He says to Israel–when your children ask: What does the law of God mean (what’s the point of it)–I want you to tell them a story. Story of who I am and what I’ve done. The law of God tells the story of a relationship with God, our need and his grace. If we miss this story we will miss the entire point of the law.