by Paul Apple | Mar 1, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: TIMES OF TRANSITION REQUIRE A RENEWED PLEDGE TO TOTAL ALLEGIANCE TO THE GOD OF THE COVENANTINTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: The elevated style of Deuteronomy 10:12–11:1 suggests that Moses’ second address is nearing a climax. As in chapter 4, Moses signals the...
by Paul Apple | Mar 1, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: DESPITE ISRAEL’S HISTORY OF PROVOKING THE LORD TO ANGER, COVENANT PRIVILEGES PERSISTINTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: Deuteronomy 9:1–10:11 is a self-contained literary subunit whose boundaries are marked by Moses’ anticipation of crossing the Jordan and claiming...
by Paul Apple | Feb 27, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: REMEMBERING GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IN TOUGH TIMES (THE WILDERNESS) SHOULD GUARD AGAINST FORGETTING GOD IN PROSPEROUS TIMES SO THAT WE OBEY RATHER THAN PERISHINTRODUCTION:Michael Grisanti: Looking back at God’s faithfulness to Israel as they wandered in the...
by Paul Apple | Feb 26, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: ELECTION DEFINES OUR IDENTITY AS GOD’S TREASURED POSSESSION (INVOLVING COUNTLESS BLESSINGS) AND ORIENTS US TOWARDS HOLINESS (REQUIRING THE PURGING OF GOD’S ENEMIES)INTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: Deuteronomy 7 opens with series of temporal clauses that set the...
by Paul Apple | Feb 25, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: BOTH PROSPERITY AND HARDSHIP CAN TEMPT GOD’S PEOPLE TO FORGET THE HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE OF REDEMPTION –SO PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS WITH HISTORICAL INSTRUCTIONINTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: While 6:4–5 embodies the central idea, in the rest of chapters 6–8...
by Paul Apple | Feb 25, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: COVENANT COMMITMENT MUST BE WHOLEHEARTEDLY LIVED OUT AND PROPAGATED TO FUTURE GENERATIONSINTRODUCTION:Duane Christensen: The continuity of faith within the context of a religious community depends on the observance of that faith within the context of...
by Paul Apple | Feb 24, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE EXPOSITION OF ISRAEL’S COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP BEGINS WITH THE FOUNDATION OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTSINTRODUCTION:Michael Grisanti: The Ten Commandments, distinct from most of the rest of the law, entail terse, divine demands, called “apodictic” law....
by Paul Apple | Feb 22, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: PROCLAMATION OF THE LAW IN PREPARATION TO CROSS THE JORDANINTRODUCTION:Meredith Kline: This passage is transitional. As a summary of the Trans-Jordanian conquests (vv. 46b-49; cf. 2:32-36; 3:1-17), it serves as a conclusion to the historical prologue. But it...
by Paul Apple | Feb 22, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: MOSES IMPLEMENTS A LEGAL SYSTEM IN THE NEWLY ACQUIRED TRANSJORDANIAN TERRITORY THAT COMBINES MERCY AND JUSTICEINTRODUCTION:Duane Christensen: The reader cannot help but feel the jarring effect of encountering a totally different type of content as one moves...
by Paul Apple | Feb 21, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: LIFE IN THE LAND DEPENDS ON COVENANT FAITHFULNESS AS THE UNIQUENESS OF ISRAEL RESPONDS TO THE UNIQUENESS OF THEIR GODINTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: In Chapter 4 Moses’ first address reaches its climax. Although the chapter exhibits numerous links with the...
by Paul Apple | Feb 20, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: RESOLVING ISSUES OF REWARD, RESPONSIBILITY, RULERSHIP, AND RATIONALIZATON PREPARED GOD’S PEOPLE TO MOVE FORWARD IN THEIR MISSION OF CONQUESTINTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: Moses’ recollections here divide into four parts, each of which is signaled by the...
by Paul Apple | Feb 19, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD GRANTS VICTORY AS HIS PEOPLE FIGHT THE BATTLES TO POSSESS THE PROMISED LANDINTRODUCTION:Daniel Block: This section consists of three parts: two battle reports, the first describing Israel’s defeat of Sihon king of Heshbon (2:24–37), and the second...
by Paul Apple | Feb 18, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: IN THEIR JOURNEY TO THEIR OWN PROMISED LAND, ISRAEL MUST RESPECT THE SOVEREIGN LANDS OF EDOM, MOAB AND AMMONINTRODUCTION:Michael Grisanti: Toward the end of Israel’s wilderness wanderings the Lord commanded the children of Israel to begin their journey to...
by Paul Apple | Feb 17, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: ISRAEL’S DISOBEDIENCE FLIES IN THE FACE OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS AND ASSURANCESINTRODUCTION:Michael Grisanti: After arriving in Kadesh Barnea (1:19), Moses commissioned twelve spies to survey the Promised Land, but ten of them brought back a discouraging...
by Paul Apple | Feb 17, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: QUALIFIED LEADERS SHARE THE LOAD AND ADJUDICATE JUSTICEINTRODUCTION:Gerald Gerbrandt: The Old Testament relates this story three times—here, in Exodus 18:13–27, and in Numbers 11:11–17. . .The phrase at that time serves as a structuring device in the story...
by Paul Apple | Feb 16, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S COVENANT REQUIREMENTS PREPARES ISRAEL TO CROSS THE JORDAN AND TAKE POSSESSION OF THE PROMISED LANDINTRODUCTION:Duane Christensen: The long sojourn in the wilderness has ended. The conquest of the two Amorite kings in the Jordan...
by Paul Apple | Feb 11, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: HEALTHY SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT PROTECTS VIRGINITY UNTIL YOU CAN ENJOY YOUR PARTNER IN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIPINTRODUCTION:Tom Gledhill: What is being compared and contrasted here is the administration of two different vineyards and the disposal of their fruit....
by Paul Apple | Feb 11, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: ONCE AWAKENED, ROMANTIC LOVE PROVES POWERFUL AND PRICELESSINTRODUCTION:Duane Garrett / Paul House: In the structure of Song of Songs, however, this unit looks back to 1:7–8, the Song of Finding the Beloved. There, the soprano despaired of finding her beloved...
by Paul Apple | Feb 10, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: NOURISHING MARRIAGE PASSION REQUIRES INTENTIONALITY AND FEEDS ON MUTUAL PRAISEINTRODUCTION:Duane Garrett / Paul House: The point is that the lovers are now free to engage in sexual play, and they are intent on doing so. This song concludes with the woman...
by Paul Apple | Feb 9, 2022 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: SEXUAL PASSION AND PHYSICAL BEAUTY ARE TRANSFORMATIVE AND ALLURINGINTRODUCTION:This is the toughest portion of the book to interpret. There are serious questions about the text. It is difficult to determine who is speaking each line. The poem is too brief to...
