What will we find as we read from Exodus, Luke, and Job this week?
This is Scripture for Students. I’m Steve Whitacre, and I want to help students build a daily habit for life-long Bible reading. Today is February 24, 2025 and this episode of Scripture for Students is a preview of what we’re going to read this week. Grab your Bible and let’s get started.
I hope your week is shaping up nicely. Here in Kentucky, we’re finally experiencing a little bit of a spring thaw, with daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s. For the first time in quite a while, there is no snow in the forecast as far as I can see!
This week, we’ve got some great chapters of Scripture to read. We’ll be looking at:
- Exodus 7–13
- Luke 10–16
- Job 24–31
A lot to talk about here. Let’s talk about Exodus first. We’re really getting into the heart of the Exodus story. The chapters align just about perfectly so that this week, we’re going to read about all the plagues that God sent against Egypt, including the final and most terrifying plague, the Passover. There is a lot to pay attention to in these chapters. Keep one eye on Pharaoh in these scenes. What are his reactions on the front end and the back end of each plague? How does he respond to the threat of each plague and how does he react when each plague has actually come? Also, pay attention to verses that talk about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. We’ve seen one reference to this already: in Exodus 4:21, God makes a prediction: “And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” (Exodus 4:21).
There will be several more verses like this, that expressly say it is God who hardens Pharaoh’s heart. This indicates God’s total and sovereign control over Pharaoh and there is a lot we can learn from that about God’s control over leaders and countries throughout the world and throughout the centuries. In fact, in today’s reading, 7:3 contains the next reference to God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. But 7:13 says it slightly differently when it simply says that “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.” If you think back to your 4th grade grammar, you will remember that this is called the passive voice, meaning it doesn’t tell us who is doing the hardening. There are a lot of passive voice verbs like this in the Old Testament and they often mean that God is the agent: the unnamed actor who is doing the action.
But tomorrow, in 8:15, we’ll see a different side of things when it says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. This is important because it tells us that Pharaoh is not just a puppet or prop in the hands of God. He is a morally responsible individual, making decisions that he will be held accountable for, including hardening his own heart. If nothing else, this ought to make us think once or twice about our own hearts and our responsibility to obey.
Ok, last thing on the Exodus: when we get to chapter 12 on Saturday, the Passover is one of the most important scenes in Exodus, maybe in the entire Old Testament. Pay particular attention here to the ways that the Passover foreshadows the death of Jesus in the gospel. Think about all the elements that go into the Passover: the meal the night before, the sacrificial lamb, the blood on the door. How many connections can you make to the gospel itself?
Next, we’ll be reading from Luke 10–16. Just glancing through, you’ll notice that these chapters are almost all red letters. Jesus does a lot of talking in these chapters and his teaching covers a lot of ground. There are some really familiar parables, like the Good Samaritan in chapter 10 and the Prodigal Son in chapter 15. There is Luke’s version of the Lord’s prayer in chapter 11 and teaching to not be anxious in chapter 12. And this week we’ll finish up with the rich man and Lazarus in chapter 16.
It might be good for us to think about reading strategies for the different kinds of stories we’ll encounter in these chapters. With parables, you may have heard it said before that we should look for the surprise ending. That’s not always easy to figure out because the cultural setting of the gospels is so different from our world. But a good study Bible can help you out here. In many places, Jesus makes application for us: when you come across a passage where Jesus is telling his audience what to do and how they ought to live, maybe write that down in your journal and ask the Lord if there is something specific he wants you to learn or to do in response to that.
Finally, notice how often in Luke’s gospel Jesus talks about the kingdom. By my count, we’re going to run across the term 14 times in these 7 chapters. Every time we do, think about the significance of the word, “the kingdom” or the phrase, “the kingdom of God.” I’m sure you’ve read enough about the ancient world or maybe a fantasy novel or two, to understand the significance of a kingdom. What do you need to have a kingdom? Well, if you have a kingdom, it implies that there is a king. And those inside the kingdom are subjects of the king, meaning they live for him and they obey his commands. I may not need to spell it out any further than that, but as you are reading, each time you come across a reference to the kingdom, ask yourself: what does this passage teach me about life in the kingdom or my responsibility as a subject of the king?
We are also continuing on in Job. This week, we’ll be reading chapters 24–31. If you’ve been following along with Scripture for Students and keeping up on your reading, you might remember that there has been a rhythm to the speeches. We’re into the third cycle of speeches by Job’s friends with responses from Job. Tomorrow we will read the last speech by Bildad, one of Job’s three friends. Then on to something a little bit different. Well, maybe not that different. The rest of the week, we’ll be reading Job’s “summary defense.” Job seems to interrupt Bildad (his speech is very short) and he begins to explain himself.
The chapters that we will read this week are very interesting in what Job says about God. Pay attention in these passages to Job’s description of God and God’s character: he speaks often of God’s power and wisdom but also a deep sense of mystery. There is a lot that Job doesn’t understand about God’s power and his ways. Also watch out for the ways that Job describes himself and his situation. He’s going to continue to affirm his innocence and claim that all his suffering was not the result of his own sin. Do you agree with him? Remember what we read way back in Job 1–2. We have an inside track into what is going on and knowing what we know, we can confirm that Job was assaulted unfairly by the devil.
But remember that Job doesn’t know that. He is pressing on, in faith. He insists on trusting God and his promises even when he doesn’t see the direct evidence that he wishes for. I don’t how that insight will serve your soul this week, but I hope that Job’s example will help you to trust God in all things, no matter what comes.
That’s all for today. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend and follow us on Apple Podcasts.
This content is sponsored by Trinity College of Louisville. We shape young men and young women for Christ and for the church. Learn more at TrinityCollegeLou.com. Until next time, keep growing!