City South Presbyterian

Israel start grumbling about food and doubting God — and their leader — God responds with fire and food; a reminder that he is the God who sets a table in the wilderness; and that he will lead them to a home that is not Egypt.

Israel move through the wilderness according to God's word, and in space and time marked out by God's fiery and cloudy presence.

God instructs Israel to eat the Passover meal to remember who they are, and how he acted to save them, as they begin their wilderness journey.

Some strange laws at the beginning of Israel's journey from Sinai to the promised land are pictures of the holiness God desires from his people.

God gives instructions for the setup of Israel's camp so he might dwell in their midst. This is a picture of the covenant relationship where he is there God, and they are his people. The shape of the camp is meant to shape Israel's life — and — it anticipates the way God will dwell with his people forever.

In Numbers, or 'through the wilderness', Israel is camping with God and tested to see whether they will be people who move towards God, and so 'fruitful garden life' or away from God towards the 'desolate wasteland.'

Children are part of the household of God in the Old Testament, and the New; and we should read the Bible to them. But — we also need children to teach us how to enter the Kingdom of God as 'little children' — filled with awe, and wonder, and questions — so reading the Bible with children is a chance for us to learn from them.

God gives us community — through time and across space — to teach us how to read the Bible from outside our own moment.

When we read New Testament letters we are reading other people's mail. They are very human pieces of correspondence. How do we see the difference between 'bring me my coat' and other parts of Paul's letters to Timothy? Could the 'human' parts of the letters be the key to understanding them and applying them to our situation?

How do we read the Old Testament as those who read it after Jesus, and especially as gentiles? Should we read the David and Goliath story identifying as David, or those who lined up behind Goliath who faced God's anointed king while cosplaying as a Serpent?