Good Word is an invitation. An invitation to explore biblical and theological topics presented in regularly published Bible Study guides. The Bible awaits our continued study and investigation; Good Word provides one way to approach it.
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Walla Walla University Good Word Podcasts
Key Verses: Exodus 21-23Key QuestionsWhy is God so insistent on protecting the widow, orphan, and foreigner? How does your community embody—or fail to embody—this kind of Divine concern?How do these laws about Hebrew servants attempt to limit power and restore dignity? How do we engage critically with texts that still regulate servitude?What do the…
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Key Verses: Exodus 19-20Key QuestionsWhy does God call the people to the mountain but also set boundaries around it? What does this tension between intimacy and distance say about the nature of divine holiness?What does it mean for Israel to be a “kingdom of priests”? How does that reshape their role in the world? How was this calling applied to th…
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Key Verses: Exodus 16-18Key QuestionsWhat is God teaching the Israelites (and us) through the daily provision of manna and the prohibition on storing it? How does this practice challenge the empire mindset of accumulation and control? How do these wilderness experiences reshape Israel’s understanding of God—not just as deliverer, but as sustainer?H…
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Key Verses: Exodus 13-15Key QuestionsWhy does God ask for the consecration of the firstborn after the Exodus? How might this ritual be understood as a way of remembering that life belongs to God, not Pharaoh?What role does embodied ritual (like eating unleavened bread) play in helping future generations internalize liberation? How do our bodies rem…
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Key Verses: Exodus 11-12Key QuestionsHow does the Passover ritual help shape a collective identity for the Israelites? What role does the household play in Israel’s liberation? How does the command to share the lamb among neighbors reflect communal values, especially under threat? How does shared ritual function in your own community or faith tradi…
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Key Verses: Exodus 7-10Key QuestionsChapter 7 begins with a clarification of the dynamic between God, Moses and Aaron in terms of prophetic activity followed by an announcement of judgment that God would bring to the land of Egypt. How does this text anticipate later prophetic activity within Israel?How do the miraculous signs performed by Moses an…
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Key Verses: Exodus 5-6Key QuestionsPharaoh responds to Moses’ call for justice by increasing oppression (questioning “rest” and adding to the labor so that the people will not regard “lying words”). What does this say about how oppressive powers react to the demands for liberation?How can the Israelite response to increased hardship inform contempo…
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Key Verses: Exodus 3-4Key QuestionsAbraham J. Heschel talks about “the prophet” being one who feels deeply what God feels (pathos). Consider the possible symbolic meanings of the burning bush—what do they disclose about the nature of God, his relationship to the world, and Moses’ mission?Why is the revealing of God’s name significant in the develop…
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Oppression: The Background and the Birth of Moses
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Key Verses: Exodus 1-2Key QuestionsWhy is it meaningful to consider the title of the book (Exodus x Shemot) as we think about the nature of the book of Exodus itself?What kind of a world is the world in the first chapters of Exodus and how similar is it to our world today? Where is God and where are “His people” in the introduction of the book of E…
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Opening QuestionWhat is the largest natural disaster you’ve experienced personally?IntroductionOur lesson this week concludes the study of prophetic foreshadowings or types from the Old Testament that predict or hint at final events. The key here is that they show how God’s actions in history give us reasons to have hope in the future. The same str…
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Opening QuestionWhat aspects of the future worry you most?IntroductionThis lesson is primarily drawn from Daniel 2 and 3 and some New Testament parallels, especially Relation 13. Generally, Daniel can be divided into two sections: chs. 1-6 are narrative while chs. 7-12 are more prophetic/visionary. Yet in both chs. 2 and 4, Nebuchadnezzar has dream…
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Opening QuestionWhat value do you find hearing ancient stories?IntroductionThis lesson focuses on two small books: Ruth (4 chapters) and Esther (10 chapters). These stories have been told in Christian and Jewish circles with much respect for these faithful women, holding them up as beautiful exemplars. The stories contain some surprises when read b…
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Opening QuestionCan God affect human events without violating our freedom of choice?IntroductionIn this study, the author examines stories from the Old Testament that in one way or another foreshadow, typify, or parallel some final events of the New Testament. The concept here is called typology. Essentially, typology is when an Old Testament histo…
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