In this week's teaching, Josh discusses the arrival of a new king in Egypt and his fear-based policies that were meant to protect his own empire. In contrast to this, the text also introduces Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives, who are fearful of something altogether more powerful.
the restoration project. Joshua James. 29 January 2017
Small Group Study Questions:
(1) Most scholars view the finalized form of the Pentateuch as a product of the exilic period in the 6th century (read: a long time after Moses). Have you ever wondered about how the Bible "became the Bible"? Does it trouble you that so many people played a role in it becoming what it is?
(2) Josh mentioned that Exodus is best read as a "theological history." Do you read the Bible as a straightforward retelling of "historical facts"? Or do you allow for some authorial "shaping" in these stories? (Another way to put this is, would you be troubled if the exodus story did not happen in exactly the way that it is framed in Exodus?)
(3) What do you think the purpose of "the king of Egypt" being unnamed in vv. 8-22 is? Have you ever noticed that he does not have a name in the OT? And does it up the ante that the midwives are named?
(4) Josh argued that the "Hebrew" people in this text are often viewed as an out group of marginalized people. Who are the "out groups" in our context who need an advocate and how can we accomplish this?
(5) In this story, the king is motivated by fear (of success, of empire building, of status) and the midwives are motivated by their fear of God. Who or what do we fear? And how does this affect our actions (or non-actions)?
