BEMA Episode Link: 33: Session 2 Intro
Episode Length: 20:09
Published Date: Thu, 18 May 2017 01:15:00 -0700
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings set the stage for Session 2 of the podcast. We review our journey through Torah to bring everyone up to speed for what we will study next.

Session 2 Intro Presentation (PDF)

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Transcript for BEMA 33

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 33: Session 2 Intro - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

This episode serves as the introductory bridge between Session 1 (Torah) and Session 2 (Prophets and Writings) of the BEMA Discipleship Podcast. Marty Solomon and Brent Billings provide a comprehensive review of the Torah narrative covered in Session 1, establishing the foundation necessary for understanding the historical books, prophets, and wisdom literature that follow. The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding Scripture as a seamless narrative arc rather than disconnected stories.

Key Takeaways

  • Session 2 will explore the history, prophets, and wisdom literature sections of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), beginning with the book of Joshua
  • The entire biblical narrative can be understood as a coherent story about two competing kingdoms: Empire (fear, scarcity, self-preservation) versus Shalom (trust, abundance, self-sacrifice)
  • Torah establishes God’s partnership with humanity through five movements: basis (Genesis), choice (Exodus), definition (Leviticus), shaping (Numbers), and remembrance (Deuteronomy)
  • Understanding Scripture as a seamless narrative enables believers to effectively communicate God’s story and serve as “a kingdom of priests” in the world
  • Regular review and internalization of Scripture is essential because Western culture’s focus on entertainment makes it easy to forget foundational truths

Main Concepts & Theories

The Tale of Two Kingdoms

The central narrative framework of Scripture presents an ongoing conflict between two opposing worldviews:

Empire:

  • Driven by fear and a scarcity worldview (“not enough to go around”)
  • Characterized by power, control, wealth accumulation, and self-preservation
  • Operates through coercion rather than invitation
  • Prioritizes individual gain regardless of cost to others
  • Functions on the principle “if I don’t look out for myself, everything falls apart”

Shalom:

  • Driven by trust and an abundance worldview
  • Characterized by “everything in its right place”
  • Operates through invitation rather than coercion
  • Prioritizes self-sacrifice and community welfare
  • Functions on the principle that God provides enough when needed
  • Reflects the inherent goodness of creation established in Genesis 1-11
The Five-Book Partnership Structure of Torah

Genesis (Basis of Partnership):

  • Genesis 1-11 serves as the “preface” establishing big ideas: Who is God? Who is humanity? What is the world? How do these three interact?
  • Key truth: Creation is good, God is for creation, and everything creation needs is already provided
  • Genesis 12-50 serves as the “intro” introducing God’s family (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph)
  • Demonstrates that mistakes don’t define us; trust in God’s story enables partnership despite dysfunction

Exodus (Choosing the Partner):

  • God rescues His people from Egypt (Passover and Red Sea)
  • Mount Sinai represents the marriage ceremony: God proposes partnership, Israel says “I do”
  • God promises to make them “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a treasured possession”
  • The Tabernacle functions as the “honeymoon suite” where God knows His people experientially
  • Literarily, Exodus represents a retelling of the Genesis creation story

Leviticus (Defining the Partnership):

  • Serves as the handbook for priesthood
  • Structure: Atonement (establishing that God and humanity are good) → Priestly identity and duties → Laws for holy living (kosher, agriculture, clothing) → Celebration and festivals → Care for the oppressed
  • The Tabernacle in the camp’s center provides daily visual education about priesthood
  • Understanding that “we are good with God” prevents making religion about earning favor through obedience
  • Festivals serve as regular reminders of God’s goodness (the “gospel” or euangelion of the preface)

Numbers (Shaping the Partner):

  • God shapes His people through desert experiences
  • Represents the couple learning about each other in intimate relationship
  • Prepares them for mission together
  • Develops understanding of what partnership will look like in practice

Deuteronomy (Remembering the Partnership):

  • A call to remember origins, roots, and identity
  • Central principle: “We were slaves in Egypt; we were aliens, orphans, and widows”
  • Therefore: “We take care of the alien, the orphan, and the widow (AOWs)”
  • Remembering past oppression creates empathy and action for currently oppressed
  • Memory keeps the story centered on restoration and redemption
Message, Mode, and Milieu

The episode introduces Impact Campus Ministries’ framework for biblical literacy:

Message: The ability to communicate the whole story of God as a seamless narrative arc. Rather than viewing Scripture as disconnected books and stories, believers should be able to tell the cohesive story from beginning to present day in a conversational setting. This intimate grasp of the narrative becomes a blessing to others and enables effective kingdom-of-priests ministry.

The Progressive Nature of Israel’s Knowledge

A critical insight: The Israelites coming out of Egypt had minimal experiential knowledge of God. Like an ancient arranged marriage where bride and groom don’t know each other before the wedding, Israel enters covenant with a God they don’t truly yada (know intimately). This context explains their struggles in the wilderness and calls for grace rather than judgment when reading their story. God was taking “green people” and teaching them from square one.

The Kingdom of Priests Concept

God’s statement “you will be for me a kingdom of priests” represents a radical idea:

  • Not a kingdom with priests (a special class within a nation)
  • But a kingdom of priests (an entire nation functioning in priestly role)
  • After 400 years in Egypt, Israel doesn’t understand what “priest” means
  • The Tabernacle and Levitical priesthood serve as a daily object lesson
  • By watching physical priests perform their duties, all Israelites learn their spiritual priesthood calling
  • This calling involves being intermediaries between God and the world, blessing all nations

Examples & Applications

Narrative Evangelism

When asked to explain Christian faith, believers should be able to tell a cohesive story: “God created partners and placed them at the crossroads of the earth. He asked them to bless all nations. That became a struggle, so God chose a specific family to demonstrate partnership…” This approach is more compelling than isolated doctrinal statements.

AOW Principle in Modern Context

The alien-orphan-widow principle from Deuteronomy directly applies today. Modern equivalents might include:

  • Refugees and immigrants (aliens)
  • Children in foster care or from broken homes (orphans)
  • Single parents, especially single mothers (widows in functional sense)
  • Any marginalized group experiencing powerlessness The principle: Those who remember their own vulnerability and rescue naturally care for the currently vulnerable.
Empire vs. Shalom in Daily Life

This framework helps evaluate personal and corporate decisions:

  • Is this choice driven by fear or trust?
  • Am I operating from scarcity or abundance mindset?
  • Does this action serve my self-preservation or enable self-sacrifice?
  • Am I seeking to control outcomes or invite participation?
  • Does this build walls (empire) or tables (shalom)?
The Discipline of Repetition

Jewish practice of reading Torah annually and the rest of the Tanakh every three years models the necessity of repeated engagement with Scripture. Western culture’s addiction to entertainment and novelty works against internalization. Creating disciplined space for review isn’t about entertainment value but about allowing God’s word to become so internalized it can flow out naturally in ministry.

Green People Grace

When facing any group new to faith or biblical concepts, remember that Israel knew almost nothing about God when rescued from Egypt. This should create patience with:

  • New believers learning basic concepts
  • Churches recovering from poor theology
  • Individuals reconstructing faith after deconstruction
  • Any “green people” starting from square one

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Historical-Cultural Context of ANE Priesthood

What did priesthood look like in Ancient Near Eastern cultures? How would Egyptians have understood priests? What made Israel’s “kingdom of priests” concept revolutionary compared to surrounding nations’ priestly systems?

Literary Structure and Intertextuality

How does Exodus function as a Genesis retelling? What other literary patterns and echoes exist between Torah books? How does understanding these patterns enhance interpretation?

The Tabernacle as Theological Object Lesson

What specific lessons did each element of the Tabernacle teach? How did the daily rituals communicate theological truths? How did the camp arrangement around the Tabernacle reinforce Israel’s identity?

Festival Theology and Calendar

How do the biblical festivals preserve and transmit core theological truths? What worldview is embedded in the festival calendar? How do celebrations function as counter-formation against empire thinking?

Self-Support Missions Model

What are the benefits and challenges of self-supported missionary work? How does financial partnership create deeper investment in ministry? What biblical precedents exist for this model?

Deuteronomy’s Memory Emphasis

Why is memory so central to Deuteronomy? How does collective memory function in forming community identity? What practices preserve transgenerational memory? How might modern communities create better memory practices?

The Progression from Session 1 to Session 2

How will the partnership established in Torah play out in the Promised Land? What new challenges arise when moving from desert formation to settled life? How do the historical books demonstrate the Empire vs. Shalom conflict?

Comprehension Questions

  1. Contrasting Kingdoms: Explain the fundamental differences between Empire and Shalom worldviews. How do fear versus trust drive each system, and what practical behaviors emerge from each perspective?

  2. Torah’s Five-Part Structure: Describe how each of the five Torah books contributes to establishing God’s partnership with Israel. How does this progression create a foundation for understanding the rest of Scripture?

  3. Kingdom of Priests: What does it mean that Israel is called to be “a kingdom of priests” rather than “a kingdom with priests”? How did the Tabernacle and book of Leviticus teach this concept?

  4. Message Competency: Why does Marty emphasize the importance of being able to tell God’s story as a “seamless narrative arc”? How does this skill relate to fulfilling the calling to be a kingdom of priests in the world?

  5. Remembrance and Action: How does Deuteronomy connect remembering past oppression (being slaves, aliens, orphans, widows) with present ethical behavior? What modern applications can you identify for this principle?

Brief Personalized Summary

This transitional episode reinforces that Session 1 laid essential groundwork by establishing God’s partnership with humanity through the Torah narrative. The episode’s central framework—Empire versus Shalom as competing kingdoms—provides a lens for understanding all of Scripture. Empire operates from fear, scarcity, and self-preservation; Shalom operates from trust, abundance, and self-sacrifice.

The Torah’s five books progressively establish partnership: Genesis introduces the partners and demonstrates trust despite dysfunction; Exodus narrates the choosing and marriage; Leviticus defines priestly calling and reminds Israel that God’s goodness precedes human obedience; Numbers shapes the partnership through wilderness experience; and Deuteronomy anchors future action in remembered past.

The episode emphasizes that Scripture functions best not as isolated stories but as one coherent narrative that believers should be able to articulate conversationally. This competency enables effective witness and ministry as a kingdom of priests. As Session 2 begins, the stage is set: God has chosen, redeemed, taught, shaped, and reminded His partner. Now that partner will enter the Promised Land, and the historical books will reveal how this partnership plays out in real-world complexity.

Most importantly, the episode cultivates grace for those learning: just as Israel came out of Egypt knowing almost nothing about God (requiring patient teaching from square one), we should extend patience to any “green people” beginning their journey—including ourselves in areas where we’re just beginning to understand.

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