Little SDA Teacher

 “Then the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord…” — Numbers 5:16 “If she has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free…” — Numbers 5:28 At first glance, Numbers 5 can feel unsettling. The passage describes a wife being brought before the priest because her husband is overcome with jealousy and suspicion. For many of us, it’s a difficult text to read because it seems, on the surface, to place shame on a woman while leaving men unaddressed. But when we pause and look at what is actually happening, a different picture begins to emerge—one that reveals God’s protective love in a world where women were deeply vulnerable. In the ancient culture this was written into, a jealous husband could cause devastating harm. A woman’s reputation was not a small thing; it often determined her safety, her future, and her ability to survive. If a man accused his wife, she could be cast aside, publicly disgraced, or left without support. But in this passage, Go...

  Numbers 3:38 “Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp in front of the tabernacle, on the east, in front of the tent of meeting, toward the sunrise, guarding the sanctuary for the people of Israel; and any outsider who came near was to be put to death.” Hebrews 4:15–16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Numbers 3 shows us something sobering about holiness. God’s presence was not casual. The tabernacle was guarded, and the Levites were placed as a living boundary so that wrath would not fall on the people. Sinful humans could not approach holy God on their own. The buffer was not cruelt...

  Numbers 2:2 “The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.” Numbers 9:17–18 “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped… At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out.” Exodus 33:14 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Israel was not yet home. They had no permanent houses, no established borders, no rooted vineyards. They were between what had been and what would be. And yet, in the middle of that unsettled season, God instructed them to arrange themselves around His dwelling. The Tabernacle was not placed off to the side, nor outside the camp, nor waiting in a future land. It was set directly in the center. Their identity as a people was not built on geography but on proximity to His presence. Even in motion, the order remained. When the c...

  Acts 23:11 (ESV) “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.’” Paul had just endured a humiliating and unjust scene. He had been struck on command by the high priest. The religious leaders who were supposed to uphold God’s law erupted into argument and division. The situation became so volatile that Roman soldiers had to intervene to prevent him from being torn apart. This was not a shining moment for spiritual leadership. It was political, fractured, and deeply human. And then night came. Scripture does not say that the Lord corrected the Sanhedrin that evening. It does not say that the corrupt were exposed or that justice was immediately restored. It says something quieter and far more personal: the Lord stood by him. Jesus did not prevent the injustice. He did not dismantle the broken system in that moment. He did not remove Paul from danger. He stood. ...

  Leviticus 15:31 (ESV) “You shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.” Leviticus 15 is not a chapter most of us would naturally choose for a quiet time. It is detailed, physical, and at first glance, uncomfortable. But beneath the surface, there is something deeply reassuring about it. In this chapter, God gives Israel specific instructions about bodily uncleanness and purification. What stands out is that many of these conditions were not sins. They were simply part of being human. Weakness. Vulnerability. The reality of living in bodies that break down, bleed, and need restoration. “Unclean” did not mean “morally corrupt.” It meant there were boundaries around approaching a holy God. It meant that coming near required cleansing. God was not shaming His people. He was protecting them. He was teaching them that His presence is holy and life-giving — and that He Himself w...

  Acts 12:7 (NIV) Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Peter was sleeping so deeply in prison that the angel had to strike him to wake him up and lead him out. I’ve often heard this described as a sign of Peter’s great trust—how else could someone sleep so soundly on the night before a trial? And that may be true. But today, as I read Acts 12, I saw something different. Peter wasn’t just resting peacefully. He was imprisoned. Likely unfairly. And not because he had done something wrong, but because he was faithfully doing the work God had called him to do. If I were in his place, I imagine discouragement would have been close at hand. Why am I here if I was obeying you? Why did you allow this when I was serving you? That question feels uncomfortably familiar. There was a season in my life when I was teaching in a Christian school, beli...

 Exodus 35:31 says that God filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all kinds of skills. Bezalel and Oholiab were former slaves, newly freed and wandering in the wilderness, yet God chose them to build the tabernacle—His dwelling place among His people. Scripture does not say they were simply talented or experienced; it emphasizes that they were filled with the Spirit of God . Their ability to work with such precision and beauty was not merely learned skill, but divine empowerment for a holy purpose. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God often came upon people to equip them for specific tasks. Here, it is craftsmen—ordinary workers—who are filled with the Spirit to do sacred work. This shows that God values obedience and availability over credentials. The tabernacle was not built by human strength alone, but by the Spirit of God working through willing people. This passage points forward to the New Testament truth that those who b...

  Exodus 34:28–29 (ESV) “So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights… And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai… Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” Matthew 4:1, 17 (ESV) “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Both Moses and Jesus intentionally withdraw from people to meet with God. Moses goes outside the camp to the tent of meeting; Jesus is led into the wilderness. These places of solitude are not escapes from responsibility but spaces of preparation before public ministry. Both remain there forty days and forty nights , a number repeatedly associated in Scripture with testing, purification, and preparation. In the quiet, distractions fall away, dependence on God is sharpened, and identity is clarified. When Moses returns, his face is radiant—God’s glory visibl...

  Exodus 16:4–5, 15 (ESV) “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you…’ And when the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.’” Israel is hungry. This is not symbolic hunger or spiritual metaphor — it is real, physical need. They are newly free, but freedom has brought them into a wilderness where there is no visible way to survive. God allows the hunger to be felt long enough to be named, and then He provides. Bread appears where no bread should exist. God meets their physical need directly and faithfully. But He does not provide in a way that creates independence. The manna must be gathered daily. It cannot be stored. When hoarded, it spoils. God is feeding bodies, yes — but He is also shaping hearts. Physical provision becomes the classroom where trust is learned. Manna teaches Israel that God is not...

  Exodus 15:23–26 (ESV) “When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter… And the people grumbled against Moses… And the LORD showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet… saying, ‘I am the LORD, your healer.’” This is the first place Israel stops after their great deliverance. They are free, but they are thirsty. And the first provision they find is bitter. God has defeated Pharaoh, parted the sea, and rescued them from slavery — yet their first experience of life after freedom is disappointment and complaint. That matters. God does not lead them from triumph straight into abundance. He leads them into Marah. The water represents life — something they desperately need to survive — but it cannot be received as it is. Bitter water cannot sustain. Freedom has exposed what is still unresolved inside them. They carry exhaustion, trauma, fear, and resentment from years of bondage. Their bitterness is understan...

  Exodus 14:13–14 (ESV) “And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today… The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still.’” Israel is terrified. They want peace, and peace looks like slavery to them in this moment. Behind them is Egypt — familiar, cruel, but predictable. In front of them is the sea — impossible, threatening, and unknown. Fear convinces them that freedom has led them into danger and that returning to bondage might be safer than trusting God. Moses does not tell them to fight. He does not tell them to plan, negotiate, or run. He tells them to be still. This command feels almost unreasonable in the face of danger, but it reveals something essential about how God works. Deliverance is not something Israel will achieve. It is something they will witness. God does not ask them to be brave; He asks them to stand. This moment exposes a pattern that repeats in our own lives. Often, wh...

  Exodus 13:17–22 (ESV) “God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near… For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’ But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea… And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud… and by night in a pillar of fire…” God knows His people are afraid. Their faith is real — but young. They have seen miracles, but they have not yet learned to trust themselves with those miracles. God does not lead them by the shortest route, or the most logical one, or even the safest-looking one. He leads them by the kindest route — the one their faith can survive. God knows that if they face giants too soon, they will turn back. Not because God cannot defeat the enemy, but because fear will convince them that slavery is safer than freedom. So He leads them into a place that looks absurd: trapped between the sea and the army. No escape. No s...

  Exodus 13:8–9 (ESV) “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt.” God does not allow Passover to fade into history. He commands it to be remembered, repeated, and embodied. Yeast is removed, firstborns are redeemed, and the story is told again and again — not so Israel will merely recall what happened, but so they will be shaped by it. Memory becomes the tool God uses to form His people. The sign on the hand points to action. What God has done is meant to affect how His people live. Each year, they celebrate. Each year, they remove yeast. Each year, they act out obedience. Faith is not only believed — it is practiced. God knows that repeated action shapes allegiance. What we do consistently trains our hearts. The sign on th...

  Exodus 12:22–23 (ESV) “None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” On the night of Passover, safety was not found in action, strength, or visibility. It was found in staying inside the house. The Israelites were commanded not only to apply the blood, but to remain under it. Obedience required restraint as much as action. Faith meant trusting that God was at work even when they could not see it, hear it, or control it. The house became more than shelter — it became sacred space. Families gathered together, ate together, waited together. Parents acted on behalf of their children. Children were protected not by their own understanding, but by the faith and obedience of the household. Deliverance was communal. No one was saved alone...

  Exodus 12:40–41 (ESV) “The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” For generations, Israel lived without understanding. Four hundred and thirty years is not a season — it is a lifetime multiplied. Parents died without seeing deliverance. Children were born into bondage. Faith was carried forward without answers, without clarity, and often without visible evidence of God’s hand at work. These verses remind us that God was not absent during those years. He was not late. He was not indifferent. He was keeping time. What felt endless to Israel was never forgotten by God. Deliverance came not when suffering felt unbearable, but when God’s promise reached its appointed moment — to the very day. Israel could not see the plan while they were making bricks. They could not trace God’s hand through years of oppression. But this moment reveals that even when God’s...

  Exodus 12:7, 12–13 (ESV) “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it… For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night… The blood shall be a sign for you… And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The blood on the doorposts was not only an act of obedience — it was a visible break in belonging. For Egyptians who feared the LORD, applying the blood meant leaving behind national identity, religious tradition, and social safety. It marked their households as no longer fully Egyptian. Obedience required a loss of belonging. Silence was not safer. To remain unmarked in order to preserve acceptance was to choose death. Faith that stayed hidden did not protect lives — it exposed them. Obedience, costly as it was, chose life. That night, belonging to Egypt and allegiance to God could not coexist. For Israel, the command carried a different but equally serious weight. They had been protected thr...

  Exodus 11:4–6 (ESV) “So Moses said, ‘Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die… There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.’” This final plague strikes at the deepest place of human attachment: our children. Egypt’s firstborn represented legacy, future, security, and hope. They were the most guarded, the most cherished, the least imaginable loss. This is why the final plague is so devastating — not because God delights in pain, but because it reveals what has been held most tightly outside of His care. For parents, this story lands in the gut. There are many things we may be willing to surrender to God — time, plans, resources — but our children feel untouchable. Love tells us to protect them at all costs. Fear tells us that if we let go, everything could fall apart. Yet Exodus reveals a hard truth: what we refuse to entrust ...

  Exodus 10:21 (ESV) “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’” This plague is different from the others. It brings no noise, no destruction, no immediate physical pain — only darkness. And not ordinary darkness, but a darkness that can be felt . The people cannot see one another. They cannot move about. Life comes to a standstill. This darkness directly confronts Egypt’s trust in Ra, the sun god — the source of light, life, and order in their worldview. When Ra fails, everything collapses. What the Egyptians trusted to give them clarity and meaning offers nothing at all. This is not just a challenge to a false god; it is a revelation of reality. Light does not come from creation. It comes from God alone. When God withdraws His sustaining presence, darkness is what remains. The darkness reveals what life is like apart from Him — disorienting, isolating, paralyzing. Pharaoh ...

  Exodus 10:8–11 (ESV) “So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, ‘Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?’ Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.’ But he said to them, ‘The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! … No! Go, the men among you, and serve the LORD.’ And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.” Pharaoh no longer outright refuses to obey God. Instead, he negotiates. He offers obedience with limits. Worship is allowed—but only on his terms. Only the men may go. Families, children, and possessions must stay behind. What sounds like compromise is actually control. By keeping part of the people back, Pharaoh keeps leverage and ensures that true freedom is never possible. God has never asked for partial obedience. From the beginning, the command has been clear: all the people are to go. Pha...