The Bible Year: Week 6 and 7 Review

Aloha, Bible Study Hui!

Among the remaining commandments in Leviticus, God instructs the Israelites to observe every seventh year as a sabbath year, during which the land rests from growing crops; and every fiftieth year as a jubilee year in which Israelites return to lands they had to sell and indentured servants return to their families.

Numbers begins with a census of the Israelites.  After a year at Mount Sinai, the people resume their journey to Canaan.  They also resume their complaints, fondly remembering the food they ate in Egypt.  When Moses complains to God about his burden as a leader, God instructs him to appoint 70 elders to help.

But controversy continues.  Moses's siblings, Aaron and Miriam, express envy at Moses's primacy.  God punishes Miriam with diseased skin.  She is put out of the camp unclean for a week.

Israelite spies spent forty days scouting Canaan.  They return with a huge cluster of grapes, evidence of the land's bounty. But most of the spies despair of the Israelite's ability to conquer the land.  Only Caleb and Joshua encourage trust in God's promise.  When the people want to return to Egypt, God threatens to strike them with a plague and raise a great nation from Moses alone.  Moses successfully intercedes for them, but God swears this generation will not enter the Promised Land.  Neither shall Moses, because at Meribah, he fails to glorify God for the miraculously given water.  The Israelites will wander in the wilderness for forty years before they enter the Promised Land.

The presentation from weeks 6 and 7 that was shared during class, which can be accesssed by clicking the button below: 

Unfortunately, I don’t have a recording of this week's class meeting, but I have included the video learning materials we used.

• Our next class will be on February 25, 2026

You are welcome to join us:

• In person at the Royal Kahana Surf Room
  4365 Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

• Online via Zoom:
  https://zoom.us/j/8855454622

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. I am looking forward to some lively discussions this year, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.

The Bible Year: Week 5 Review

Aloha, Bible Study Hui!

After wandering through the wilderness, the Israelites were so close--very close--to entering the Promised Land. It had been a long, hot, treacherous journey. But they had made it this far, thanks in large part to their tenacity, but mostly due to God's generosity. God had given them food and drink to sustain them, just enough to get them through one day at a time. God gave them rules to love and live by, in the form of the commandments, which we heard about in Exodus last week. God gave them the Tabernacle, the visible, unmistakable reminder of God's presence with them. But most of all, God gave them clear direction as to where to go. A formidable cloud moved ahead of them by day, and a tall pillar of fire moved ahead of them by night. All they had to do was follow it, keep up with it, never move ahead of it, and they would be confident in their progress toward their destination.

Then at the start of Numbers 13, that all changed.

They were now just miles away from the border of the promised land, and what is implied in this text is that there would no longer be a daily cloud or nightly fire ahead of them.

God decided instead to take the training wheels off, to see if they could decide what to do next on their own. God told Moses to select 12 men to scout out the promised land and bring back a report. Why, do you suppose God had them do that? Obviously, God knew what they would find. They would find sprawling armies filled with giant soldiers next to whom the Israelites would appear like tiny grasshoppers. Yes, they would find a bounty of produce, a land rich with milk and honey, a veritable paradise awaiting them. But they would also see the kinds of ominous threats that would trigger a cautious person.

The obvious answer would appear to be that this was a test period, a test by God to see if they would trust in God, rather than the evidence—a test to see if they would live by faith, and not by data.

But digging a little deeper, we might see that this was not just about the decision itself, but how they would make that decision. Ten of the twelve spies came back reporting the truth. The threats were ominous, the chances of survival slim.

Only Joshua and Caleb, representing the minority report, looked at the data and offered truth as well. God was with them, and that's all that mattered.

These were competing truths, and the people had to decide.

Here's the lesson that is crystal clear in this story: humility is always right. Generosity of the spirit is always right. Courage is always right, when it is unpaired from arrogance. Truth is something to be pursued and never something to be owned.

And I suppose the final lesson is this: God's got this. God always sees the long game, even if we can't.

Here you will find: 

• The presentation from week 5 that was shared during class, which can be accesssed by clicking the button below: 

I've shared a video recording of the class above for those who were unable to attend or who would like to revisit the discussion.

• Our next class will be on February 18, 2026

You are welcome to join us:

• In person at the Royal Kahana Surf Room
  4365 Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

• Online via Zoom:
  https://zoom.us/j/8855454622

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. I am looking forward to some lively discussions this year, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.

The Bible Year: Week 4 Review

Aloha, Bible Study Hui!

This week, we studied the beginning of the Israelites’ trek through the Sinai desert. The distance between the northern end of the Red Sea and the Jordan River is about 250 miles, which the Israelites in Exodus could have covered in about 10 days by walking. However, their journey from slavery in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan took 40 years due to practical and theological reasons. A direct path would have led them through enemy territory, and God needed to guide them, leading to a covenant at Mount Sinai.

The extended journey highlights that spiritual formation and character development take time with no shortcuts. The Israelites had no map, only God's guidance through a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They were required to live in the present, trusting that God would provide what they needed each day. God supplied their daily needs, including manna for food, laws for community living, and the Tabernacle as a constant reminder of His presence. In every way, God provided just enough for their journey.

Here you will find: 

• The presentation from week 4 that was shared during class, which can be accesssed by clicking the button below: 

I've shared a video recording of the class above for those who were unable to attend or who would like to revisit the discussion.

We will have class on Feb 4th at 10:00 AM.

You are welcome to join us:

• In person at the Royal Kahana Surf Room
  4365 Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

• Online via Zoom:
  https://zoom.us/j/8855454622

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. I am looking forward to some lively discussions this year, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.

The Bible Year: Weeks 2 and 3 Review

Aloha, Bible Study Hui!

Thank you to everyone who joined our class last on January 21st. Our class covered the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (also called Israel), as well as one of my favorite characters in the Bible: Joseph. We read about the birth of Moses and the call he received from God to rescue his fellow Israelites (the descendants of Jacob or Israel) from slavery in Egypt and lead them to freedom in the land God promised to give to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Here you will find: 

• The presentation from weeks 2 and 3 that was shared during class, which can be accesssed by clicking the button below: 

I've shared a video recording of the class above for those who were unable to attend or who would like to revisit the discussion.

We will have class on January 28th at 10:00 AM.

You are welcome to join us:

• In person at the Royal Kahana Surf Room
  4365 Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

• Online via Zoom:
  https://zoom.us/j/8855454622

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. I am looking forward to some lively discussions this year, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.

Aloha Ke Akua,

Pastor John

The Bible Year: Week 1 Review

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Week 1 of our Bible Study in a Year. It was a rich and encouraging beginning as we set the foundation for reading Scripture together over the coming year.

Attached/linked here you will find:

The Week 1 review presentation that was shared during class, which can found on the following link below

You are welcome to join us:

• In person at the Royal Kahana Surf Room
  4365 Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

• Online via Zoom:
  https://zoom.us/j/8855454622

Whether you are attending in person or online, I encourage you to take time with the Week 1 materials and come ready to reflect, ask questions, and continue growing together in Scripture.