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I am finding these readings very interesting and insightful. I attended a really great Torah study for about 15 years and appreciate new and helpful explanations of the text.

One thought…. 37:25 Moshe’s rescue by pharaoh’s daughter was about 80 years previous to these interactions with pharaoh. Before Moshe returned to Egypt, God had told him that those who sought his life (40 years previously) were dead. This pharaoh was not the same one Moshe had known before, and there is no biblical documentation as to whether or not Moshe had known this particular pharaoh before. He could have been born after Moshe fled for his life 40 years before. We just don’t know. I see no biblical reason to think Moshe and this Pharaoh had a close, affectionate, or intimate relationship.

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An alternative way to understand the word describing what God does to Pharaoh's heart, is to look more deeply into Pharaoh's responsibilities. The tension here is between a leader whose actions and attitudes have been prescribed for thousands of years already, and he is to present himself to his people as a God and they are to respond to him as such. So it would appear that his being attracted to the god of Moses in his lowest moments, when his roles and his ego don't get in the way, but then he has to retract from those feelings in order to fulfill his obligations to his people. Perhaps it is that God makes his heart heavy , when he realizes he has been doing wrong and he would rather not . It is as if God were instilling in him a conscience that perhaps otherwise might not be there . So his heart is heavy, he feels sad and torn knowing that there is this great God of the Hebrews but he is in no position to recognize that God's authority. To extend your idea that Pharaoh is a more complete character, one might impute this back and forth as Pharaoh struggling with his conscience versus his cultural imperatives. Also the idea that God also loves the Egyptians may be seen perhaps as an indication of the tension that always exists between leaders and their followers. Moses too encounters this difficulty. Perhaps the Hebrews, had they continued to tell their stories in the Bible past the point of Kings and prophets had there been no diaspora, would have come to a place where leaders are more representative of their people, and could actually act to support their people if the well-being of the people could eventually be seen as more important then the impenetrable power of a leader. Pharaoh is not free to act on his conscience because of restrictions of his role, and the people suffer from this lack of freedom in their King. However, they are free in the story to follow the god of the Hebrews and throw themselves on the mercy of that God.

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I have grown up a WELS Lutheran and used a KJV all my life. Could you recommend a version of the 1650 version of the Bible. I do not read Hebrew or Greek. I am a WELS Reformation Protestant and want to learn the Geneva Bible. Would I get 1560 Geneva (hardcover) (Mayflower (hardcover) or the one you are on the front cover (hardcover). I was born/raised in SF and live in Eugene, OR. I found you on Eric Metaxas Program and later found you on you tube.

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Thank you for the superb experience. What a difference between the Hebrew Bible and the Catholic Bible, RSV, KJB, . . . I was taught that the New American Standard version was the closest to the original, but that was not true! Ah, It has been attacked from within in this sense as well.

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I really enjoyed your interview with Tucker your both modern day hero’s, sharing the truth. I cant wait to read your book. I just purchased Facing the Beast and I preordered Pfizer

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I have had a copy of the Geneva Bible for over 20 years. The Geneva Bible was in brief use and replaced shortly after the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth with the King James Version of the Bible. Although, the Pilgrims may have continued its use for some time. The Geneva Bible set the precedence for notes in the margin and cross references to supporting verses to assist in studies. For more advanced study you should use a Concordance. I use the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Red Letter Edition. I also used the Holoman's Bible Dictionary as its essays add stronger support to studies.

The Geneva Bible as used by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and as used by Pastor John Robinson for the farewell letter, http://mayflowerhistory.com/letter-john-robinson, to the Pilgrims detailed setting up the Biblical form of Governance.

In 1892, the US Supreme Court ruled in the Trinity Church vs the United States that the United States is a Christian Nations and its citizens are a religious people. The Justices then wrote an opinion giving a 400 year litany of veritable evidence in support of its conclusion which included the November 11, 1620 arrival of the Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact which was their Constitution for 70 years.

I find it interesting that over 50 years later during 1947 in Everson vs The Board of Education the Justices ruled the exact opposite declaring Separation of Church and State but the Justices in their opinion only offered one letter from Jefferson to the Danberry Baptist as evidence. Jefferson was not even a participant in crafting the First Amendment and used a term from a Presbyterian minister's sermon, a wall of separation. Historian David Barton remarked that the court acted with an 'enlightened' perception to yesterday's acts, the 1947 decision was unscholarly, and disquieting approach to law and history.

All this history originated when the Gutenberg Bible was published and people began to read for the first time in a long time what the Bible was really saying. It was the reason for Martin Luther to tack the 96 thesis on the Church Door setting off the Protestant reformation, the Geneva Bible, and the pilgrimage to America.

I like Neil Diamond's song, America! https://youtu.be/RrgCxSSwBto. My Grandmother fled a real war in 1917. She arrived on a ship at Ellis Island. Her name is on the plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty! I have a real connection to what America is about, similar to the original Pilgrims. Although, I am in deep disdain over the current border crisis and the post-Christian movement in America.

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WOW - you are VERY busy! i look forward to listening to all of these readings. The interview with Tucker was delightful - and I am in the middle of your book =:-))

Blessings dear Naomi - ❤️

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