17: A God Who Hears the Cry

In this episode of The BEMA Podcast, Marty Solomon and Brent Billings wrap up their introduction to God's story, focusing on the narrative from Genesis to Exodus. They revisit key figures like Avram, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, highlighting themes of trust, faithfulness, desire, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. They introduce the concept of "Haggah projects," biblical brain teasers designed to encourage deeper engagement with the text, using the story of Zipporah in Exodus 4 as an example. The discussion explores Moses's insecurities and identity crisis, emphasizing that God values availability over qualifications. They analyze stories of God's wrath, particularly Sodom and Gomorrah and the Exodus, arguing that these are driven by God hearing the cry of the mistreated and a desire to restore shalom, rather than a primary focus on punishment. The episode concludes by previewing the next discussion on the symbolism of Egypt and empire, recommending viewers to watch Ray Vanderlaan videos for visual context.