Exodus Seminar Episode 15 Jordan Peterson

Jordan and the scholars discuss the Israelites' stubbornness and Moses' frustration. They highlight the importance of shared vision, gratitude, and avoiding resentment.

Dr Jordan B Peterson—the most important public intellectual of our time—has captivated millions worldwide with his profound biblical lectures, shining a spotlight on the most important book in the history of mankind as an academic work to be taken seriously in the modern era. In the followup to his massively successful lectures on Genesis, Jordan is joined by formidable theological and literary scholars for an in-depth review on Exodus.

A review on Jordan Peterson's 'Exodus' series
By Robin Schumacher, Exclusive Columnist

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Jordan Peterson exodus
Courtesy of The Daily Wire
The biggest surprise I got at the end of my seminary days was discovering that, out of everything I was taught, the courses on the Old Testament turned out to be my favorite.

Like most Christians, I always gave the expected, respectful nod to the first 39 books of the Bible, but that was mostly it. Maybe like you, the idea impressed on me (either implicitly or explicitly) was that the New Testament is what really matters.

After all, isn’t the Church a New Testament concept and isn’t that where we find Jesus? That being the case, I felt I shouldn’t waste much time studying the Old Testament with its seemingly endless genealogies and the like.

How wrong I was.

My classes on the Old Testament blew open doors and gave me more insight into God and Christ than I ever thought possible. That experience taught me how the New Testament Church is, in many ways, crippled without a good understanding of what preceded it and sadly isn’t getting that education.

On that topic, Old Testament scholar Dr. Walt Kaiser, says:

“There remains a distressing absence of the Old Testament in the church. It is possible to attend some churches for months without ever hearing a sermon from the older testament, which represents well over three-fourths of what our Lord had to say to us. This vacuum is unconscionable for those who claim that the whole Bible is the authoritative Word of God to mankind.”

With the Church needing more Old Testament instruction, I was excited to see Dr. Jordan Peterson’s new series on Exodus, which is being produced by The Daily Wire. Peterson, who did a lecture series in 2017 on the book of Genesis, is planning a new set of discourses on Exodus in 2023 and is using the work being done in The Daily Wire project to feed that initiative.

I received an invitation to preview the first two episodes of Dr. Peterson's "Exodus" production, which were about four hours in total. Once you dive in, you’ll be surprised at how fast time flies by.

Exegetical goodness

The series consists of Peterson moderating a discussion with a number of theological scholars, historians, and literary experts, including Dennis Prager, Larry Arrn, Dr. James Orr, Dr. Os Guinness, Dr. Stephen Blackwood, Gregg Hurwitz, Dr. Douglas Hedley, and Jonathan Pageau. The format is exegetical in nature, with Peterson reading through Exodus verse-by-verse and then leading a conversation on each section.

I loved this approach. Unfortunately, the Old Testament is missing in action today within the church walls as well as exegetical preaching. With Peterson going verse-by-verse through Exodus, he ensures no part of God’s Word is excluded, which is commendable.

One thing he tackles up front is the foundational question of why discuss the book of Exodus. What relevance does it have for us today? Peterson and the panel provide compelling reasons including the fact we as a people seem to have lost ourselves and that the (whole) Bible is the backbone of our culture, with Exodus, in particular, being the inspiration for both the English and American revolutions.

The bedrock of our ethics is also found in the second book of the Bible, with the roundtable discussing the fact that morality is given and discovered and not invented or constructed as many today would have you believe. Moreover, with so much of the culture decrying the abuse of power seen in many walks of life, Exodus demonstrates how God aligns Himself against tyranny, the mistreatment of the oppressed, and champions freedom. Today, these are principles everyone should appreciate.