Podcast
Bible Fiber
Hosted by Shelley Neese · EN
- Tired of scripture study guides that leave you wanting more substance? Discover a resource that offers comprehensive teaching and deep insights into the prophetic message.
- Have you been avoiding the more challenging books of the Bible because they are hard to understand or apply to your life? Let Bible Fiber build your foundational knowledge about ancient Israel’s history and culture.
Welcome to Bible Fiber, where we are encountering the textures and shades of the biblical tapestry through twelve Minor Prophets, two reformers (Ezra and Nehemiah), and one priest in exile (Ezekiel). Along the way, we take pauses for minicourses on peoples of the Bible and ponder why the prophetic office ended. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern.
You won't find another podcast so committed to teaching the parts of the Bible that get the least attention and also is constantly calling for prayers for the modern state of Israel during this moment of crisis.
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Episodes
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Chukat-Balak (Number 19:1–25:9)
5d ago00:12:34Tap to summarizeThis week we are reading a double Torah portion: Chukat and Balak. It covers Numbers 19:1–25:9. Together, these two portions mark a major turning point in the book of Numbers. The older generation that left Egypt has almost entirely passed away in the wilderness. Now, Israel stands on the edge of the Promised Land, facing two distinct types of challenges. First, they must deal with the internal, spiritual challenge of ritual purity after a season of immense death. Second, they face external political anxiety from neighboring nations that view their arrival as a threat.For thirty-eight years, the book of Numbers tracks an entire generation of adults dying out in the desert due to their rebellion at Kadesh Barnea. According to biblical law, encountering a corpse causes the highest level of ritual defilement. Because death was a daily occurrence in the camp, the entire nation had become ritually impure. They could not march into a land flowing with milk and honey while carrying the lingering ritual defilement of their wilderness judgment. Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Korah (Numbers 16:1−18:32)
2w ago00:14:11Tap to summarizeKorah is the antihero in this Torah portion, infamous for leading a coup against Moses and Aaron that leaves 15,000 dead. However, every family dispute has two sides to the story, so we should learn more about Korah to fully understand the family dynamics. Korah was a prominent Levite and a close relative of Moses and Aaron. Korah’s father and Moses’s father were brothers, which makes Moses, Aaron, and Korah first cousins. As Korah watched his cousins attain the highest positions of authority in the community, resentment slowly took root in his heart.Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Shelach (Numbers 13:1–15:41)
2w ago00:10:42Tap to summarizeThis week’s reading portion covers Numbers 13:1 to 15:41. It contains one of the more famous stories in the Torah: the episode of the twelve spies. Twelve appointed leaders went to Canaan to scout the land and its inhabitants. Moses gave them very specific instructions. They were to enter the land through the Negev Desert and journey up to the hill country in the north. They were to take note of the fertility of the land, its trees, and its produce. Also, the scouts needed to assess if the people in the land were strong or weak, numerous or sparse, and if the towns were fortified.Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Beha’alotcha (Numbers 8:1–12:16)
4w ago00:11:15Tap to summarizeIn this week’s Torah portion (Num 8:1–12:16), Moses experiences a profound breakdown when the Israelites demand meat. His reaction is far more severe than it was during previous complaints about food. Before this crisis, he had led the people through repeated breaches of faith without becoming so deeply despairing. This time, however, he cries out to God, declaring that the burden of leadership is too heavy for him to bear alone. He even begs God to kill him rather than force him to continue under such a weight. In response, God does not end Moses's life. Instead, he causes meat to rain down upon the camp until the people grow completely sick of it. Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Nasso (Numbers 4:21–7:89)
May 2800:12:10Tap to summarizeNumbers 6 introduces the long-enduring institution of the Nazirite and memorializes one of the oldest documented Hebrew prayers.While the Levitical priesthood was strictly a hereditary role, the Nazirite vow offered a democratic, merit-based path. It allowed any individual to dedicate themselves fully to God and consecrate themselves like a priest. This remarkable institution lasted in Israel for 2,000 years.The chapter concludes with one of the most enduring blessings in human history. God gave this exact phrasing to Moses to pass on to Aaron and his sons to use when blessing the Israelites. Today, the Aaronic blessing remains one of the most recognizable biblical passages to every Jew and Christian.Archaeology has confirmed the antiquity of these words. The Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls, found in 1979, contain the Aaronic blessing. They are the oldest biblical text ever found, even 500 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Next time you sing The Blessing at church, know that you are singing lyrics that are 2600 years old.Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1–4:20)
May 1400:11:57Tap to summarizeThis week, we begin the book of Numbers, the fourth volume in our weekly Torah readings. Before decamping from Mount Sinai, God commands Moses and Aaron to take a headcount. The specific instructions given to Moses and Aaron focused on identifying and counting those fit for battle. They had to have a record of the number of men “able to go forth to war,” which meant all men over the age of twenty. The Levites were the only tribe not eligible for military service, as they were set apart for work at the Tabernacle. Despite the emphasis on the Levitical role as servant to the community, it still feels as though the Levites are elevated above the other tribes. This naturally raises the question: by what merit did the Levites secure such a position? Knowing human nature and group dynamics, I am certain this question arose within the camp as well. However, God preempts the accusation with a history lesson from Exodus. And Bible Fiber is going to share that history lesson with you!Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Behar–Bechukotai: Leviticus 25:1–27:34
May 700:13:48Tap to summarizeThis week’s Torah portion is known as Behar–Bechukotai and covers Leviticus 25:1–27:34. These are the final two Torah portions in the book of Leviticus.In Leviticus 25, the concept of the Jubilee is introduced as the ultimate expression of God’s sovereignty over the land and time. It functions as a “super-Sabbath,” occurring after seven cycles of seven years.Moses instructs the nation to count off seven cycles of sabbatical years—seven years seven times. In the fiftieth year, the people are to hallow the Year of Jubilee. During that year, on the Day of Atonement, a shofar is blown all across the land to announce the moment of redemption.The Jubilee year is defined by three primary mandates that reset the economic and social structure of Israelite society. The most significant aspect of the Jubilee is the restoration of property. In the biblical framework, land could not be sold permanently. Instead, it was leased based on the number of years remaining until the next Jubilee. Families who sold their land due to poverty or debt received it back. The practice reinforced the idea that the land belongs to God. The Israelites were merely tenants or stewards of his property. Any Israelite who had sold himself into servitude to pay off debts was set free. These individuals were permitted to return to their ancestral clans and their own family land. The Jubilee transformed the concept of “ownership” into “stewardship.”AskSupport the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Emor (Leviticus 21:1–24:23)
May 100:10:12Tap to summarizeThis week’s Torah portion is known as Emor—which means “speak”—and it covers Leviticus 21:1–24:23. The counting of the Omer began on April 2 and will end on May 21. For the Jewish people, the goal of counting the Omer is to become a vessel ready to be filled by God’s holy law. For the Christian, we can also count the Omer as we retrace the life of our messiah Jesus from his death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Spirit. Right now, at this moment, on Day 29 of the Omer, the disciples were still learning at the feet of Jesus. What Jesus did for his followers during those days is the goal of Bible Fiber. He sat with them, and “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures” (Luke 24:27). By prayer and study, I suggest that we all retrace the steps from Egypt to Sinai and from the resurrection to Pentecost.JerusalemConnectionSupport the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Acharei Mot–Kedoshim (Leviticus 16:1–20:27)
Apr 2300:09:46Tap to summarizeThese chapters contain some of the most vital commands for the people of Israel. They include the liturgy for the holiest day on the Jewish calendar—Yom Kippur. A unique part of the ceremony involved two goats of similar size and appearance. One goat was for Yahweh, and the other was for Azazel. These animals represented two aspects of atonement. One paid the penalty and was sacrificed in the sanctuary. The other removed the sin from the community and was released into the wilderness. Which goat represented Jesus?Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
Transcribe →Tazria (Leviticus 12:1–15:33)
Apr 1600:11:55Tap to summarizeThis week’s reading is called Tazria and it covers Leviticus 12:1–15:33. This portion is completely occupied by issues of ritual impurity. Last week’s reading, Shemini, was concerned with the structural boundaries between the sacred and the profane, as it pertained to the Tabernacle and priesthood. Tazria–Metzora shifts the lens toward the human body and the private experiences of the laypeople. It deals with the laws of ritual impurity arising from childbirth and every possible skin affliction. Where Shemini focuses on the physical structure of the sanctuary and the behavior of the priests, this portion focuses on the physical state of the common person. It addresses how natural life cycles and mysterious illnesses affect an individual’s ability to participate in communal worship.The laws of ritual purity in Leviticus were the essential start of what would later become one of the most important sacraments of our faith. By understanding the origins of immersion in these chapters, we gain a deeper appreciation for baptism, recognizing it not as a new invention but as the beautiful fulfillment of a divine promise.Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.
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