Podcast Summary: The Ten Minute Bible Hour

Host: Matt Whitman

Episode: GAL128 - "Well Great, I Guess We're Going to Have to Post a Sign"

Date: February 19, 2025

Brief Overview

In this episode, Matt Whitman delves into Galatians 3:19 and Paul's question about the purpose of the Law in the Bible, using a humorous and insightful metaphor involving the post-COVID phenomenon of new store signs requesting basic decency from customers. Matt unpacks the layered reasons God “posted” the Law on top of His original promise to Abraham, revealing both humanity's recurring need for reminders and the deeper theological purpose behind biblical commandments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Societal Signs: Learning from Post-COVID Behavior

• Matt opens with a reflection on how, after COVID, stores started posting signs about treating employees kindly—a sign of societal breakdown.
  • Pre-COVID, such reminders were largely unnecessary because everyone implicitly understood how to behave in public.
  • During COVID, "people went kind of feral. It was weird. It was hoarding and yelling and blaming and finger pointing. And understandably, people were scared and upset and people got terribly sick. People died." (01:25)

2. Metaphor: Posting Signs and the Law

• Matt uses the new "be kind" signs to explain the Old Testament Law.
  • Businesses used to trust the implicit social contract, but bad behavior necessitated explicit rules.
  • "All of a sudden, what didn't used to need a sign, now because of recent bad behavior, did need a sign." (02:35)
  • The original implicit promise = the store is open, let's do business (or, in biblical terms, relationship with God is available).

3. The Biblical Sequence: Promise, Then Law

• Matt parallels this with the timeline of biblical covenants:
  • First, God’s open "promise" to Abraham: a relationship with God based on faith and grace alone.
  • Quote: "The first thing that happened was the promise—business is open, relationship with God is possible. Come on in." (04:15)
  • 430 years later, the Law comes under Moses—not as a replacement, but as an addition "because of transgressions" (Galatians 3:19).

4. Why Add the Law? Human Transgressions

• Matt discusses why God added laws after the promise:
  • People kept violating assumed standards; signs (laws) were needed.
  • Uses Israel’s golden calf as a major example ("Surely nobody would...think to themselves, you know what we should do? Melt down some gold and fashion a golden calf in the style of Egyptian paganism, and...worship it real quick. Huh? What? What are you doing?" [09:32])
  • Even when the miraculous presence of God was obvious, people still failed—showing human frailty.
  • "That's the kind of incident where as a store owner, you're like, well, surely no customer would ever do that thing. I don't need a sign for it. Well, then they do it. And you're like, dang, I guess maybe now I need a sign." (10:12)

5. Functions of the Law

• Order out of Chaos:
  • “One function of the law is to just make order out of chaos so things don't spiral into complete insanity and moral madness.” (12:15)
• Revealing God’s Character:
  • The multitude of laws show both God’s holiness and humanity’s distance from it.
  • The law not only keeps order but demonstrates God’s holiness and makes people aware of their shortcomings.
• Driving People Towards God’s Mercy:
  • The law’s ultimate purpose is to point out need, pushing "people...into the arms of a loving God, so they would depend on him through faith, through the promise with Abraham." (13:24)

6. The Law Did Not Replace the Promise

• Matt addresses confusion regarding the purpose and permanence of the Law:
  • “Paul is saying that the law is not a replacement to the promise, or even really an augmentation to the promise. The promise is still the promise. Rather, the law is added because of human frailty, because of human shortcoming before God.” (14:15)
  • The Law serves as both a corrective and a pointer towards the deeper story fulfilled in Christ.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On post-COVID signs:
  • "Please be kind to the people who showed up—that is kind of the language of one that I often see printed and displayed at different businesses." (02:10)
• On the first “sign” (the Law):
  • "If the sign says 'open,' then...you can come in if you're a human. We can do business together. Come on in." (03:20)
• On the Israelites and the Golden Calf:
  • "Surely no one in their right mind could see all of those miracles happen...Surely nobody would...melt down some gold and fashion a golden calf...and...worship it real quick. Huh? What? What are you doing?" (09:32)
• On the Law’s purpose:
  • “Clearly one function of the law is to just make order out of chaos so things don't spiral into complete insanity and moral madness.” (12:15)
• On the Law and the promise:
  • "The law is not a replacement to the promise...Rather, the law is added because of human frailty, because of human shortcoming before God." (14:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:25] – On post-COVID behavioral breakdown and needing new social rules
• [04:15] – Explanation of Abraham’s promise and implicit “open” contract with God
• [09:32] – Golden Calf analogy and the need for explicit commandments
• [12:15] – The law as order-maker in a chaotic society
• [13:24] – The law pointing toward reliance on God’s mercy
• [14:15] – The law as addition, not replacement, to the foundational promise

Final Tone and Flow

Matt’s style in this episode is casual, witty, and self-aware. He treats deep theological concepts with playful metaphors and real-world parallels, encouraging listeners to approach Bible study thoughtfully rather than legalistically. He is also honest about the difficulty of the passage, emphasizing humility in interpretation rather than dogmatism.

Summary by The Ten Minute Bible Hour Podcast Summarizer — episode covered: “GAL128 - Well Great, I Guess We’re Going to Have to Post a Sign.”