Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode Summary – September 2 (Job 35–36; Psalm 59; Luke 23)
Release Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Crossway
Format: Daily readings from Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms (ESV)

Brief Overview

This episode guides listeners through Scripture readings from the books of Job (chapters 35–36), Psalm 59, and Luke 23. The central theme is the majesty and justice of God amid human suffering, the plea for divine protection, and the climactic narrative of Jesus’s trial, crucifixion, and burial. The passages explore human questioning of God’s justice, steadfast reliance on God during adversity, and the ultimate display of sacrificial love in Christ’s passion.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Job 35–36: Elihu’s Speech on God’s Justice

• Elihu Reframes Human Suffering
  • Elihu challenges Job’s complaints against God's justice, emphasizing God’s transcendence and impartiality.
  • Quote: "[00:07] Do you think this to be just? Do you say, it is my right before God that you ask, 'What advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned?'"
  • Human sin does not diminish God, nor does human righteousness enrich Him; rather, these affect fellow humans, not God directly.
• God’s Transcendence and Wisdom
  • God’s ways are higher than man’s, and His wisdom surpasses human understanding.
  • Quote: "[01:25] Behold, God is mighty and does not despise any. He is mighty in strength of understanding."
  • God sustains the righteous and afflicts the wicked appropriately, using adversity as instruction.
• Purpose of Affliction
  • Suffering can be a tool for teaching and humbling, guiding people back to righteousness.
  • Quote: "[01:56] He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity."
• Warning Against Pride
  • Elihu cautions against letting pride or anger turn people away from God during hardship.
  • Quote: "[02:27] Take care, do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction."
• God’s Sovereignty in Nature
  • Elihu marvels at God’s control over creation—rain, clouds, lightning—underscoring His power and understanding far beyond human comprehension.

2. Psalm 59: A Plea for Deliverance and Praise for God’s Protection

• David’s Persecution
  • David pleads for God’s intervention against enemies intent on his destruction.
  • Quote: "[04:01] Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Protect me from those who rise up against me."
• God’s Laughter at the Wicked
  • The Psalmist expresses confidence in God’s authority, noting that the Lord mocks the plans of evil men.
  • Quote: "[04:33] But you, O Lord, laugh at them. You hold all the nations in derision."
• Daily Faithfulness Amid Threats
  • David describes the persistence of his enemies, but commits to singing of God’s strength and steadfast love every morning.
  • Quote: "[05:37] But I will sing of your strength. I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress."

3. Luke 23: The Trial, Crucifixion, and Burial of Jesus

• Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
  • The religious leaders accuse Jesus before Pilate, but Pilate and Herod both find no guilt deserving death.
  • Quote (Pilate): "[06:00] I find no guilt in this man."
  • Despite this, public pressure leads to Jesus’s sentencing and Barabbas’s release.
  • Quote: "[07:44] Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death."
• The Way of the Cross
  • Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry Jesus’s cross. Women mourn for Jesus, but He points to future judgment.
  • Quote (Jesus): "[08:27] Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children."
• The Crucifixion
  • Jesus is crucified between two criminals. One criminal mocks; the other seeks forgiveness.
  • Quote (Jesus to thief): "[09:57] Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
  • Jesus forgives His executioners as He dies.
  • Quote (Jesus): "[10:41] Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
  • Supernatural signs accompany His death (darkness, the temple curtain torn).
  • The centurion proclaims Jesus’s innocence.
  • Quote (Centurion): "[11:14] Certainly this man was innocent."
• Burial of Jesus
  • Joseph of Arimathea, a righteous council member, requests Jesus’s body and lays Him in a new tomb.
  • The women observe the burial and prepare spices, resting on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Elihu on the limits of human justice:
  "[00:13] If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him?"
• David’s declaration of trust:
  "[05:37] But I will sing of your strength. I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning."
• Pilate’s reluctant verdict:
  "[07:44] Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death."
• Jesus’s mercy on the cross:
  "[09:57] Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
  "[10:41] Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
• Centurion’s awe:
  "[11:14] Certainly this man was innocent."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Job 35–36 (Elihu’s speech): 00:01–04:01
• Psalm 59 (David’s plea): 04:01–05:47
• Luke 23 (Trial, crucifixion, burial): 05:47–end (~12:32)

Closing Thoughts

This episode threads together the themes of the inscrutable wisdom and justice of God (Job), the sustaining power of steadfast faith (Psalms), and the narrative climax of redemption history (Luke 23): Jesus’s innocent suffering, gracious forgiveness, and redemptive death. Through every reading, listeners are invited to reflect on God’s power, faithfulness, and grace amid life’s darkest trials.