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You Can Read the Bible Bible Only Podcast
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Day 129 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeCharacters such as Jacob, Moses and Joshua have received the honor of having their “last words” recorded. Jacob addresses his sons with a mix of observation, promise, and warning. Moses and Joshua each recount the favor of the LORD on the children of Israel and remind Israel to honor their covenant with Him. In our first chapter today, David speaks the word of The Spirit of the LORD, reminding the next generation that, “when one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, He dawns on them like the morning light…” This oracle is followed by a register of David’s mighty men, recounting their importance in protecting David and securing the kingdom. The final chapter of Samuel once again visits an earlier episode in David’s reign. The basic synopsis is this: the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, so He incited David against them. David calls for a census; Joab protests, sensing something is amiss, but David overrides him. God then uses this to inflict punishment on Israel, the instrument of which David has to choose. The angel of death sweeps Israel, stopping just short of Jerusalem, and David worships. Everybody got that? Don’t read this story without absorbing the first line, that the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He incited David against them… Everything that happens next is secondary to this premise. There don’t appear to be hidden meanings or arrangements here, and no amount of linguistic gymnastics avoids the assertion that the LORD caused David to sin in order to have a reason to punish Israel. This is not unprecedented. The LORD demonstrated His supremacy over Pharaoh by grabbing Pharaoh’s heart and compelling him to recklessness. It is not impossible that the moments when Moses intervened between the LORD’s anger and Israel in the wilderness tests similar to this moment with David. This could plausibly fit the author’s story arc showing the ability and integrity David had lost after his sin with Bathsheba. Also of interest is the reason for which the plague was halted: When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” This could perhaps be a primary lesson for the author, showing the LORD’s continued favor for David’s capital and presenting hope for protection for future generations. But this is all speculation. As I’ve said many times, the primary character of this book is the LORD, and we have to add this event to our map of the LORD’s character. Read it slowly and carefully. Our verse for this week is Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 2 Samuel 23 and 24. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 192 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeThe words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. Jeremiah 1:1-2 You might recall from 2 Kings that Josiah reigned near the end of Judah’s term. Jeremiah’s parents would have remembered the treacherous days of Manasseh, when the LORD had promised by His servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh…has done more evil than all the Amorites did… Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle… And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies.” Jeremiah would see this promise fulfilled, as evidenced by the first paragraph of this book. In fact, it appears that Jeremiah’s calling coincides with the start of a countdown, around 40 years before the ultimate fall of Jerusalem. In Jeremiah’s first vision Jeremiah is let in on this secret: “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose on all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north… and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem… and I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me.” The remainder of this oracle is encouragement for Jeremiah. In fact, listen as the LORD promises to build defenses, but not for Judah! “To all to whom I send you,” declares the LORD, …whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you.” Pay attention throughout this book to Jeremiah’s emotions and the LORD’s encouragement – and consider the times in which Jeremiah lived. In the final two-thirds of today’s reading Jeremiah presents the LORD’s case against His people. The LORD laments over Israel’s covenantal failure: “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of His harvest.” One metaphor of note is that of infidelity – especially marital infidelity. This surfaced sparingly in Isaiah, but becomes a strong image in these opening chapters of Jeremiah. This is how seriously the LORD takes His covenant with them, and He wants them to know why they are being judged. Our verse for this week is Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Jeremiah 1 through 3. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 37 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeToday we return to the Wilderness of Sinai, where Moses and Aaron are receiving additional instructions regarding life for the Israelites. If you can, imagine these commands as a series of concentric circles. In the very center is that which is holy – set apart, devoted to God. In the next ring is that which is “clean.” Not holy, but not unclean. Outside of this is that which is unclean, profane. Cleansing something or someone makes them clean. Sanctifying them makes them holy. This is physically represented by the way the Israelites set up camp. The Tabernacle, where God’s presence rests and where worship is performed, sits in the middle. The Israelites then pitch their vast tent city in a circle around the tabernacle. All that is unclean, including human waste, garbage, and all that is labeled “profane,” goes outside the camp. As we read the commands concerning whether animals are suitable for food, and we’ll read today regarding the treatment of leprosy, every aspect of life was designated into one of these categories: holy, clean, or unclean. Keep all this in mind as we dive into the treatment of ailments of the skin and clothing in chapter 13. The word “leprosy” here is used to cover a generic array of skin ailments – ranging from disease to injury – which is why they’re all treated differently. The same is true of the various “leprosies” that could infect fabrics. One thing to watch for is that it may not be the disease itself that causes someone to be “unclean.” Pay attention to how someone is treated if they have leprosy over their entire body. This is another indicator that these laws have more to do with “set-apartness” than with public health. At the end of chapter 14, the LORD gives instructions on how to purify an unclean house. As with skin diseases, “leprosy” of a house included an array of mildews and fungi that could infect them. However, pay attention to this embedded promise: you won’t be living in tents forever; someday you will have houses to clean! Our verse for this week is Romans 5:6: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Leviticus chapters 13 and 14. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 139 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeLast week ended with the transition from Elijah to Elisha as the most prominent prophet in the Northern Kingdom. In today’s reading a series of signs continue to affirm that Elijah’s spirit is indeed on Elisha. Keep in mind that these signs carry multiple layers of significance. There is the first, on-the-ground layer of importance to the characters: a widow’s home is saved; a boy is raised to life; a man is healed of disease; a borrowed axe head is retrieved. These were real people, under real threat, who received real deliverance through Elisha. Another layer of importance is that these signs are, quite simply, an opportunity for the LORD to reveal His power. And greatest result of these revelations is when the witnesses turn their awe into worship – a purpose God often makes explicit with “So that [fill in the name] will know that I am the LORD. This is exemplified today by Naaman, the Syrian general, who asks Elisha for “…two mules’ load of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD.” Yet another consequence of these signs – and one we saw emphatically through the Elijah stories – is the connection between the revelatory signs of the prophet and the revelatory message of the prophet. Ahab is not judged simply by Elijah’s call to repent (though that should have been sufficient); he is forcefully condemned by his obstinance in the face of the mighty confirming signs the LORD did through him. This is demonstrated today not so much through the king of Israel – who only emerges by title in chapter 6 – but through the king of Syria. King Ben-Hadad of Damascus – and this might be a family name we’ve seen before – is so convinced of Elisha’s power that he wants him dead. Oddly enough, so does the king of Israel. These intrigues sets up the rest of the Elisha story. One final highlight… pay attention to the phrase that opens chapter 5: “Namaan, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria.” Wait:“…the LORD had given victory to Syria…”? Wasn’t Syria the enemy? Yet the LORD – the God of Israel – is giving them aid. That might be a signal to you, the reader, about the LORD’s methods and priorities. Our verse for this week is Romans 8:28: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 2 Kings 4 through 6. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 188 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeI concluded yesterday’s Daily Reader by pointing out that the prophet’s eye seems to be fixed on something beyond the immediate. “From this time forth,” the LORD declares in chapter 48, “I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known.” The prophet foresees a day when “My salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.” This day, and the Servant who will inaugurate it, are the subjects of today’s reading. The passage is bookended by a rebuke of Israel’s leaders, who despise the name of the LORD “continually all the day,” and act as shepherds but “who have no understanding,” for “they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain...” But in between these reprimands the LORD introduces the Servant, one who “will act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted…” However, chapter 53 sets a key contrast between this servant and those who turn to their own gain. His lot will be to suffer: “despised and rejected by men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities…” This the servant will give willingly, for “it was the will of the LORD to crush him… by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous…” And the recipients of this salvation will not simply be of Israel, for the Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares: “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” Therefore, “Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely separate me from His people…” As you listen today, pay attention to words and ideas that would have caused comfort to the oppressed in Jerusalem, to the exiled in Assyria and Babylon. Listen also for those which strain credulity, about the promised servant, about how he would reign, and about what that reign would represent. Our verse for this week is Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Isaiah 52 through 56. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 114 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeChapter 25 begins with a closing note about the prophet Samuel. Given his stature in Israel’s story, the mention is curiously brief. This opens for two stories that help fill out our sense of David’s character. The second will feel similar to what we saw yesterday in the cave of Engedi. The first is a unique encounter between David, a worthless man, and his wife. We saw yesterday that as David and his men roam the wilderness of Judah, they are providing a measure of security for its residents. While Israel has ostensible control of the region, Philistine raiding parties are still threatening life and property. Today David reaches out to Nabal, whose estate David had been protecting, and asks to share in a feast day with him. Given the size of David’s militia, it’s hard to fathom how much support David was expecting from Nabal, but Nabal – described as harsh and badly behaved, heaps insults upon David. David is hot, and commands his men to strap on their swords. The story turns in two places. First, one of Nabal’s servants has the nerve to go to Nabal’s wife, Abigail, and warn her not only that David has a point, but that all of them are going to be wiped out. Second, Abigail goes to David, and in the longest speech attributed to a woman in the whole Old Testament, sways David by reminding him that “The LORD will certainly make [him] a sure house…” and will appoint him “…prince over Israel.” As soon as this episode ends, we find that Saul is still on David’s tail, despite his confession in chapter 24 that he knows that David will “surely be king.” We’re also reminded that Saul’s army suffers either from disinterest or incompetence, and David is able to sneak into the camp at night and toy with Saul again. Saul is again convicted, repentant, and releases David with a blessing. Take note of the interesting narrative structure of chapters 24 through 26. In the bookends, we have stories of David overriding the advice of his men – even chastising them – and refusing to kill the man he calls, “The LORD’s anointed.” However, in between, it is David who is rash, and who is kept from evil by the advice of another. As in all the Bible, we are dealing with human beings whose triumphs and flaws are on full display. Listen for connections throughout these stories today. Our verse for this week is Isaiah 40:28: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. 1 Samuel 25 and 26. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 195 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeToday’s three chapters break neatly across three unique themes. Chapter 10 focuses on the folly of idolatry compared to worshipping the God who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom… None of this is unfamiliar territory, but there is a spiral effect at work: each time idolatry, injustice, and Jeremiah’s intercession are addressed, the tone is just a bit sharper, the rebuke a little stronger. In chapter 11 the LORD uses a fascinating descriptor: “A conspiracy exists,” He says, “among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem… The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers.” This reminds us that, from the LORD’s perspective, obedience to Him was not a choice; for Israel, for Judah, it was not one option among many. Therefore, “What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds?” In fact, he again commands Jeremiah, “Do not pray for this people… for I will not listen.” The coming disaster that they cannot escape, is – from the LORD’s perspective – deserved. In chapter 12 Jeremiah again raises his voice in complaint: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” Read what follows closely. This is not an abstract complaint about the state of the world. This is a criticism of how the LORD manages things: “…You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit…” Listen just as intently to the LORD’s response: there is a gentle reprimand of the prophet, a greater rebuke of his nation, and finally a promise that justice will have the final say. As I’ve often reminded, the subject of this Bible is the LORD. It is not Judah, or Jeremiah, or the voice out of the north country. The primary subject is neither Judah’s failure nor Jeremiah’s despair. This was sublimely affirmed in yesterday’s benediction: “but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” I encourage you to listen intently to how His words reveal His character and priorities in today’s passage. Our verse for this week is Lamentations 3:22-23: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Jeremiah 10 through 12. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 267 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeToday we begin a series of readings in the Wisdom section of the Hebrew Bible, starting with the story of Job. “There was a man in the land of Uz…” The first five verses give us all the background information we’ll receive about the primary character. We learn that he is a man of unusual wealth and unquestionable character. All this is prelude, however, to the real story, which begins on a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them… Pay close attention to the back and forth of the dialogue in the heavenly court. It is the LORD who asks, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” The Accuser challenges, “Of course, since you have blessed him and protected him, ‘but stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.’” The gauntlet is thrown, and the attention, for the next forty chapters, is on the questions that Job’s trials produce. This story is not about the details of Job’s situation but the search for meaning within it. Pay attention to how the author carefully develops Job’s character. However, his wife’s challenge: "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die..." is a possible outcome throughout. If you’re unfamiliar with Job, I won’t ruin the story for you. As with the law, writings, and prophets, the wisdom genre has its own patterns and tendencies. You’ll notice for yourself repetitions and alliterations, especially in the first chapter. Nor will I attempt to place this story within any historical framework – though you will see clues throughout that hint at historical intersections. You will not find Uz, definitively, on any map. Job is not included in any genealogy or lineage, and appears sparingly elsewhere in the Bible. Even the divine conversation has no analogue in the rest of the Old Testament. These details are secondary to the primary purpose, and to the primary subject – which is neither Job, nor suffering, but the true nature and character of the LORD. Our verse for this week is James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Job 1 through 4. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 230 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarize“Thus says the LORD GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name…” - Ezekiel 36:22 The phrase “know that I am the LORD” occurs at least 72 times in the book of Ezekiel. And this number comes from just a quick scan of that exact phrase – the number of allusions to this concept push the stat much higher. In today’s reading alone this exact phrase occurs 17 times: to Edom, to many nations, to Magog and the people of the coastlands, to dry bones, to the house and mountains of Israel. Today the LORD first directs Ezekiel’s attention to Mount Seir – Edom – the descendants of Esau and cousins to the children of Israel. Listen for the LORD’s rebuke for taking advantage of Israel’s demise, while they are themselves ignorant of the LORD’s hand against them. He then turns back to Israel, reminding them that His judgment of Edom, and their own coming restoration, are not for their sake, but for the sake of His holy name. This restoration – this new life – is illustrated vividly when in chapter 37 Ezekiel says “the LORD brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.” I’ll leave you to read this and delight in its imagery. Finally, in chapters 38 and 39, Ezekiel is told to “set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him…” One of the principles we follow at You Can Read the Bible is to stick with what the text demands, rather than what it could imply. I bring this up because there are a variety of interpretations of who Gog is and what the land of Magog might refer to. Pay attention to what the text demands: that Ezekiel is to prophecy against a king and kingdom who will rise up out of the north at some future time, against whom the LORD “will vindicate [His] holiness before their eyes.” Our verse for this week is 2 Corinthians 12:9: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Ezekiel 35 through 39. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 197 Bible Only Podcast
4d agoTap to summarizeYou’ve already seen how personal the book of Jeremiah is. The LORD, and the author, provide a vivid picture of the judgment descending on Judah. Furthermore, like Noah before, Jeremiah is instructed to act as though he’s confident that destruction is nigh. Today’s reading opens with instructions about how Jeremiah should not waste his time: “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons and daughters in this place…” also, “Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them…” Jeremiah’s words, actions, and inactions will convey the LORD’s intentions and perspective. In the middle of today’s reading comes a message of hope. “If you listen to Me…” declares the LORD, and “keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it, then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David… And this city shall be established forever.” This presents a tension that will go unresolved: has the LORD changed His mind about the promised destruction? Is He making a final offer of restoration? Or does He know His offer will go unheeded, and this only serves to confirm His judgment against them? In chapter 18 the LORD might be addressing these very questions. He reminds Judah that “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation…turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.” However, their response so astounds Him that He challenges them to “Ask among the nations, Who has heard the likes of this?” Our verse for this week is Lamentations 3:22-23: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Jeremiah 16 through 18. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →