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You Can Read the Bible Guided Podcast
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Read Through the Bible
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Day 71 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeIt was way back in Genesis 12, when Abraham first passed through in the land of Canaan, that the Lord told him: “To your offspring I will give this land.” It's been a dozen generations or more since any of his family had owned property there. Jacob had to gone to Egypt where Joseph would rescue them from famine. Canaan had been overrun, divided again, and property claims would have been washed away with the centuries. So yesterday’s crossing and Passover celebration represent a homecoming of sorts, for Israel, for Jacob, for Abraham. And Jericho, which lay before, is where the LORD’s promise to sweep the Canaanite from before them will first be put to the test. The instructions for Joshua and the Israelites resemble what you’ve come to expect of the LORD’s actions. No strategic military coup; no decisive weaponry. This is rather a priestly action: priests, ram’s horns, and the Ark of the Testimony form the front line of Israel’s army. Something extraordinary is going to happen, and everyone will know that it was the LORD, not Israel, who accomplished it. Imagine what it would be like in Jericho, watching this very non-military action for six days. We already know from Rahab that they are terrified of Israel. Six days of marching, and then a seventh, and then a great shout. And it was all over. Pay attention in chapter 6 to the reminder that everything was devoted to the LORD – charam – to be destroyed or turned over to the tabernacle treasury. This folds into chapter 7, when Israel is unable to take the much smaller village of Ai. Joshua and the LORD engage in tense dialogue: Joshua beside himself and the LORD enraged: “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face?” He asks. “Israel has sinned…” Throughout this reading listen attentively to the promise kept to Rahab; you’re allowed to wonder about the LORD’s perspective on this because none is given, except that “she lives in Israel to this day.” Listen also to the search for the sin that caused Israel’s defeat at Ai, to its thorough consequences, and hear the covenantal language in the LORD’s words that Israel has sinned. Our verse for this week is Galatians 3:29: And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. Joshua chapters 6 and 7. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 143 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeAnd henceforth, the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.” – 1 Kings 14:14-16 The prophet had warned Jeroboam that his kingdom was on the clock, and the LORD’s preserving hand has stayed execution for over two centuries. Israel’s prosperity during the Jehu dynasty came during a weak moment for neighboring empires. But the political chaos in Israel that followed Jeroboam II came at the worst possible time, as both Syria (or Aram), and Assyria, under Tiglath-Pileser III, are ascending. The Old Testament spends over 200 chapters building the nation of Israel, from the first call of Abraham to the unified kingdom of David. The end is described in six verses. Tiglath-pileser’s successor, Shalmaneser, exacts tribute. King Hoshea is found in alliance with Egypt. Samaria is besieged. Ten tribes are carried into exile and redistributed throughout Mesopotamia. There would not be a nation named Israel for almost 2,700 years. Much more time is devoted to Israel’s autopsy and the resettlement of the land. While politically Israel found itself in a weakened position with internal strife and the nearby expansion of a world power, the author makes it clear that this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt… Two reigns in Judah are sandwiched around Israel’s demise: King Ahaz in chapter 16 and his son Hezekiah in chapter 18. The Assyrian threat is the thread that connects father and son, and each transfers valuables from the Temple to Assyria: Ahaz to buy assistance from Tiglath-Pileser and Hezekiah to buy time from Sennacherib. But while Ahaz walked in the way of the kings of Israel, his son trusted in the LORD… so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, not among those who were before him. This trust will be tested in a dramatic episode at the end of today’s reading, when Assyria threatens Jerusalem, and its captain, Rabshakeh, asks Hezekiah, “…On what do you rest this trust of yours?” 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 16 through 18. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 165 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeIn these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles… Luke 6:12-13 Back in chapter 6 we noted that this change in title from “disciples” to “apostles” signified not just status but mission: these are the first twelve who would be sent out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Before doing so, Luke tells us that Jesus …gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases… but again, Luke doesn’t tell us what he means by this. Put yourself in that space, with those apostles, hearing that the same power they had seen at work in Jesus would now flow through them. This conferring of authority is significant background for the rest of the chapter. When the crowds are hungry, the disciples want Jesus to send them away. When confronting with a demon-possessed boy, they are unable to drive the demon out, a result, according to Jesus, of their faithlessness. Later, they bicker over which of them is the greatest, and even try to stop one who is not of the twelve from casting out demons in Jesus’ name. In chapter 10 the commission is expanded to include seventy-two others who are sent ahead of Him, two-by-two, into every town and place where He himself was about to go… and they returned, marveling to Jesus (and perhaps to the twelve) that “even the demons are subject to us in your name!" Through Jesus’ response: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven…” Luke again highlights the power of God in Jesus’ eyes, hands, and words. Luke recounts – almost as though it happened yesterday – how Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit that the Father has “…hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children, that no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Keep this context in mind for the encounter immediately after it. Putting Jesus to the test, a lawyer asks, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds with a simple story, one that a child could understand, about a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan…. Our verse for this week is Psalm 27:1: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Luke chapters 9 and 10. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 135 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeOur story takes place today in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, beginning about 45 years after the kingdom fractured. Jeroboam’s dynasty lasted barely two generations, and Baasha’s will last barely two years. As you’ll read today, chaos has a stronger reign in Israel than any of her kings do, with conspiracy and treachery accompanying almost every generation. But this is not just another record of ancient political intrigue. Though the children of Israel are governed by separate kingdoms, the LORD’s covenant is with Abraham’s descendants, not their political entities. And when they provoke the LORD to anger with their idols, the LORD responds, often by sending prophets to speak His warnings. While we’ve seen prophets such as Nathan, Gad, and Ahijah confront kings on the LORD’s behalf, none rises to the stature of Elijah, who rises to prominence in chapter 17. Elijah is sent to Israel’s king Ahab who, with his wife Jezebel, did more to provoke the LORD…than all the kings of Israel who were before him. Today’s intrigue is set against the backdrop of a drought, which the LORD has orchestrated to show His power to Ahab. After pronouncing the LORD’s vow, Elijah runs, to be cared for by the LORD first east of the Jordan and then in the land of Sidon, where the LORD exerts His power to provide for Elijah and his foreign hosts. In the third year, the LORD sends Elijah back to Israel, where a showdown is arranged between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. The dialogue in this episode is rich, humorous, biting. Elijah’s sarcasm is unlike anything we’ve seen. He’s fearless before the king, audacious in the face of Baal, and utterly convinced that the LORD will win. “Answer me, O LORD answer me,” he calls out on Mount Carmel, “that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God…” Our verse for this week is 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 1 Kings 16 through 18. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 157 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeToday’s reading launches with Jesus’ arrival at Jerusalem, where the crowds celebrate “The prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Jesus is not celebratory at the Temple, though, and launches a multi-day assault on the religious leaders’ practices, teaching, and management. Question and response drives the plot in the first two chapters: the Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests and scribes, attempting to entangle Him in His words. By the end of chapter 22, “No one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” Jesus then turns on His harassers: warning the crowd of the hypocrisy, blindness, and arrogance of their religious leaders. Woe to them! For “whoever exalts himself will be humbled…” As elsewhere in narratives, repetition can be a way for an author or speaker to convey meaning, and there are at least three repetitions to note today. I’ve already mentioned the “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites!” which constantly recurs in chapter 23. Earlier, in chapter 21, Jesus concludes a series of responses to the chief priests and elders by twice asking, “Have you never read…,” then quoting Scripture. Later, Jesus reiterates His point from chapter 17 that with enough faith, mountains can be moved. Finally, the crowds are prominently featured today. They surrounded Jesus on his arrival in Jerusalem, cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David!” in the temple and struck fear in the hearts of the Pharisees. The crowd was astonished by Jesus’ rejoinder toward the Sadducees and was Jesus’ audience for His stringing “Woe to the scribes and Pharisees” sermon. Pay attention to how these crowds figure into the events to come. Our verse for this week is Micah 6:8: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Matthew 21 through 23. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 48 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeLeaving behind his father’s inheritance in Harran, Abram had journeyed south to the land of the Canaanites, between the Jordan and the Great Sea. As he camped at Shechem, under the Oak of Moreh, the LORD appeared to him: “To your offspring I will give this land.” Over a century later, Abram’s grandson was in southern Canaan, offering sacrifices, when he received his own vision: “…Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will bring you up again…” You’ve heard these stories. You’ve also seen with your own eyes the power of the LORD before Pharaoh. You saw the locusts, the hail, the darkness; you heard the cries of the mothers; you saw the sea part and water flow from the rock and food fall from the sky. Entire generations died in slavery, no closer to their inheritance than when they were born. Ours is the generation that will see all the promises fulfilled. But you also heard the report of the spies. A land that “flows with milk and honey…” but where “the people are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.” Descendants of Anak – giants, of the Nephilim – and tribes of warriors filled the land that “devours its inhabitants.” And you heard Caleb’s response: “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it!” Remember the complaint cycles of chapters 12 and 13. Remember the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For 400 years you’ve heard the stories. Why would the LORD lead us this far, only to bring us to ruin? And what would it say about the LORD if He did? Does He truly have the power, authority, and integrity to fulfill His promises? Our verse for this week is Ephesians 5:2: “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Numbers chapters 14 and 15. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 246 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeThe Esther story is hard to date, but it probably picks up a few decades earlier than Ezra and Nehemiah, midway between the completion of Zerubbabel’s temple and Ezra’s journey. The Jews have been scattered throughout the empire for over 100 years. As evidenced by Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, some of them had earned high respect from the palace, but as a people they were viewed with suspicion. Scattered. Vulnerable. There were no walls at Jerusalem; no army; no king, save the throne in Susa, from whence help would have to come. “…for the king had so commanded concerning him…” This is the thread that connects Mordecai and Haman with the prologue story about queen Vashti, who refused to come at the king’s command. Did you notice yesterday why Mordecai refused the king’s order to bow to Haman? Neither did I. It wasn’t stated. Nor was it stated why Vashti refused to come when the king called. Instead of providing exposition, the author draws as many details as possible and allows you to imagine the moments in which the queen and Mordecai refused. You can conjecture without concluding. You’re allowed to sense, to feel, the three dimensions. “…and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them…” Look beyond the sinister and study the king. The Vashti narrative is an A-B-C-D sequence that is repeated with Mordecai: the king gives an order; a subject refuses that order; advisers warn that such insubordination is a mortal threat to the kingdom; and finally, the king buys his adviser’s conclusion. To what end will these tensions be resolved? “And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.” This final line of Act I establishes the environment in which Act II will be performed. We return to the gates of the capital, “When Mordecai learned all that had been done…” Our verse for this week is Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Esther 4 through 6. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 334 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeAnd the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever, and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.” Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel. - 2 Chronicles 33:7-9 Did you notice this yesterday? By placing Manasseh’s treachery within the context of God’s promise to his forefathers, the author is setting up a final showdown: how will the promise fare against evil that even the Canaanites – whom the LORD had driven out – had not conceived? As with all things for the Chronicler, the end of the story will have been ordained by God. It may even fulfill the word of a prophet or two, just as Jeroboam’s success had been. We’ll surely learn the fate of Jerusalem, the city of David, and of the Temple that Solomon so carefully constructed. In keeping with his pattern of virtually ignoring Israel, the author will not reveal the fate of the kingdom of Jeroboam, Ahab, and Pekah. Indeed, Judah’s northern kin had been wiped out during the reign of Ahaz, but did not make the final cut in this narrative. The final words of this book form the opening speech of the book of Ezra, which directly follows it in most English Bibles. However, in the Hebrew scriptures the Chronicles are most often placed at the very end, forming the final piece of the “Writings” section. Were you to combine the Hebrew Bible with the Christian New Testament, Chronicles would be followed immediately by the Gospel of Matthew. The hopeful epilogue you’ll read in chapter 36 affirms that the end of the Chronicler’s story, and of the promise he clung to, has yet to be written. Our verse for this week is Revelation 22:5: And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. 2 Chronicles 34 through 36. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 244 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeRemember me, O my God, for good. – Nehemiah 13:31 This phrase is repeated often by Nehemiah. This book, unique in the Old Testament, is part personal journal, part official record. Surely Nehemiah needed to give an account of his activities to the king back in Susa. But Nehemiah’s repeated concern is not for the king’s approval, but for the LORD’s. It is as though we are peeking into one man’s prayer that God would find him faithful. Our final reading begins after the preamble of a covenant that the people of Jerusalem are composing. Remember that the original covenant, delivered on Sinai and reaffirmed in Deuteronomy, was one-directional. It was not negotiated; it was given by the LORD to His people, who then affirmed it. The Nehemiah covenant is not new, but is a reaffirmation by the children of Israel to the LORD’s stated obligations of them. Their initial promise, therefore, is “to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes.” This boldly reveals their understanding of the LORD: almost a thousand years after the covenant was established on Sinai, God’s people acknowledge that neither the LORD nor His expectations had moved. They follow with commitments to refrain from intermarrying with the nations around them, to honor the Sabbath day and year, and to “not neglect the house of God.” These commitments will be tested in the final chapter, as a series of vignettes from twelve years in the future reveal that not everyone is taking the covenant seriously. After a respite in Susa, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to find Tobiah living in the temple, the Levites destitute, the Sabbath dishonored, and the priests among those who had taken foreign wives, just as we saw in Ezra. Now that this book is closing, reflect back on the presence of God in Ezra and Nehemiah. On no occasion did “The word of the LORD” come directly through any of these characters. The activity of God is observed in, through, and around these men, by them and others, but besides brief mentions of Haggai and Zechariah, there is little sense of the prophetic. This is much different from what we experienced in previous generations with Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Rather, the movement of God is inferred and discerned, in powerful ways that caused the actors to conclude that surely “the hand of God was on me.” Our verse for this week is Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Nehemiah 10 through 13. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 311 Guided Podcast
2w agoTap to summarizeThe Preacher yesterday let us know that this book is a record of how he set out “to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven.” And he concluded, “It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.” He found that wisdom is “but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” He tested pleasure and found “this is also vanity. I said of laughter, ‘It is mad,’ and of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’” Then he focused on producing great works: “I built houses and planted vineyards…I made myself gardens and parks...I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces…” But considering all that his hands had done, and all the toil he had expended doing it, he accepted that “all was vanity and striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” The topic of toil comes up often in Ecclesiastes’ middle section, but it feels like this is just a symptom of the core issue that torments the Preacher’s mind. Time, history, legacy, significance… these are some of the words that come to mind as the waves of lament come. Notice the words that come into your own mind as you read, and again, be attentive to your emotions. Remember that the Preacher is on a journey, that you’re allowed to question his deductions, wrestle with his conclusions, and present your own answer to the question: “What gain has the worker from his toil?” Now before you head off to read “For everything, there is a season…,” I want to remind you of the Preacher’s final words yesterday: “For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.” Our verse for this week is Ephesians 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ecclesiastes 3 through 7. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →