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You Can Read the Bible Guided Podcast
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Read Through the Bible
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Day 2 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeThe scene opens with Adam and Eve giving birth to two sons: Cain the older, and Abel the younger. As grown men, the two of them bring offerings to the LORD out of their respective harvests. Cain of vegetables, and Abel of his flock. God favors one over the other, and there is a moment of decision. In the moment of decision you can breathe in the imagery of the active posture of sin – it’s crouching at Cain’s door, ready to devour him. Listen to what Cain fears. Yesterday, I encouraged you to pay attention to what gets repeated: words, phrases, and themes. Observe also the dialogue, which questions are asked, and what people are fearful of. Repetition and dialogue are tools the author uses to develop purpose and meaning. If you want to know what was important to the author (and you should!), pay attention to repetition and dialogue – what is repeated, and what is said. As we head through chapters 4 and 5 we discover hope – the human race continues despite its dysfunction. Generations pass. And in chapter 6 the camera zooms in on a moment when God declares “It’s enough.” Pay attention again to the dialogue in chapters 6 and 7. There’s two important themes in today’s reading: First, God does not automatically favor the older brother over the younger. Second, God defends the righteous – with Abel, as his advocate, and with Noah, by providing deliverance. Both of these ideas are not only completely unknown to the ancient world, but they each serve as huge themes in Genesis – and the rest of the Bible. Watch out for them! Our closing verse for this week is John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Genesis Chapters 4 through 7. Go read it!
Transcribe →Day 128 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeSheba’s revolt in chapter 20 marks the end of what can be considered the sequential chronology of 2 Samuel. The remaining chapters recount events that fit the author’s thematic purposes for the end of the book, but don’t tie to a strict timeline. This is evident from at least three factors. First, the author in chapter 21 tells us that this story happened “in the days of David,” which would be a peculiar thing to say since we’ve been reading about David all along. Second, the song of deliverance in chapter 22 is a poem spoken by David on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And third, the events of chapters 21 and 24 show a younger, more virile David than was reflected in the last few chapters. As with the flashback stories at the end of Judges, let’s approach these chapters as though the authors knew what they were doing, and try to better understand the purpose they serve here at the end of the Books of Samuel. Our first story is launched against the backdrop of a three-year famine, which David discovers is the LORD’s judgment for a crime perpetrated by Saul. The event referenced doesn’t appear in scripture, but the author reveals it as a breach of the promise Gibeon had exacted – albeit under false pretenses – from Joshua. David’s solution, though perhaps disturbing to us, appears to satisfy the LORD’s call for justice. After recounting a few earlier battles with the Philistines, the author’s recounts a song David spoke to the LORD in thanks for His deliverance. Before we dive in, I’m reminded of Nathan’s rebuke in chapter 12: “I gave you…the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight?” Consider what might have been when the younger, more innocent David who authored this song celebrates that “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness… For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.” Pay attention also to how David envisions the LORD in action. “Smoke went out from His nostrils… He rode on a cherub and flew… He sent arrows and scattered them… The foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD.” 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 21 and 22. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 84 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeTime slows now for John’s Gospel, and the next seven chapters cover just 36 hours of earthly time. Today’s reading is of a dinner scene, the Passover feast, celebrated by the children of Israel “as a memorial day” since the first month of the first year of their nationhood – when the LORD had delivered them out of Egypt. These chapters are set against an intimate background of the unseen. Jesus knows that “His hour had come.” “The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot…to betray Him.” And Jesus, “knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands… rose from supper…” The spotlight here focuses on the disciples’ responses to this background. The plot is pushed forward with a few staccato phrases: “You shall never wash my feet.” Peter affirms his subordinate status by recognizing that Jesus has no business doing the work of a servant. But Jesus lets him know that he’s missing the point. This short event is the backdrop for the “new commandment” Jesus levels on his followers. Not all of you are clean. You may have noticed that every time John mentions Judas – so far in chapters 6, 12, and early in 13 – he makes sure you know that “this is the one who betrayed Jesus.” It’s as though just mentioning Judas’s name scrapes a wound that John doesn’t want to forget. He shares the encounter when he first learned about this – referring to himself only as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” – with cryptic details: a nod, a whisper, and a morsel of bread. Seat yourself at that table as the rest of the disciples try to figure out what’s going on. Let not your hearts be troubled. As Judas departs into darkness, Jesus tells the eleven “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” These men are sharing the same food around the same table, yet they are experiencing twelve different evenings. The rising confusion and fear are evident in each question. Yet Jesus answers by driving the wedge clean through: the things in which you had placed confidence are passing away. Here – in Me – is where your trust should lie. Our verse for this week is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John chapters 13 and 14. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 51 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarize“And they possessed the land.” This message of hope about the conquest of a sliver of Wilderness brings chapter 21 to a close and forms a pivot on which the book of Numbers turns. The slave generation had lamented that they would “die in the wilderness,” and the LORD had granted their wish. Those who had lived as adult slaves in Egypt, and so often longed to return there, would fall one generation short of the Promised Land. However, chapter 21 is a bit of a watershed as years pass in a blink, and Israel is victorious over their enemies. There’s another change in tone that you might catch here. Did you notice yesterday that when Israel and Edom met they were each referred to as “he?” It was as if the author was highlighting that after hundreds of years, these two brothers – once known as Jacob and Esau – still couldn’t get along. That same language emerges again in chapter 21, as “Israel” is often used as a proper noun. Perhaps this is an indication of the nation finally fighting as one man, which would be a welcome change. The children of Israel sweep southward – which causes some grumbling – but then sweep up toward the Dead Sea and approach the land of Moab. Chapter 22 begins an almost lighthearted episode as King Balak of Moab sends to northern Syria to recruit the help of Balaam because “I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” You may recognize that language from the call to Abram in Genesis 12 – and I think we’re supposed to. The plot of the story is that Balak wants Balaam to come and pronounce a curse on Israel so Balak and Moab can defeat them. Balaam, the great prophet-merchandizer, initially refuses when the LORD tells him not to go. Balak sends even more important princes and offers of greater wealth if Balaam would just come. The LORD comes again to Balaam at night and curiously changes His mind – though Balaam is only allowed to “do what I tell you.” So Balaam goes, only to be challenged by a talking donkey. Yes, you heard that right. And at the end of this, I promise it will make total sense. The lightheartedness is intertwined with a deadly seriousness and masterful bit of storytelling. Notice how many things happen in threes. Question why – or whether – the LORD changes His mind. Ask whether Balaam is righteous or purely mercenary. Smirk not when Balaam’s animal speaks, but when Balaam responds as though nothing extraordinary has happened. And wonder whether the LORD will allow him to complete his assigned mission. Our verse for this week is 1 Corinthians 10:4: “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” Numbers chapters 21 and 22. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 24 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeAnd now…after nearly four weeks of breathtaking narrative, we reach something entirely different: Law and statute. It might seem appealing to disengage at this point, both because there is so little narrative, and also because there is so much foreign matter – stuff that seems culturally distant or downright troubling. But there is story here, and we’re going to walk through it together. Much of what you hear in these chapters will be built on those Ten Commands in chapter 20, and is essential for setting up community life as a new, free, nation. Most importantly, it’s a story of how every little detail of life is to be committed to God as sacred space. The first set of laws today has to do with the treatment of slaves. Just as when we read about marriage in Genesis, so now we have to listen not with modern ears, but with ancient ones. God is laying down boundaries for institutions that already existed. Listen carefully for words of protection, even within this troubling environment. The next set of laws has to do with acts of violence and carelessness, even that of animals. Think about how important it is for laws of restitution and retribution to be set out in advance. This was to be a nation of laws and statutes, rather than individuals and clans seeking their own version of justice. At the end of today’s reading we read a variety of statutes regarding proper treatment of God, of sojourners, widows, and orphans, of the poor, and of first fruits. Listen especially to how God ties their treatment of sojourners to their own history. My final encouragement today is this: as you read through the law, both today and through the next few books, keep in mind what is in the Israelites’ past, rather than what is in our past. Our verse for this week is Hebrews 11:22: “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.” Exodus 21 and 22. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 34 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeIt might be helpful, as you listen to these instructions today, to the separate sacrifices into at least three branches. One branch contains sacrifices that were designed to acknowledge Israel’s relationship with the LORD. Sacrifices of thanks, whether they were for specific events, or given out of simple gratitude, fall into this branch. Other sacrifices were required to recover purity, or cleanness, when someone did something or touched something that was unclean. A third branch of sacrifices is the one of those required to atone for specific sins, whether against God, against others, or against society in general. This branch provides another insight into God’s character: that sin against another person, or against civil society, was a sin against God. Atonement was necessary whether these sins were intentional or not. We begin our reading with this branch of sacrifices in Leviticus 5. Listen for God’s interest both in justice and in Israel’s holiness. Listen, also, for the additional step of confession, because this is the first time we’ve heard this idea in the Bible. This is another one where you’ll be hearing more. At the beginning of chapter 6, we see another new idea for Leviticus: restitution. The sacrificial laws acknowledge both the divine and human victims of sin. It is not sufficient to rob, swindle, or oppress your neighbor, and then offer a sacrifice to make it go away. Here the order of response might be important: restitution is offered before the sacrifice is. You might hear about this again. The LORD then turns His attention to how the priests should manage the altars and sacrifices. The maintenance of the fires, the consumption of the sacrificial food, the treatment of meat and fat, and the disposal of waste are all important to God. Listen also to how holiness and unholiness are transferred between person and object. This theme of being holy or unholy, clean or unclean, connect to Israel’s status as set-apart from the nations, and to the priests’ unique status as set-apart from the people. It will become even more pronounced as laws for everyday living are introduced. Our verse for this week is Hebrews 11:29: By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. Leviticus 5 through 7. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 241 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeThirteen years after Ezra began his mission, Nehemiah received this report from Jerusalem: "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire." Nehemiah says he sat down and wept and mourned for days. He prayed to the God of heaven: “LORD GOD of heaven… who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keeps His commandments… we have acted very corruptly against You… Remember the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me… I will gather [you] and bring [you] to the place that I have chosen, to make My name dwell there…” Only at the end of this prayer do we learn of Nehemiah’s position. Four months pass between chapters 1 and 2. Again Nehemiah prays. Following on the heels of Daniel and Ezra you probably know the story. You’re familiar with the challenges internal and external to Nehemiah’s mission. What you’re unfamiliar with – because it’s unique in the Old Testament – is the exclusively first-person account that we receive here. Even intense biographical narratives such as Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s jump between third-person narration and personal memories. Here, “The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah” opening launches an official report. Perhaps Nehemiah will let us know to whom he’s reporting. Remember what you learned by reading Ezra. Remember that Artaxerxes had ordered the rebuilding project in Jerusalem to stop, lest they cease tribute payments. Remember the resettled Samaritans who warned that it was a rebellious city…and if the walls are finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River. And remember the difficulties Ezra faced when Artaxerxes finally sent him to establish order. This is what faces Nehemiah as he asks the LORD to “give success to [His] servant this day…” 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 1 through 3. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 266 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizePossibly around 450 B.C. ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ – Exodus 19:4-6 Malachi has a distinctive style that you will easily pick up. In the first verses a rhythm is introduced: “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob's brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated…” This cycle of accusation-retort-response is used effectively at least seven times in Malachi. There is no timestamp on the oracle of the word of the LORD that came to Malachi, but it is almost certainly after the time of Zerubbabel, and likely as late as Ezra and Nehemiah, because there is a functional temple in place. Otherwise, nothing is known of this prophet, but we will deduce much about the setting into which he preached. Indeed, the prevailing concern that runs through the first chapter-and-a-half is propriety in Temple worship. In chapters 1 and 2 He condemns the priests for defiling the altar with imperfect sacrifices and in leading the people astray. The LORD ridicules their weariness of duty and asks if they would treat their governor with such contempt. In the middle of chapter 2 the LORD moves on to the population of Judah, leveling two accusations against them: their marriages to the daughters of foreign gods, and their faithlessness to the wife of your youth. Listen carefully to how the LORD drills deeply into this accusation. It is the voice of one who has been quite attentive to life in Judah. The book turns toward the future in chapter 3: Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the LORD whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. This is, however, more warning than encouragement, as the LORD declares: “Then I will draw near to you for judgment.” Listen to the list of those He will witness against, and remember the law that was given to them through Moses. Read all the way to the end, through the refiner’s fire and the windows of heaven and the book of remembrance, because there is one final promise in store as the prophetic canon is closed. Our verse for this week is James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The prophet Malachi. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 296 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeAnd David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn. – 2 Samuel 6:14-15 The Songs of Ascents continue today with a celebration of the events recorded in 2 Samuel 6 and 7. If you’ll recall, David’s conquest of Jerusalem and establishment of his capital there was a moment of national celebration. The Philistines were subdued, the nation was united, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought, after hundreds of years of temporary residences, to a permanent home. Later, David wishes to build a temple for the LORD in Jerusalem, but instead the LORD promises to build him a house, which 2 Samuel 7 explains and Psalm 132 celebrates. It’s possible that Psalm 133, which celebrates how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!... connects to this moment as well. Psalm 135 introduces a unit that will carry through a series of chapters. The Psalm itself has six distinct sections. It is introduced with a call to Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good… For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself. This is followed by an affirmation of the LORD’s supremacy, for whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth… In the third section, beginning in verse 8, the writer gives his listeners a brief history lesson, the details of which support his previous assertions. Verses 13 and 14 are in the second person – directed toward the LORD Himself – but its pronouncements are for human ears. This is followed by a commentary on the idols of the nations, and, finally, a benediction that lands back where it started: O house of Israel, Bless the LORD… Our verse for this week is James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Psalms 132 through 135. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →Day 189 Guided Podcast
3d agoTap to summarizeWe note often that noticing repeated words, phrases and ideas is a good way to sniff out a writer’s priorities. It’s also helpful to notice when a new idea interjects itself into the conversation, making you ask, “Where did that come from?” Let’s assume that the writer (or compiler) knows what he’s doing, and consider that the jolt is intentional. Yesterday’s attention was on the LORD’s promised servant, and his dissimilarity with the present leaders of Israel. Today, the prophet shifts abruptly to the failure of idolatry. There is a mixture of metaphor and literal practices that grant vivid images of both idolatrous activities and of God’s perspective on them. Listen, especially in the first half of today’s reading, to the emotion the LORD conveys: anger, disappointment, even frustration: “Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,” He asks, “and you do not fear me? However, as we saw earlier in Isaiah, the prophet cannot keep quiet about the future restoration for long. “A Redeemer will come to Zion,” he proclaims in chapter 59, “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth…” Later, the prophet decrees to Israel, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you… Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age.” And again you’ll note that the prophet’s eyes seem to be looking beyond, “The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” 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 57 through 60. Now let’s read it!
Transcribe →