2 Samuel 5 - 1:10 . 2 Samuel 6 - 5:39 . 2 Samuel 7 - 11:13 . 2 Samuel 8 - 17:13 . Psalm 78 - 20:40 . Now that David has been recognized as king, it’s time for him to begin to establish his kingdom. David consults the Lord before he goes into battle, and prioritizes the worship of the Lord as a matter of great importance. With much fanfare, he moves the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and worships in a very un-regal fashion. King David expresses his desire to make a house of worship for the Lor...
May 31, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 100
2 Samuel 1 - 1:08 . 2 Samuel 2 - 6:08 . 2 Samuel 3 - 13:37 . 2 Samuel 4 - 22:53 . Psalm 77 - 26:00 . After Saul’s death, an Ammonite man comes to David claiming that he is the one who killed Saul, thinking he will be rewarded for his deed since Saul pursued David for so long. To say that David is displeased with this report, however, is an understatement. After a period of mourning for the house of Saul, David is anointed king in Judah, but Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, has other plans. H...
May 30, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 99
Philippians 1 - 1:11 . Philippians 2 - 5:42 . Philippians 3 - 11:08 . Philippians 4 - 14:57 . Proverbs 31 - 19:01 . Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is full of love and instruction for the Lord’s church. He rejoices that the gospel is moving forward even while he is in prison, and encourages the church to endure suffering, to be united in love, and to serve one another sacrificially, looking to the King of Kings who humbled Himself even to death on a cross. Our boast is no longer in the f...
May 26, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 98
1 Samuel 26 - 1:12 . 1 Samuel 27 - 7:12 . 1 Samuel 28 - 10:39 . 1 Samuel 29 - 16:05 . 1 Samuel 30 - 18:34 . 1 Samuel 31 - 24:44 . Proverbs 30:18-33 - 27:19 . Today, Saul set his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him, but David again has compassion on him. David and his men defect from Israel and escape to Philistine territory, where the king gives him the city of Ziklag. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but Go...
May 25, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 97
1 Samuel 23 - 1:13 . 1 Samuel 24 - 7:53 . 1 Samuel 25 - 12:38 . Proverbs 30 - 23:48 . In a paranoid rage, Saul has slaughtered a city of priests and their families. One man has escaped from that raid and joined David’s ranks; his name is Abiathar and he has come with a priestly ephod in hand. At every turn, it seems that Saul is hot on David’s tail until, at long last, he unwittingly happens upon the cave where David is hiding. However, he doesn’t realize David and his men are there, and when he...
May 24, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 96
1 Samuel 19 - 1:10 . 1 Samuel 20 - 5:50 . 1 Samuel 21 - 15:10 . 1 Samuel 22 - 18:18 . Proverbs 29:15 - 24:43 . In our last episode, King Saul’s jealousy and hatred for David began to grow as David successfully conquered the Philistines in battle time after time. Saul began plotting David’s demise, but his plans to see him killed were all foiled. Today, Saul’s rage becomes clear to everyone, and David flees from the king’s presence. As he takes shelter in a distant cave, his family catches word a...
May 23, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 95
1 Samuel 16 - 1:10 . 1 Samuel 17 - 6:03 . 1 Samuel 18 - 18:28 . Proverbs 29 - 24:20 . When the subject of a historical account like this one tells you the reason why he will be victorious before he achieves his victory, we should probably pay attention to that right? So often when someone references David & Goliath, they frame it as if it’s about a big guy versus small fry, and the underdog wins the day because of his ingenuity. Let’s just make this clear: you are not David and this account ...
May 22, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 94
1 Samuel 13 - 1:12 . 1 Samuel 14 - 5:52 . 1 Samuel 15 - 18:45 . Proverbs 28:15 - 26:10 . At the end of our last episode, Saul had just been appointed as king in Gilgal. Samuel gave him instructions to wait for him there, but when he feels like he is pressed for time he assumes that it will be best to make the burnt offering himself. Saul, however, is not a part of the priesthood, and while he is king, it doesn’t mean that he can do whatever he wishes, especially if it means going against the Lor...
May 19, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 93
1 Samuel 9 - 1:10 . 1 Samuel 10 - 7:27 . 1 Samuel 11 - 13:02 . 1 Samuel 12 - 17:15 . Proverbs 28 - 22:32 . In our last episode, the nation of Israel asked an aging Samuel to appoint a king over them before his death. Samuel warned them about what a king would demand from them, but the people urged him all the more. Ultimately, the concern is not so much that they want a king, but that they were looking to have a human king as a source of strength, protection, and provision. All throughout their ...
May 18, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 92
1 Samuel 5 - 1:10 . 1 Samuel 6 - 3:44 . 1 Samuel 7 - 8:39 . 1 Samuel 8 - 13:05 . Proverbs 27 - 16:43 . When Israel went to battle against the Philistines they assumed that they could bring out the ark of the covenant to the battlefield, and that it’s presence would either oblige God to win the battle for them or that the object itself had some kind of mystical power. They were sorely mistaken, and the Philistines promptly defeated them captured the ark. Assuming that their victory is a victory o...
May 17, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 91
1 Samuel 1 - 1:13 . 1 Samuel 2 - 6:21 . 1 Samuel 3 - 15:12 . 1 Samuel 4 - 19:10 . Proverbs 26:13-28 - 24:40 . The instructions that the Lord has given to his people concerning justice, holiness, and priesthood have all been shattered in the time of the judges. It seems like all is lost for Israel, but even here we can see foreshadows of the Christ who has yet to come. There is a woman incapable of having children who is faithful to the Lord. In His providence, kindness and mercy, the Lord raises...
May 16, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 90
Ephesians 1 – 1:14 . Ephesians 2 – 4:46 . Ephesians 3 – 8:17 . Ephesians 4 – 12:05 . Ephesians 5 – 16:40 . Ephesians 6 – 21:05 . Proverbs 26:1-12 – 24:52 . As we open Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus it becomes immediately clear that Paul is overflowing with joy in Christ. The source and origin of this joy is Christ Himself, whom Paul notes as the one who is responsible for our salvation. Take note of how often Paul uses the phrase “In Him” or “In Christ”. He goes on to make clear that it ...
May 15, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 89
Ruth 1 – 1:12 . Ruth 2 – 5:33 . Ruth 3 – 11:18 . Ruth 4 – 14:49 . Proverbs 25 – 19:45 . It seems like so much has been lost in the time of the judges, but the author of Ruth gives us a glimmer of hope. In a season of drought, a family leaves Israel and moves to Moab hoping to find relief, but instead they find sorrow. The wife, Naomi, becomes a widow without family to help her. Her daughter-in-law, a foreigner, commits to love her and care for her, returning with her to the people of Israel. The...
May 12, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 88
Romans 13 - 1:11 . Romans 14 - 3:56 . Romans 15 - 8:38 . Romans 16 - 13:55 . Proverbs 24 - 18:02 . The call to love one another continues as Paul encourages church members not to quarrel over opinions. From one believer to the next, you’ll find that Christians have varying convictions about what is acceptable concerning things like dietary restrictions or celebration of particular days, and Paul says that’s OK. Let each one be convinced without quarreling with one another. Moreover, if your acti...
May 11, 2023•23 min•Season 5Ep. 87
Romans 9 - 1:11 . Romans 10 - 7:45 . Romans 11 - 11:19 . Romans 12 - 18:10 . Proverbs 23 - 21:49 . When we consider that God “hardens hearts,” our minds may try to conceive of a defense for God or fight against the idea that the Lord would direct our steps in such a way. Paul recognizes this instinct and asks, “Is there injustice with God?” Absolutely not! If we have earned or merited anything in this life, Scripture says that our proper wages are only sin and death. We praise God that He has me...
May 10, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 86
Romans 5 – 1:08 . Romans 6 – 4:55 . Romans 7 – 9:37 . Romans 8 – 14:44 . Proverbs 22 – 21:31 . True righteousness comes by faith in Jesus Christ, not by the works of the flesh. Paul has masterfully explained that Abraham is the father of all who come to faith in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, as by faith he received the promise before the institution of circumcision and then received circumcision as a seal of that faith. Today he explains that while Adam’s sin brings death to all, Christ’s obedie...
May 09, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 85
Romans 1 - 1:12 . Romans 2 - 7:37 . Romans 3 - 12:28 . Romans 4 - 17:58 . Proverbs 21 - 22:53 . Paul’s letter to the house churches of Rome is full of rich, theological truth, often presenting ideas that are both mind-boggling and comforting all at once. In today’s passage, Paul begins to present his case for a righteousness that comes by faith. He begins by explaining that the world rejects God because they love their unrighteous behavior more than their Creator. There is no one righteous and n...
May 08, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 84
Judges 17 - 1:14 . Judges 18 - 3:34 . Judges 19 - 10:26 . Judges 20 - 17:19 . Judges 21 - 25:51 . At this point in the narrative of Judges, the Lord is surprisingly absent from the life of Israel. It seems like nobody knows how any of this covenant stuff works, even in the slightest. It becomes so bad that a Levite is involved in a scenario almost identical to that of Sodom & Gomorrah, only this time, those who are intent on sexually assaulting the town’s visitors are successful because the ...
May 05, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 83
Judges 13 – 1:14 . Judges 14 – 6:20 . Judges 15 – 10:52 . Judges 16 - 15:52 . Psalm 75 - 23:30 . Psalm 76 – 24:49 . In short, Samson is a picture of Israel in one person. Meant to be set apart and holy, he instead takes his vows and his God lightly, defiling himself over and over. A Nazirite was supposed avoid dead bodies, yet he eats honey from a lion’s carcass and uses a jawbone for a weapon. A Nazirite was supposed to abstain from wine, yet Samson threw a drinking party for the Philistines. T...
May 04, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 82
Judges 10 – 1:15 . Judges 11 – 4:56 . Judges 12 – 13:24 . Psalm 74 – 16:27 . Two judges of Israel follow the death of Abimelech, and we know little about them, except that they each judged Israel for over 20 years with no ruckus to speak of. When Israel turns to idols yet again, they suffer under the Philistines & Ammonites. They cry out to the Lord, but he rejects their pleas. When they confess sin and burn their idols, God begins to become weary of their misery. Later, God appoints a ne’er...
May 03, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 81
Judges 8 – 1:12 . Judges 9 – 8:36 . Psalm 73 – 20:00 . When we last left Gideon and his army, he had attacked the forces of Midian with 300 hundred men. Though he and his small band had already killed 120,000 men, there are still 15,000 left. We begin with a discussion between Gideon and the men of Ephraim who have just killed the two princes of Midian as Gideon’s men routed them from battle. They’re upset that they weren’t called to fight, but Gideon basically tells them their leftovers are bet...
May 02, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 80
Judges 5 – 1:13 . Judges 6 – 7:22 . Judges 7 – 16:49 . Psalm 72 – 23:15 . Our reading today begins by wrapping up the account of Deborah and Barak after Sisera’s defeat. It’s not long, however, before Israel turns, once again, to worship idols. The false gods of Baal and Asherah were meant to bring fertile crops and prosperity, but they only bring despair and a fractured relationship with the One True God. During a period of oppression by the Midianites, the Lord speaks to a young man named Gide...
May 01, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 79
Judges 1 - 1:11 . Judges 2 - 7:38 . Judges 3 - 12:43 . Judges 4 - 19:19 . Psalm 71 - 24:26 . Under the rule of Joshua, Israel was doing well and was off to a good start in obeying the Lord’s commands. Not long afterward, however, they begin to intermarry with the Canaanites, signaling, not only an apathy toward God’s commands, but an acceptance of the gods that the Canaanites worshiped. God declares that he will no longer drive out the Canaanites before Israel, and he leaves them in the land to ...
Apr 28, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 78
Matthew 26 – 1:06 . Matthew 27 – 13:43 . Matthew 28 – 23:58 . Psalm 70 – 27:24 . In Matthew’s very Jewish-oriented account we have seen Jesus lauded as the coming King, we have seen the builders reject the cornerstone, and today we will see the Lamb of God who brings a greater Passover and a greater deliverance. Like Abraham’s firstborn, the Son of God is offered to God as a sacrifice, but he also the substitute offered so that we might live. A Jewish audience would have heard and understood all...
Apr 27, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 77
Matthew 23 – 1:12 . Matthew 24 – 8:14 . Matthew 25 – 15:48 . Psalm 69 – 23:16 . There are aspects of tension, excitement, and confusion as Jesus continues to teach in Jerusalem following his triumphal entry. The Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and other experts of the law have already tested him with their inquisitions, but he didn’t fumble with answers in the slightest. On the contrary, his answers left the crowd in awe and wonder at his wisdom and judgment. Today, Jesus returns the favor by dec...
Apr 26, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 76
Matthew 20 - 1:09 . Matthew 21 - 6:32 . Matthew 22 - 16:26 . Psalm 68 - 23:08 . The prophecies of the Son of David predict that a king will rise to power to shepherd the people of Israel. Jesus fits this description, and after waiting for centuries for this King, the people rejoice at the thought of a King rising to power to conquer their foes. What they don’t realize is that Jesus won’t conquer Rome or other nations, but He will instead conquer far greater foes like sin and death. The leaders d...
Apr 25, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 75
Matthew 16 - 1:13 . Matthew 17 - 6:02 . Matthew 18 - 11:40 . Matthew 19 - 18:29 . Psalm 67 - 24:12 . While man-made religions all try to glorify the followers and originators of the religion they promote, Christianity stands in stark contrast, for it is evident that the disciples were absolutely clueless when it came to Jesus and His teaching. Time and again, they record their confusion and ignorance, all the while elevating Christ and His wisdom and power. In today’s reading, Christ teaches on ...
Apr 24, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 74
Matthew 13 - 1:09 . Matthew 14 - 11:30 . Matthew 15 - 17:05 . Psalm 66 - 23:08 . We’ll hear a number of parables from Jesus today, and according to Jesus Himself, the reason he speaks in parables is conceal the truth from those whose hearts are callous. These truths are, however, for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, that is, those whom the Father has chosen to reveal the truth. Take note, too, of the occasions in today’s passage where Jesus tries get away by Himself, even staying up ...
Apr 21, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 73
Matthew 9 - 1:09 . Matthew 10 - 7:17 . Matthew 11 - 14:00 . Matthew 12 – 19:31 . Psalm 65 - 27:15 . If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for a while, chances are that you’ve heard many of today’s accounts before. Jesus cleanses the lepers, opens the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind, raises the dead, casts demons out of people, and then commissions His disciples to do the same. As you listen to today’s reading, don’t let familiarity keep you from contemplating how absolutely mind-boggling...
Apr 20, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 72
Matthew 5 - 1:05 . Matthew 6 - 9:44 . Matthew 7 - 15:11 . Matthew 8 – 20:39 . Psalm 64 - 26:27 . Just as Moses did before Him, Jesus ascends a mountaintop in order to deliver a Word from God to those who were following Him. Unlike Moses, Jesus doesn’t need to wait for an authoritative teaching, for He Himself is the authority: he is Immanuel, God with us. As He begins His teaching, He assures the crowd that His words are not an alteration of God’s established commands; rather, His words are a fu...
Apr 19, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 71
