Luke 11 - 1:11 . Luke 12 - 11:36 . Ecclesiastes 6 - 22:14 . We are almost halfway through the book of Luke, and Jesus and His disciples are on their way to Jerusalem and to the crucifixion of Jesus. On the way he teaches His disciples how to pray to God the Father, rebukes those who claim He uses demonic powers, chastises the generation who will put him to death, and denounces the self-righteous Pharisees as hypocrites. Finally, Jesus encourages his disciples to store up treasures in heaven, and...
Jul 14, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 130
Luke 9 - 1:08 . Luke 10 - 11:47 . Ecclesiastes 5 - 20:07 . Today’s chapters focus more on the relationship Jesus has with his apostles and his disciples, as he empowers them for ministry, provides for them, calls them to wholehearted devotion, and warns them of his future death. Jesus and His disciples begin making their way to Jerusalem where He will face the agony of the cross, but He has much to say and to teach before that hour arrives. On the road to Jerusalem, when asked to define what it ...
Jul 13, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 129
Luke 7 - 1:11 . Luke 8 - 10:35 . Ecclesiastes 4 - 20:50 . Jesus continues to exhibit his power over illness, demons, death, and over Creation. Those witness his power, including the disciples who are with him daily, continue to be awestruck by what they see. Make no mistake: the people in Jesus’ day were not simpletons who would simply believe anything. Like you and I, they knew that what Jesus was doing seemed impossible, and they all had trouble wrapping their minds around it. Later in Ecclesi...
Jul 12, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 128
Luke 5 - 1:08 . Luke 6 - 8:03 . Ecclesiastes 3 - 18:17 . As the crowds begin to gather in greater number, Jesus gets in a boat, pushes out a little, and preaches; this would have helped to amplify his voice and give him a little space from the those who were pushing in on him. As he performs miraculous signs that display his power over creation, dedicated disciples begin to grow in number. He then appoints 12 men to be his apostles. These men would have had unique access to Jesus and responsibil...
Jul 11, 2023•23 min•Season 5Ep. 127
Luke 3 - 1:08 . Luke 4 - 7:55 . Ecclesiastes 2 - 15:27 . After being baptized by John, who is the prophet who prepares the way for the Lord in the wilderness, Jesus enters the wilderness where he fasts for 40 days. At the end of the 40 days, Jesus is hungry, as you might expect, and it is then that the devil comes to tempt Jesus. These forty days and these temptations are a parallel to Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness. However, where Israel fails, Jesus succeeds, resisting those temptations t...
Jul 10, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 126
Luke 1 - 1:12 . Luke 2 - 12:58 . Ecclesiastes 1 - 21:41 . The gospel according to Luke is the longest book in the New Testament, and according to his own prelude, it’s an orderly collection of eye-witness accounts from the life and ministry of Jesus. He begins by recounting the events surrounding the birth of John the Baptist who would prepare the way for the coming Son of David. While John’s conception and birth are miraculous and recall the promises made to Abraham and Sarah, the birth of Jesu...
Jul 07, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 125
Amos 1 - 1:04 . Amos 2 - 4:07 . Amos 3 - 7:11 . Amos 4 - 10:22 . Amos 5 - 13:31 . Amos 6 - 18:24 . Amos 7 - 22:15 . Amos 8 - 25:29 . Amos 9 - 28:12 . Amos was a prophet from Judah who travelled away from his homeland to prophesy against Israel. As his introduction states, Amos was a shepherd by trade, but he received instruction from the Lord to go north to Samaria around 760 BC. It was a time of great prosperity for Israel, but many farmers had been reduced to poverty. The wealthy gave them loa...
Jul 06, 2023•33 min•Season 5Ep. 124
2 Kings 23 - 1:12 . 2 Kings 24 - 11:47 . 2 Kings 25 - 16:13 . Psalm 106 - 22:34 . Our episode picks up where we last left King Josiah, who has just discovered the book of the law and the covenant. After consulting a prophetess named Huldah, they learn that the wrath of God is coming upon Judah soon. When Josiah realizes that their days are numbered, he cleans house both figuratively and literally. The Lord’s temple was full of idolatrous objects and practices, and he gets rid of them all. While ...
Jul 05, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 123
2 Kings 20 - 1:15 . 2 Kings 21 - 5:55 . 2 Kings 22 - 11:54 . Psalm 104 - 16:29 . Psalm 105 - 20:51 . Thus far in his reign as king, Hezekiah has put his trust in the Lord. After Isaiah prophesies that his illness will end in death, Hezekiah prays to the Lord and the Lord hears, granting him another 15 years of life. It’s not long, however, before Hezekiah gets cocky and shows off his sweet digs to his neighbors, the Babylonians. Of course, we know that won’t end well. A couple generations later,...
Jun 30, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 122
2 Kings 17 – 1:08 . 2 Kings 18 – 10:12 . 2 Kings 19 – 19:32 . Today, the kingdom of Israel falls with finality as for the longest time they have denied the ways of the Lord that would make them distinct from the surrounding nations. After spiraling madly away from the Lord for decades, the Lord allows the king of Assyria to conquer Israel and deport it’s people to foreign lands. In his quest to conquer nation after nation, Sennacherib sets his sights on Judah, and sends messengers to demand subm...
Jun 29, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 121
2 Kings 14 - 1:11 . 2 Kings 15 - 7:54 . 2 Kings 16 - 16:11 . Psalm 103 - 20:52 . The kings of Israel have fallen so far from the way of life that the Lord had called them to follow, that by this point they are completely unrecognizable from the nations around them. As we read, notice that as the kings move further away from the Lord and his statutes, the more violent, unpredictable, and selfish they become. While Judah’s kings continuously neglect the high places of idol worship, most of them st...
Jun 28, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 120
2 Kings 11 - 1:12 . 2 Kings 12 - 5:51 . 2 Kings 13 - 11:07 . Psalm 102 - 17:22 . Today, we’ll hear the account of King Joash, the infant heir to the throne who was rescued from a royal slaughter and raised in the temple of God. With guidance from Jehoiada the priest, Joash is inaugurated as a child king over Judah, and he begins the work of repairing the temple. Hazael has become the king of Aram just as Elisha had prophesied, and the army of Jehoahaz, king of Israel is almost completely wiped o...
Jun 27, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 119
2 Kings 8 - 1:11 . 2 Kings 9 - 8:32 . 2 Kings 10 - 18:28 . Psalm 100 - 27:07 . Psalm 101 - 27:52 . In today’s episode, Elisha acts through messengers and servants to accomplish kingdom-altering acts. First, the king of Aram sends his servant Hazael to ask Elisha if the king will recover from his sickness. While speaking with him about the matter, Elisha sees Hazael’s future, which one of terrible power and destruction. Later, Elisha sends a young prophet to anoint Jehu, an army commander, to be ...
Jun 26, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 118
2 Kings 5 - 1:22 . 2 Kings 6 - 9:12 . 2 Kings 7 - 17:03 . Psalm 99 - 22:37 . On today’s episode, an Aramean army commander comes to Elisha to be healed, but when Elisha doesn’t give him the respect he thinks he deserves, he almost rejects the offer out of hand. Later, the Arameans try to capture Elisha but he diffuses them with hospitality. Not long after, the Arameans lay siege to Israel, surrounding Samaria in order to cause a famine, and the people take desperate measures. The king of Israel ...
Jun 23, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 117
2 Kings 1 - 1:13 . 2 Kings 2 - 5:45 . 2 Kings 3 - 12:21 . 2 Kings 4 - 18:26 . Psalm 98 - 27:28 . We continue in our timeline of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah today. Remember that King Ahab has died, but at this point Elijah is still alive. Ahab’s son Ahaziah is now on the throne, but he won’t outlive the Lord’s prophecy against Ahab which says that his family line would come to an end in the next generation. King Jehoshaphat continues to reign in Judah and partner with the kings of ...
Jun 22, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 116
Jonah 1 - 1:11 . Jonah 2 – 5:00 . Jonah 3 – 6:56 . Jonah 4 – 8:59 . Philemon - 12:21 . Psalm 96 - 16:13 . Psalm 97 - 18:08 . Today we’ll read the account of Jonah, the reluctant prophet. The Lord commands Jonah to go to Ninevah and warn them of their impending destruction. Jonah turns to go in the completely opposite direction, later saying that he didn’t want to go because he knew the Lord would have compassion on those whom Israel saw as detestable adversaries. As you hear this account, keep i...
Jun 21, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 115
1 Kings 21 – 1:07 . 1 Kings 22 – 7:42 . Psalm 95 – 18:41 . In our last episode, Ahab struck a deal with Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram instead of destroying him, but because the Lord had set him apart for destruction, an unnamed prophet pronounces judgment on Ahab. Some time passes, and Ahab sets his sights on a field that belongs to another man. After he refuses to sell it, Ahab pouts in his room until Jezebel hatches a scheme to murder him and take his land. Elijah appears to prophecy his demise,...
Jun 20, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 114
1 Kings 19 – 1:09 . 1 Kings 20 – 6:35 . Psalm 94 – 18:23 . After experiencing the power and authority of the God of Israel on top of Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the prophet runs to Jezreel ahead of King Ahab. Upon hearing Jezebel’s threats to execute him, Elijah then flees in despair to a distant mountaintop. Later, King Ahab of Israel goes to battle with Ben-Hadad of Aram. The Lord sends an unamed prophet to alert Ahab that the Lord will win the batt...
Jun 19, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 113
1 Kings 16 - 1:09 . 1 Kings 17 - 8:14 . 1 Kings 18 - 12:43 . Psalm 92 - 23:49 . Psalm 93 - 25:38 . The string of men who reign as king over the ten tribes of Israel continue to get worse and worse, each king being more corrupt than the last. King Ahab should be worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who brought Israel out of Egypt, but instead he marries a Baal worshiper, turns to serve Ball himself, then builds a temple to Baal in Samaria. Elijah boldly confronts the king in ...
Jun 16, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 112
1 Kings 13 – 1:09 . 1 Kings 14 – 9:06 . 1 Kings 15 – 16:06 . Psalm 91 – 22:20 . Now that King Solomon has died, the prophecies of God spoken through his prophet Ahijah have come to fruition. In our last episode, Ahijah tore a new robe into 12 pieces and gave 10 pieces to Jeroboam, symbolizing the number of tribes he would rule over. Remember that Solomon’s son Rehoboam insults Jeroboam, who formerly worked under Solomon as a supervisor over forced labor. After Jeroboam led a revolt, he became ki...
Jun 15, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 111
1 Kings 10 - 1:10 . 1 Kings 11 - 7:31 . 1 Kings 12 - 17:08 . Psalm 90 - 24:30 . Even though Solomon’s life is marked by the goodness and grace of God, even though Solomon has built the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, and even though Solomon’s wisdom is unsurpassed, his devotion to the Lord and to his statutes wanes in his latter years. Why? Because in his power and in his lavish wealth, he has accumulated hundreds of wives for himself. In marrying wives from surrounding nations, he has disobeyed the...
Jun 14, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 110
1 Kings 7 - 1:05 . 1 Kings 8 - 10:13 . 1 Kings 9 - 24:08 . Today’s reading contains the second-longest chapter in all of Scripture, which is 1 Kings chapter 8, and it’s long for a great reason: King Solomon gets excited and is full of prayer and praise as he conducts the first worship gathering at the Lord’s temple. Though the tabernacle existed before the temple, this is the first permanent structure built for the worship of God in a particular geographic location. As you can imagine, it’s a pr...
Jun 13, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 109
1 Kings 4 - 1:12 . 1 Kings 5 - 6:13 . 1 Kings 6 - 10:41 . Psalm 88 - 17:18 . Psalm 89 - 19:39 . As always, the Lord God makes good on His promises, and Solomon flourishes under the Lord’s lavish provision. Blessed with peace on every side and abundant wealth, Solomon does not kick back and take it easy; instead, he sets His mind on things above and gets to work. Knowing that the Lord had promised David a son who would come from his family and would establish God’s house forever, Solomon builds a...
Jun 12, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 108
1 Kings 1 - 1:15 . 1 Kings 2 - 12:49 . 1 Kings 3 - 23:28 . Psalm 87 - 29:00 . With King David on his death bed, the royal family knows that the time to transfer power is drawing near. David’s oldest son, Adonijah, gains support for himself from well-known leaders like Joab and Abiathar, calling Judah together for a feast to celebrate his bid for kingship. Nathan the prophet catches word, and teams up with Bathsheba to alert the king. Later, the Lord appears to King Solomon in a dream, and instea...
Jun 09, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 107
Colossians 1 - 1:11 . Colossians 2 - 5:49 . Colossians 3 - 10:47 . Colossians 4 - 14:39 . Psalm 85 - 17:45 . Psalm 86 - 19:22 . Paul catches word from fellow workers in the Gospel that the church at Colossae is wrestling with some false teaching that had entered their church. While the heresy is not fully identified, we gather that it had an inferior view of Christ, involved worship of angels and asceticism, and promoted man-made traditions. Paul directs their hearts and minds to give glory to C...
Jun 08, 2023•23 min•Season 5Ep. 106
2 Samuel 21 – 1:14 . 2 Samuel 22 – 7:16 . 2 Samuel 23 – 13:53 . 2 Samuel 24 – 21:18 . Psalm 84 – 27:15 . Now that the account of King David has essentially come to a close, the author recording the account looks back on David’s life to record some of the events that happened during David’s lifetime that were not included in the chronological story line. These accounts include the execution of members of Saul’s family, battles against the giant descendants of Goliath, a song of David, the exploit...
Jun 07, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 105
2 Samuel 18 - 1:16 . 2 Samuel 19 - 9:41 . 2 Samuel 20 - 19:59 . Psalm 83 - 25:38 . On our last episode we followed the trajectory of David’s son Absalom, a handsome young man who had won the hearts of Israel by deception, telling those who came to King David that the king had no time for them. Absalom devises a coup to overthrow David, but his father catches wind of his plot and flees before he arrives. Today, David’s men prepare for battle and meet the forces of Absalom’s Israelite troops. The ...
Jun 06, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 104
2 Samuel 15 - 1:12 . 2 Samuel 16 - 9:44 . 2 Samuel 17 - 15:01 . Psalm 81 - 21:26 . Psalm 82 - 23:30 . After killing his brother at a family dinner, Absalom fled to another country, and was only brought back after Joab convinced David to do so by way of a theatric analogy. Today, Absalom begins a plan to win the hearts of the people and turn Israel against his father, the king. Learning of this impending insurrection, David flees Jerusalem with all of his people, save a handle of men who serve as...
Jun 05, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 103
2 Samuel 12 - 1:17 . 2 Samuel 13 - 9:01 . 2 Samuel 14 - 18:10 . Psalm 80 - 25:49 . When we last left King David, he had slept with another man’s wife, and when it came to light that she was pregnant, he designed a conspiracy to kill Uriah in order to cover up his own adultery. Today Nathan comes to David with a word from the Lord. Because of his sin, the Lord says that he will take David’s wives and give them to another before all of Israel, and by the end of our next reading, that prophecy come...
Jun 02, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 102
2 Samuel 9 - 1:12 . 2 Samuel 10 - 4:06 . 2 Samuel 11 - 9:26 . Psalm 79 - 15:17 . Throughout the Old Testament, we meet men of varying backgrounds who set out to obey the Lord and deliver God’s people. Time and again, God’s people rejoice and revel in their hero, but inevitably, these men fall and are shown to be sinful. There is none righteous, no not one. David is no exception, and his lust for another man’s wife begets more and more sin. Luxury and boredom turn into lust, which turns to an abu...
Jun 01, 2023•18 min•Season 5Ep. 101
