2 Corinthians 6 - 1:08 . 2 Corinthians 7 - 4:17 . 2 Corinthians 8 - 8:38 . 2 Corinthians 9 – 12:43 . Isaiah 13 - 15:45 . Paul continues to urge the Corinthian to live lives that are fully devoted to the Lord God, asking them to open their hearts once again to him and to the ministry of the gospel. He explains that his commendation comes from a life that is full of dichotomies, and urges them to consider the sacrifices they are making as proof that they are zealous for the advance of the gospel. ...
Aug 25, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 160
2 Corinthians 1 - 1:08 . 2 Corinthians 2 - 5:53 . 2 Corinthians 3 - 9:45 . 2 Corinthians 4 - 12:56 . 2 Corinthians 5 - 16:21 . Isaiah 12 – 20:25 . Paul loves the church in Corinth, but at the writing of this letter, the feeling wasn’t entirely mutual. The Corinthian church had received a severe letter from Paul that contained instructions about disciplining a church member. This could be the man mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5 or it could be some other person within the church. Whatever the case ma...
Aug 24, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 159
Obadiah - 1:06 . Titus 1 - 6:57 . Titus 2 - 9:42 . Titus 3 - 12:05 . Isaiah 11 - 14:55 . Obadiah is the shortest book in Old Testament, and it’s a prophecy directed against one nation: the nation of Edom. Though the time or century of this proclamation is not fully known, it is clear from the text that Edom is guilty of mocking Judah in their distress and taking advantage of their dire situation. In the end, however, the Lord will bring His people back but Edom will be devastated. Titus is a sho...
Aug 23, 2023•19 min•Season 5Ep. 158
2 Chronicles 34 - 1:15 . 2 Chronicles 35 - 10:09 . 2 Chronicles 36 - 16:49 . Isaiah 10:20 - 22:04 . King Josiah takes the throne at age 8, begins to seek the Lord at age 16, and cleanses the land of false idols and high places at age 20. At 24, he commands his servants to clean and repair the temple of God, and when they do so, they discover the book of the law of God taken down by the hand of Moses. After consulting a prophet, he learns that God’s wrath will soon be poured out on Israel. He cal...
Aug 22, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 157
2 Chronicles 31 - 1:17 . 2 Chronicles 32 - 6:17 . 2 Chronicles 33 - 14:51 . Isaiah 10:1-19 - 20:25 . Now that Hezekiah has reestablished worship at the Lord’s temple, he wants to provide for the Levites who have gathered together to serve the Lord in the work of the temple. Thankfully, the people of Judah show kindness and faithfulness by giving a tenth of all that they harvested and produced. Later, King Sennacherib threatens Hezekiah and all Judah by laying siege to their fortified cities and ...
Aug 21, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 156
2 Chronicles 29 - 1:11 . 2 Chronicles 30 - 9:59 . Isaiah 9 - 16:40 . In our last episode we read about King Ahaz, one of the most evil and unfaithful kings in Judah’s history. He not only worshipped other gods, but sacrificed his children to them ass an act of pagan worship. When his son Hezekiah comes to power, he literally cleans house, restoring the temple of the Lord so that all Israel could be called back to worship the God of their ancestors. The priests and the Levites are called upon to ...
Aug 18, 2023•23 min•Season 5Ep. 155
2 Chronicles 25 - 1:11 . 2 Chronicles 26 - 8:18 . 2 Chronicles 27 – 13:30 . 2 Chronicles 28 - 15:56 . Isaiah 8 - 22:04 . In our last episode, we considered the life of King Joash, the baby heir to the throne who was rescued and brought to kingship by Jehoiada the priest. Joash abandoned the Lord’s temple, and was later assassinated. The next four kings continue this lineage. Amaziah begins well, but surprisingly turns to worship the idols of those he has defeated, and soon thereafter becomes ove...
Aug 17, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 154
2 Chronicles 21 - 1:08 . 2 Chronicles 22 - 5:31 . 2 Chronicles 23 - 9:20 . 2 Chronicles 24 - 14:53 . Isaiah 7 - 21:18 . In our last episode we covered the life of King Jehoshaphat who was faithful to the Lord, but in today’s episode we witness the beginning of the end for the kings of Judah. Jehoshaphat’s son, King Jehoram is straight-up Je-horrible and when he dies from a horrific intestinal disease, Scripture records that he “died to no one’s regret.” Sounds like a great epitaph for a tombston...
Aug 16, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 153
2 Chronicles 18 - 1:09 . 2 Chronicles 19 - 9:29 . 2 Chronicles 20 - 12:08 . Isaiah 6 - 21:36 . At the end of our last episode we were introduced to Asa’s son, King Jehoshaphat, and today we’ll read further accounts of his life. Jehoshaphat instituted a plan to educate Judah in the ways of the Lord, sending officials and priests out with the book of the Lord’s instruction. Remember that Asa failed to call upon the name of the Lord when there was threat of war, but by contrast, Jehoshaphat regular...
Aug 15, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 152
2 Chronicles 13 - 1:13 . 2 Chronicles 14 - 5:59 . 2 Chronicles 15 - 10:10 . 2 Chronicles 16 - 13:29 . 2 Chronicles 17 - 16:34 . Isaiah 5 - 19:52 . Our reading today examines the lives of two descendants of David who each reigned as king over Israel. First: Abijah, who reigned for only 3 years, but who made an impassioned speech against Israel’s king Jeroboam, warning him that he should not wage war against the Lord and those who serve Him. Abijah’s son Asa takes the throne after him, and Asa dev...
Aug 14, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 151
Worship at the new temple has been established and the people of Israel begin to worship the Lord with renewed vigor and zeal. The Lord honors their worship and continues to love His people by providing for them and protecting them. King Solomon’s wisdom and wealth become known across the ancient world, and royalty from nearby nations come to seek his counsel and insight. Ironically, Solomon’s wisdom is not passed on to his son, Rehoboam, as one of his first decrees runs in direct contradiction ...
Aug 11, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 150
2 Chronicles 6 - 1:08 . 2 Chronicles 7 - 10:50 . 2 Chronicles 8 - 16:47 . Isaiah 2 - 20:22 . Solomon has finished the work of building the temple and the ark of the covenant is now in the newly constructed room known as the most holy place. The priests have consecrated themselves and will worship the Lord through music. Solomon prays to the Lord before the nation of Israel, asking God to hear their prayers, reminding the people through his prayer that God resides in heaven, and is not confined t...
Aug 10, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 149
2 Chronicles 1 - 1:08 . 2 Chronicles 2 - 4:34 . 2 Chronicles 3 - 9:48 . 2 Chronicles 4 - 12:46 . 2 Chronicles 5 - 16:24 . Isaiah 1 - 19:49 . We’re back in the Old Testament with 2 Chronicles which is the second book of a four book series which includes 1 & 2 Chronicles along with Ezra and Nehemiah. Combined, they make up a historical account of God’s people starting with Adam and ending with the return to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. It’s likely that Ezra is the author of all four ...
Aug 09, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 148
1 Corinthians 12 - 1:17 . 1 Corinthians 13 - 5:48 . 1 Corinthians 14 - 9:05 . 1 Corinthians 15 - 15:30 . 1 Corinthians 16 - 25:02 . Psalm 112 - 28:10 . Psalm 113 - 29:30 . Today, Paul begins to speak of the nature of the body of Christ and the diversity of spiritual gifts within it. Just as a physical body is made of many parts that are united together, Paul teaches that the church should be united in love and put away childish divisions, otherwise their flashy spiritual gifts are absolute rubbi...
Aug 08, 2023•31 min•Season 5Ep. 147
1 Corinthians 7 - 1:12 . 1 Corinthians 8 - 9:00 . 1 Corinthians 9 - 11:21 . 1 Corinthians 10 - 17:20 . 1 Corinthians 11 - 22:21 . Psalm 111 - 27:53 . Well, if you didn't learn it from our time in Songs of Songs, let's just be clear: God is pro-marriage and pro-sex. He created intimacy for the good of mankind so that a husband and wife might enjoy one another to the glory of God. The blessing of marital intimacy should be protected from the many ways that mankind distorts it for selfish gratifica...
Aug 07, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 146
1 Corinthians 1 - 1:07 . 1 Corinthians 2 - 6:19 . 1 Corinthians 3 - 9:52 . 1 Corinthians 4 - 13:31 . 1 Corinthians 5 - 18:24 . 1 Corinthians 6 - 20:56 . Psalm 110 - 24:57 . Paul wants the Corinthian church to live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Divisions had already begun among the church at Corinth, and as we’ll see in these first few chapters, some of the division came because believers began attributing themselves to mere men. Paul directs them to boast, not in the teachers they follow, ...
Aug 04, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 145
Hosea 8 - 1:11 . Hosea 9 - 3:53 . Hosea 10 - 8:36 . Hosea 11 - 12:06 . Hosea 12 - 15:45 . Hosea 13 - 18:14 . Hosea 14 - 21:29 . Psalm 109 - 23:50 . Israel has taken the lavish blessings of their God and given those gifts to the calf idols of Baal, turning away from the covenant love of the God who redeemed them and turning to love other gods. Therefore, the Lord will discipline his people for their rebellion. Through Hosea, God remarks that he raised Israel like a father raises children, lamenti...
Aug 03, 2023•29 min•Season 5Ep. 144
Hosea 1 - 1:08 . Hosea 2 - 3:31 . Hosea 3 - 9:05 . Hosea 4 - 10:09 . Hosea 5 - 13:51 . Hosea 6 - 17:43 . Hosea 7 - 19:44 . Psalm 108 - 22:59 . Not much is known about the background of the prophet Hosea, save what is mentioned in this record of his prophecies. By referencing the kings under which he prophesied, we can see that his ministry of prophecy lasted around 40 years. Like Amos, Hosea spoke to the nation of Israel, often referenced as “Ephraim” in this book, under a time of lavish wealth ...
Aug 02, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 143
1 Chronicles 27 - 1:12 . 1 Chronicles 28 - 7:15 . 1 Chronicles 29 - 12:35 . Psalm 107 - 21:04 . As the book of 1 Chronicles comes to a close we’re given a look at an assembly of all the leaders of Israel. In this gather, David gives glory to God for his many blessings, and charges Solomon to build the Lord’s temple. In so doing, he also makes it clear that, of his many sons, Solomon is to become king, appointed by the Lord God Himself. He passes the plans for the temple on to Solomon and declare...
Aug 01, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 142
1 Chronicles 24 - 1:09 . 1 Chronicles 25 - 5:03 . 1 Chronicles 26 - 9:59 . Song of Songs 7 - 15:31 . Song of Songs 8 - 17:50 . As David prepares to pass the crown to his son Solomon, his heart and mind continue to be fixed on God’s glory, particularly through the building of the temple and structuring it properly. David has spent years of his life amassing materials for it’s construction, and not only that, he has also drawn up architectural plans, built instruments, and created systems for all ...
Jul 31, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 141
1 Chronicles 20 - 1:13 . 1 Chronicles 21 - 2:59 . 1 Chronicles 22 - 9:12 . 1 Chronicles 23 - 14:08 . Song of Songs 5 - 19:09 . Song of Songs 6 - 22:23 . In his latter days, David charges his son Solomon to build the temple for the worship of God, and we get a few new details. First, we learn that the Lord did not allow David to build the temple because his hands had shed so much blood and because he had waged great wars. We also realize that David looked forward to the building of the temple eve...
Jul 28, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 140
1 Chronicles 15 - 1:14 . 1 Chronicles 16 - 6:02 . 1 Chronicles 17 - 12:38 . 1 Chronicles 18 - 19:07 . 1 Chronicles 19 - 21:46 . Song of Songs 4 - 25:45 . After staying in the house of Obed-Edom for a while, the ark of the covenant finally comes to Jerusalem with great fanfare. After King David reestablishes the tabernacle, he returns to his own home, a palace made of cedar, and thinks “Why does God dwell in a tent, while I, a mere man, dwell in a palace?” As his wheels begin to spin, he tells Na...
Jul 27, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 139
1 Chronicles 11 - 1:11 . 1 Chronicles 12 - 8:51 . 1 Chronicles 13 - 16:11 . 1 Chronicles 14 - 18:32 . Song of Songs 3 - 21:09 . There’s a lot more historical narrative in today’s reading, especially when compared to our first three episodes in 1 Chronicles. David becomes king, he intends to reinstitute the proper worship of God at his tabernacle. When the ark of the covenant almost falls in transit, one man reaches out to grab it, which is not permissible by God’s law. The Lord strikes him dead,...
Jul 26, 2023•24 min•Season 5Ep. 138
1 Chronicles 8 - 1:10 . 1 Chronicles 9 - 5:07 . 1 Chronicles 10 - 12:27 . Song of Songs 1 - 15:09 . Song of Songs 2 - 18:05 . We’re still working through a list of names, but thankfully things get a little more interesting this week as the lists are broken up by historical accounts and records of what people did and when. As someone who once worked retail and food service, I like the behind-the-scenes look at how the Levites and gatekeepers conducted the daily maintenance of the temple found in ...
Jul 25, 2023•22 min•Season 5Ep. 137
1 Chronicles 5 - 1:06 . 1 Chronicles 6 - 5:34 . 1 Chronicles 7 - 15:11 . Ecclesiastes 11 - 21:29 . Ecclesiastes 12 - 23:17 . We’re reading through the genealogies handed down over the centuries that trace God’s people from Adam & Eve all the way through the exile to Babylon. Remember that each name represents a lifetime and a family: real people with real lives who either trusted in the Lord or who were stiff-necked and rebelled against the Lord. Reading these genealogies juxtaposed against ...
Jul 24, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 136
1 Chronicles 1 - 1:07 . 1 Chronicles 2 - 7:12 . 1 Chronicles 3 - 13:26 . 1 Chronicles 4 - 17:00 . Ecclesiastes 10 - 23:12 . Alright, real talk: this episode probably isn’t going to change your life, but there are some interesting little nuggets to be found in between the names and genealogies. For instance, there’s, “The Prayer of Jabez,” right? which, if you didn’t live through 90’s Christendom, is the title of a book that says you can be blessed with prosperity if you pray prayers like Jabez. ...
Jul 21, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 135
Luke 22 - 1:13 . Luke 23 - 12:11 . Luke 24 - 21:25 . Among the many things that Luke illustrates in his record of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, is that all of it was in fulfillment of Scripture, including a number of references to Psalm 22. While sinful men sought to snuff out this king and his message about a coming kingdom, they in fact helped usher in the new kingdom by crucifying the Son of God. Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead as He had prophesied way back in Galil...
Jul 20, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 134
Luke 19 - 1:08 . Luke 20 - 9:16 . Luke 21 - 17:00 . Ecclesiastes 9 - 22:48 . Looking back from our position in history, we have the advantage of considering the kingdom of God through all of the teachings of Jesus and through the lens of Scripture as a whole. During his time of ministry on earth, however, things weren’t so clear for His original audience. When the crowds thought about the Son of David, they assumed that he would be a king in the traditional sense. The Jews were excited that this...
Jul 19, 2023•28 min•Season 5Ep. 133
Luke 16 - 1:08 . Luke 17 - 7:20 . Luke 18 - 13:42 . Ecclesiastes 8 - 21:10 . Let’s talk about two of today’s parables that are different from the others, because in them Jesus points to sinful men as examples of that which is good, which is confusing on the face of it, but let me explain. In the parable of the dishonest manager, his goal is to show his people how to think about wealth and earthly possessions: we are to use them to win favor with others while we still have them. In the parable of...
Jul 18, 2023•25 min•Season 5Ep. 132
Luke 13 - 1:12 . Luke 14 - 8:18 . Luke 15 - 15:16 . Ecclesiastes 7 - 20:57 . Our passage today includes a number of notable parables, some of which concern the nature of death and the afterlife. Jesus tells His disciples to enter by the narrow way, because the door to God’s household will soon be shut and those outside will be turned away regardless of their proximity to Jesus. He compares God’s table to that of a nobleman who hosts a banquet, only to be turned down by those he had invited. He t...
Jul 17, 2023•26 min•Season 5Ep. 131
