JUDGES 20-21: In yesterday's reading, the people of Dan took all the items in Micah's household shrine and Micah's Levite priest. The priest’s name was given at the end of the chapter. He was the grandson of Moses! And then the Danites slaughtered the unsuspecting residents of Laish, forgetting about the law about giving terms of surrender before attacking. Then we heard of the unnamed Levite and his concubine (meaning, additional inferior-status wife). Nothing happened according to God's will i...
May 11, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 134
JUDGES 18-19: In Judges yesterday, we heard the famous and tragic story of Samson and Delilah. Victory, in that case, was not ‘sweet’. Then we heard the start of the story about Micah and the not so nice background of his personal idols and shrine. This is the first time so far in Judges where we have heard the repeated theme sentence of this book, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (17:6) PSALM 87: This is a prophetic psalm. The write...
May 11, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 133
JUDGES 14-15: Yesterday we heard the conclusion of Jephthah's six years as a judge of Israel. Then we heard briefly of three more judges, and then about the miracles preceding the birth of Samson. PSALM 85: This psalm is one appropriate at any time and to anyone. There are hidden nuggets of spiritual gold here— deep truths that are worth digging for. 1TIMOTHY 1: Yesterday in the final chapter of Galatians, Paul continued what he was saying (from chapter 5) about the contrast between being led by...
May 04, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 131
JUDGES 12-13: Yesterday, after hearing of three minor judges, we heard of Jephthah. Jephthah was a man of very poor credentials, but he turned out to be a surprisingly good leader. His story shows clearly why it is better not to make rash vows to the Lord. Indeed, the New Testament tells us to not make vows at all. PSALM 84: This favorite psalm has inspired many worship songs. Note the theme of joy! GALATIANS 5:22-6: Building on the concept of freedom from requirements of the Law in chapter 4, P...
May 04, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 130
JUDGES 10-11: Yesterday we heard the conclusion of the story of Gideon. It is a pity that Gideon was so successful, but that a half-son and unfaithful people ruined his legacy. I am always very disappointed that Gideon so quickly turns to idolatry after God has worked so fantastically through him. The whole story, including the part about Abimelech, supports the verse which says, “Whatever you sow, that is also what you will reap.” PSALM 83: This is a psalm asking God to stop being silent when I...
May 04, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 129
JUDGES 8-9: Yesterday we heard of Gideon who led Israel in a miraculous victory over the hoards of Midian using only three hundred men. Gideon struggled with believing that God would actually use him, and God was amazingly patient with Gideon— giving him sign after sign. Because of this, Gideon really is not the best example for us to follow of how to trust God and live a life of faith. PSALM 82: Do you ever get upset about injustice on earth? Here is a psalm for you. GALATIANS 4: The Jews calle...
May 04, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Review: This podcast is Day number 2 in my series about Buckling the belt of truth. In the first day in this series (which can be found by searching for 195 or the word ‘buckling’, I explained what I consider to be the first step in putting on the belt of truth. The belt of truth is one of seven parts to the Christian’s armor found in Ephesians 6. But I suggest that we make this clarification: Buckle the belt of truth by believing what God says about you in the Bible. The belt of truth is put on...
May 04, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 127
JUDGES 6-7: Yesterday we heard the story of Deborah and Barak. (Say, that name sounds familiar!) Barak doesn't get the glory for his notable defeat of Israel's enemy, Sisera. Instead the crowning glory goes to a woman named Jael, who happened to see a new use for a tent peg. The poem in chapter 5 includes taunts to Israel's tribes who ‘sat on their hands’ and didn't get involved in the war. PSALM 81: This poem has a mysterious part in verse 5, where an unknown voice (or perhaps ‘language’) speak...
May 04, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 127
JUDGES 4-5: We heard yesterday that around the time of Joshua's death, an angel appeared to the people of Israel and rebuked them for disobedience. In chapter 2, the author of Judges summarized the fickleness of the people. And in chapter 3 we quickly heard about Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar— the first three judges. PSALM 80: In this poem, Asaph pictures the Lord as a shepherd and Israel like a vine. It is no accident that both of these are also pictures of Jesus in the New Testament. This psalm i...
May 04, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 126
JUDGES 2-3: Yesterday we heard how the tribe of Judah was more successful in driving out the Canaanites than the other tribes. Several of the tribes just moved in with their enemies. PSALM 79: This lament by Asaph is like Ps 74, talking about Jerusalem and the Temple conquered by enemies. There is a strong comparison with what we see starting to happen in Judges. GALATIANS 1: We heard the controversy over circumcision in Acts 15. This letter to the Galatian believers is on a similar theme, and i...
May 04, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 125
JUDGES 1: It happens that Psalm 78 is a perfect introduction to the book of Judges! This book covers the dark ages for the nation of Israel, from the time following Joshua’s death to the birth of the last judge, Samuel. HC Mears gives a good easy-to-remember summary: Seven apostasies (times of turning away from God), seven servitudes to seven idolatrous and cruel nations, and seven deliverances. The last verse is the author’s own summary, which is often repeated near the end of the book: “In tho...
Apr 27, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 124
JOSHUA 24: In yesterday’s reading, Joshua dismissed the three tribes of warriors to return to their homes to the east of the Jordan. But when they went home, they decided to build an altar as a memorial. But their idea was misunderstood, nearly resulting in war. PSALM 78a: This poetic recitation of Israel’s history comes at a fitting place in relation to our other Old Testament reading. ACTS 27b: In yesterday’s reading, Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus started the voyage to Rome, under the command of...
Apr 27, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 123
JOSHUA 22-23: Yesterday we heard the detailed list of the cities of refuge— the cities set apart for anyone who happened to kill someone accidentally. Following that was the list of the towns that were given to the priests and Levites. PSALM 77: This psalm by Asaph was dedicated to Jeduthun, whose name means ‘praise giver’. Asaph worries about this: Has God changed? Why doesn’t He help us like He helped the Israelites in the past? I have chosen again to read this from the CEV rather than from th...
Apr 27, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 122
JOSHUA 20-21: Yesterday we read the details of land allotment and cities for the remaining seven tribes with their families. Last of all, Joshua himself received a city. PSALM 76: It only makes sense to know God and to be firmly on His side. As verse 10 says, “Human defiance only enhances His glory.” The second line of that verse is very unclear in Hebrew. NLT’s translation makes good sense, saying that God uses human defiance as a weapon against the same defiant ones. ACTS 26: In yesterday's st...
Apr 27, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 121
JOSHUA 18-19: Yesterday we heard the details about Mannaseh and Ephraim's allotment of land. I suggest that it will be very helpful for your understanding of these chapters in Joshua to do an Internet search for “map tribes Israel.” PSALM 75: Do you remember what Paul talked to Felix about from yesterday’s reading? Asaph’s psalm takes a similar theme today. ACTS 25: Paul's accusers came, and Paul defended himself before the governor. The governor put off making a decision, and never got around t...
Apr 27, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 120
JOSHUA 16-17: Yesterday Caleb received his special portion within Judah's allotment of land, and then we heard the detailed list of Judah's boundaries and towns. Chapter 15 may be the most challenging passage in all the Old Testament to read out loud! PSALM 74: Could this psalm really have been written by Asaph?! If so, Asaph was a prophet as he seems to describe events that happened hundreds of years later in the Babylonian conquest. It is possible he could have been a 100 year old man when wri...
Apr 27, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 119
JOSHUA 14-15: Yesterday in Joshua we heard an inventory of the kings conquered so far and details about the allotments of land for the 2 1/2 tribes east of the Jordan. PSALM 73: This is one of my favorite psalms because it speaks to an intellectual problem that so often bothers me. The turning point is verse 17 in this poem by Asaph. ACTS 23b: Paul before the council cried out words that divided the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is i...
Apr 27, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 118
JOSHUA 12-13: As we heard yesterday, God fought for Israel, even causing the sun and moon to stand still. Basically the main central body of land was conquered in only two campaigns. It is important to remember that the total destruction of the people groups listed was commanded by God because of their disgusting pagan and idolatrous practices. Joshua 10:40 “… This was what the Lord God of Israel had commanded.” See also 11:20. PSALM 72: It is clear that this psalm, written by King Solomon— or m...
Apr 20, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 117
JOSHUA 10-11: The king of Ai trusted in appearances, and was defeated. And the leaders of Israel trusted in appearances and failed to ask God for guidance, leading to a problem that would later cause more pain. PSALM 71: This is a poem written by an senior citizen with examples for our prayers that are appropriate for ‘youth’ of all ages. ACTS 22: In the last part of Acts 21, people from the Roman province of Asia recognized Paul and started a riot in the temple. Paul was arrested and now gives ...
Apr 20, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 116
JOSHUA 8-9: Yesterday the walls of Jericho “came a-tumbling down” after some skillful trumpet playing while marching around the city for 7 days. The city was devoted to destruction, meaning that this was God's judgement upon them, and that everything was to be destroyed. Right after this amazing victory, Israel learned through a man named Achan that keeping treasures devoted to destruction makes oneself devoted to destruction. PSALM 70: David pleads in this psalm for help against his enemies. An...
Apr 20, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 115
JOSHUA 6-7: In yesterday’s reading, Joshua lead the people across the Jordan on dry ground, and they set up 12 stones in two places to be memorial reminders for the people of this miracle. All the men were circumcised, and the angel who is the commander of God's army revealed himself to Joshua. PSALM 69: In yesterday’s reading, I appreciated that the writer appealed to God based on the Lord’s ‘constant love’. Let’s continue the reading of Ps 69 with four verses appropriate to Jesus’ life. Note t...
Apr 20, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 114
JOSHUA 4-5: In yesterday’s reading, Joshua sent out two spies. Rahab, who was a prostitute and later became an outstanding example of God's grace, protected them and eventually became a full member of Israel. The people of Israel crossed the Jordan miraculously on dry ground— even though the river was in flood stage, as Joshua leads following God's instructions. PSALM 69: This poem contains words that were quoted about Jesus (v. 4 and 9). Those verses give us an inside view of the nature of Jesu...
Apr 20, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 113
JOSHUA 2-3: Yesterday we started the book of Joshua, named after the man God chose as Moses’ successor. In this book we will see the victory of the Chosen People in conquering the Promised Land (chapters 1-12) and then the occupation of the Promised Land (chapters 13-24). Three times i n Deuteronomy 31, we heard the charge, “Be determined and confident,” and that command was repeated three more times to Joshua in chapter 1. PSALM 68b: This psalm starts with the words Moses spoke whenever the Ark...
Apr 20, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 112
JOSHUA 1: Yesterday we read the conclusion of Deuteronomy with Moses blessing eleven of the twelve tribes with a prophetic blessing. And then Moses died and the Lord buried him in an unknown location in Moab. Now we turn to Joshua, the book named after the man God chose as Moses’ successor. In this book we see the victory of the Chosen People in conquering the Promised Land (chapters 1-12) and then the occupation of the Promised Land (chapters 13-24). Three times in Deuteronomy 31, we find the c...
Apr 20, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 111
DEUTERONOMY 33-34: In yesterday's reading, Moses showed Israel that the leadership was given to Joshua, and he gave the command that this book of Deuteronomy be kept near the Arc of the Covenant. Then God gave Moses a long song to teach people, to help them remember. In this song, God described some future events as happening in the past tense. This is a feature many prophetic writings. Here is one detail you might want to notice today in chapter 33: In Moses’ blessings for the tribes of Israel,...
Apr 19, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 110
DEUTERONOMY 31-32: Yesterday in Deuteronomy Moses reviewed the covenant and again stressed that the choice is between life and death, and between experiencing blessings or curses. Be aware that in the poem dictated to Moses by the Lord, the Lord speaks of things that were in Israel’s future as if they had already taken place. This is called propleptic past tense, and is a feature of prophetic writings. PSALM 66: Our glorious God deserves glorious praise. Note that this psalm shows the importance...
Apr 18, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 109
DEUTERONOMY 29-30: Yesterday in Deuteronomy Moses ratcheted up the fear index to the red level. And the scary thing about the threats he used to motivate the people to obedience is that they later all came true, as we will see in books like Judges and 2 Kings. PSALM 65: Today’s Psalm is a hymn of joy and mighty praise. ACTS 17: Yesterday we heard of how Paul and Silas were beaten and put in jail. This was as a result of freeing a slave girl from demonic bondage. Their overnight in jail led to th...
Apr 17, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 108
DEUTERONOMY 28: Yesterday we read of the ceremony that Moses commanded the people to perform when they entered the promised land. The Levites were to loudly proclaim curses from Mount Ebal over anyone who violates the laws. PSALM 64: If you feel that people are looking for opportunities to slander you, this psalm is for you. ACTS 16b: Yesterday in in this chapter— via the change of pronouns, we understood that Luke joined with Paul as one of his traveling companions. Also note that the Holy Spir...
Apr 16, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 107
DEUTERONOMY 27: Yesterday in Deuteronomy, Moses continued with miscellaneous regulations. One repeated in the New Testament is to not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating when it is treading out grain. Paul used that as a metaphor for something else. PSALM 63: This is another poem of David, including beautiful imagery. Pray like David, if you want to be blessed like David or need protection as David did. ACTS 16a: Yesterday in Acts we heard how Barnabas and Paul with Silas and Judas/Justus delive...
Apr 15, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 106
DEUTERONOMY 25-26: Yesterday we read some laws for what kind of people could not enter into the congregation of Israel, and how long before their descendants could enter into the congregation of Israel. And we heard laws about cleanliness based on the fact that God was living with the Israelites. And, God wanted his people to be kind, fair, and thoughtful of the needs of the poor. PSALM 62: Here is a psalm to pray and an example to follow when you feel the world is against you. ACTS 15b: Yesterd...
Apr 14, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 105
