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 provide…

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 is not…

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…

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 …

* Get 40% off the regular price of any CSB Bible at lifeway.com using code "COMMUTER24" 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…

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 tha…

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 mo…

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…

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 dri…

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, Go…

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 u…

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 perio…

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 Can…

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…

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…

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 w…

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 …

CSB promo code at lifeway.com: COMMUTER24 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 tru…

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 y…

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 G…

The gospel of Matthew was written with a Jewish audience in mind, pointing frequently to the Old Testament to show how Christ was God’s promised Messiah and the fulfillment of the Law. Matthew looks back upon some 60 Hebrew prophecies throughout his text. Not only is He the long-awaited King, He is also the new Abraham, that is, the head of the new…

The clans and families of Israel are settling into their apportioned lands and beginning to find rest when a report spreads across the lands that the tribes on the other side of the Jordan are rebelling against God. They ready themselves for war, knowing that God is a jealous God, but later find their zealous action was in haste. Today’s reading en…

Joshua 18 – 1:08 . Joshua 19 – 5:42 . Joshua 20 – 12:47 . Joshua 21 – 15:37 . Psalm 59 – 22:25 . Psalm 60 – 25:07 . Now that the majority of the Promised Land has been conquered, the land is being divided by lot and by size according to the number of people in each tribe. Today’s reading is the last section of text detailing the division of the lan…

Joshua 14 - 1:10 . Joshua 15 - 3:55 . Joshua 16 - 11:46 . Joshua 17 - 13:22 . Psalm 57 – 17:36 . Psalm 58 - 19:24 . The work of conquering the Promised Land, in large part, has come to a close. Now it’s time to divide the land between the clans of Israel as Moses had instructed. To our modern ears, much of what we’ll hear today may not seem importa…

Joshua 10 – 1:10 . Joshua 11 – 10:37 . Joshua 12 – 15:04 . Joshua 13 – 18:53 . Psalm 55 – 24:13 . Psalm 56 – 27:20 . A coalition of nations conspires to fight against Israel when they hear that Joshua has defeated Jericho and Ai, and they gather together to surge against them. They are no match for those with whom the Lord has covenanted, and God s…

Joshua 7 – 1:14 . Joshua 8 – 8:38 . Joshua 9 – 16:39 . Psalm 52 – 22:00 . Psalm 53 – 23:24 . Psalm 54 – 24:41 . In our last episode, Israel had successfully crossed the Jordan on dry ground and defeated the walled city of Jericho, not by their own strength, but by the strength of God’s mighty hand over His Creation. God had instructed that all of J…

Joshua 1 – 1:09 . Joshua 2 – 4:26 . Joshua 3 – 10:05 . Joshua 4 – 13:31 . Joshua 5 – 18:33 . Joshua 6 – 21:37 . Psalm 51 – 27:32 . Moses has died, leaving Israel with a new legacy, a new Law, and a new leader. Before Moses’ death, the Lord appointed Joshua to lead and blessed Him. Today, Joshua takes charge over Israel and leads them over the Jorda…

James 1 - 1:09 . James 2 - 5:33 . James 3 - 10:58 . James 4 - 14:07 . James 5 - 17:08 . Psalm 50 - 21:04 . After spending some time writing to the church concerning trials and temptations, James writes about the role of works in the believer’s life, citing specific works such as caring for orphans & widows in their distress and avoiding favoritism.…

Deuteronomy 32 – 1:12 . Deuteronomy 33 – 12:35 . Deuteronomy 34 – 19:44 . Psalm 49 – 22:22 . In our final reading of the book of Deuteronomy, the Lord tells Moses that Israel will indeed rebel against Him after Moses dies. The song of Moses recorded here prophesies the coming wrath of God for Israel’s rebellion, focusing on God’s power over the wor…

Deuteronomy 29 – 1:10 . Deuteronomy 30 – 7:36 . Deuteronomy 31 – 12:51 . Psalm 48 – 19:37 . Moses continues to explain to Israel that they will be blessed if follow the Lord and cursed if they follow other gods. He calls out that thought which is so common to mankind: I am the exception to the rules, and as Moses puts it, “I will have peace even th…

Deuteronomy 26 – 1:20 . Deuteronomy 27 – 5:16 . Deuteronomy 28 – 11:00 . Psalm 47 – 22:22 . In our reading today, Moses outlines the blessings and the curses that will fall upon Israel if they fail to keep the covenant of the Lord. Keep in mind that the covenant and the statutes include the prescribed ways that Israel can repent of sin and execute …

Deuteronomy 21 - 1:17 . Deuteronomy 22 - 5:38 . Deuteronomy 23 - 11:56 . Deuteronomy 24 - 16:59 . Deuteronomy 25 - 21:11 . Psalm 46 - 23:33 . Our reading today contains some statutes that seem harsh, some that seem odd, and others that could easily be incorporated into daily interactions today. A few things to remember: first, the covenant with Isr…

Deuteronomy 16 - 1:12 . Deuteronomy 17 - 6:12 . Deuteronomy 18 - 10:33 . Deuteronomy 19 - 15:16 . Deuteronomy 20 - 19:11 . Psalm 45 - 23:30 . Moses continues to speak to the Israelites before his impending death, reminding this new generation about the laws and statutes that have been put in place. Many of the structures given here for a system of …

Deuteronomy 12 - 1:10 . Deuteronomy 13 - 8:30 . Deuteronomy 14 - 12:23 . Deuteronomy 15 - 17:37 . Psalm 44 - 22:09 . There is a beautiful picture on display in the act of bringing a tenth of your produce to the Lord as an offering. The instructions given to Israel are that they should bring the tenth to where the Lord resides and have a feast in th…

Deuteronomy 8 - 1:09 . Deuteronomy 9 - 4:40 . Deuteronomy 10 - 12:11 . Deuteronomy 11 - 17:22 . Psalm 42 - 22:56 . Psalm 43 - 25:04 . As Moses continues his prelude to a recounting of the Law to Israel’s next generation, he warns them against both idolatry and self-righteousness, which in both cases is a means of robbing God of the glory that is du…

Deuteronomy 4 - 1:12 . Deuteronomy 5 - 11:27 . Deuteronomy 6 - 17:45 . Deuteronomy 7 - 22:03 . Psalm 41 - 28:11 . You can hear a sense of desperation and heartfelt pleading as we read the words of Moses today, as he continues to urge a new generation to trust the Lord and obey His statutes so that they might flourish. When they are given to fear, w…

Deuteronomy 1 - 1:09 . Deuteronomy 2 - 9:34 . Deuteronomy 3 - 17:09 . Psalm 40 - 22:47 . Deuteronomy loosely translated means “second law,” because it’s in this book that Moses reviews the Law and the promises of God for a new generation before he, himself, passes away. The former generation has all died because of their iniquity, just as the Lord …

Galatians 1 - 1:14 . Galatians 2 - 4:39 . Galatians 3 - 9:40 . Galatians 4 - 14:57 . Galatians 5 - 20:58 . Galatians 6 - 25:06 . Paul’s purpose in writing this letter to the churches of Galatia is to rebuke them for abandoning the true Gospel for a false one, relying on works of the flesh rather than relying on the Spirit which they received throug…

Numbers 34 - 1:04 . Numbers 35 - 4:26 . Numbers 36 - 10:32 . Psalm 38 - 13:15 . Psalm 39 - 16:01 . Looking back on our time in the book of Numbers we notice a few things. First, God is faithful to keep His promises. Even when His chosen people, those whom he rescued, redeemed, and restored by majestic acts of compassion and power, are supremely unf…

Numbers 30 - 1:12 . Numbers 31 - 4:02 . Numbers 32 - 11:48 . Numbers 33 - 18:30 . Psalm 37 - 24:04 . Remember the Peor incident, where the men of Israel prostituted themselves to Baal along with the women of Moab? Turns out that was led by Balaam, the same Balaam who spoke oracles from the Lord against Moab. After defeating Midian, they begin to di…

Numbers 26 – 1:13 . Numbers 27 – 10:23 . Numbers 28 – 14:01 . Numbers 29 – 19:10 . Psalm 36 – 25:04 . When we last left Israel, they had just prostituted themselves with the women of Moab as an act of Baal worship. The Lord sent a plague among them that was only stopped when Phinehas impaled a fornicating couple through with his spear. In the wake …

Numbers 22 – 1:14 . Numbers 23 – 9:24 . Numbers 24 – 14:53 . Numbers 25 – 20:31 . Psalm 35 – 23:36 . Sometimes when you’re watching a serial drama on Netflix they’ll take an episode to tell a back-story or a spin-off from the main story to give context to the overall narrative. That’s exactly what’s happening in today’s passage. The king of Moab, w…

Numbers 17 - 1:08 . Numbers 18 - 3:04 . Numbers 19 - 10:10 . Numbers 20 - 14:32 . Numbers 21 – 20:33 . Psalm 34 - 26:28 . It seems that Israel simply cannot handle the idea that the Lord would place Moses and Aaron in authority over them. Even after signs and wonders, including those wherein the Lord snuffs out the rebellious, they continue to groa…

Numbers 14 - 1:14 . Numbers 15 - 9:30 . Numbers 16 - 16:26 . Psalm 33 - 26:20 . On our last episode, God sent spies into the land of Canaan, the land He promised to give them, but when they saw their foes, they brought back a negative report, and refused to venture onward. Today, God resolves to wipe them out for their rebellion, but Moses interced…

Numbers 9 – 1:16 . Numbers 10 – 5:13 . Numbers 11 – 10:57 . Numbers 12 – 18:15 . Numbers 13 – 21:07 . Psalm 32 – 25:55 . Just like any family trip to a far away place, everyone starts getting grumpy quick. New questions arise about who may partake of the Passover and who should abstain. After Israel leaves Mount Sinai for the Promised Land they bec…

Numbers 5 - 1:09 . Numbers 6 - 6:46 . Numbers 7 - 10:55 . Numbers 8 - 22:47 . Psalm 31 - 26:51 . We’re continuing in the book of Numbers today, which has a reputation for putting people off both because of the title and because the first seven chapters (or so) contain a good bit of repetition. You’ll experience some of that today, and if you want t…

Numbers 1 - 1:13 . Numbers 2 - 8:56 . Numbers 3 - 13:25 . Numbers 4 - 21:20 . Psalm 30 - 29:07 . Numbers are boring, right? I mean, who gets excited about counting things? Well, did you ever count your Christmas presents as a kid? Have you ever memorized the stats of your favorite athletes, or checked the number of likes on a post, or rejoiced over…

Hebrews 10 - 1:15 . Hebrews 11 - 8:02 . Hebrews 12 - 16:13 . Hebrews 13 - 21:58 . Psalm 28 - 26:18 . Psalm 29 - 27:51 . The author of Hebrews continues to reference Old Testament Scripture to make a defense for the superiority of Christ over all things. The earthly tabernacle is but a shadow of the heavens, where Christ serves as great high priest.…

Hebrews 6 – 1:10 . Hebrews 7 – 4:23 . Hebrews 8 – 9:33 . Hebrews 9 – 12:14 . Psalm 26 – 18:17 . Psalm 27 – 19:42 . How can Jesus be our great high priest if he is from the tribe of Judah rather than the tribe of Levi? The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 110 and explains that Jesus is a better high priest, because unlike mere mortal men, he is unstai…

Hebrews 1 - 1:13 . Hebrews 2 - 3:54 . Hebrews 3 - 8:05 . Hebrews 4 - 11:03 . Hebrews 5 - 14:25 . Psalm 24 - 17:00 . Psalm 25 - 18:32 . Now that we’ve completed the book of Leviticus, we’re jumping into the book of Hebrews, a book that emphasizes Jesus’ role as a better great high priest and a better Sabbath. While the writer of the book of Hebrews …