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 …

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 …

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 a…

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…

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 …

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 appoin…

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 …

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 a…

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…

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 i…

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…

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…

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 …

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, …

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 youn…

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 ca…

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 conti…

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 …

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 Jezeb…

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-Ha…

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 Ba…

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-Ha…

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 him…

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 buil…

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…

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 …

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 mi…

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 descend…

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…

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 …

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 al…

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 a…

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 …

After Saul’s death, an Amalekite 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…

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 cros…

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 God does n…

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. Howe…

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 …

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…

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 wha…

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, prote…

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 …

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…