The stories in the Torah may seem to be stories about families, but they are actually political and polemical stories. They are used as arguments against what other people are doing in their worship. When we hear disparaging stories of people who worship differently than we do, we should carefully consider whether there might be an ulterior motive. This week, with thanks to Dr. Erin Darby of the University of Tennessee, we take a close look at differences between practices of the people from the northern kingdom of Israel vs. those of people from the southern kingdom of Judah—and how those differences are recorded in our Bible.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.