In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. In this episode the 10th command against Coveting or Envy. This last command is about your personal feelings, which Jesus described as the origin of evil actions (see Mark 7: 20-21). The literature of the Bible also provides a list of feelings that are expressions of the correct inner attitude people should posses, especially believers. This literature suggests that our internal thoughts, feelings, and motives are things visible to God, which is why we should care about what our feelings teach about us.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God that is called the 10 commandments. This episode discusses what the Bible teaches about commandment 9 called False Witness or saying something that is not true to or about someone in the community. How the ancient Hebrew nation specifically violated their agreement with God regarding this command is detailed from the literature. What happened to them as a result of this violation is also discussed.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. Commandment 8 is about Theft or Stealing. For this series we examine each requirement and provide the story from the literature that details how the ancient Hebrews violated one after another of these 10 laws in sequence across the books of this ancient literature! While in general the theft of something that is not one’s own is punished by restitution, theft of something that was devoted to God is punishable by death. The principle of the covenant we uncover is that if one citizen violates the law, the nation is held responsible. The uniqueness of the covenant is discussed in this series.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. Today's episode discusses commandment 7, Adultery. Adultery is defined in the law as having sexual activity with someone other than your spouse. In the Bible this command is violated by King David with the wife of another man, Bathsheba. What happens to historically to the nation as the result of this violation of the command is profoundly disturbing. Human culture, social practices, personal choices are subject in the Bible to comparison with what God says a culture, society, and individuals should be like. According to the text, those who despise God refuse to behave as God has commanded. Yet, David is described as a "man after God's own heart". Distinctions provided in the text are discussed.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. In this episode we look at commandment 6 about Murder. The text of the Bible distinguishes between murder, which is the intentional, unlawful killing of a human, which often entails a malicious intent to harm with premediation; and manslaughter, which is the unintentional killing of a person usually because of an accident and especially without hatred or premediated intent. Critics are shocked that graphic stories are included in a “holy bible”. This feigned outrage is standard fare for Bible haters. The Bible Bard has often noted that the Bible is both literature (when it discusses humanity) and a holy book (when it discusses God). Looking at the text from a literary standpoint reveals important facts that most people do not consider.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. This episode deals with the 5th command that we no longer think of as serious - disobeying one's parents! This command is unusual command because it deals with grown children who disobey their parents. When this command was given, unlike others before it, violations are not specifically listed. The Bible does not provide a specific instance where disobedience occurs and the punishment prescribed is carried out. Why? Of course, what if the parents are bad, abusive, horrible people? Should this command be obeyed? All of this is discussed in this episode.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. This episode deals with the 4th commandment, keeping the Sabbath. This commandment is contraversial because it is a requirement of God that has national significance to the ancient Hebrews, but also is part of a moral set, which begins an argument about its significance in the modern world and whether God intended people who are not citizens of this covenant nation to also keep this rule. Christianity is divided about this issue, so the Bible Bard discusses what the Bible teaches - not what a denomination teaches.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. This episode discusses command 3, Blasphemy. This act is defined as defaming the name of God by speaking of or using his name in an empty to vile manner. Violating this command is very common occurrance in "Christian" countries. If the penalty listed were applied today, Western society would cease to exist for lack of citizens! To moderns this offense can seem trivival. Someone in the heat of an argument or in shock at an outrageous event uses God's name in vain; should this be a capital offense? The text tells us that violating this command is deeply offensive to God. This topic allows those unfamilar with Bible thinking to obtain a glimpse into the foundations of Western civilization.

In the literature of the Bible the ancient Hebrews enter into a covenant (legal) relationship with God. The core of this agreement is called the 10 commandments. This episode deals with the first two of the set, Apostasy & Idolatry, which are closely linked in the text. When God delivered the 10 laws to the Hebrews, no punishments were associated with any violation of these rules! Most punishments came later when the community that had signed up to observe these laws saw violations and needed to know what to do about it. In this episode we begin to look into the moral agreement the Hebrews made with God and how lawlessness was contrasted to obedience and devotion.

Today the Bible Bard celebrates the posting of our 100th English podcast episode. This is 4,343 minutes of podcast content examines from a literary point-of-view what the Bible says about who is God and who are human beings. The podcast is published in eight (8) languages including English, Bengali, Chichewa, Hindi, Spanish, Swahili, and Urdu, with three (3) more languages in development: Creole, Nepali, and Telugu. Everything is hosted on our website www.BibleBard.org. You can support the podcast on Patreon or GoFundMe.