What a week of reading this is! We’ll be in two very different books, from two very different situations, but God is honored in both.

First, we’ll read Esther. It’s a beautiful short story that takes place far away from Israel, in Babylon/Persia. It’s filled with enough palace intrigue, plots and subplots to keep anyone engaged and interested for days.

Then we’ll start to read Job, by being introduced to God and Satan, then Job and his friends. It’s a head-scratching story that we’ll only begin to get into this week. But in this teaching, we’ll point out some ways to read it for deeper clarity and enrichment.

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When God’s people follow God's will, we can overcome any enemy – even if we have to build with one hand while holding a sword in the other. But first, we have to overcome our own tendency toward selfishness.

In this week's reading of Ezra and Nehemiah, the 70 years of exile are over, the people start to return, and a whole lot of time passes in a short number of chapters. The reasons for that, and the problems created by it are what we cover in this episode.

Also note:

• In Ezra, the Israelites are called Jews for the first time
• Our church buildings are NOT the New Testament parallel to the Old Testament temple
• After this time, idolatry will never be a problem for the Jews again

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This week we’ll finish up the retelling of Israel’s history from its height to its collapse. As we start, Israel has been torn into two nations, Israel (North) and Judah (south).

Unlike how the story was told in 1 & 2 Kings, the Chronicles focus almost exclusively on Judah, their series of good and bad kings, and a few moments of hopefulness.

By the end, Israel and Judah have both lost their kingdoms, and the stage is set for the eventual rebuilding under Ezra and Nehemiah.

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In this week’s passage, we’ll read more about the story of Israel’s growth, height and fall. It starts with the reign of king David, his reestablishment of Israel’s glory, preparation for the temple, and handing the baton to his son, Solomon.

Then we see, both the wisdom and the eventual fall of Solomon and the splintering of the kingdom.

Mostly, we’ll get to appreciate the character of David, what it takes to let go of power, why it matters and how well things go for everyone when we do things for God’s glory and the benefit of others.

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The Bible retells a lot of its stories. For good reason.

This week we’ll cross a barrier that you may not notice, so in this podcast we’ll help you with it. Our readings will be the end of one story, and the start of its retelling. Karl will show you what the differences are.

As we move from 2 Kings to 1 Chronicles you'll notice this shift because 1 Chronicles goes back to Adam. Yes, Adam! Then, after some geneology, the story kicks in again as the rest of 1 & 2 Chronicles retells the time of the Kings, but now as an encouragement.

If you want further information about the differences between the books of Samuel/Kings and the Chronicles, check out this helpful article, What is the Difference Between Samuel/Kings and Chronicles? from Stephen J Bedard.

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This is a week filled with stories you might have a vague recollection of, even if you’re not especially familiar with the Bible (“Chariots of Fire” anyone?). But few of us can put them in context.

These stories may also feel familiar in another way. Like the book of Judges, we're in another time of darkness and uncertainty.

While Judges was a time of darkness and uncertainty *before* the high point of Saul, David and Solomon, this is a time of darkness and uncertainty *after* those great kings have left the world stage.

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If God said he would give you anything, what would you ask for? Just think about how bad it always goes in all those “Three Wishes” genie stories. In this week’s reading, that’s exactly what happens to Solomon. God offers him whatever he wants, and he gets it right!

We know a lot about Solomon. He's one of two great kings of Israel, he wrote some Psalms, most of the Proverbs, all of the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. But his era as king, though prosperous and eventful, doesn’t take much time. It starts and ends this week in just 11 chapters.

Then the kingdom splits, and a prophet named Elijah steps up as they go into a long, terrible slide into one of the darkest times of their history. It's a rough era for them, but it makes for fascinating reading for us – and it has a lot of great lessons that apply today.

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For the next two weeks we head into the Glory Days of Israel’s history with David’s reign, followed by the reign of his son, Solomon.

But before those lofty heights, we'll see some serious challenges. As you read this week’s passages, note a few important characteristics:

• The high price paid for the Glory Days
• How truly wonderful they were
• How very short they were

We’ll also see David’s horrible sin against Bathsheba and how he responds when confronted by the prophet. Then we’ll read another sad, but exciting story of rebellion against David by his own son, Absalom.

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This week we’ll be reading the last half of 1 Samuel and the beginning of 2 Samuel.

But it’s really the continuation of one long book since, as we saw last week, they were probably only split into two books because it was too big for one scroll.

But they split it in a purposeful place. 1 Samuel covers the ministry of Samuel and kingdom of Saul. 2 Samuel is the kingdom of David.

David is one of the great people of the Bible. In this week’s reading we’ll see a couple important characteristics:

• David’s integrity. Though far from perfect, David always seeks to do the honorable thing. Even when on the run from king Saul he behaves like the king he is called to be.
• David, the worshiper. He always gives thanks and praise to God first.

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This week we’ll be reading the first 19 chapters of 1 Samuel.

This is the start of a new, exciting era in Israel’s history – the time of the kings. We’ll see why the people want a king and how quickly it turns bad for them.

Then we’ll be introduced to a young shepherd boy who will become one of the Bible’s most pivotal characters. David, the man who will eventually become their greatest king.

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