Biblical Conversations

We are living in a day an age of skyrocketing mental health challenges. Anxiety and depression seem to be at all-time highs. This episode explores Psalm 42 (the famous “As the Deer” Psalm) for lessons and exhortation as to how we can do the work of soul-strengthening so we can avoid being devastated by the storms of life. 3) How are you crafting time in your schedule for private time with God? How are you developing this personal connection with God through prayer and scripture study?

Brandon and I discussed the issues surrounding the reception of wisdom traditions in the ancient and modern worlds. Brandon referred to a book exploring how the NT understands Jesus to be the embodiment of wisdom. Its by Ben Witherington III. The full title is “Jesus the Sage: The Pilgrimage of Wisdom” (Fortress, 2000).

Rabbi Wolicki describes a rabbinic biblical legend of a conversation between Moses and God during a key episode in scripture. Moses asks about the question we’ve been discussing: Why is there a righteous man suffering and a righteous man prospering? And why is there a wicked man suffering and a wicked man prospering. Rabbi Wolicki applies his depth of biblical interpretive insight and unlocks wisdom that provides true solace and succor for the soul in times of trial and distress.

This episode is called “Odds and Ends” because I go a little deeper on two topics. First, I discuss the divine name more thoroughly and examine the possibility of its being based on a causative verb (hiphil in Hebrew) rather than the regular verb (Qal in Hebrew). So Yahweh would mean, “He who causes things to be” more than “He who is.” Secondly, I discuss an article by Michael V. Fox about the various stages by which wisdom literature was received into the Israelite canon. At first, the reception was thorough, but eventually limitations were added such as “The Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.”

David and I discuss the notion of Satan and demons and how important it is to believe in these as real entities of existence. We also discussed how we understand biblical inspiration to work and how the scriptures function as God’s authoritative word.

This study examines the question through the lens: Did Jesus intend to leave behind a specific political/national entity? I argue that he does not. The primary passage which suggests Christian support for a particular government is Rom 15:1-6. I argue that this should be read in a very limited way: Christians should not incite anti-Roman insurrection and should pay their taxes. As proof that some Christians felt justified in condemning Rome, I looked at Rev 13-17 where Rome is depicted as a beast ridden by a prostitute inspired and empowered by a demonic dragon. This is certainly intended to depict the Roman government. I provide two reasons why this is beyond dispute. Study Questions: In what ways can we say America is a Christian Nation? In what ways is it not a Christian Nation? What significance is it that Jesus did not intend to establish a nation of any variety?

This episode covers commandments 3 and 4 found in Exod 20:7-8. “You should not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” and “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Study Questions: How can we honor the name of God? How might our own personal integrity bring dishonor to the name of God? In what ways can I increase in my awareness of God’s ownership and lordship over my time? How can I be better at designating rest into the craziness of life?

In this devotional episode, we’ll look at commandments 1 and 2 which are Exod 20:3-3. Hope you enjoy!

This is a shorter version, more devotional in nature. In this episode, I’ll look what Jewish folk understand to be the first commandment, “I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exod 20:1-2.) Study Guide Questions: How can I deepen my awareness of God’s Being as the foundation for my being? How can I grow in awareness that indeed I also was redeemed from the Land of Egypt?

This podcast examines the challenge of understanding biblical inspiration. How does it work? Three parts. 1) We examine II Sam 24 and I Chron 21 to see the shocking shift: God incites David in II Samuel and in Chronicles retelling of the same story he says Satan incited David to take the evil census. 2) We look at four (or really five) ways of understanding biblical inspiration. None of them satisfy me either because they are too weak or cannot explain the paradigm shifting seen in scripture. 3) We consider a three-legged stool model including a) progressive revelation, 2) didactic inspiration and 3) narrative authority. With these three factors in place, we can have an authoritative story that drives our lives and a scripture sufficiently human to bear the load of the conflicting opinions on display.