Biblical Literacy Podcast

The Bible states we should study the Bible to know Scripture and the power of God. Mark then spent time in

1. What’s are we doing when we study the Bible? God entrusted His Words through people: Scripture is inspired by God. There are 2 types of critical studies described as: Lower criticism which is foundational. Then Higher criticism follows. Mark cautions us not to rely on only one Scripture translation, commentary versions, the internet, or linguistic substitutions.

2. How do we study the Bible? This will be covered next week.

3. Point for home - Explore the riches of God’s Word. Listen to Mark explain that the prophets or speakers of God inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote the scrolls that make up books of the Old Testament.

Listen to Mark explain that the prophets or speakers of God inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote the scrolls that make up books of the Old Testament. The New Testament took form again from Holy Spirit inspired men and later confirmed thru Church councils again guided by the Holy Spirit.

3-9-25 Biblical-Literacy

Listen to Mark expound on The Strange Woman and its meaning. Our choices impact our relationship with God, Family, Community as well as ourselves.. Mark taught the final lesson in the Lesser-Known Women of the Bible series with a focus on The Strange Woman and similar to Lady Widsom, this employs personification as a literary device.

The lesson in 3 parts:

1. The Path Metaphor - Scripture teaches of good and bad paths, and those paths compete for our souls.Wisdom is the window into the character of God.mmThe early church is called the way.

2. The Deceptive Beauty - Contrasted with Lady Wisdom is The Strange or Foreign Woman/Way who is evil, folly, stupid, smooth words, attractive, seductive, and flatters lives outside the people of God.

3. The Consequences - Life, Death

Points for home

1. Choose wisely

2. You get to pick

3. Daily choice

3-9-25 Biblical

-

Literacy

Mark Lanier taught the final lesson in the Lesser-Known Women of the Bible series with

a focus on The Strange Woman and similar to Lady Widsom, this employs

personification as a literary device.

The lesson in 3 parts:

1. The

Path Metaphor

Scripture teaches of good and bad paths, and those paths compete for our souls.

Wisdom is the window into the character of God.

The early church is called the way.

2.

The Deceptive Beauty

Contrasted with Lady Wisdom is The Strange

or Foreign Woman/Way who isevil, folly, stupid, smooth words, attractive, seductive, and flatters lives outside

the people of God.

3. The Consequences

Life

Death

Points for home

1.Choose wisely

2.You get to pick

3.Daily choice

Listen to Mark expound on The Strange Woman and its meaning. Our choices impact

our relationship with God, Family, Community as well as ourselves.

03/02/25 Bib-Lit.docx

Mark interviews three well known biblical scholars.

Dr. Steve Ortiz

Dr. John Manson

Dr. Lawson Younger

We are looking at our guests to enlighten us through scripture on:

1. How we See the World

2. How we See Scripture

3. How we See God

Dr. Ortiz Grew up in LA and moved to Arizona with his wife and two children. He lived in Isreal and then back to New Orleans. He then left New Orleans and attended South Western Baptist Seminary and after that accepted a position as a Professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. John Manson was Born in Zaire which was the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 1997. It was a country in Central Africa. He received hi PHD from Harvard University.

Dr. Lawson Younger was a math major in college and following the words of 1 John 5:13 he suddenly realized that he could have eternal life, he changed his focus to learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew. All of this helped him understand the context of how scriptures were developed.

They discussed how Burial was achieved in the Old Testament of the Bible. The belief was that the flesh decayed, along with it the sins of the dead and your spirit was raised into Gods Kingdom after that. It should be noted that Jesus raised from the dead in full body since he was without sin.

Each of the guest were asked to talk about how their academic discipline enriched scripture in ways that can transform our lives.

A great discussion took place concerning Tihlath-Pilser5 III, King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 745 BC to his death in 727. His reign marked the true transition of Assyria into an empire.

Mark Lanier 02/23/2025

Mark takes us on a very different experience in our study of Lessor Known Women in the Bible.

Mark asks the question?

Who am I ?

1. I help a King Rule Justly

2. I cried out in the streets and raised my voice in the Public Square

3. I was there when God set the heavens into place

Wisdom: Wisdom in Hebrew is a feminine word and this realization shaped and framed the balance of the lesson.

Lady Wisdom in the bible stands out from all other cultures.

The lesson is delivered in three parts

1. The Literary devises of personification

2. Wisdom’s role in Creation- Go back before creation

3. Wisdoms Public Call

Mark goes through an in depth look at “Women” or it might be said the feminine gender of the Hebrew language in Proverbs chapter 8:3,4,15,22,24,26-33,34-36 +

Mark’s closing encouragement was to read the book of Proverbs one chapter a day until you have finished the book.

2-16-25 Biblical-Literacy

Mark taught Lesser-Known Women of the Bible with an emphasis on unnamed but significant women. Anonymity can sometimes speak volumes. Why no name? Various reasons: to prevent embarrassment, the person is unknown or sometimes used as a literary device. Examples of the later could be to 1) elevate a universal significance as with the Shuminite woman, which provided a lesson in hospitality, 2) bring divine action to the foreground or 3) deliver a dose of irony.

Today’s lesson focused on 3 unnamed women in the Bible:

Lot's wife: turned into a pillar of salt. She made a choice that had consequences. Luke 17:32-33

Jephthah’s daughter: a rash vow causes his daughter to be a burnt offering.

The widow of Nain: Jesus demonstrated compassion for her situation.

Points for home:

Remember Lot’s wife

Pursue God

Don’t be an idiot

Never doubt the compassions of God

Listen to Mark teach insights into unnamed women in the Bible. Listen to him share the power of faith in the affairs of life. This world is not our home

2-9-25 Biblical-Literacy

Mark continued the series: Lessor Known Women of the Bible. This week’s

lesson focused on Job and his daughters. The lesson had three sections:

1. The journey through suffering - Job, a righteous man whom God had

blessed with divine provision lost everything, including his children, health,

and relationships. God responds to Job’s questions by asking questions.

2. The significance of restoration - When Job prayed for his friends, he was

restored. He received double portions as God’s favor. The three daughters

are named, described, celebrated. Names were prophecies in antiquity.

-Jemimah. New beginning like dove after flood

-Kezia. Valuable and beauty

-Keren-happuch True beauty is a divine blessing

Points for home:

 We don’t understand suffering

 Be patient until the end

 Suffering can transform

Listen to Mark teach the wisdom of God exceeds our understanding. True

wisdom often begin with humility. We will never understand God fully, but

we can understand him truly. Faith first, then recovery. God’s restoration

exceeds our expectations.

2-02-25 Biblical-Literacy

Dr. David Capes led another lesson of Lessor Known Women ofthe Bible with

an interview of Dr. Nancy Dawson, author of All the Genealogies of the Bible.

Dr. Lawson received her doctorate in biology and always held an interest in

theology. In this lesson she focused on three of the five women named in

Matthew 1 who are part of the line of Jesus’ genealogy.

These three woman held the genealogy line for Judah:

Tamar: Gentile not a Jew.

Rahab: Gentile not a Jew

Bathsheba: Jew and wife of Uriah. She held a special place in both the

paternal/legal and biological genealogies of Jesus.

Listen to Dr. Dawson explain the culture and customs of the times that placed

these women in Jesus’s genealogy with stories of repentance and symbolism.

Points for home:

God works through all things to complete His purpose.

We must have faithful hope in God’s plan.

We are the privileged people to study God’s word and live for Him.l

Dr. David Capes interviewed Dr. Federico Villanueva, regional commissioning editor for Langham Publishing and scholar care coordinator for current Langham Scholars in Asia. He teaches at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and Loyola School of Theology in Manila, Philippines, and is known for his focus on the church knowing the importance of lament as in the Psalms, Lamentations, and other areas of the Bible.

Dr. Villanueva grew up in the Philippines. He is married with two children.

He shared that lament comes from experiencing difficult situations and rises out of an intimate relationship and need for God. Without expressing lament, we risk losing our faith unless God steps in. The church needs both praises and laments / cries of the people. One should never become used to suffering in the world.

During life, we experience a cycle of three seasons: orientation - when life is generally good, disorientation - when experiencing a tragedy, and then new orientation - thanksgiving.

Listen to Dr. Federico Villanueva share his heart on how we are to bring our laments to God as prayers for help. There is room to be not-OK in our relationship with God. If we don’t express our lament to God and trusted others, we can stifle our growth and intimacy with God and others.

Mark Lanier continued his series on Lesser-Known Bible Women with a study of Jael - Courage in a Crisis, from Judges 4:2 - 5:27. Mark divides the lesson into:

1. Context and Characters:  Israel is under oppression from the Canaanite army led by Sizer who has control of the Jezerel Valley. The people are regulated to the mountains where it is not suited for agriculture and the trade routes are blocked. Deborah was Israel’s prophet and judge who commands Barak to lead Israelites into battle and defeat Sisera. Jael was a woman from a tribe friendly to the Canaanites who drives a tent peg into Sisera’s temple.

The Narrative Tension: Describes one story from 2 perspectives in Judges 4 and 5.

3. The theological implications (Take Home Points):

God can use unexpected deliverers

2. God uses the everyday stuff

3. Have courage

Listen to Mark teach how God works thru everything. He still rescues and provides for us despite time, culture, and circumstances.