In this sweeping synthesis episode, Carey zooms out from Mesopotamian exorcism texts to contrast ancient magic/technique with the Bible’s holiness/presence frame. We explore how Scripture attributes sickness and calamity to God’s covenant governance (not a sprawling demonology), why ritual ≠ incantation, and how protection language (Psalm 91) differs when it’s used as prayerful trust rather than magical leverage. We also trace Passover’s blood as sign of covenant loyalty (protection for presence) versus pagan apotropaic rites (protection from volatile powers), and we re-situate baptism as incorporation into a purified people indwelt by the Spirit. Along the way: John Walton on conflict theology, Heiser’s take on Psalm 91 and the “evil eye,” Egypt’s maat, Hittite purity, and the danger of the sacred. We finish by reframing discipleship around holiness first, not death first—so that ethics flow from presence, not technique.

Resources & references mentioned

Community note
In November 2025 the On This Rock community is discussing the church—join the conversation; link in show notes.

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/ 

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

Concluding the mini-series reading from Udug-hul (Udug-hul) Tablet 12, a Mesopotamian exorcism/purification text, and tracing how a single goat in this ritual ends up doing several jobs—substitute, container of breath, apotropaic object, and finally the thing that carries evil away. From there, Carey compares the logic of the text with Leviticus 16 (Day of Atonement) and Numbers 19 (red heifer) and asks the hard question: where’s the line between ritual and magic? The answer is more nuanced than “the Bible isn’t magical.” Sometimes the Bible does very ANE-looking things—but without trying to force the deity. We also see that Mesopotamia loved protective objects (bells, cords, incense, figurines, “good” demons) and how Israel’s Scriptures both fit into and flip that world.

What we cover

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

This episode continues last week’s deep dive (Ep. 149) into Udug-hul Tablet 12, exploring how ancient Mesopotamians understood purity, sacred space, demons, and ritual—and how that compares (and collides) with the Bible’s worldview. Carey walks through Ea (Enki), Marduk, Belet-ili, Eridu, decreed destinies, and a striking black-goat “scapegoat” rite tied to breath, life, and expulsion—then turns to the big question: what’s the difference between magic and ritual for Christians, and how does that shape practices like baptism, exorcism, and embodied worship?

150 TRANSCRIPT

In this episode:

Mentioned texts & themes: Genesis 1–2 (cosmic temple), Deut 32 (lots), Enūma Eliš, Atrahasis, Eridu traditions, Leviticus 16 (scapegoat), Ezekiel 37 (breath & life).

150 TRANSCRIPT

Join the community: On This Rock (Carey’s biblical-theology community) and ways to support via Patreon/PayPal.

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/ 

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

Today we step before Leviticus into Sumerian and Akkadian worlds to see how ancient people thought about purity, danger, and the sacred—and how Israel both echoes and upends that world. We sample Udug-hul exorcism tablets (incl. Tablet 12), meet storm-like demons, and trace common ancient ritual media (living water, flour circles, fire, incense, bells, tamarisk). 

Along the way we test big claims: holiness as a spatial/ritual frame, why “purity precedes holiness,” why Israel’s God doesn’t do “conflict theology” like Mesopotamia, and how not to over-systematize the Divine Council. 

If you’ve read Heiser, Walton, or dabbled in 1 Enoch, apkallu lore, or Enuma Elish, this episode gives you a more complex, historically grounded backdrop—without ransacking your faith. 

Don’t forget to check out the community at On This Rock for resources for Geller’s Healing Magic and Evil Demons.

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

Carey sits down with Mike Chu to talk through the new Unseen Realm - Expanded Edition, how Heiser clarified his stance on creeds, why frame semantics and ancient contexts matter, and why a Christotelic reading (aimed at the eschaton) can keep Scripture’s big story intact. Along the way: pastoral cautions about celebrity culture, the value of scholarship and seminary, and a practical reframing of Imago Dei as being made as God's image (not merely "in" it). Highlights include: Heiser’s "non-credal" (not anti-credal) posture, Genesis 6 in an exilic frame, and how holiness as "other" reshapes baptism, worship, and daily vocation.

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  
Website: genesismarksthespot.com   
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   
Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan
Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  
Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

Continuing the water series by framing purification and holiness through an ancient Near Eastern lens and a Christotelic (telos-aimed) reading of Scripture. We contrast Christocentric “reading back” with Christotelic “reading forward,” explore holy/common vs clean/unclean as two distinct axes, and ask whether Leviticus was ever meant to be a sin-management system—or a way to host a holy God in sacred space. Along the way: covenant at Sinai, ritual logic, righteousness in OT vs NT, and why Jesus as incarnate Holy One unites holy and common in himself. Bonus at the end: Carey’s first look at The Unseen Realm: Expanded Edition and its nods to frame semantics and christological lenses.

In this episode

Resources mentioned

Support / connect

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

This episode of Genesis Marks the Spot explores the meaning and function of ritual with a special focus on baptism. From Jewish mikvahs and Qumran practices to Greco-Roman mystery rites and John the Baptist’s wilderness call, baptism emerges as more than a symbol—it’s participation in a story of death, resurrection, and new creation. We’ll look at biblical passages (Romans 6, Galatians 3, Colossians 2, and more), denominational perspectives, and how ritual frames help us move beyond false binaries of “just symbolic” versus “mechanistic.”

Topics include:

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

This episode continues our deep dive into the biblical theme of water. From Genesis to the prophets, from Eden’s rivers to Israel’s covenant rain, water frames the story of God’s presence, judgment, and renewal. Along the way we’ll explore:

What does all of this mean for baptism, covenant, and discipleship today? Join me as we trace the living streams back to their source.

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

In this episode of Genesis Marks the Spot, Carey sits down with Phil Bray—author of Leviticus on the Butcher’s Block and creator of the YouTube channel Leviticus is Fun—for a wide-ranging conversation on sacrifice, atonement, and the surprising beauty of Leviticus.

They explore:

Carey and Phil also dive into the contagious holiness of Jesus, purification rituals, and why Christians must learn to disambiguate muddy theological terms like “atonement” and “substitution.”

This episode is part of our Atonement monthly theme over at the On This Rock biblical theology community. Join us to discuss the many frames of substitution, atonement, and covenant—and be sure to check out Phil’s channel and book!  

Links & Resources:

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan 

Water flows through Scripture as far more than a backdrop — it carries covenant, hospitality, conflict, and even divine judgment. This episode of Genesis Marks the Spot traces how the Bible uses water as a sign of both intimacy and power.

We begin at the wells of Genesis, where stories like Rebekah’s hospitality and the Samaritan woman in John 4 tie water to covenant, marriage, and the faithful love of God. These encounters at the well aren’t just about refreshment — they become turning points where covenant identity is revealed and extended.

From there, the theme widens: Isaac’s struggle over wells in Genesis 26, Hezekiah’s tunnel in 2 Chronicles 32, and the strange, unsettling story of 2 Kings 3 where water looks like blood and wrath erupts on the battlefield. In each case, water symbolizes more than survival — it becomes a stage where covenant promises, human conflict, and divine purposes collide.

Through these narratives, we see how living water ultimately finds fulfillment in Christ, the true Bridegroom, who offers hospitality at the well and baptismal union in the Spirit. Water can be a gift of life, a sign of covenant marriage, or even a weapon of war — but all of these streams converge in Jesus, the one who brings both judgment and renewal.

Wade into the deep waters — from covenant hospitality to power struggles — and uncover how Scripture’s water stories prepare us to understand baptism in all its richness.

Explore more and join the conversation at On-This-Rock.com

On This Rock Biblical Theology Community:  https://on-this-rock.com/  

Website: genesismarksthespot.com   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot   

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan

Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/  

Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan