For this episode, we interviewed Dr. Jay Sklar. Jay Sklar is vice president of academics and professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary. He has written commentaries on Numbers and Exodus (forthcoming with Crossway), and two on Leviticus (TOTC and ZECOT). He has also published a website of resources to help those preaching or teaching in Genesis through Deuteronomy.

Timestamps

2:22 - What were your initial impressions of the Bible?

6:24 - Why did you decide to pursue doctoral work in the Old Testament?

9:08 - Why did you decide to specialize in Leviticus?

10:12 - How would you broadly summarize Leviticus?

11:59 - What makes Leviticus so tricky to understand?

17:35 - How do we make sense of impurity laws?

28:42 - Is the Day of Atonement really the centerpiece of understanding Leviticus and the Torah?

33:22 - How do we understand Leviticus in light of the New Testament?

37:24 - If Jesus fulfilled Leviticus, why should we even bother reading it?

40:32 - How do we extrapolate and practice the wisdom principles from the commands in Leviticus?

43:15 - What does abiding with Jesus in Scripture and prayer look like for you?

Resources

Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries) by Jay Sklar

Leviticus: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament) by Jay Sklar

Numbers (The Story of God Bible Commentary) by Jay Sklar

Preach and Teach the Bible website

Also Dr. Sklar has a number of (free!) commentaries and articles available on The Gospel Coalition that you can check out here.

Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans

And check out our other site on the spiritual practices…FollowingJesusTogether.com

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors: Torah Stories sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Ruth sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-In Questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

For this episode, we interviewed Dr. Gary Schnittjer. Gary Edward Schnittjer (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is distinguished professor of Old Testament in the School of Divinity at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and author of Old Testament Use of Old Testament (Zondervan Academic, 2021), Torah Story, 2nd edition (Zondervan Academic, 2023), and Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story (B&H Academic, 2023).

Timestamps

8:20 - What were your initial impressions of the Bible and what changed?

11:44 - What made you want to pursue PhD work in the Old Testament?

16:10 - Why did you want to write a textbook on the Torah?

20:06 - What do you think people have to know about the Bible before reading it? How does the Torah fit into it?

26:36 - How exactly does the gospel begin in the Old Testament?

30:34 - How do we read Old Testament narratives?

38:18 - How do we think about the biblical laws?

40:09 - What have been helpful Bible reading practices and resources for you?

Resources

Torah Story, Second Edition: An Apprenticeship on the Pentateuch by Gary Edward Schnittjer

Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide by Gary Edward Schnittjer

Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story (Scripture Connections) by Gary Edward Schnittjer

“Why We Need the Bad News of Israelite History” by Gary Edward Schnittjer from The Gospel Coalition

Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans

How-to Study the Bible handout

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-In Questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective

Timestamps

2:35 - What does the word “Torah” mean and what’s its purpose?

7:45 - How do we read the Torah as a unit?

11:55 - Breaking down the Torah book by book

12:31 - How Genesis fits into Torah

13:32 - How Exodus fits into Torah

16:11 - How Leviticus fits into Torah

22:24 - How Numbers fits into Torah

26:40 - How Deuteronomy fits in Torah

30:52 - What are the main themes of the Torah and how does it point us to Jesus?

32:05 - Tool one: Biblical Theology

36:15 - Tool two: Typology

Resources

Check out MidtownBiblicalLiteracy.com for videos, book recommendations, and Bible reading plans

How-to Study the Bible handout

Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Stephen Dempster

The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch by Kevin S. Chen

Adam as Israel: Genesis 1-3 as the Introduction to the Torah and Tanakh by Seth D. Postell

Torah Story, Second Edition: An Apprenticeship on the Pentateuch by Gary Edward Schnittjer

Sermons

Ghosts and Ancestors sermon series - Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch

Text-In Questions

Throughout the year, we want to know the concepts and passages you wrestle with. We'll answer some of these questions in podcast episodes throughout the year.

To submit your topic or question, text either "DOWNTOWN", “LEXINGTON”, OR “TWO NOTCH” followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

Music by Levvy and Midtown Music

Find out more at Weird Tower Collective