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"And though she be but little, she is fierce." Such is how Shakespeare's Helena described her friend, Hermia, in A Midsummer Night's Dream. An unassuming appearance disguised and concealed the power and passion that lay underneath. 

Perhaps the same might be said of the twenty-one-verse-long prophetic book of Obadiah, the smallest of the Old Testament works. Though it be but little, it is fierce! This is partly true because of its tone—primarily doom and judgement—but also because of the evil with which it chiefly concerns itself. "This small book speaks of the danger of the great sin of pride and arrogance, the feeling of superiority that often results from taking advantage of others. Obadiah graphically illustrates on a national scale the truth of Proverbs 16:18, 'Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall'" (W. Baker, "Obadiah," TBKC, 1453). 

To help us mine the disproportionate significance of this unassuming text, Terence Pinder joins us on the podcast. Terence has served the body of Christ in a number of roles over the years including pastoral and currently holds the office of deacon at his home assembly of Calvary Bible Church in Nasau, Bahamas. No doubt, he's suffering for Jesus in paradise!

The latter part of Matthew 16 contains perhaps one of the most well-known, oft-quoted passages on discipleship in the entire Bible. But what is Jesus actually inviting those who follow him to do? How can we tell if we're trying to follow from the front, or if we've actually gotten behind our Lord? Josiah and Andrew take some time to discuss discipleship on today's episode, and why it's important to know where we stand with Christ.

Speaking of the timelessness of the book of Amos, one author writes this: "Injustice permeates our world, yet as Christians we often turn a blind eye to the suffering of others for 'more important' work like praying, preaching, and teaching. But the book of Amos reminds us that those works, while unquestionably central to a believer’s life, ring hollow when we don’t love and serve others in our own lives. Do you find yourself falling into that trap at times—prioritizing prayer over service?" 

These are probing questions for any thoughtful believer to consider. And to help us think through the book that prompts such reflection, we’re joined by Dr. Stephen Bramer. Dr. Bramer is the chair of the Bible Exposition department at Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas and adjunct professor at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary, Briercrest Seminary in Saskatchewan, and Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Jordan. So, really, he’s all over the world! He also serves as teaching pastor at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Dr. Bramer also has a bit more of a connection with us at Oakridge Bible Chapel in that he grew up here in Oakville attending a small assembly in the community.

The most important question ever asked, and the most important response ever written. It may seem dramatic to say so, but that is really what we find within the words of the middle of Matthew 16. This week, Josiah and Andrew discuss this eternity-shaping inquiry and it's reality-altering response, and why it was important not just to Peter, but to every single one of us.

First impressions of the book of Joel may be akin to "same song, different verse," as it includes familiar themes of disobedience and discipline, retribution and restoration. One pastor summarizes the book this way: "Using what was at that time the well-known locust plague in Judah, Joel capitalized on a recent tragedy to dispense the Lord's message of judgment and the hope of repentance. In referring to the terrible locust plague, Joel was able to speak into the lives of his listeners and imprint the message of judgment into their minds, like a brand sears the flesh of an animal."

Didn't Isaiah already talk about this? Jeremiah said something similar, didn't he? What about Hosea? Oh, right, andEzekiel! Do we really need another prophet reiterating the same warnings and promises and sending Bible readers into fits of scriptural deja vu? Well, before we allow our eyes to glaze over and apathy to dull our interest, we should be reminded that there is a necessary uniqueness to Joel that other facets of inspired Scripture lack.

And to help us understand just what that is we welcome back to the podcast Jonathan Ward. Jonathan serves as the Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at the Owen Sound Campus of the Word of Life Bible Institute right here in Ontario. He is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute, Baptist Bible Seminary, and holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary.

After yet another public confrontation, Jesus leaves the Pharisees and Sadducees, and warns his disciples to be wary of their teaching—their unbelief—because it is infectious and has the ability to spread rapidly. In today's episode, Josiah and Andrew dive a bit deeper into the beginning half of Matthew 16 to see exactly what Jesus is doing through his actions and his warnings, and how we can be prepared to face this perennial threat today.

"Hosea is not an easy book. It begins with a prophet receiving a command to marry a prostitute and promptly describes the births of his three children, each of whom is given a bizarre but significant name. From here the book swiftly plunges into a maze of warnings, microsermons, poems, and laments, and through them all it swiftly and evasively alludes to biblical texts and incidents, mixes metaphors, and changes topics, seemingly at random. ... But though Hosea is a difficult book, it is also a great book. It is like a tree whose roots go down deep into the Torah and whose branches bear the fruit of a discourse that became the grammar of biblical prophecy. ... It also is a book that jolts the reader; it refuses to be domesticated and made conventional. It does comfort the afflicted, but it most surely afflicts the comfortable. It is as startling in its presentation of sin as it is surprising in its stubborn certainty of grace. It is as blunt as it is enigmatic. It is a book to be experienced, and the experience is with God" (Garrett, Hosea, Joel, The New American Commentary, 21–22).

To guide us through this often neglected slice of Scripture we welcome Todd Murray to the podcast. Todd has laboured in pastoral ministry for almost forty years and currently serves as Pastor of Family Ministries at Grace Immanuel Bible Church in Jupiter, Florida. He has composed and recorded several collections of worship songs as well as authored a handful of books including co-authoring a commentary on Hosea which will, no doubt, help us in our conversation today.

We're back! After a few weeks away from the podcast, Josiah and Andrew return to talk about the new year, giving some practical suggestions for resolutions and goals in our spiritual lives. You can find the original post discussed in today's podcast here.

It would be difficult to top Paul Tanner's introductory words about the book of Daniel, so we won't try. "The book of Daniel, undoubtedly one of the most unique books in the Bible, has fascinated Christian readers throughout the centuries. ... The stories and visions, while they make for entertaining reading, also provide significant revelation about God and his sovereign control of the nations of the world, the rise of the end-times antichrist, and the divine plan for history that culminates in the kingdom of God being entrusted to the Messiah. The book is thus rich in biblical theology. In fact, Daniel is probably the most foundational book in the Old Testament for New Testament eschatology" (Daniel, Evangelical Exegetical Commentary, 1).

To help us better understand this "most foundational book" we welcome back to the Cover-to-Cover series, Dr. Paul Weaver. Dr. Weaver is an Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Academic Dean of the Word of Life Global Bible Institute. Wherever the Lord has him serving, Dr. Weaver is passionate about providing high-quality Bible study resources that are affordable and within the reach of anyone serious about studying God’s word. Dr. Weaver also hosts the Learn the Word Podcast.

It seems we could almost reuse many of the introductory comments for the books of the Bible in this corner of the canon. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah before it, Ezekiel is a significant text through which to wade. Opening his work on this book, Charles Dyer wrote, "For the average reader of the Bible, the Book of Ezekiel is mostly a perplexing maze of incoherent visions—a kaleidoscope of whirling wheels and dry bones that defy interpretation. This impression often causes readers to shy away from studying the book and to miss one of the great literary and spiritual portions of the Old Testament" ("Ezekiel," BKC, 1224–25). Well, we won't shy away, but mainly because we have a lot of help.

Dr. Rick Reed has served as the President of Heritage College and Seminary since January 2013 where he also teaches in the areas of preaching and pastoral theology. Dr. Reed—along with his wife, Linda—blogs regularly on his personal website. Listeners to this episode of Cover-to-Cover may be particularly interested in his ongoing series of devotional insights, Tuesdays with Ezekiel, as well as his recently published, free eBook.