A New Voice of Freedom

Podcast 37, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 23” In Chapter 22, Eliphaz attributes Job’s suffering to his sins. He calls upon Job to repent. The beginning of Chapter 22 parallels the beginning of Chapter 23.’  Chapter 22 begins,  “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,”  Chapter 23 begins,   JOB 23:1  “Then Job answered and said,”   This is a debate between Job and his friends. Job...

Podcast 36, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 22” In the previous chapter, Job ruffled the feathers of his friends, pointing out their wickedness. In Chapter 22 Eliphaz speaks. Job 22:1 “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,” Eliphaz attacks Job, lists his sins, and calls him to repentance.   Chapter 22 follows the familiar chiastic format—ABCCBA. As common to the chiastic format,...

Podcast 35, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job,” Ch 21. There is a kind of protocol of formality in the dialogue between Job and his friends. The introduction can be barbed; nevertheless, it is polite and follows a standard procedure. Rather than gathering around a campfire where all speak at once, it is more like a formal podium in which the speakers take turns and the others remain silent. ...

Podcast 34, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 20 Zophar gives a scathing view of the wicked which is compatible with the common Christian view of Hell. The problem, however, is that Zophar has missed the mark. Job is among the most righteous men on earth. In James we read. James 5:11 “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of...

Podcast 33, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 19” We have learned in Job to examine the parallel structures. It is parallelism that reveals the order and emphasis of every chapter of Job.    As we analyze Chapter 19, you will be able to see all five forms of parallelism being used. Though parallelism forms the basic structure of the poem, I intend to focus on the important issues. I shall...

Podcast 32, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 18” Ignoring Job’s declaration of innocence and his teachings about the resurrection Bildad challenges Job. Job 18:1-3 “Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak. Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?”  Then Bildad mocks Job. Job...

Podcast 31, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 17” Even in his weakened condition, Job stands up to his critical friends. Under the pretense of helping their friend, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar presumptuously judge Job to be wicked which to them is the cause of his suffering, Job consistently proclaims his innocence. Chapter 17 is a song of despair. Job speaks only of the grave. He sees the...

Podcast 30, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 16” Eliphaz made it clear that he did not believe in the resurrection. Job, a true prophet of God, answers him. In this chapter we clearly see the difference between Job and his false friends. First Job chastises Eliphaz. Job 16:1-4 “Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words ha...

Podcast 29, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 15” As we learned previously Job spoke frankly to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar. The primary theme of Job is Christ and the Resurrection. His friends believe in God, but they do not believe in Christ or the Resurrection. Job has seen Christ in vision. He speaks of the “visitation.” Eliphaz’s disbelief accounts for his harsh answer. Job 15:1-3 “Th...

Podcast 28, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 14” Chapter 14 of The Book of Job was written generally using Parallelism. Chiastic Parallelism follows the format ABCCBA. I shall interpret the poem, using the Chiastic format. I shall refer to the separate sections as A1, A2, B1, B2, etc.   A1 and A2 are synthetic. That is to say, A2 extends or completes the concept of A1. A1 is comprised of...

Podcast 27, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 13.” I have spoken of Antithetical Parallelism in which two things are rhetorical opposite: good and evil, God and Satan, light and darkness. Another way of saying it is comparison and contrast. Synonymous Parallelism shows comparison; Antithetical Parallelism shows contrast.   You will notice that Job Chapter 13 is equally divided. In fourtee...

Podcast 26, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 12” We have heard the painful criticism of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar. They have been harsh in insisting that Job has brought upon himself his troubles. That is three against one. It is unfair considering Job’s weakened state. But in the way of argument, I place my money on Job.   The friends are arguing from a standpoint of prejudice, ignoran...

Podcast 25, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 11” Of the three, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Zophar appears to be the harshest in his attack against Job. He asks a series of questions, but he assumes the answers. Job 11:1-3 “Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified? Should thy lies make men hol...

Season 6 Podcast 39 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 22:11-21 “Come Unto Christ.” In the Book of Revelation, John refers to two periods of time. For example, Notice the phrases: Revelation 1:1 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant...

Podcast 24, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 10” To help us understand Job, Chapter 10, I shall use the format of the poem itself. Chapter 10 is a Chiasm. That means the entire structure is based on Chiastic Parallelism. Chiastic Parallelism takes on the form of ABC CBA. That means that A & A are in a close parallel relationship; B & B are in a close parallel relationship; and C...

Podcast 23, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 9” There are many ways to read the Holy Scriptures. I clearly remember my first time reading the Holy Bible.  We had an old Red Letter Edition of the King James Version of the Bible sitting on the coffee table in the living room, always open. I began reading the King James Bible when I was ten years old. I began with Genesis, and four years la...

Podcast 22, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 8” Bildad continues the argument of Eliphaz against Job. Both perpetuate the idea that if you are good, you will prosper. If you are bad, you will not prosper. They assume that because Job has lost everything, it is because of some secret sin. This is a dangerous philosophy and perpetuates itself even today.  In a fallen world, life is far mor...

Podcast 21, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 7” The authorship of Job is debated among scholars as is everything else in the Holy Bible. Scholars are not reliable witnesses, especially those who believe the Bible is a work of fiction. Considering the intimate insights into Job’s mind, I prefer to assume that Job himself wrote his own story. This author believes that the Holy Bible is the...

Podcast 20, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 6” Perhaps most Christians agree that the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever given. It is universal in its application, and if followed, all nations could live in peace. It is in the Sermon on the Mount that we get the following gem. Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judge...

Podcast 19, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 5” The power of the Book of Job is in the manner it deals with complexities. When we examine Job Chapter 5, everything Eliphaz says is sound advice if he were talking to a guilty party, but he isn’t. Job is innocent of any wrongdoing before the Lord. Remember what the Lord said of Job in Chapter One. Job 1:8 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Has...

Podcast 18, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 4” Job’s three friends have been sitting silent for a week. They are Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They are good men who have come to comfort him, but instead, in ignorance, they criticize and accuse Job of secret sins. They want to know why God is punishing Job. All three attribute the cause of Job’s suf...

Podcast 17, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 3” Job has lost his fortune which was vast. He has lost his children which were many. Now he has lost his health. He has boils all over his body. He sits in ashes and scrapes his skin with a potsherd, a broken piece of pottery. We can fully understand the lamentations of Chapter Three. He curses the day he was born. Job 3:1-10 1 After this ope...

Podcast 16, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 2” Again, we have a dialogue between the Lord and Satan. Job 2:1-2 1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in t...

Podcast 15, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 1” Welcome to Stories of the Old Testament, Podcast 15, “The Book of Job, Ch I”  All books of the Holy Bible are unique, distinguished by their own voice. Of course, some, such as The Book of Revelation and The Book of Isaiah, stand out as nonpareil. Few, however, demand our attention like The Book of Job. Though the author is unknown, it is w...

Stories of the Bible, Podcast 14, “The Fall Pt 13.” The primary characters in the Fall were Lucifer, Eve, and Adam. There are severe consequences that follow. Perhaps they could be referred to as The Three Curses, one for Lucifer, one for Eve, and One for Adam.  In the previous podcast we discussed the curse placed upon Lucifer for his cunning part in the fall. In this podcast we shall look at the...