Bible Streams

Seductive and suggestive, or pure and pious? No other book in the Bible has garnered so much attention about its subject matter and its appropriateness for God's covenant people to read in worship as the Song of Songs! Is it too much, or is it a healthy depiction of human sexuality and relationships? Should we read it as a love poem or an allegory of Jesus and the Church? Who wrote it - Solomon or...

There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance b...

There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance b...

Philemon is just 25 verses but is full of insight and practical application for living like Jesus in a messy and complicated world. How do we treat people who are more or less powerful than us? How do we find reconciliation when we've been wronged? How should we approach systemic injustice? All of this and more is wrapped up in this amazing letter, and one of it's central ideas: koinonia. Chirs, A...

We start a new (and intermittent) series, featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects. First up is Chris Knott (MDiv[ACT]), with his project: "The implications of Romans 13:1-7 for Christians participating in the exercise of secular authority." But don't be fooled, not only are we punning on what makes...

The Ezra-Nehemiah text is a complex series of writings, memoirs and reflections. It presents the reader with lots of questions - and you've sent us yours! On our first ever Q&A episode, we answer listener questions around a bunch of themes and issues raised in this fascinating text! Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams: Book: Dr Gary Schnittjer -...

Old Testament scholar and expert on Ezra-Nehemiah Dr Gary Schnittjer joins Jo, Alex and Chris to talk about the challenges and themes of this often-overlooked text. Gary teaches Old Testament and biblical Hebrew in the School of Divinity at Cairn University in Philadelphia, and recently released his expansive work on the Old Testament Use of the Old Testament. He sheds light on some of the more co...

While content has been limited this year, there has still been a lot to talk about in 2021 across the three podcasts across the Riverlife network. We've heard from some incredible guests and discussed a range of topics across theology, scripture, justice, and community! Join our producer, Tim, as he sits down with Jo to talk about all the highlights from 2021 and to look ahead to 2022. As is now a...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host...

The Fourth Gospel presents the transcendent, glorious and incarnate God presented in Jesus Christ. John's love of symbols, numbers, patterns and allusions makes for engaging reading and layers of meaning and revelation for those with a heart to seek God in its pages. John lifts up Jesus as the new Moses, new temple, new Exodus - the new way to know and love God. As John lifts up Jesus, He draws al...

  Luke's Gospel focuses on presenting an orderly account of the life and ministry of Jesus, collected from eyewitnesses and ministers of the good news. Luke presents us with another distinct and diverse view of Jesus, one that shows the human compassion and care that the Son of Man brings to people's lives. With great care for the outcasts and minorities of the day, Jesus shows us God's care for t...

The Gospel according to Matthew, the first in our New Testaments, is an account replete with Jewish meaning, symbolism and allusion. Matthew penned his biographic account to show Jesus as the new Moses, the new David, and the new Torah, the embodiment of God in the new covenant, and a bridge between Jewish heritage and the Gentile mission. The life and ministry of Jesus have been recorded and give...

Mark's record of Jesus's life and ministry is fast-paced, action-packed, and straight to the point. Jo and Alex unpack the who, what, when, and where of Mark, and spend some time exploring the interesting distinctives of the second Gospel. The life and ministry of Jesus have been recorded and given to us in the form of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This series on the Gospels wit...

Dr. Michael Bird joins Jo to discuss finding the historical Jesus in the Gospel accounts, and why that matters. Mike brings his great love of scripture, his wealth of knowledge, and his witty insight together to help us see the importance of the historical setting of the Gospels, the power of digging deeper into the historical and cultural setting of the New Testament, and some very helpful tips o...

The life and ministry of Jesus has been recorded and given to us in the form of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jo and Alex begin the series on the Gospels with a look at how we got these Jesus stories, and talk through the historical and literary context of these four accounts of Jesus the Christ. Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast.  Get mor...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 5 of the Psalms calls the worshipper to praise God amidst every part of life. Couched in the renewal of Israel as God's covenant people, and the restoration of God's co...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 4 of the Psalms, short and punchy, begins to prepare the hearer for the return of God as king, lord and sovereign power over His people. The mood shifts and turns back...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 3 of the Psalter is the shortest, merely 17 psalms, yet it takes us on a journey through the psalmists' reflection on the times of exile and absence, stopping to examin...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 2 presents us with a series of psalms that connect us to David's life, drawing us into the thoughts, prayers and wrestles behind the scenes of life. Jo and Alex walk th...

Book 1 of Psalms is full of familiar passages and favourite hymns but also features a lot of prayers and songs of supplication and vindication. Alex and Jo explore the first 41 psalms and uncover some of the rich moments that inspire and encourage us, as well as those that point us to Jesus. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams: Book: John Walton...

In episode 2 of our series on the Psalms, Jo and Alex are joined by Robert Alter to discuss how to understand Hebrew poetry. Robert is an Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative literature at the University of California in Berkeley, and has written numerous books on Hebrew literature, including the Art of Biblical Poetry. Robert has translated the Hebrew Bible into English along with a full...

The Psalms have been called the hymnbook of Israel, but their voice and their power extend to those under the Lordship of Jesus. Jo and Alex start a new series on the Psalms, to explore and understand their form, their structure, and the way their content speaks our hearts to God, and His heart back to us. This episode examines introductory and background issues and context of the Psalms. Resource...