Commuter Bible

Today we’ll read the account of Jonah, the reluctant prophet. The Lord commands Jonah to go to Ninevah and warn them of their impending destruction. Jonah turns to go in the completely opposite direction, later saying that he didn’t want to go because he knew the Lord would have compassion on those whom Israel saw as detestable adversaries. As you hear this account, keep in mind that in the end it...

In our last episode, Ahab struck a deal with Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram instead of destroying him, but because the Lord had set him apart for destruction, an unnamed prophet pronounces judgment on Ahab. Some time passes, and Ahab sets his sights on a field that belongs to another man. After he refuses to sell it, Ahab pouts in his room until Jezebel hatches a scheme to murder him and take his lan...

After experiencing the power and authority of the God of Israel on top of Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the prophet runs to Jezreel ahead of King Ahab. Upon hearing Jezebel’s threats to execute him, Elijah then flees in despair to a distant mountaintop. Later, King Ahab of Israel goes to battle with Ben-Hadad of Aram. The Lord sends an unnamed prophet to...

The string of men who reign as king over the ten tribes of Israel continue to get worse and worse, each king being more corrupt than the last. King Ahab should be worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who brought Israel out of Egypt, but instead he marries a Baal worshiper, turns to serve Ball himself, then builds a temple to Baal in Samaria. Elijah boldly confronts the king in...

After experiencing the power and authority of the God of Israel on top of Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the prophet runs to Jezreel ahead of King Ahab. Upon hearing Jezebel’s threats to execute him, Elijah then flees in despair to a distant mountaintop. Later, King Ahab of Israel goes to battle with Ben-Hadad of Aram. The Lord sends an unnamed prophet to...

Even though Solomon’s life is marked by the goodness and grace of God, even though Solomon has built the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, and even though Solomon’s wisdom is unsurpassed, his devotion to the Lord and to his statutes wanes in his latter years. Why? Because in his power and in his lavish wealth, he has accumulated hundreds of wives for himself. In marrying wives from surrounding nations,...

Today’s reading contains the second-longest chapter in all of Scripture, which is 1 Kings chapter 8, and it’s long for a great reason: King Solomon gets excited and is full of prayer and praise as he conducts the first worship gathering at the Lord’s temple. Though the tabernacle existed before the temple, this is the first permanent structure built for the worship of God in a particular geographi...

As always, the Lord God makes good on His promises, and Solomon flourishes under the Lord’s lavish provision. Blessed with peace on every side and abundant wealth, Solomon does not kick back and take it easy; instead, he sets His mind on things above and gets to work. Knowing that the Lord had promised David a son who would come from his family and would establish God’s house forever, Solomon buil...

With King David on his death bed, the royal family knows that the time to transfer power is drawing near. David’s oldest son, Adonijah, gains support for himself from well-known leaders like Joab and Abiathar, calling Judah together for a feast to celebrate his bid for kingship. Nathan the prophet catches word, and teams up with Bathsheba to alert the king. Later, the Lord appears to King Solomon...

Paul catches word from fellow workers in the Gospel that the church at Colossae is wrestling with some false teaching that had entered their church. While the heresy is not fully identified, we gather that it had an inferior view of Christ, involved worship of angels and asceticism, and promoted man-made traditions. Paul directs their hearts and minds to give glory to Christ and to seek the things...

Now that the account of King David has essentially come to a close, the author recording the account looks back on David’s life to record some of the events that happened during David’s lifetime that were not included in the chronological story line. These accounts include the execution of members of Saul’s family, battles against the giant descendants of Goliath, a song of David, the exploits of...

On our last episode we followed the trajectory of David’s son Absalom, a handsome young man who had won the hearts of Israel by deception, telling those who came to King David that the king had no time for them. Absalom devises a coup to overthrow David, but his father catches wind of his plot and flees before he arrives. Today, David’s men prepare for battle and meet the forces of Absalom’s Israe...

After killing his brother at a family dinner, Absalom fled to another country, and was only brought back after Joab convinced David to do so by way of a theatric analogy. Today, Absalom begins a plan to win the hearts of the people and turn Israel against his father, the king. Learning of this impending insurrection, David flees Jerusalem with all of his people, save a handle of men who serve as s...

When we last left King David, he had slept with another man’s wife, and when it came to light that she was pregnant, he designed a conspiracy to kill Uriah in order to cover up his own adultery. Today Nathan comes to David with a word from the Lord. Because of his sin, the Lord says that he will take David’s wives and give them to another before all of Israel, and by the end of our next reading, t...

Throughout the Old Testament, we meet men of varying backgrounds who set out to obey the Lord and deliver God’s people. Time and again, God’s people rejoice and revel in their hero, but inevitably, these men fall and are shown to be sinful. There is none righteous, no not one. David is no exception, and his lust for another man’s wife begets more and more sin. Luxury and boredom turn into lust, wh...

Now that David has been recognized as king, it’s time for him to begin to establish his kingdom. David consults the Lord before he goes into battle, and prioritizes the worship of the Lord as a matter of great importance. With much fanfare, he moves the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and worships in a very un-regal fashion. King David expresses his desire to make a house of worship for the Lord...

After Saul’s death, an Amalekite man comes to David claiming that he is the one who killed Saul, thinking he will be rewarded for his deed since Saul pursued David for so long. To say that David is displeased with this report, however, is an understatement. After a period of mourning for the house of Saul, David is anointed king in Judah, but Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, has other plans. H...

Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is full of love and instruction for the Lord’s church. He rejoices that the gospel is moving forward even while he is in prison, and encourages the church to endure suffering, to be united in love, and to serve one another sacrificially, looking to the King of Kings who humbled Himself even to death on a cross. Our boast is no longer in the flesh, but in the...

Today, Saul set his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him, but David again has compassion on him. David and his men defect from Israel and escape to Philistine territory, where the king gives him the city of Ziklag. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but God does not respond. Being more concerned for himself than...

In a paranoid rage, Saul has slaughtered a city of priests and their families. One man has escaped from that raid and joined David’s ranks; his name is Abiathar and he has come with a priestly ephod in hand. At every turn, it seems that Saul is hot on David’s tail until, at long last, he unwittingly happens upon the cave where David is hiding. However, he doesn’t realize David and his men are ther...

In our last episode, King Saul’s jealousy and hatred for David began to grow as David successfully conquered the Philistines in battle time after time. Saul began plotting David’s demise, but his plans to see him killed were all foiled. Today, Saul’s rage becomes clear to everyone, and David flees from the king’s presence. As he takes shelter in a distant cave, his family catches word and they joi...

When the subject of a historical account like this one tells you the reason why he will be victorious before he achieves his victory, we should probably pay attention to that right? So often when someone references David & Goliath, they frame it as if it’s about a big guy versus small fry, and the underdog wins the day because of his ingenuity. Let’s just make this clear: you are not David and thi...

At the end of our last episode, Saul had just been appointed as king in Gilgal. Samuel gave him instructions to wait for him there, but when he feels like he is pressed for time he assumes that it will be best to make the burnt offering himself. Saul, however, is not a part of the priesthood, and while he is king, it doesn’t mean that he can do whatever he wishes, especially if it means going agai...

In our last episode, the nation of Israel asked an aging Samuel to appoint a king over them before his death. Samuel warned them about what a king would demand from them, but the people urged him all the more. Ultimately, the concern is not so much that they want a king, but that they were looking to have a human king as a source of strength, protection, and provision. All throughout their history...

When Israel went to battle against the Philistines they assumed that they could bring out the ark of the covenant to the battlefield, and that it’s presence would either oblige God to win the battle for them or that the object itself had some kind of mystical power. They were sorely mistaken, and the Philistines promptly defeated them captured the ark. Assuming that their victory is a victory over...