Michael Easley inContext

Michael teaches an overview of Song of Solomon. The Song of Songs or Song of Solomon is a complex, mysterious, and somewhat uncomfortable book. As the Bible is meant to serve as a guide in all aspects of life, it is a gift to look at this text and derive from it God's intentions and design for sexual intimacy. Do you have a biblical or theological question? Ask Dr. E! Send us a note at question@mi...

Curtis Zackery joins Michael for a conversation about Ecclesiastes. What does it mean to be right before God? How are we to view our pursuit of righteousness? What is the meaning and purpose of this life? Listen as Michael and CZ pull lessons from this Old Testament text that help us understand what Christ has done and how we ought to live in light of His mercy. To view Show Notes for this episode...

Michael teaches an overview of the book of Ecclesiastes as part of our ongoing series: The Big Book–Cover to Cover. The book of Ecclesiastes seemingly fails to fit in with the rest of Scripture - it has no obvious outline, no narrative. Where proverbs offers practical guidance for living, Ecclesiastes offers musings and observations about this life. This unusual book meets the discouraged and disi...

Today we land in the book of Proverbs: Wisdom for the Ages. What is wisdom? Where do we find it? Join us as Michael discusses how we are to read, interpret, and apply this text. To view this episode's Show Notes visit: http://michaelincontext.com/cover-to-cover-proverbs

As I've gone through this series, several people have asked me, "How are you going to teach through the book of Psalms in one lesson?" Indeed, this portion of Scripture is a lot to take on in one sitting. Today we're looking at the Psalter, a collection of national songs from the Israelites. The Psalms come from various authors throughout the Israel's history and offer insight both to Israel's ple...

What do we do when bad things happen to us or those we love? How do we make sense of tragedy? How are we to respond in times of suffering and loss? Jim Traficant joins Michael today to talk about his journey through chronic illness and what he has learned through years of suffering and loss about the God who sustained him through it all. We hope you are encouraged as you listen to this very specia...

We're moving from the historical books to the Wisdom/Poetry Literature, beginning with the book of Job. In this important text we are forced to ask impossible questions about difficulties in life: loss, illness, suffering; and to wrestle with the possibility that, perhaps, the answers to those questions aren't ours to have. Join us as Michael helps us understand the book of Job. To view this episo...

Have you ever asked the question, "Why is this happening to me?" Or wondered how God could possibly use your current circumstances for good? Alistair Begg joins Michael for an encouraging conversation about God's providence. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 NASB

Some scholars would argue that the book of Esther shouldn't be in the Bible. Neither God's name nor his laws appear in the text, no miracles occur, no prophet speaks - but here, in this text, we see God's providence. Join us as Michael teaches through this unique and important book.

Bestselling Author Gary Thomas joins Michael to discuss his new book, When to Walk Away. Join us for this valuable conversation about balancing relationships with difficult people, and the unexpected consequences for leaders who fail to address toxic people or attitudes within their spheres of influence. To learn more about his new book, visit: http://www.garythomas.com/books/when-to-walk-away/ Ou...

Michael teaches through Nehemiah, a continuation of last week's lesson on Ezra. Nehemiah was a contemporary of Ezra's. Where Ezra is moving the exiles back to Jerusalem, most of Nehemiah's account is in Jerusalem as he attempts to repair the wall around the city to prevent enemies from entering who would physically and spiritually destroy Israel's newly reestablished temple complex. Nehemiah's tas...

Dr. Eugene Merrill joins Michael to discuss the book of Ezra: Where we find it in Scripture, why it matters, and what we can learn from Ezra's example. Dr. Eugene Merrill is distinguished professor of Old Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and distinguished professor of Old Testament interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. With degrees fro...

What have we set our hearts on? "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." Ezra 7:10 Join us as Michael teaches through the book of Ezra.

We're back with another episode of Ask Dr. E! In this episode Michael answers your questions about salvation for ancient people groups other than the Israelites, what happens when people denounce their faith, conflict in Israel and preparing to travel to the Holy Land, calvinism, and where Christ really was between His death and resurrection. You can view timestamps for each episode as well as res...

Though 1 and 2 Chronicles give us one continuous story, the emphasis in 2 Chronicles is somewhat different. In 1 Chronicles the emphasis is the importance of the temple in national life - but in 2 Chronicles, the emphasis is the impotence of the temple in national life. While 1 Chronicles emphasizes the importance of recognizing God as a nation, 2 Chronicles emphasizes the importance of following...

Is there a difference in Bible reading, comprehension, and retention whether you use a physical book or read a digital version? What is the influence of switching from print to digital? John Dyer joins Michael today to discuss the impact technology has on our personal Bible study. To read notes and find resources mentioned in this episode, visit: https://michaelincontext.com/digital-bible-john-dye...

1-2 Chronicles covers the same time period as 2 Samuel-2 Kings, but offers more and different detail because it was written for a different purpose. What we know of the past shapes how we view our present and plan our future. What we know of our theological history will affect the way we understand and live out our faith. Join us as Michael helps us to fill out our understanding of the history of...

Rubbing off on the people around you is inevitable. The question is: What type of influence will you have? Bill Hendricks joins Michael to discuss his book, Men Of Influence. Bill Hendricks is president of The Giftedness Center, a Dallas-based consulting firm specializing in organizational effectiveness and individual career guidance. He is the author or coauthor of twenty-three books, including Y...

Michael continues our series The Big Book – Cover to Cover with an overview of 2 Kings. In this book we see the reign of 19 more kings in the Divided Kingdom, the transfer of leadership between Elijah and Elisha, and are introduced to a new prophet: Isaiah. As we read about the faith of the prophets and failures of many of these kings, we're prompted to ask: where do we turn in times of trouble? D...

Dr. David Lamb joins Michael to talk about the books of 1 and 2 Kings. Dr. Lamb is an associate professor of Old Testament at Biblical Seminary and loves to teach the Bible. This passion was developed during twenty years of ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, as a student at Stanford University (BA, MS,) and then on staff in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Studies at Fuller Theological...

1 Kings begins with a portrait of the king we're all longing for and ends in disaster. Power un-checked and un-submitted to the Lord breeds injustice and corruption. The nation of Israel splits into the Divided Kingdom and we are left longing for the King who will rule justly, mercifully, perfectly. Join us in our study of 1 Kings: http://michaelincontext.com/cover-to-cover-1-kings

Ask Dr. E is back for its 7th episode and we have some great questions to answer today, but want to quickly be sure to share a resource before we dive in. We've had a number of Logos Mobile Ed professors join us as guests on Bonus Episodes in our current series, The Big Book–Cover to Cover. I was an early adopter of Logos software - the library is exhaustive and the software is so fast. They've be...

The book of 2 Samuel takes place at about the mid-way point in the timeline between Abraham and Jesus Christ. It's here that we come to know David, the man after God's own heart, whose reign is mired by his great failures - and redeemed by God's great graciousness to him. In examining David's kingship it's important to note: what motivates the king to seek the Lord's guidance? Join us as we explor...

Today we welcome Dr. Michael Lawson back to talk about God's chosen king: David, and what that choice teaches us. You can read a transcript of our conversation here: http://michaelincontext.com/bonus-king-david Have a biblical or theological question? Ask Dr. E! Call us at 615-281-9694 and leave a voicemail with your question. Michael will answer it on an upcoming episode!

This is episode 9 of our series: The Big Book–Cover to Cover. We're in the first of six books that make up a the majority of the historical texts. In 1 Samuel, we witness the transition from the period of the judges to the monarchy. We'll see what happens when Israel makes their own choices rather than aligning themselves to God's choice, and how we really aren't so different. Have a biblical or t...