Reasoning Through the Bible

God insists on getting the glory for the victory when Gideon defeats the enemy. God causes the enemy to flee. Israel fights the enemy in Chapter 7 but then fights themselves in Chapter 8. The men of Israel show themselves to be self-centered and blow with the political wind and change their allegiance quickly.  What happens when people go for a long time living around evil?  Why would tribes of Is...

What happens to the people around us when we get right with God? Gideon has timid faith and obeys, but obeys in private trying to hide his faith. The people around him react strongly, but God still blesses him. Before we can get rid of the enemy, we must first clean out the sin and idols in our lives. God reduces Gideon’s army so God is credited for the victory.   Did Gideon obey with full or part...

Gideon meets the Angel of the LORD and his life is radically changed. God sees Gideon for who he will be, not as he is now and Gideon sees God face to face. We see Gideon who starts out in frustration and defeat but, God declares him to be a mighty warrior.  God gives Gideon signs to build his faith.   What should we do if we are in frustration and defeat?  If God says he is with us, can we move f...

If you’re running from God, can you get peace anywhere? We also discuss whether acts of free will can also be acts caused by God. We learn that God providentially causes His will to be done. We learn of the ugly things that happen when we sin. We look at the victory song of Deborah and its great Biblical literature.    Can people who are not following God also be fulfilling God’s will?  Are nation...

Deborah was a strong leader of Israel who works with the military leader to drive out evil in the land. God had already spoken, so Deborah reminds us of what true faith is like. The military leader has continual doubts, but Deborah reinforces him and is the true leader that ensures victory, proving herself to be another Godly Biblical woman. Questions in this topic:   What do we do if we find ours...

One of Israel’s judges kills an evil king by using deception. Does God approve of this? We learn of a very ugly scene committed by one of Israel’s judges. What is God trying to accomplish when He tests us?  Were the Israelites supposed to marry outside Israel?  What happens when we worship what seems right to us?  Why would God want to teach people warfare?  Do people today forget the good things...

What happens when Israel forsakes the Lord? What would cause God to put His hand against His chosen people? This session talks about practical things that we can do to make sure we remain in God’s love. In Judges 2, Israel begins gross disobedience but God raises up judges to deliver them?    Did Israel deserve God’s love and grace?  When we come in contact with unbiblical things, what usually hap...

What happens when Israel makes deals with the evil people they were supposed to drive out? Here we learn what happens when Israel does not ask God for direction, when the live with the evil in their midst, and do not follow God’s commands. Questions in this session include:   Can I disobey so much that God stops working in my life?  What happens when I leave evil in my life?  What happens when Isr...

We introduce the book of Judges, where Israel is “wretchedly corrupted.” In Joshua, we see Israel with faith and trust in God, so they have success and victory. By contrast, Judges presents Israel in disobedience, which results in failure and defeat. We introduce the downward cycle of where Israel repeatedly abandon God, who removes His protection, then Israel cries out to God, and the cycle repea...

Can we find Jesus in the Old Testament? Who is the Angel of the LORD? Is He different than other angels? Does God ever appear as a man? When the man Jesus appears in the New Testament and claims to be God, is this is new concept, or should the Jewish leaders have been familiar with the idea? This session explains who is the Angel of the LORD and why it matters to our theology. We give a foundation...

A question has arisen in our day of whether God was moral when He ordered Israel to totally destroy all the people of Canaan. We deal with this question directly, going over the history of Canaan, God’s pattern of dealing with people in rebellion against Him, and what types of things the Canaanites were doing. We list all possible options available to God and the consequences of each option. This...

This introduction will tell you about how Reasoning Through the Bible is set up, what makes us unique and special, give you a small taste of what we hope to accomplish, and let you meet the hosts, Glenn and Steve.   Support the show Thank you for listening!!  Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.  You can find free study...