The Bible by David Alley

n this video listen to Job 42 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 42 one of the world’s most unique stories concludes. We summarise the book and its main points being: The patience of Job, and our call to patience The testing of Job, and our call to bear up under testing. The dangers of accusation and what to do about it. What we learn about the problem of pain. That God i...

In this video listen to Job 41 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 41 the speech of God continues and the Lord brings up the subject of the Leviathan. Could this be a fire-breathing dinosaur? This video also considers the patience of God. Normally in this book patience is ascribed to Job, but by changing focus, we see it is God who has the greatest patience. In the book of...

In this video listen to Job 40 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 40 the Lord’s speech to Job continues and must be history’s most unique speech. Here God challenges God to do a better job as manager of the universe than he does. To give one example of his grandeur God talks about the Behemoth, a creature with no modern equivalent. Could this be a dinosaur from times past...

In this video listen to Job 39 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 39 The last speech of the book of Job continues, and the Lord who speaks talks of wild goats, deer, wild ox, the stupidity of the ostrich, the strength of the horse, the hawk and the eagle. The entire chapter is about animals each created with unique abilities. It amazes phd students out in the field to fin...

In this video listen to Job 38 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 38 we come to the last and greatest of all the speeches in the book of Job. Speech number 19. And so God starts his “explanation” by asking questions. No answers are given to any of these questions, but the questions themselves give answers. They are also intended to give an Impression to the reader as well...

In this video listen to Job 37 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 37 at long last Elihu’s speech comes to an end… It took six chapters. We consider how a speech can contain much good and yet be so wrong. This final chapter of his speech is his best, and starts to sound grand and “god-like” which led some commentators to suggest it was an introduction to God’s speech which...

In this video listen to Job 36 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 36 we are now into chapter 5 of 6 in the grand speech of Elihu. Some have labelled this the “fourth speech” of Elihu because this chapter also begins with a Moreover, as did two previous ones. Elihu tells Job that his life will “magnify the Lord” and he was probably thinking that God would be glorified in h...

In this video listen to Job 35 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 35 Elihu continues his long speech attempting to prove that Job is wicked just as his older friends had done previously. Because this chapter begins with “Moreover, Elihu continued…” Some have interpreted this as a third speech beginning when Job didn’t reply to his previous words. And in this line of think...

In this video listen to Job 34 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 34 Elihu continues the 18th and longest speech in the book of Job. He declares that he wants Job put on trial, but doesn’t realise Job has been on trial. His entire experience has been a test of his character. When we go through trials, our character IS being tested. This video considers the testing of our...

In this video listen to Job 33 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 33 the 18th and longest speech in the book of Job continues. Elihu finished introducing himself and his reasons for speaking in chapter 32 and now finally gets down to his argument. He says that the Spirit of God “compelled” him to speak. He makes the dangerous assumption that his words are from God. This v...

In this video listen to Job 31 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 31 he now makes his final points in the book of Job before a long speech by Elihu and the final speech by God. Job maintains his innocence in a grand three-chapter long summation of his case, culminating here in a point by point argument about how he has done what is right. He begins by stating he has “made...

In this video listen to Job 30 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 30 his final speech continues as he summarises his case and in this chapter he talks about the time of distress that came upon him. This video considers the idea of a “time of distress” from a global perspective and observes that the entire world and its people are currently in a “time of distress” that beg...

In this video listen to Job 29 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 29 he has finished his “ode to wisdom” and now begins a summation of his case over the next three chapters. Like a good lawyer, Job draws together everything he has said as a good defence council would in court. He begins in chapter 29 with a summation of his life before the troubles.

In this video listen to Job 28 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 28 we have an “ode to wisdom” where Job has now moved from speaking directly to Bildad, and now attempts to teach all of his friends how to acquire wisdom. Job 28 is unlike any other chapter among the human speeches of Job and is undoubtedly my (David Alley’s) favourite chapter spoken by Job. It is also a h...

In this video listen to Job 27 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 27 he continues his six chapter reply to Bildad, which morphs into a reply to all his “friends.” Some experts believe that this is a mislabelled speech by Zophar, but this video will explain how that cannot be the case.

In this video listen to Job 26 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 26 he starts a reply to his friend Bildad which ends up being a six chapter speech. In this speech a number of things occur, as he starts by addressing Bildad in person, then merges to addressing all of his friends as a group, and even attempts to start teaching them wisdom. In this video we contemplate the...

In this video listen to Job 25 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 25 is the sixteenth and the shortest speech in the book of Job. It seems Job’s friends are running out of things to say, and the heart to say them. This chapter is one of the ten shortest chapters in the Bible. Bildad asks just a handful of rhetorical questions, which have implied answers. For example he as...

In this video listen to Job 24 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 24 Job’s third reply to Eliphaz continues, and he questions why God doesn't have a day of judgement…. but of course he does. In this video we consider Job’s words, and also the two judgements to come, the great white throne judgement, and the bema seat judgement.

In this video listen to Job 23 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 23 Job replies to Eliphaz in the fifteenth speech of the book. In his speech Job raises the question of how exactly one looks for a God that cannot be found? This video discusses this too, and the layers of reality. Job also raises how his trials will turn to gold - an insight which we can all consider.

In this video listen to Job 22 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 22 we are now into the third round of speeches. Eliphaz ratchets it up to attack Job at a new level, accusing him of specific sins. It becomes vitriolic. Eliphaz asks an interesting question - does God profit from man? This video will consider this question.

In this video listen to Job 21 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 21 we have Job’s reply to Zophar and the end of the second round of speeches. Job goes all out in defence against Zophar, so much so that Zophar declines a third reply. In all the other speeches of Job, he gets lost in philosophising, or moves into spontaneous prayer, but not in this speech in which he stay...

In this video listen to Job 20 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 20 we have the twelfth speech in the book, out of nineteen. It is also the second speech of Zophar, the voice of religion or duty. In this speech Zophar goes one step beyond his friends - by accusing Job of specific sins. He accuses Job of injustice towards the poor. And weirdly, he also paints God as a tyr...

In this video listen to Job 19 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 19 Job replies to Bildad’s second speech - the eleventh speech in the book and sixth speech of Job. He says to his friends “How long will you torment me, and crush me with your cruel words?” It is a very telling question. The answer is of course for another round of speeches after this. They will have one m...

In this video listen to Job 18 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 18 we have Bildad’s second speech to Job and the tenth in the book. This time Bildad seems to not have a focused point, but wants to vent his anger against Job. He felt attacked by Job’s previous reply and now defends himself by going on the offensive. Bildad makes some true points, but not true in light of...

In this video listen to Job 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 17 his reply to Eliphaz continues, and he discusses the grave. The grave is ready for him, and he is ready for the grave. What do these two phrases mean? We also discuss the plans of humans and the light they take on when disaster arrives. We also discuss Job’s unique combination of hope and despair in the...