The Bible by David Alley

In this video listen to Job 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 16 we have the ninth speech in the book, Job’s reply to Eliphaz’ second speech. He accuses his friends of abandoning him. We compare that with Christ who also had his friends abandon him, but did not complain in hindsight, but did ask in advance “could you not pray with me for an hour?” In verse 19 we reach...

In this video listen to Job 15 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 15 we are into the second round of speeches by Job’s “friends.” Here we have the eight speech in the book, out of nineteen. Eliphaz the Temanite doesn’t mince words this time around, and his speech can be summarised by four points: 1 - Job has sinned 2 - Job is proud and ignorant 3 - The wicked get what the...

In this video listen to Job 14 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 14 his reply to Zophar is still continuing. Job talks about the brevity/shortness of life and gets philosophical. He then moves on as he does so often into spontaneous prayer, talking to God for help. In this video find out what a 97 year old man in Australia also said about the shortness of life, and what...

In this video listen to Job 13 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 13 he continues to reply to Zophar and pulls apart his speech by giving examples that are contrary to the main point made. Job gives examples of the wicked prospering, and of the righteous struggling… which he states is also happening to him. While this chapter is not the end of his speech, he asks the same...

In this video listen to Job 12 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 12 he replies to Zophar - the third reply to his friends, and his fourth speech. This is a long reply lasting three chapters, but not the longest speech which is the last one by God. In contemplating this speech, and the others prior to this, the one element that seems to be completely missing is the contex...

In this video listen to Job 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 11 is the sixth speech of nineteen, the third speech from the friends, and the first speech by Zophar. Zophar is the voice of religion, representing things from the “spiritual” point of view. Zophar, like his friends begins with the assumption that Job is guilty, and questions his objectivity. So all three...

In this video listen to Job 10 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 10 the fifth speech of the book continues… and Job finally asks the Lord for understanding, which he will not receive (and only in part) until the end of the book. But God has reasons beyond his understanding as we who have the narrator’s perspective can see. Here is a question though…. Why would God allow...

In this video listen to Job 9 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 9 we have Jobs reply to Bildad the Shuhite. This is the fifth speech of 19 in the book of Job, the first reply to Bildad and the second reply in total. Once again Job is completely in disagreement with what Bildad had to say. In this video we consider Job’s claim to be blameless, and compare it with the trul...

In this video listen to Job 8 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 8 we meet Bildad the Shuhite. Bildad gives the fourth speech of the book, out of nineteen, and the first reply of his second friend, and the second of the replies from friends. Bildad is the voice of tradition, and he does not start with a skerrick of nicety as Eliphaz did. After reading through Job 8 we wil...

In this video listen to Job 7 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 7 his reply to Eliphaz’ speech continues. In his reply to a speech he slips into talking to himself, and then somehow spontaneously converts into praying. When talking to himself in the first six verses, he gets quite philosophical pondering the shortness of life. Then when he prays, we find there are assump...

In this video listen to Job 6 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 6 he replies to his friend Eliphaz’ first speech. In doing so he starts by saying how miserable he is, how useless his friends are at sympathy, and finally demanding that they identify what he did wrong… which he implies is nothing. Job does complain, but never about God, and doesn’t blame him. What can we l...

In this video listen to Job 5 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 5 the first of Job’s friends continues his unhelpful speech. He compares Job to a fool, and declares that trouble doesn’t come along on its own, there is a reason for it. He finishes his speech by telling Job to do what every preacher tells its audience… to hear and apply the lessons.

In this video listen to Job 4 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 4 we meet Eliphaz the Temanite who makes the first speech from one of Job’s friends, the first reply to Job and the second speech in the book. Eliphaz’ name means “my god is pure gold” which is either an adjective describing the Lord, or a hint at what he really served. Was his motivation wealth? In his init...

In this video listen to Job 3 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 3 we have the first of nineteen speeches in the book of Job. Job speaks first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, fifteenth and seventeenth. While Job has the first speech, he doesn’t have the last word, because the final and nineteenth, speech in the book is that of God’s. In this primary s...

In this video listen to Job 2 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 2 we meet four more characters in the book of Job. We meet his wife, and his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, who turn out not to be very good friends. In chapter two Job is accused again and suffers again, with a terrible skin disease. Some experts think it was elephantiasis. Then he suffers spous...

In this video listen to Job 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Job 1 we meet Job in possibly the oldest book in the Bible. This first Job video covers many things such as: Who was Job? Where did Job live? Who write Job? When was Job written? Was Job a real man? Was this story a real story? Who is the Accuser? Did Satan really go to Heaven? How did the author know what Satan...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 10, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 10 we discuss the sixth shortest chapter in the Bible, and the third time that Jewish person has risen to the equivalent rank of Prime Minister. Mordecai becomes the second in charge of the entire Persian Empire because of the Lord’s providence. In this book Mordecai takes the symbolic type o...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 9, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 9 what was to be the day of Jewish disaster turns out to be a day of deliverance. The celebration of Purim is authorised, and continues to be celebrated today. This video covers the events of the first Purim, including the death and posthumous hanging of Haman’s ten sons. It will consider the...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 8, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 8 even though Haman is removed, the national emergency and threat of genocide remains. So Esther and Mordecai are able to petition the king and have a new decree written. Such is the way of believing Christians who also petition the king for the salvation of their people. Proverbs 11:6 says th...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 7, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 7 the king, the humiliated Haman and Esther have their second banquet, at which Haman’s life is doomed. Haman throws himself at Esther’s feet and in doing so ironically bows at the feet of Jewish woman. Just a day earlier he was angry that a Jewish man would not bow at his feet. Irony plays a...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 6, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 6 we have the great turning point in the book of Esther. It’s hard to imagine a more contrasting moment in any story than chapter 6. It begins when the king cannot sleep. The Hebrew literally says that sleep “fled” from him. That night he has the archives of his kingdom read to him where he le...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 5, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 5 Esther makes her act of intercession, which is a picture of what all believers are called to do. We are to approach the king, with no regard for our lives, to make selfless requests on behalf of others. This chapter considers intercession, and also the gallows that Haman made, which in fact...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 4, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 4 we discuss the timing of the book of Esther…. Where the main story takes place five years after she becomes Queen. Why was that five years important? You can find Christ in every book of the Bible. But where in the book of Esther is Christ? Firstly, Esther is a picture of Christ - she risks...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 3, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 3 we meet Haman the Agagite, the antagonist in the story of Esther. As a descendant of Agag, he is an amalekite, the sworn enemy of Israel, which was first encountered after the Exodus in the book of Numbers. We also explore Saul’s failure to obey the Lord and the implication of this a thousan...

In this video listen to Esther chapter 2, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Esther 2 we meet an orphaned girl who rises to become the Queen of the Persian Empire, and how that happens. This chapter follows a four year gap after chapter 1 when King Xerxes deposed his previous Queen. Esther and her uncle lived and served both God and king, during a very difficult historical ti...