The Bible Lab

Powerful prayers from book three of the Psalms: The Third book of the Psalms (42-72) contains a great deal of material remembering the powerful works of God and praying for deliverance. There are heavy Exodus vibes throughout the whole section, ending with a powerful song of praise for God's king who will bring redemption. Within the book, there are also some powerful prayers for help amidst some...

Week 2 of the Psalms Going into some episodes on the Psalms, one of the things we hope to do each week is have each host share some insight on a Psalm that resonated with them in the reading plan. This week, join hosts Ryan and Joel as we talk through some of our favorite Psalms, Psalm 37 and Psalm 47.  Today we cover the topics of worship, the raw human experience, as well as some literary detail...

Welcome to the Psalms The Psalms are an incredible gift to the Church. This collection of songs are "God-endorsed" responses to real life situations we all face. Through the prayers of David and the other Psalm writers, we learn that we can find confidence in God through the full range of our human experiences; sadness, grief, fear, anxiety, joy, praise, lament, confidence, just to name a few. God...

Picking up from last week, we ended in the middle of the cycle of arguments between Job and his friends. In the middle of the book, Job 28, is an amazing poem about the source of wisdom. Where does wisdom come from? In short, wisdom is not gained through immediate answers or solutions. But rather, wisdom is gained from the reverence of the Holy Spirit and His guidance alone. God's appearance point...

Arguing divine justice and human suffering Job isn't just a story about a guy going through hard times. It's a divinely inspired examination of God's justice and the reality of human suffering. At issue is a debate about divine retribution theology; that is, the belief that every positive or negative consequence in life can be attributed to divine punishment or reward. Job's friends hold to this t...

How does revival happen? The powerful post-exilic narratives of Nehemiah and Esther highlight God’s providence, the renewal of His people, and his call to faithful endurance even despite opposition. Themes of spiritual restoration, communal responsibility, and courageous leadership are central elements in the stories of Israel’s return from exile. In Nehemiah, the focus is on the rebuilding of Jer...

How does revival happen? Post-exilic literature in the Scriptures deals in detail with the question of if and how a people can be restored spiritually. All throughout 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, we read about leaders like Hezekiah, Josiah, Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah who undertook the tall task of calling the Jewish people back to faithfulness. As we read these books we learn a great deal...

Does the Bible say we need to go to church? It's a question pastors get all the time, and the answer might surprise you. If you're looking for a verse that says "go to church on Sundays," you won't find one. The Bible also never tells you to drive with your eyes open, but there are plenty of Biblical principles to support why it's a good idea! In this bonus episode, Pastor Jake covers some clear B...

Chronicles is a book about the HEART 2 Chronicles picks up the story of David's kingly line with a retelling of Solomon and the temple. Solomon's completion of the temple, his beautiful dedication prayer, and his majestic success as king are the high water mark of Israel's glory. After that, Chronicles presents the slow degradation of a divided Kingdom, compromising kings, and looming exile.  Big...

The Power of Knowing Where You Came From At first glance, the book of Chronicles can present some challenges to Bible readers: the content is largely repeated from other areas in the books of Old Testament history and it covers expansive genealogies of Israelite figures who are relatively unknown to us. But this book was written for a powerful reason: to remind the returning exiles of Judah who th...

Divided Kingdoms and Divided Hearts It doesn't take long after David's passing for things to get out of control in the land of Israel. While Solomon enjoyed relative stability and success, his moral failings are the catalyst for a downward spiral of degeneracy among the heirs to David's throne. Ultimately the era of Israel's kings is one of spiritual compromise that results in a divided kingdom, m...

In-Depth on David's Reign David is curiously called a king after God's own heart, but is also guilty of serious offenses against God's holiness. What conclusions should we draw about his time as king over Israel? God certainly didn't love David because he earned it, but rather David's life is evidence for the sovereign and electing love of God. He places His love upon us because He chooses to. The...

A Tale of Two Kings Saul's story is a cautionary tale in how our own desires, left unchecked, can consume us. There is a lot to learn from this contentious time in Israel's history. Saul is falling apart, and David's credibility is ascending. Both of these characters provide a great deal of material for reflection. This week's discussion helps us navigate doing effective character study to apply l...

Finally, some "good guys!" After the somewhat "hero-less" book of Judges ends in ambiguous tension, we pick up with some stories about a series of righteous people whose example stood out in a desperate time in Israel's history. This week's discussion leads us through the stories of Ruth, Hannah, and Samuel, who provide powerful examples of faithful obedience to God. Samuel's story also leads us i...

A Tough Book With Vital Truth: Make no bones about it Judges is a bloody and bleak book. It's a picture of human depravity on full display; what's more, the majority of the bad behavior happens at the hands of God's people. It's a major case study in what happens when those who outwardly identify with God are not inwardly regenerated. But it's not all bad news... we see stories in which God's grac...

Examining Joshua and Biblical Violence: How do we handle tough passages in which the Israelites use violence against the inhabitants of Canaan? Modern audiences seem to view these chapters as presenting a series moral problem: how do we square the actions of the Israelites with our understanding of a loving and holy God? This week, we take that issue head on. In this episode we also cover:  Big Ev...

Step in to The Bible Lab! Join us in 2025 on our journey from Genesis to Revelation in a year! You'd be surprised how many vital Biblical topics come up within the book of Deuteronomy. Join Joel and Jake as they jump right into them head first! In this episode, we discuss: Big Events: Moses' prophecy about Jesus, expanded blessings and curses, Israel's new generation renewing the covenant Key Them...

Step in to The Bible Lab! Join us in 2025 on our journey from Genesis to Revelation in a year! Ryan and Jake have a FULL episode for you this week with all the interesting discussions you have come to expect. We wrap up the book of Numbers and jump into Deuteronomy, and this section is PACKED with important information as well as beautiful insights into the character of God. In this episode, we di...

Step in to The Bible Lab! Join us in 2025 on our journey from Genesis to Revelation in a year! Joel and Jake are in the studio this week to recap all the things you need to know about the last couple chapters in Leviticus and the first half of Numbers. In this episode, they discuss: Big Events: The first and second Israelite censuses, dedicating the tabernacle, setting out from Sinai, and major re...

Step in to The Bible Lab! Join us in 2025 on our journey from Genesis to Revelation in a year! Joel is back in the studio this week, joining Jake as they break down the book of Leviticus in detail. This book gets a bad rap because of its extremely detailed commandments and regulations, but we promise that this discussion will help you see it in a new and more glorious light! In this episode, they...

Step in to The Bible Lab! Join us in 2025 on our journey from Genesis to Revelation in a year! On this week's Episode, Pastors Ryan and Jake explore. You'll get a chance to hear us discuss the following: Big Events: The Law of Moses, the golden calf incident, planning and building the tabernacle Key Themes: Worship, right uses of the law, covenant faithfulness Rabbit Trails: Repetition as a tool f...

Step in to The Bible Lab! Join us in 2025 on our journey from Genesis to Revelation in a year! On this week's Episode, Pastor Jake is joined by Joel Fremling to discuss Genesis 24-46. You'll get a chance to hear us discuss the following: Big Events: Isaac's feuding sons, Jacob wrestles with God, Joseph in slavery Key Themes: Blessing, family disfunction, theodicy Rabbit Trails: Biblical typology,...

Welcome Back to The Bible Lab! We're back and better than ever with a new vision in 2025: we are working our way straight through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This week's Episode covers Genesis 1-23, and focuses on the following: Big Events: Creation, Fall, Flood and the Patriarchs Key Themes: Covenant, Calling, and the Immanence of God Rabbit Trails: The Nephilim Each week during Season...

In this episode, join Jake and special guest Joel Fremling for a discussion about the closing chapters of the book of Job. Among other topics, we will look at the fantastical descriptions Leviathan and Behemoth in God's final speech to Job and discuss how God's control of these creatures speaks to the massive extent of God's sovereignty. Join us as we look for Gospel encouragement and redemptive h...