The Bible You Thought You Knew

It is derivative of the prophetic Book of Joel and Acts 2. The 1st part covers Joel. In that prophecy, Israel is in focus. At first, Israel is subject to a scathing oracle outlining its considerable violation of the covenant. Yet, because Israel repented and rededicated to keeping God’s covenant, the Lord decides to restore Israel. Part of that restoration will involve every last Israelite having...

It is derived from Isaiah 6. It features God’s call of Isaiah. It is an interesting contrast to Jeremiah’s call in Jeremiah 1. In the latter, the prophet, Jeremiah, was extremely reluctant to heed God’s call. By contrast, Isaiah responded positively to the divine call, with the memorable words: “Here I am. Send me.” Also in the Isaiah text is the startling image of the Israelite God seated on a hi...

This derives from Jeremiah, chapter 1. Starting with typical boilerplate that introduces most prophetic book, the text lets us know that God had destined Jeremiah for his prophetic role before he was even conceived! However, this startling fact does not faze Jeremiah. He believes God made a poor choice in that he is too young (a “youth”) and is not rhetorically gifted. God accepts neither excuse....

” This is also based on Jeremiah 7. Jeremiah doubles down on his denunciation. Speaking for God, he criticizes Israel’s sacrificial system, saying that it is ineffectual in light of Israel’s continuing disobedience. As well, just as God judged Shiloh and the Northern Kingdom, Israel, God will do the same with Judah. The phrase, “The temple of the Lord,” turns out to be an empty slogan giving the p...

This is based on Jeremiah 7. The background is the strong belief in Judah that God had favored them by allowing them to escape defeat at the hand of the Assyrians. At the same time, Assyria not only defeated the northern kingdom, Israel, but exiled a portion of their population. Jeremiah denounced Judah for this belief, arguing that they had falsely believed that God’s covenant with David made the...

The story focuses on Absalom’s eventual violent death. After receiving strategic intelligence from moles the had placed in Absalom’s inner circle, David plans for his forces to confront Absalom’s forces. Demonstrating his military brilliance, David had divided his army into three segments. At the same time, he ordered all three commanders of these units to go easy on Absalom. David’s armies handil...

This is the continuing saga of the events that plagued David’s adult children after Nathan the prophet had confronted him. In this episode, Absalom let’s all Israel know that he is now in charge of his father’s wives. Plus, as he decides what his next steps are now that David has fled Jerusalem, Absalom has to determine which strategy to follow. As he decides, he makes a fatal misstep, primarily b...

This Podcast features a story in which King David allows his estranged son, Absalom, to return to Jerusalem. But the father and son relationship is so soured that the two have almost no contact. In time, Absalom does much more than refuse to speak to his father. Absalom begins to solicit support from Israelite citizens in an effort to undermine his father. The plot eventually works. King David is...

This is the first of a series of treatments of terrible things that happened to David’s adult children after his affair with Bath-Sheba and having her husband killed. When the prophet, Nathan, confronted David about this, he relayed a story. David was angry about an actor in the story who had used his power and wealth to exploit a weaker man who happened to be poor. David issued a sort of self-ful...

This treatment deals with what Jesus said about the new covenant as reported in the Gospels, what St. Paul said about it in 1-2 Corinthians, and, above all, the what the Letter to the Hebrews said about it. In the latter book, the new covenant is a major theme. This is explicated in chapters 8 and 9 of the Letter to the Hebrews.

Jeremiah prophesies that after the return from Exile, God will establish a new covenant with a newly unified Israel. This covenant will involve God’s writing not on tablets but on the human heart. That means that religious instruction is no longer required—obedience will be automatic. As well, at the end of this prediction is the statement that Jerusalem will be rebuilt, never to fall again. This...

The Podcast deals with the fact that in both Hebrew and Greek the word for “slave” is the same as the word for “servant.” Only context allows a translator to know which to choose. In this instance, Israel is rescued by God from slavery to the Egyptians. But their rescue is so that they may subsequently “serve” the God who saved them. Their response to God’s grace was articulated in the Mosaic Cove...

In this Podcast I argue that both the Synagogue (=Judaism) and the Church (=Christianity) should view themselves as figured by canonical Israel (Israel as depicted in the Jewish Bible/Old Testament). Both movements were originally almost exclusively Jewish, though in time the Church became decreasingly Jewish and increasingly Gentile. Nevertheless, those origins were crucial and substantial. The C...

In this Podcast I summarize the book that I have recently written, which will be published by Wipf and Stock. It deals with numerous stories in the Old Testament that feature one segment of Israel at odds with another segment of Israel. I include a chapter that deals with what the prophetic materials say Israel’s struggle with unity. A final chapter treats division in the early group that followed...

In this Podcast we rehearse the two times Jacob exploits his older brother Esau, once by getting him to sell his birthright and again by using deception to steal his paternal blessing. However, Jacob does not get off the hook entirely for these dubious actions. When he goes to his mother’s family there are a series of incidents in which punishment mirrors the nature of his misdeeds. Jacob is victi...

This psalm complains that God has all but forgotten the very people God had elected and redeemed. The evidence for this is that both Jerusalem and the temple have been destroyed. Clearly, this Psalm laments the exile brought about by the Babylonian military. Not only has the temple been destroyed; it has been desecrated. How can God stand to allow non-Israelites have the run of the place? Typicall...

In this presentation, I deal with the “conservative” aspect of biblical wisdom. Wisdom is based on observing everyday life and doing what it is appropriate to succeed. Most of the advice works remarkably well. But sometimes, people conclude that doing the wise thing guarantees results. Wisdom works, arguably, most of the time. But not always. Being patient, prudent, insightful, mannerly, industrio...

This is a story narrated in Judges 3. It features a left-handed man, who assassinates King Eglon of Moab. His being left-handed allowed him to go undetected by having a sword under his clothing on his right side. Usually, a concealed weapon would be on the left side, thus facilitating a right-handed assassin. Ehud managed not only to kill the king, but get alone with him and carry out the deed in...

The word is related to a Sumerian word—SA.GAZ—and an Akkadian (=Babylonian; Assyrian) word: Hap/biru. People who are designated by these names are always no longer in their original social or political setting. They have been “on the move” for a variety of reasons: (1) Social dislocation; (2) Political Oppression; (3) Economic Distress; (4) the “Grass is Greener” syndrome. Such people speak a vari...

In this last segment we finally understand why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. He was worried that his God might actually be gracious should the citizens repent and amend their lives. Indeed, that is how the Israelite God responded to the Ninevites when they repented and resolved to improve their lives. In the last scene, Jonah gets upset when a vine that was providing relief from the hot sun...

In this episode, Jonah is in the belly of the big fish for three days and nights. The good news is that he did not drown. The bad news is that he compares his new digs to Sheol or The Pit, the world of the dead. Nevertheless, he prays during this ordeal. The prayer is alternately ironic, hypocritical, and sincere. The prayer ends not with an Amen, but with the sound of the big fish’s belch. After...

This book focuses on Jonah, a man whom God wants to call onto the carpet Nineveh, a great Assyrian city. Jonah is not interested, so he flees God’s presence by booking passage on a ship headed for Tarshish. God has a storm threaten the ship, which eventually causes Jonah to be thrown overboard. That is when he is swallowed by a big fish. This episode contrasts Jonah’s orthodox theology but terribl...

This Podcast deals with the identity of the famous serpent who tempted the woman in the Garden of Eden. There is a long history of interpretation in which the serpent is identified with Satan. Yet, the text says that the Serpent was clever, not evil, and it was a creature that God made. Satan is never blamed for introducing evil anywhere in the Old Testament. Despite depictions in Christian art, t...

These two obscure figures actually play decisive roles. However, since both names are part of genealogies, no one knows who they are. The first Lamech is a descendant of Cain who predicts an enormous increase of violence, that will outpace the vengeance Cain sought when he murdered his brother. The second Lamech was Noah’s father, who promised that Noah would eventually lessen or remove the curse...

Critical in this instance has to do with a systematic approach to understanding Scripture. Lower Criticism has to do with the existence of actual manuscripts, all of which differ in greater or lesser degree from each other. The higher criticism in this session will deal with the so-called W-Questions: (1) Who wrote biblical material?; (2) When was the material written?; (3) Why was the material wr...