The Context and Color of the Bible

Send us Fan Mail God has redeemed His people but now Erika and Veronica point out that these chapters are all about the Israelites learning to know who God is.  These chapters give us insight into how intimately God is involved in their lives and what kind of care they can expect from Him. Erika read Hosea 11:1-4.   You can find more about the Amalekites in Deuteronomy 25:17-19, I Samuel 15:1-9 an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Veronica and Erika talk wrap-up the storyline of God redeeming His people found in Exodus 13-15.  The story isn't complete until the enemy, Pharaoh and his army, are finally conquered never to return again.  What is Israel's response seeing their enemy vanquished - joyful worship and praise of their God, their Redeemer.  Questions to consider: What events...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Erika and Veronica discuss Exodus 10-12.  They talk about the importance of repetition in Scripture, the death of the firstborn, and Passover. Questions to consider are: What is the point of repetition in Scripture? What blessings do people still get even if they reject God? What do we learn about God from these three chapters? Why is it important Moses and Aaron h...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Veronica and Erika start exploring the ten plagues.  They answer questions like: How long do you think the ten plagues lasted?  Have you  ever heard hundreds of frogs croaking in their ponds?  Did that make you stop and think what it would have been like for the people during that portion of the plague? Why is it important to know the frogs didn't just hop awa...

Send us Fan Mail Veronica and Erika pick up the discussion with Moses and God at the beginning of chapter six.  God tells Moses that Abraham, Issac and Jacob knew God by His name El Shaddai (think memory and covenant), but Moses and Egypt are about to know God by a different name.  We will see how God reveals Himself and this new name over the next few chapters.   After this conversation between M...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Veronica and Erika dive into chapters four and five.  What lessons can we learn from Moses and the signs God gives him to take to Egypt?  How was God testing Moses' faith in preparation for the things to come?   When Moses asked God questions, God responded one way; yet how did God respond when Moses offered an excuse?  What does this teach us about how we int...

Send us Fan Mail This week Veronica and Erika deal with some of the bigger topics in chapters 1-3.  Pharaoh is determined to remove the “swarm” of Israelites but the midwives thwart his plans with their lies.  God doesn’t show up into the story until chapter 3 when Moses is over 40 years old, but we see that God was working behind the scenes. How do you see God working behind the scenes in the sto...

Send us Fan Mail Veronica and Erika introduce the book of Exodus and the first 8 verses in this episode.   Since there are forty chapters in Exodus, they are not going to dive into every detail. Instead their goal is to add to the discussion by focusing on different thoughts and ideas that aren’t normally covered.  One way they are doing that is looking at the book in three parts: God redeems, God...

Send us Fan Mail Veronica and Erika wrap up their discussion on rabbis today with a discussion on the Tabernacle, Temple and synagogues.  They also explain with more detail the ways women could support the rabbi if they were unable to travel.   The big news at the end of the podcast is they introduce the fall study on Exodus.  The new season will kick off September 6 and return to a weekly schedul...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Erika expands on the life and travels of a rabbi.  She explains that a rabbi is like a celebrity in our day.  Everyone would be honored and blessed to have a rabbi in their home and community. While men and women could be rabbis, Erika explains why it was harder for women.   Scriptures mentioned in this episode are Matthew 7:28, Matthew 8:19-20, Luke 10:1-12, and J...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Veronica and Erika examine the idioms and exaggerations that are used in Scripture. Every culture has their own sayings, therefore so does first century Israel.  Just like you might be confused when visiting that new culture and hearing those expressions, we can walk away from Scripture missing the meaning or being confused if we don't recognize what is going...

Send us Fan Mail Veronica and Erika continue their discussion about life in first century Israel and how Scripture influenced daily life.  In this episode they talk about "keshers," hyper links in the text, that relate back to another verse.  Erika showed how Jesus used the word "love" and pulled from two different Old Testament verses to answer which is the greatest commandmen...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know not all Jews in first century Israel believed the same thing?  Did you know there were branches or sects within Judaism?  As you read the Gospels or the book of Acts, have you paid attention to how Jesus or Paul interact with certain groups?  Both Jesus and Paul knew how to use their differing beliefs to their advantage.  Do you know which group Paul belonged to and w...

Send us Fan Mail For the summer Veronica and Erika are discussing the lifestyle of the average Jew in first century Israel.  For most of this podcast, we will be explaining children's education.   Starting at age five, boys and girls begin to memorize and study Scripture.  Listen to the podcast to find out which book children started memorizing. Even before children started learning the Scrip...

Send us Fan Mail Erika shares her take away lessons from the book of Ruth.   Boaz was the go'el - the kinsman redeemer and he desired to restore what rightfully belonged to the owner.  What does that teach us?  How did he do that?  What did he restore?   Who showed chesed throughout the story and what does that mean for us today? How do God centered people affect God and His willingness to sh...

Send us Fan Mail In this last chapter of Ruth, Erika shows how Boaz ties up the loose ends.  He has a dilemma before him of how to make it acceptable to marry Ruth.  How does Boaz do that?  What ties does he make that gives the community they excuse they need to accept this marriage, but what blessing do they give him to show they know what he's doing?  What did God think of this union?  This...

Send us Fan Mail What does Genesis 38 have to do with the story of Ruth?  Who has a connection to Judah and Tamar in our story today?  What exactly was Naomi asking Ruth to do and what were the potential ramifications?  Who is showing chesed in this chapter?  Erika takes the story today and puts it into modern terms.   This chapter is filled tension and ends on a cliffhanger.  Erika takes us to th...

Send us Fan Mail When we left off, Naomi and Ruth were alone in Bethlehem.  Naomi had a new burden placed on her and she was letting everyone know about her bitterness.  As chapter 2 starts off, Ruth puts her promise into action.  She goes out to the fields in order to provide for Naomi.  Erika explains how her "happening happened" to find her working in Boaz's field.  Does Ruth kno...

Send us Fan Mail Erika unpacks chapter one of the book of Ruth in this episode.  She introduces the characters and their dilemma that sets up this story.  One major theme in the book is the Hebrew word "chesed."  Veronica and Erika quickly explain this word, but Erika gives a fuller explanation their video study on the Spring Feasts and Hebrew words.  Click on the link below to watch thi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Erika provides the background info we need to study the book of Ruth.  She talks about the common lens people often use when studying Ruth and then shares the lens we want to use as we study this book.  She also lays out the time period of the judges that provide the background for the story as well as who the Moabites are.  Leading up to the book of Ruth, the Moab...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Erika and I unpack some details behind Passover.  We talk about why people celebrate Passover, what cup is used for communion,  why they don't use lamb, and what did Jesus mean when He stated He won't drink it again until His father's kingdom.   Scripture referenced is Exodus 6:6-7 and the Last Supper is in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13....

Send us Fan Mail Have you read this parable before and wondered what it means?  What do you know about hell or heaven?  Have you considered what happens to us after we die?  Does the Old Testament talk about resurrection or the life to come?  What is Abraham's Bosom and where did that terminology come from?  Join Veronica and Erika as they work their way through the parable as they cover thes...

Send us Fan Mail Join with us as we go through Luke 19 and the parable of the 10 minas. What's the context we are missing? What's the connection with Herod the Great and Archelaus his son? Who's the King in this parable going on a long journey? Why does it matter how the servants live in the absence of their Master? There is so much more to this parable than we normally understand....

Send us Fan Mail Have you felt like you can't teach an old dog a new trick?  Do you ever feel like it's not fair the new believer gets so many blessings?  What does a rich young ruler and a day worker have in common?  Have you ever struggled with the idea a person who doesn't deserve it will be in heaven with you?   All these questions are discussed today as we dig into Matthew 20:1...

Send us Fan Mail What was Jesus thinking about the week before His death?  Who was He giving a final message to  before His death?   How do our actions today affect us in the kingdom of heaven? Erika dives into Matthew 22:1-14 today with this parable and answers these questions.   Tabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4453-tabukLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licens...