The Context and Color of the Bible

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Veronica explains the curses that Moses lays out to the people.  She helps show how these curses would affect the people, why these are bad, and how they take in more scope than we realize.   She also starts the conversation about the blessings, but doesn't get into the specific blessings.  Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook...

Send us Fan Mail We finish the final laws of Deuteronomy and come back to where we started.  Moses is looking at all the people and encouraging them to stay united even after he's gone.   We also look at how God's character and attributes are seen through His laws.  He displays compassion while being just.  He shows His justice while showing mercy.  Studying these laws have given us a be...

Send us Fan Mail When the laws don't make sense, it might be helpful to look at the laws of the surrounding nations.  During this episode Veronica explains how God's laws actually protect women, foreigners, and the poor.  We discuss marriage, slavery, and loans.  In the end, we see that God has everything perfectly balanced and fair for everyone involved.  Our website is The Context and...

Send us Fan Mail Time to get into more laws that don't always seem connected.  We discuss captive women, husbands having more than one wife, looking out for your neighbor's animals and ways God's law do protect women, even when we can't see it.  If you are interested in the list of books Erika has mentioned throughout our podcasts, you can find it pinned at the top of our Faceb...

Send us Fan Mail What are God's rules for war?  Deuteronomy 20 lays out what God expects of the men, but did you realize there is some compassion in those rules?  Read this chapter and then look at the books of Samuel, Kings, and Judges to see how well the people listen. We also talk about unsolved murders and how the people are to atone for the blood that has been spilled.   Our website is T...

Send us Fan Mail Erika brings up the discussion of why and critical thinking.  Why does a good God give this law?  How does this law bring life?  Why did God choose the Levites?  Why are the expectations about the priesthood clearly laid out?  Why is God specific in some areas, but ambiguous in other areas? Why are there cities of refuge?  Why does the person who killed someone get a chance to run...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we talk about the three pilgrimage festivals, judges, and kings.  God is continuing to set up how His people are to run their nation differently from the pagan nations around them.  He wants the leaders of the land to be just and fair.   This chapter gives great background info to the book of Judges and Solomon's reign.  It shows us where the judges and Solomo...

Send us Fan Mail Do you give rules to your kids just for the fun of it?  Or do you have a reason for your rules?  Most often the rules are there to set our children up for success and to live a better life.   How much more than does it make sense for God to give His children rules? In this episode Veronica and Erika discuss kosher food and the purposes for it, the purposes of tithes, who get their...

Send us Fan Mail Would you think God's laws and instructions bring about rejoicing?  Why would God's laws and instructions bring about rejoicing?   On the podcast, Veronica begins discussing the section of Deuteronomy that lays out laws.  Worshiping God should not look like worship of false gods so God lays out how to worship Him.   These laws are meant to bless Israel and the people who...

Send us Fan Mail In this chapter Moses calls the people to obey and explains what they will receive (hint rain is vital in the blessing).  He reminds the people that if they lived in Egypt, they wouldn't need God like they will in the land of promise.   Veronica and Erika explain the importance of rain and how flesh out why it's called the land of milk and honey.  Our website is The Cont...

Send us Fan Mail Moses continues his look back.  Veronica explains how covenants and stone tablets were typical of Ancient Near Eastern customs.  Then Moses turns the conversation to Israel's call to fearing God, walking in obedience, serving Him with heart and soul and observing His commands.   Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook - The Context and Color of th...

Send us Fan Mail Moses continues his look back as he explains to Israel what God promises if she is willing to obey.   The lessons in Deuteronomy are based on remembrance.  Moses is calling the people to remember God's faithfulness, their struggles, God's blessings and their calling.   Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bib...

Send us Fan Mail Moses is still looking back as he retells Israel their story.  But as he looks back, he's also looking forward to what God promises to do when the people are obedient.   These stories and commands have lessons for us and about God that we can learn from today.  Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bible | Facebook...

Send us Fan Mail Veronica explains some famous verses found in Deuteronomy 6 while also showing us how God's law is meant to impact society.  When we try to understand these laws, it helps us see how God's kingdom should be governed. Living under God's law helps us prosper.  Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bible | F...

Send us Fan Mail  A pivotal moment where Moses revisits the Ten Commandments and reminds Israel of their covenant with God.  Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bible | Facebook We are on Instagram - @contextandcolorofthebible We are on YouTube - The Context and Color of the Bible - YouTube Music: Tabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://i...

Send us Fan Mail This is such a great chapter.  I wish we had time to go through each verse one at a time.  Instead, we hit the highlights and show how incredible God is and His heart for His people.   We show how God's covenants and laws are a blessing for the people to set them apart from the nations so they can be a light to the world.  Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We...

Send us Fan Mail Moses is reviewing the highlights for the people and setting them up for victory as they head into the land.  These verses pull stories from Genesis and Numbers and expect the audience to know the backstory.   Our website is The Context and Color of the Bible We are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bible | Facebook We are on Instagram - @contextandcolorofthebible We are...

Send us Fan Mail There is so much more to these verses in chapter 1.  We are pulling out the backstories from Genesis, looking at a map to see the movement of the people, discovering God's characteristics in His law, and redefining the purpose of His law (hint it's found in Isaiah 49:6).  Join us we look at Moses's final words to the people as we start Deuteronomy. Our website is Th...

Send us Fan Mail This podcast series explores Deuteronomy, focusing on Moses’s final words to Israel and God’s plan for His nation to be a light to the world. Using law, God provides guidance for building a just, faithful society rooted in His character.  Veronica sets the stage for this book as she describes the job set before Moses and the issues that could make it hard.  She references Jerusale...

Send us Fan Mail Have you read Genesis with your kids and come across some verses or chapters that you aren't sure what to say?  We are here to help you navigate those conversations as we share what we've done with our kids.   Erika mentions her Old Testament Treasures and those episodes are 159-171.  Erika mentioned the book "SoundTracks" by Jon Acuff.   Ali mentioned the musi...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered what a word in the Bible meant?  In this episode Veronica walks us through her 5 minute process she does when she wants to know what a word means.   Bonus to this episode is finding out what it means when Scripture says God repents or God regrets in Genesis 6:6. Veronica mentions her new tween/teen Bible studies on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus.  Those are avai...

Send us Fan Mail There is so much more going on in the story of Daniel and the lions' den.  Have you considered why those men targeted Daniel and what that meant about him?  What connections can you find between Daniel and Esther or Daniel and Habakkuk?  What does Daniel's prayer teach us about God's track record? This is an episode you don't want to miss.    Bryan is the digit...

Send us Fan Mail At first read, Daniel 5 seems straightforward - a partying king, a handwritten message on the wall, and a kingdom falls. But there is a lot more going on behind the scenes as well as encouraging lessons we can all learn.   Bryan VanHaitsma is back in the studio bringing more color to this story than you realized was possible.  It will one episode worth listening to and sharing wit...

Send us Fan Mail From the start of the chapter, it sounds like King Nebuchadnezzar is praising God.  He then starts to tell why he is praising God.  This is later in his life and his third encounter with God.  Join us as we break down this chapter and see what finally got King Nebuchadnezzar's attention.  Bryan is the digital media director for Revive Our Hearts.  He studied at Hope College i...

Send us Fan Mail We've been taught this chapter is all about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego but is it really?  Bryan brings a new viewpoint to this chapter as he focuses on the character that is mentioned the most - King Nebuchadnezzar.  In chapter 2 King Nebuchadnezzar ended his dream story acknowledging the God of the Jews revealed mysteries and potentially even worshiped their God.  But th...