Wholly Buyable

Within just a few years of Joshua's death, the spiritual vibe in Israel goes dramatically south. To try and get the train back on the rails, God installs judges. These aren't legally minded judiciaries, they are godly leaders raised up to defend Israel from its enemies, and the justice they dispense is often both sudden and dramatic. The drama dial is set back to 10 as the Book of Judges...

Just as the 12 Tribes of Israel look like they have settled into their new home the boat is suddenly rocked. The three tribes who have settled east of the river build a giant altar. They know that Israel only needs one designated altar site, so why the need for a second? Have the three tribes to the east of the river turned to pagan worship already? Have these tribes gone rogue?  The Book of Joshu...

If you're in desperate need of spiritual sustenance, you've chosen the wrong podcast. At the best of times, Wholly Buyable is Bible Lite. The passages covered this week really aren't anyone's go to Scripture, but that doesn't mean they're any less fascinating. This is where we learn which tribes settled where and which cities they are given to live in.  So if you like...

After wiping out Jericho without raising a weapon, Joshua's army can be forgiven for thinking that the rest of the settlement of Canaan will be a shoe in. So when the army crashes and burns at only its second battle, the communal mojo collapses. Is Israel's conquest campaign over almost as soon as it has begun? Chapters covered: Joshua 10-11 Written and produced by Chas Bayfield Music my...

Season 6 is here. And Israel v Canaan is finally on. Having had 40 years to prepare for the battles ahead, The Israelites are ready to take on whatever their enemy throws at them. Will it be a bloody struggle, or will their advance be like a hot knife through butter? First though, they must cross the River Jordan in flood, with no bridges and no boats. It seems impossible, but this is Bible countr...

Season 5 finale!  The Jews call it the Torah, the Greeks call it the Pentateuch. For everyone else, it's the first five books of he Bible that lay down the fundamental laws that many Christians and Jews follow. Here, Moses sings, writes and warns before climbing his last mountain. Now it's Joshua's turn to steer his unruly and often rebellious nation into their new home. Chapters co...

When most people think of the Bible, the first thing that comes to mind generally isn't fathers greedily chewing on the corpses of their children. This ghoulish image is one suggested by Moses as a potential reality in post-belief Israel. If God's people turn away from him, horror will rain down on them, he says. As you'll see, Moses doesn't hold back, hence the explicit conten...

Fairness, kindness, social justice and human rights are not values often associated with the Old Testament, a book that is famed for its violence, intolerance and misogyny. Yet read between the lines and you'll see that there is an overarching sense of protecting the weak and making sure that everyone has a fair crack at life.  Join us as Moses briefs 2 million Israelites on the cusp of enter...

Adultery, rape, murder and toileting all get an airing in this mishmash of laws handed out by Moses. But what seems a random rule generator does have some kind of logic, there is a bigger picture behind the mass of tiny details. And lots of stoning for anyone who chooses to make up their own rules... Chapters covered: Deuteronomy 20-23 Written and produced by Chas Bayfield Music composed by Michae...

A lot rests on Israel's people getting it right when they get to Canaan and for Moses, there's no such thing a  being too prepared, After all, he spent over 80 days up Mount Sinai with God having been handpicked to lead his people out of Egypt and into their new home.  If all goes well and the people continue to trust in God, life will be a breeze in the bucolic paradise. If they lose th...

The Book of Deuteronomy doesn’t promise any high octane action sequences.  As its Greek name suggests, this is the second law giving - the first was 40 years earlier to a generation now deceased.  These people’s children have now taken on the mantle of responsibility that will see them attempt to enter the promised land of Canaan. Forewarned is forearmed, and Moses’ briefing is far from over. Chap...

"A vast, dreadful, thirsty, waterless wilderness filled with poisonous snakes and scorpions." This is what the Israelites can expect if they turn from God and go their own way once they have settled in their new land. And they have form, as Moses is only too willing to remind them. The current generation who he is addressing in advance of the invasion of Canaan  may be no saints but thei...

Huddled by the river and, as Lady Gaga might say, standing on the edge of glory, the Israelites still have a long way to go before they are fully prepped to enter the Promised Land. It is here they are taught exactly why their God differs from other gods and why it makes sense to follow him. Part recap, part motivational speech Moses words prepares a new generation to become the founding mothers a...

Flogged, nailed to a cross and buried in a stone tomb, Jesus' ministry has reached the end of the road. It's a disaster for his followers, many of whom assumed he might lead a full on rebellion against Judea's Roman overlords. But three days after he officially dies, something happens that not even his closest companions could have predicted. This is the moment that launches an itin...

Season 5 is here! After the excitement and action, the pace drops a little- but not the interest. The pressure is now on Moses to inspire his people to cross the river Jordan into what has been spun to them as the Land of Milk and Honey.  Everything depends on the success of his pep talk.  He begins with a history lesson. After all, if they are confident that God has been with them so far, there&a...

Arguably the most famous event in history, and perhaps only superseded by another even more spectacular occurrence thee days later, the execution of a popular leader from a village at the eastern edge of the Roman Empire is still of paramount importance to 2 billion people. If you know anything about Jesus, you know he died on a cross. But was there more to this, or was his death simply the result...

Just as Moses thinks that the future settlement of Canaan is in the bag, he is hit by a massive curveball. Two of the tribes who he was planning to have in his all-conquering army decide not to cross the river into the promised land. Israel's leader is furious and as the Book of Numbers reaches its season finale, the nation's future has never seemed more precarious. Chapters covered: Num...

To the victor the  spoils!  As the Book of Numbers speeds towards its finale, listeners are given more fascinating insights into bronze age rites and rituals. Sheep goats and bulls are butchered in their thousands and Israel takes revenge on Midian for using its women to seduce Israel's men.  Chapters covered: Numbers 27-31 Conversuons: 3½lb (1.6kg) flour 2 pints (1 litre) of high-grade olive...

Faced with almost two million potential enemies at his gates, Moab's king needs a get out. His plan is an optimistic one. It is to bribe a pagan shaman to rain down curses on Israel, enfeebling them and neutralising their threat. He believes that this wizard is more powerful than Israel's God, and when there's money to be had, the shaman is not going to contradict him.  What happens...

Chapters covered: Numbers 20-23 The drama is properly back. Having survived a coup, lost  his sister and had his entry visa to the Promised Land revoked, Moses must face an even greater blow. National security too is under threat as Israel's enemies forma coalition and attempt to use the dark arts to bring Moses and his two million compatriots down. Written and produced by Chas Bayfield  Musi...

Chapters covered: Numbers 17-20 The rebellion has been crushed but the camp is still shaken. Moses and Aaron need the rest of Israel to know exactly who God wants to lead them. However, being the chosen ones comes at a price. The brothers' behaviour needs to be unimpeachable. One careless or impetuous move could sent the whole house of cards crashing down. Written and produced by Chas Bayfiel...

Chapters covered: Numbers 14-16 Stunned by the news that their lack of faith now means that they must spend the next 38 years in the Sinai Desert, rebellion sets in. A rogue priest gathers some co-conspirators to challenge the leadership of Moses and his brother Aaron. Drama ensues as God appears to make the final decision as to who he wants leading his people, and where he wants them to go. Credi...

Chapters covered:  Numbers 10-14 With the move finally underway, the Israelites now need reassurance that the land they are heading for is suitable for habitation - and that the current inhabitants can be defeated. Spies are sent into Canaan, but the intel they bring back divides the nation - with disastrous consequences. Written and produced by Chas Bayfield Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins...

Episodes covered: Numbers 6-10 Now fully informed as to how God intends them to live alongside one another in a way that is pleasing to him, the mass of people in the shadow of Mt Sinai readies itself to break camp.  All they need to do is bring themselves and their portable temple tent on the relatively short journey north to Canaan.  With God in charge of the movement and Moses physically leadin...

Chapters covered: Numbers 1-5 Season 4 begins. Despite sounding like a maths book, the Book of Numbers is actually one of the most exciting action-packed books. in the Bible Spies, wizards, dancing girls, plagues  and couples javelined to death while having sex await travellers who dive into its pages.  But first, the tabernacle needs moving and the 8000+ men whose job it is to move it need to be...