Word Processing

The Bible, as a book, is as epic as it is unique. Written by some forty different authors across three different continents over the span of nearly two millennia, this huge text is remarkably and perfectly consistent, confirming what it says about itself—that it is breathed out by God, inspired by him, perfectly revealing himself, his work, and his will. However, as wonderful as it is, sometimes S...

When summarizing books of the Bible, few do it better than Walk Thru the Bible Ministries . Here's what they have to say about the text we arrive at in our study now: "Habakkuk prophesies in Judah before its final distribution at the hands of the Babylonians. Like Job, he honestly raises the perplexing question of why a just God is silent, and why the cries of the faithful seem to go unheard. He s...

Matthew 17 ends with a short and strange story involving a temple tax, a parabolic rhetorical question, and a wealthy fish; all tied together with Jesus making a statement about avoiding offence. It's a passage that offers some unique and specific challenges for followers of Jesus, most of which seem particularly applicable for a time like this. Join with Josiah and Andrew as they seek to continue...

"Almost three thousand years ago, the ancient Assyrians began to flex their muscles. For the greater part of the period from the end of the tenth century to the seventh century BC, this dynamic military power dominated the ancient Near East. At its height the Assyrians could lay claim to an empire that stretched across Asia Minor, from Egypt in the west, to the border between Iran and India in the...

After the glorious mountaintop experience at the beginning of Matthew 17, Jesus, James, John, and Peter return to find the other 9 disciples in an embarrassing situation. Having been asked to heal a demon-possessed boy by his concerned father, they failed, and Jesus rebukes them publicly, along with the crowd, for their lack of faith. Today on the podcast, Josiah and Andrew discuss this passage, a...

The prophet, Micah, asks pointedly and rhetorically: "Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of his possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in unchanging love" (7:18). The implication is that God is entirely unique in his willingness a...

Matthew 17 brings us to one of those glorious moments in scripture, as we get a glimpse into the holy ground that is the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. As was discussed in our most recent Sunday sermon, this incredible, nearly indescribable event was as important as it was awesome, in confirming a number of essential truths for those who witnessed it (and, in turn, for those of us who read about...

How better to introduce a conversation on the book of Jonah than by quoting one of the best theologians and commentators on the subject. "Jonah is one of the most well-known biblical stories. ... It is precisely because we know the story so well that we must work even harder when reading it, otherwise our over-familiarization can dull our senses to the beautiful narration and theological complexit...

In the third Psalm, we read the perspectives of King David as he fled from his scheming son Absalom who incited a rebellion in an attempt to take the throne. While David does not shy away from the brutality of his situation, he also does not leave us in a hopeless place. Instead, by remembering the ways God had been faithful to him in the past, he demonstrates an appreciation for God's sustenance,...

"And though she be but little, she is fierce." Such is how Shakespeare's Helena described her friend, Hermia, in A Midsummer Night's Dream . An unassuming appearance disguised and concealed the power and passion that lay underneath.  Perhaps the same might be said of the twenty-one-verse-long prophetic book of Obadiah, the smallest of the Old Testament works. Though it be but little, it is fi...

The latter part of Matthew 16 contains perhaps one of the most well-known, oft-quoted passages on discipleship in the entire Bible. But what is Jesus actually inviting those who follow him to do? How can we tell if we're trying to follow from the front, or if we've actually gotten behind our Lord? Josiah and Andrew take some time to discuss discipleship on today's episode, and why it's important t...

Speaking of the timelessness of the book of Amos, one author writes this : "Injustice permeates our world, yet as Christians we often turn a blind eye to the suffering of others for 'more important' work like praying, preaching, and teaching. But the book of Amos reminds us that those works, while unquestionably central to a believer’s life, ring hollow when we don’t love and serve others in our o...

The most important question ever asked, and the most important response ever written. It may seem dramatic to say so, but that is really what we find within the words of the middle of Matthew 16. This week, Josiah and Andrew discuss this eternity-shaping inquiry and it's reality-altering response, and why it was important not just to Peter, but to every single one of us.

First impressions of the book of Joel may be akin to " same song, different verse ," as it includes familiar themes of disobedience and discipline, retribution and restoration. One pastor summarizes the book this way: "Using what was at that time the well-known locust plague in Judah, Joel capitalized on a recent tragedy to dispense the Lord's message of judgment and the hope of repentance. In ref...

After yet another public confrontation, Jesus leaves the Pharisees and Sadducees, and warns his disciples to be wary of their teaching—their unbelief—because it is infectious and has the ability to spread rapidly. In today's episode, Josiah and Andrew dive a bit deeper into the beginning half of Matthew 16 to see exactly what Jesus is doing through his actions and his warnings, and how we can be p...

"Hosea is not an easy book. It begins with a prophet receiving a command to marry a prostitute and promptly describes the births of his three children, each of whom is given a bizarre but significant name. From here the book swiftly plunges into a maze of warnings, microsermons, poems, and laments, and through them all it swiftly and evasively alludes to biblical texts and incidents, mixes metapho...

We're back! After a few weeks away from the podcast, Josiah and Andrew return to talk about the new year, giving some practical suggestions for resolutions and goals in our spiritual lives. You can find the original post discussed in today's podcast here.

It would be difficult to top Paul Tanner's introductory words about the book of Daniel, so we won't try. "The book of Daniel, undoubtedly one of the most unique books in the Bible, has fascinated Christian readers throughout the centuries. ... The stories and visions, while they make for entertaining reading, also provide significant revelation about God and his sovereign control of the nations of...

It seems we could almost reuse many of the introductory comments for the books of the Bible in this corner of the canon. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah before it, Ezekiel is a significant text through which to wade. Opening his work on this book, Charles Dyer wrote, "For the average reader of the Bible, the Book of Ezekiel is mostly a perplexing maze of incoherent visions—a kaleidoscope of whirling whee...

Many cultures today spend a significant amount of time, energy, and money attempting to guard against, avoid, ignore, and distance ourselves from all forms of suffering and sorrow, making many people ill-equipped when inevitably met with times of both. One author has noted that "increasingly we lack the social practices, words, and concepts necessary to grasp our pain by the horns and stare it in...

At first glance, the book of Jeremiah is a tough read. It's long, prophetic, and largely sorrowful. In fact, A. W. Streane opens his work on the book this way: "It is difficult to conceive any situation more painful than that of a great man, condemned to watch the lingering agony of an exhausted country, to tend it during the alternate fits of stupefaction and raving which precede its dissolution,...

Another year is quickly coming to its conclusion, and with it, this season of Word Processing. Today Josiah and Andrew take a look back at the year: the joys and trials, and what God has been teaching them through it all. Be sure to stay tuned for new episodes of Word Processing coming in January, 2022; and in the meantime, follow along with our Cover-to-Cover series which will continue each week....

We've got our work cut out for us this week as we arrive in our study at the impressive and prophetic book of Isaiah. "Of all the books in the OT, Isaiah is perhaps the richest. Its literary grandeur is unequaled. Its scope is unparalleled. The breadth of its view of God is unmatched. In so many ways it is a book of superlatives. Thus it is no wonder that Isaiah is the most quoted prophet in the N...

After months of lockdowns and restrictions and shockingly quiet roadways, it seems like, for many of us, life has gotten busy again! And in the midst of trying to balance work, family, serving, and anything else we have going on, it's not uncommon to spend some time thinking about rest. Well after a refreshing time away, Josiah rejoins the podcast today to discuss this at-times-confusing subject,...

Discussing God's view of human sexuality and marital intimacy can be like driving somewhere wonderful along a highway bracketed by two steep and dangerous ditches. One ditch is characterized by flippancy, irreverence, and crassness. With this error, sex is trivialized and all its sacred beauty is stripped away. The second ditch, however, is just as dangerous and is characterized by silence, awkwar...