Commuter Bible

Our passage today begins with an appeal to Israel to be holy before their holy God, using some the Ten Commandments as bullet points for discussion. As we read, you’ll notice that there is to be an “otherness” amongst the Israelites that makes them distinct from the rest of the world. To our modern ears and worldview, it may seem limiting or perhaps cruel that the Lord would be so particular, but...

We’re continuing to look at those actions or objects that make one ceremonially unclean in the Israelite community; sometimes those things are related to infectious diseases, sometimes it is because they are immoral or detestable, but other times they simply represent being set apart for the Lord. Not everything in today’s reading has a moral component, it simply means the person can’t approach th...

As part of their covenant with the Lord, the Israelites were given regulations concerning what is considered clean and unclean. At times this is a means of health and well-being, at other times it serves as a distinction from surrounding nations. The term “unclean” doesn’t necessarily mean those things are dirty, germ-infested, or immoral, though some of them certainly are, but these things are al...

As you continue to listen to these instructions on sacrifices, I encourage you to imagine what it would be like to experience these sacrifices. The warmth of a live animal and the feel of coarse hair under your hand as the animal is slaughtered for your sin; the smell of incense and roasting meat; the sight of blood splattered onto the clean, hand-crafted tunics of the priest who go before the Lor...

We are beginning the book of Leviticus; the title basically means, “pertaining to the Levites,” as this book dives deeper into the responsibilities of priests and the divine-human relationship codified on Mount Sinai. These are instructions on how an impure people can be made holy by obedience to a perfect God. We’ll look at four kinds of offering today. The burnt offering is given with prayer or...

Well today is our last episode in the book of Acts, and as this book concludes, we see Paul continue to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. He presents his position to kings and noblemen, respectfully arguing that his position is valid and worthy of consideration. We also see that his Jewish audience is willing to listen to him up until a certain point, and that br...

As Paul’s group says farewell to the Ephesians, a Judean prophet predicts that Paul will be taken into custody if he goes to Jerusalem, but Paul is still determined to go. Though he and other fellow believers try to show the Jews that Paul is not a blasphemer, it seems to be of little use. A riot ensues and Paul is attacked. The local officials step in to help, finding out later that Paul is a Rom...

Paul continues to preach the good news of Jesus from city to city, and the Jews continue to be jealous of the attention he is getting by preaching Jesus. Riots ensue, often because Jewish leaders conspire to work up crowds against the apostles. Both Jews and Greeks come to faith in Christ, and new churches are planted. Finally, Paul says goodbye to the Ephesian church elders, knowing he will never...

Today we’ll look at the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, and at the end of our episode we’ll begin Paul’s second journey accompanied in part by Luke, the writer of the book of Acts. Men and women from different backgrounds, cultures, and occupations are hearing the message of Christ and turning to Him in faith. We’ll also witness a convention of church leaders meeting together to dis...

In the chapters ahead of us we’ll see Phillip, one of the twelve apostles, getting directions from God to go evangelize an Ethiopian eunuch, and after baptizing the new convert, Philip disappears from the site and reappears in another city. We’ll also see the young Jewish leader named Saul has his heart set on persecuting all those who belong to the Way of Jesus, but the Lord interrupts him and cr...

Well, if you hadn’t quite it together just yet, the book of Acts gets it’s name because it is packed with action. The apostles continue to preach, the crowds continue to turn to Jesus, and the leaders of the Israelites (especially those of the Sadducees who deny the resurrection) continue to rage against Christ’s followers. The section ahead of covers to unique firsts in the life of the church, in...

The book of Acts is an account of the beginnings of God’s church written down by Luke; yes, the same Luke who wrote the gospel of Luke. Christianity has always been marked by life together with other believers. Here in these opening chapters we see how the church began, how it spread throughout God’s people, and continued on to redeem those who were outside God’s covenant with Israel. The signs an...

Have you ever talked to someone who’s really into their work, and they’re so excited about it that it seems they just can’t stop talking about it? Maybe you’ve done that with your own work, with a hobby you enjoy, or with player stats from your favorite team. To our ears it may seem like the book of Exodus is simply repeating itself, but in actuality it’s communicating the excitement, the gravity,...

In our last episode, Israel had turned away from the Lord while Moses was with the Lord on Mount Sinai. Even though they had just committed themselves to following the Lord God, they quickly lost their resolve and turned to Aaron, who in turn gave them a golden calf to worship. After this grave sin, God tells Moses He will no longer go with Israel to the land He had promised Abraham and his descen...

By the end of our reading Moses will have spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai, and in that amount of time, the Israelites will have given up on Moses and on the Lord. Not long beforehand, the nation of Israel had promised that they would do all that the Lord had commanded, but in short order, they turn away from God. They instead turn to Aaron, who caves to the crowd’s demands, making them a golden calf fo...

Some episodes are going to be action-packed and some are going to sound like you’re reading an instruction book, and this episode may tend toward the latter of the two. It’s important to remember, however, that the tabernacle is the place where the God of the universe, perfect in all His ways, matchless in power and authority, would meet with His people in a unique way. If it were up to you to bui...

On today’s episode God begins to give very specific commands to the Israelite people on what it looks like to be fair, kind, and gracious to one another. The Lord’s justice is severe for those who are selfish and outright rebellious, but gracious toward those who have no intention of causing harm. As you listen, it can be tempting to think that these are dry or irrelevant, but put yourself in the...

As the nation of Israel begins their journey into the wilderness, they find themselves without food and water, but rather than turn to the Lord, they complain to Moses. The Lord graciously provides for his people despite their grumbling, giving them, not only food and water, but a moral code by which they might live; this Decalogue, more commonly known as the Ten Commandments, allowed Israel to kn...

Pharoah finally releases Israel from Egypt, but not before the Lord devastates the people of Egypt with a final plague that kills the firstborn of every family. The lord distinguishes between Israel and Egypt once again by giving them a new to be passed down from generation to generation as a testament to the power of God. By covering their doorways with the blood of a prescribed sacrifice, the pe...

Today we begin to examine the ten plagues sent upon Egypt that testify to the power of the great I AM. It has been suggested that each plague is designed to show pharaoh, and all of Egypt along with him, that their gods are no match for the God of Israel, systematically robbing them of any power they claimed to have. When Pharaoh refuses to let Israel go into the wilderness to worship the Lord, Go...

This is the beginning of the book of Exodus, a pivotal story in the history of Israel. Throughout Scripture, Israel is often reminded that God is the one who led His people out of bondage and out of Egypt; it’s a way to point to His power, His kindness, and His covenant faithfulness to fulfill His promises. We meet Moses, the lowly Hebrew who is rescued from destruction, raised in pharaoh’s house,...

We’re covering the last three chapters of Mark today, which includes Mark’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus. In our text, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, Judas betrays the Lord, Peter denies any relationship with Jesus, the chief priests and scribes hold court and convict Jesus of blasphemy, and send him to Pilate to be crucified. You’ll notice that Jesus references Psalm 22 before he brea...

The path of Jesus leads to Jerusalem, where many rightly assume that this teacher is the long awaited Son of David. However, they wrongly assume that Jesus will ascend to an earthly throne and subdue Israel’s earthly enemies. The kingdom that Jesus will bring about, however, is one that extends beyond geographical bounds and instead lays claim to the hearts of the faithful. The chief priests, scri...

While the disciples display great faith and devotion, they often don’t comprehend the extent of Christ’s power or his ability to provide all that they need. As a means of commenting on their clouded perception of reality, Jesus takes heals a blind man partially before fully opening his eyes (much like the disciples who did not fully comprehend, but whose eyes would later be opened to the truth). J...

The crowds continue to seek after Jesus as His miraculous healings and exorcisms gain notoriety across the land. It’s clear that His power and authority over nature, over sickness, and over demons are a surprising and puzzling sight for those encounter these miracles. They incite fear in those who understand the gravity of His power and they spark hope in those who see His compassion. His teaching...