Wholly Buyable
Advertising Creative Director Chas Bayfield takes you on a road trip through the Bible, leaving one significant item of baggage at home- religion. He tells the story from Genesis to Revelation and explains how this more than any other book has impacted western culture. Wholly Buyable is a podcast for people who might never normally pick up a Bible but who feel they should perhaps know a little more about it than they currently do. After all, the Bible is a book for everyone, not just believers. Listeners will be taken through action sequences worthy of a 21st century TV...
160: The Lovemakers (Song of Songs 1-8)

How this book made it into the Bible is a mystery.
Why it rarely gets a outing in church services us not surprising.;
The Song of Songs is steamy stuff, so much so we've had to put an 'explicit content' warning on this episode.
Some see the book as a metaphor for God's love for his church, others see a gentleman delighting in the aromatic fruits of a lady's garden as a wholly different kind of metaphor.
Enjoy
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
...
159: A Little Bird (Ecclesiastes 9-12)

In a book that rarely veers away from blank negativity and abject realism, the Teacher in Ecclesiastes gives readers yet another reality check:
The fast donât always win the race nor are the strong guaranteed to prevail in battle.Â
The wise donât always have enough to eat, the brilliant arenât always rich and everyone is subject to the vagaries of time and chance.Â
We simply make the most of the cards we are dealt and find joy where we can.
(It'll come as no surprise that Ecclesiastes is one of t...
158: The Man with 100 Children (Ecclesiastes 4-8)

Suffering is part of the human condition.
But is it part of God's plan for his people?
Why, if he is all powerful, doesn't he stop it?
Yes listeners, we go there.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover Art by Lisa Goff
Special: The Bible of the Handmaid's Tale

Gilead. Marthas. Handmaids. Eyes. They sound biblical but if they are, where and what do these references mean? Are actual slave women co-opted as surrogate baby providers in the Bible? Do they truly lie in their mistresses' laps to conceive and give birth? What do the Handmaids mean by "Blessed be the fruit"? And who was the original Jezebel? Fans of the show need look no further. This is the Bible of the Handmaid's Tale.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield.
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa...
157: A Time to Die (Ecclesiastes 1-4)

Meaningless! Meaningless! There aren't many books in the Bible or otherwise that begin as bleakly as this one.
And, plot spoiler, the vibe doesn't lift much as Ecclesiastes progresses.
There is no point to life it seems than for a person to eat, drink and take what pleasure they can from work, as a human lifespan is as brief as it is pointless. Furthermore, the dead are soon forgotten.
Enjoy!
156: The Leech's Daughter (Proverbs 29-31)

Unexpectedly, given that the only women described in the Book of Proverbs so far have been an adulteress and a quarrelsome wife, the book's finale is a eulogy to a character referred to as "the Wife of Noble Character".
This woman is a striking example of smartness, industry, economy, care and moral support, and also provides a fascinating insight into the independence of ancient Near Eastern woman at a time when many assume wives were second class citizens. Instead, this woman is as essential as she is fabulous.
155: Tough Love (Proverbs 27-29)

Death and Destruction are never satisfied, a fool can be crushed into powder yet still not lose his foolishness, and good friends sharpen each other with honest feedback.
The Bible's proverbs are universal and speak to people outside of any religion as well as those who revere the Bible as their holy book. They can be read as advice from a father to his son, a mandate from God to his people or simply as timeless poetry.
If it's 3000 year old wisdom you're after, step this way.
Written and produced...
154: A Little Sleep, a Little Slumber (Proverbs 24-26)

The wisdom of other ancients continues in the second part of the Thirty Sayings of the Wise. A later king of Israel, Hezekiah then adds some more of Solomon's proverbs.Â
Fools, sluggards, neighbours, messengers and wives all come under the spotlight in sayings rich with everyday references: sparrows, honey, donkeys, a thornbush, lions and a golden apple.
Oh, and a dog returning to its vomit...
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa G...
153: The Guilty and the Greedy. (Proverbs 21-23)

Loose tongues cost lives, a bribe pacifies the angry and those with a fondness of wine will never be rich.
Many of Solomon's wise sayings are as true today as when they were written three millennia ago.
In this episode, the rhythm changes a little as the book segues from Solomon's own wisdom to what he refers to as 'The Thirty Sayings of the Wise', many of which still resonate with readers today.
152: The Sluggard (Proverbs 18-20)

The wealthy person who loses friends when they lose their money.
The gossip who betrays a friend's confidence.
And the person who is too lazy to lift their spoon to their mouth.
The torrent of timeless, poetic and sometimes comical proverbs continues.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
Send any questions or feedback to contact@whollybuyable.com
151: The Wicked and the Wise (Proverbs 16-18)

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.Â
Pride comes before a fall.
Grey hair is a crown of splendour.Â
Even the fool who keeps silent is seen as wise.
The proverbs that populate his book are as honest as they are poetic; much needed truths in a world that is craving authenticity and wisdom.
Enjoy the podcast and send any questions or feedback to contact@whollybuyable.com
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Mi...
150: Bone-Rotting Envy (Proverbs 14-15)

Sometimes terse, sometimes poetic, sometimes enigmatic, these often two-line sayings balance the good against the bad, the preferable against the undesirable.
Some of these proverbs offer wisdom, others state the blindingly obvious. Either way, readers are left with accurate insights into a world of relationships, work, commerce and politics that are as familiar in the twenty first century as they were in Solomon's Israel.Â
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
S...
149: Death Snares (Proverbs 11-13)

A beautiful woman who shows no discretion is like a pig with a ring in its nose.
Morally upstanding people care for their animals.
And those who spare the rod ruin their children.
The Book of Proverbs is not afraid to pull punches and the aphorisms that flow from Solomon's pen are nothing if not colourful.
Enjoy the wisdom!
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
148: Chattering Fools (Proverbs 8-11)

The title of T E Lawrence (of Arabia)'s autobiography, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' is taken from a verse in the Book of Proverbs.
In this episode, we also meet 'Love covers a multitude of sins' and the finger wagging evangelicals' favourite, 'the wages of sin is death'.
The Book of Proverbs is not only a treasure trove of wisdom, its beautiful poetic language has also endured.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
147: The Honeytrap (Proverbs 4-8)

"Come, let us drink deeply of love till morning. Let us enjoy ourselves with love!"
Such is the siren call of the adulterous older woman, intent on seducing a foolish yet lustful young man while her husband is away on business.
This is a one way street from which there is no return, Solomon advises his son,Â
It is fair to say this is one of the more colourful sections of the Bible, but it is far from gratuitous.
Another woman also takes centre stage in the Book of Proverbs: Wisdom. An...
146: The Adulterous Woman (Proverbs 1-4)

A new season begins.
This is the Book of Proverbs, a monster collection of aphorisms and other gems of knowledge culled by Israel's King Solomon and other wise ancients.
Much of the book is aimed at the king's children, but the wisdom is universal.
The opening section is a shot across the bows, a signal of what is to come before the floodgates open. An appetite whetter if you will.
As with the Bible's previous book, the Book of Psalms, there's not much story, but there is plenty or poetry. And...
145: The Hail Hurler (Psalms 145-150)

Finally!
We reach the end of the Book of Psalms.
The book ends on a high as writers sing unrestrained songs of praise to God.
As the Psalms reach their upbeat finale, expect Milton, Mendelssohn and missing verses. And joy, lots of it.
Â
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
144. Clear and Present Danger (Psalms 139-144)

The idea that God knows each person on earth intimately has proven one of the more attractive facets of Christianity, and the concept makes its first biblical landfall in the Book of Psalms.
The final short songs of the Psalms are some of the most joyful and poetic as the book crescendoes towards its finale.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
143. Rivers of Babylon (Psalms 132-138)

Originally sung by reggae band The Melodians, and made internationally famous by Boney M, the lyrics about exiles weeping by Babylon's rivers were written thousands of years earlier by a scribe who remembered the desolation felt by his captive people.Â
Modern day fame has catapulted this psalm into the public consciousness but it conceals horrors that are less well known. Psalm 137 is a song of both grief and revenge against the people who attempted to destroy Israel and its children.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield.
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins M...
142: An Escaped Bird (Psalms 121-131)

Short but very sweet.
The songs sung by ancient pilgrims as they travelled from the far corners of the Jewish world to the Jerusalem temple are immortalised in this section of the Book of Psalms.
These are the 'Songs of Ascent' - despite the hill on which the city was built not being the highest in Israel, the journey to Jerusalem was always 'up'.
These short songs of joy have been plundered by hymn writers throughout the ages, and Felix Mendelssohn and Johann Sebastian Bach were also fans.
Cue music!
<...141: Rivers of Blood (Psalms 119-120)

Psalm 119 concludes.
The entire poem is a eulogy to God's laws and the psalmist admires, studies, remembers, contemplates, learns and hopes to understand these rules.Â
There is a repetitive, meditative quality to the poem which is followed by a series of songs sung as pilgrims travelled to Zion, the City of God, Jerusalem.
These are the Songs of Ascent, and here is where they begin.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield.
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music.
Cover art by Lisa Goff
140: The Swarm (Psalms 118-119)

A shout of joy that becomes a political hot potato in New Testament times, and the longest chapter in the Bible.Â
If itâs Godâs laws, rules, ways, decrees, precepts, statutes and commands youâre interested, in this is your happy place.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield.
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music.
Cover art by Lisa Goff
139: The Sea that Fled in Fear (Psalms 112-117)

We're all familiar with the phrase "Hallelujah".
A heartfelt shout of joy uttered by religious and non religious alike.
It first makes landfall in a series of Psalms known, unsurprisingly, as the Halel.
We run into these songs here and find that they contain the shortest chapter in the entire Bible, a song that punches above its weight.
Expect euphoria.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
138: Terrorstorm (Psalms 107-111)

Book Five, the final part of the Book of Psalms begins.
This is where we meet the most quoted Psalm in the Bible, and one of its most beloved.
Psalm 110 sees Israel's great king David referring enigmatically to an even greater king, one who he describes as his Lord, a ruler whose kingdom will reign forever.
Christians believe they know who this king might be!
But first, the book navigates through an epic and poetic storm on the high seas.
137: The Kings who Killed their Children. (Psalms 104-106)

Much as the Psalms were songs of praise to God, some were written as a kind of oral history; a retelling of Israel's story set to music. The music and the repeated telling of these stories embedded in Israel's people a sense of where they had come from and how God had rescued them, set them apart and chosen them to be his special people.
This podcast retells that retelling in plain English, without any assumption that listeners are religious.Â
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
136: The Joybringer. (Psalms 98-103)

The Bible (and the Wholly Buyable podcast) reaches its halfway point with songs of such ebullience they have inspired some of the world's greatest musicians.
Enjoy the joy.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover Art by Lisa Goff
135: The Widow Slayers (Psalms 90-97)

The Book of Psalms is so long that it is split into five separate books.
This is where Book Four begins.
Some believe that these are some of the oldest psalms and that they were written by the Old Testament ancient, Moses.
If that is the case, this would make them some of the oldest writing in the Bible.
The transience of life, God's shield of invincibility and his praiseworthiness all take central stage in these enduring songs.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld a...
134: Dead Man Walking (Psalms 85-89)

The Psalms is not a book you can rush.
These poems pack an even greater punch when you stop to inspect them more closely.
If you're not religious and just want a better handle on what is in between the leatherette cover of a Bible, you've found your happy place.
We're currently sailing through the Book of Psalms, the ancient Jewish songs that not only accompanied worship in Jerusalem's temple, but which have encouraged believers for millennia.
If nothing else, you'll leave this podcast far better informed about Psalms 85-89 than almost everyone...
133: A Bowl of Tears (Psalms 79-84)

We're halfway through the Book of Psalms and we're hitting peak poetry.
To the psalmist, one day in God's courts is worth a thousand elsewhere.
He would sooner work as a humble temple guard than live in luxury with his enemy.
Adoration of God is the order of the day, interspersed with the occasional request to God to pour out his fury on any nations that do not worship him.
As ever, these songs continue to sing to their own tune.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music...
132: The Grapes of Wrath (Psalms 75-78)

Who knew?
The title of John Steinbeck's classic has its origins in the Book of Psalms.
Join us as the Jews' epic song book passes its midway point.
This episode sees the song of a man who seems so broken he cannot speak, and we hear of women who have no more tears left to weep.
There is also a history lesson courtesy of the second longest song in the book.
All delivered religion free for those of you who simply want to know what actually goes on between the...
131: Smashed and Burned (Psalms 71-74)

Book Two of the Book of Psalms ends and Book Three begins.
David is all but silent and it's the turn of the temple musicians known as the Sons of Korah and another writer called Asaph to have their voices heard.
David's son, Solomon, also finds his voice.
However, the quintessential themes remain: God is a refuge and a rock and he is called upon to rescue the writers and their nation from their enemies.
These men believe absolutely that the creator of the universe cares deeply about them and their...
130: Wading Through Blood (Psalms 68-70)

A man looking so hard for God that his eyes fail.
Enemies forcing people to pay back what they didnât stealÂ
A man out of his depth as waters continue rising.
A king so mocked and shamed that drunks sing about him.
These are some of the darker passages in the Bible, but hope remains for the psalmists that God will prevail, and that they will see triumph over their adversaries.
129: What Hath God Wrought? (Psalms 61-67)

A psalm quoted at the coronation of King Charles III and the first words tapped out by Samuel Morse.
The Psalms are a treasure of literary gems while remaining a source of inspiration and encouragement to millions.Â
Expect gratitude and joy as these ancient songwriters continue to use words to give shape to thankfulness.
Â
128: Bloodbath (Psalms 56-60)

From Bethlehem Shepherd, to all conquering general, to king of Israel.
Few people have had a story arc quite as extraordinary as David's.
But his journey was not without extreme adversity, and fortunately for readers of the Book of Psalms, he captured his struggle with both enemies and the God who he hoped would protect him in poetry that has endured the centuries.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music bt Michael Auld an Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
127: Broken (Psalms 50-55)

In this sequence of Psalms, Israel's king, David suffers a long dark night of the soul after sending a man to his death, he berates an evil shepherd who massacred a community of Israel's priests and is betrayed by a close friend.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
126: Death Shepherd (Psalms 45-49)

The temple musicians known as the Sons of Korah are in full song.
A psalm about a glorious king and his bride, three songs eulogising God's earthly capital, Zion, and a song that promises death to those who trust in their own wisdom.
\Join us as we jump back into the Jews' ancient song bookÂ
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
125: The Diseased and the Desolate (Psalms 39-44)

The Book of Psalms is so long that it is divided up into five smaller books.
This is where Book One ends and Book Two begins.
However, the familiar themes of God as a rock and refuge continue, and the spirit of David looms large as both author and inspirer of many of the songs.
However, the tone is notably darker and gloomier in Book Two, as praise makes way for lament.
Join us as we continue through the Jews' ancient but enduring songbook.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music...
124: Festering Wounds (Psalms 35-38)

A betrayal: ruthless witnesses coming forward; accusations, people repaying good deeds with evil ones.Â
Prayers unanswered, enemies laughing, and slander that appeared never to end.Â
At what point will God intervene? David asks.
These are some of the darkest verses in the Book of Psalms, and some of the most beautiful.Â
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
(birdsong accidental)
Cover art by Lisa Goff
123: The Haters (Psalms 31-34)

Hate one another is not a verse you'll find in the Bible but this particular four letter word raises its head in the Book of Psalms.
Join us as we navigate our slow moving tourbus through the Bible's longest book and into what seem like stormy waters.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff
122: The Bloodthirsty and the Blameless (Psalms 25-30)

The Jews' songbook continues.
Join us as we travel through this richly poetic literature, much of it believed to be written by Israel's king David - or his more than able ghostwriter.
What we lose in story or plot twists, we gain in deeply felt emotion as a man bares his heart before God.
These are songs that sing to their own tune.
Written and produced by Chas Bayfield
Music by Michael Auld and Jon Hawkins Music
Cover art by Lisa Goff