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Introduction

Today is Poetry Thursday, and we’ll finish the book of Ecclesiastes by reading chapters 11-12. 

And I hope you’ll forgive me, but today I am just going to run a repeat of last year’s episode for this reading. As I record this, it’s about 8:30 at night, which means there is only 90 minutes before the show is due to publish, and this is the first chance I’ve had to be in the studio all day, which is highly unusual. So there is no time to produce a new episode...

Did God really send two bears to kill 42 little children because they made fun of a bald prophet?

That’s how the story in 2 Kings 2:23-24 is often told. But is that what the Bible actually says?

In this episode of Verses We Missed, we look at who these “boys” really were, why the Hebrew matters, what was significant about their coming out of Bethel, and what “Get out of here, baldy!” may have meant in light of what had just happened to Elijah.

A Bald Prophet, 2 Bears and 42 “Boys”

Before Elisha ever me...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 137-139. I’m calling today’s episode “The God Who Knows Me.” 

Comments on Psalm 139

I love the fact that God knows me intimately. To understand that He knows my desire to know and serve Him makes me feel good, as when a little boy is happy when his daddy is pleased with him. But to also understand that God knows my ugly, dark, sinful parts causes me to feel utterly amazed that He sti...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is History Tuesday and we’ll begin the book of Nehemiah. Our reading will be chapters 1-4.

Comments on Nehemiah 1-4

See if you agree with this statement: What matters to God should matter to us. 

When the book of Nehemiah was written, about a thousand years had passed since God had used Moses to lead the people out of their Egyptian captivity. A lot had happened in the passing years. There had been the time of...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is Monday, so we’ll read from one of the books of the law. Deuteronomy 20-22. I’m calling today’s episode “There Are Two.” 

And I have an important announcement today.

Comments on Deuteronomy 22

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”? I don’t think I’m a fool, but if I am, so be it. Every so often, current events and/or cultural conditions can’t help but influence my commenta...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is Epistles Sunday. Our reading will be 1 John 1-3.. Before I begin the chapters, I’ll have an introduction to John’s Epistles for you. Tomorrow is August 1st, and I will have an announcement to share with you on the show, so don’t miss it. I’m calling today’s episode “They’re Talking About You.” 

Comments on 1 John 1-3

Chapter 1

John begins chapter one much like he did his Gospel. He refers to Jesus as the Word...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is Gospel Saturday Acts 17-18. I’m calling today’s episode “Just Do Your Job.”

Comments on Acts 18

Something that struck me in today’s reading was in verse 5 and 6. Paul had told the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, and he was opposed and slandered. Other translations use the word “blasphemed” or “became abusive” or “insulted.” His response to this treatment was interesting. What do many of us tend to do today when people don’t accept our message? We try to change...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is Prophecy Friday Zechariah 8-14.  I’m calling today’s episode “There Is A Fountain.”  

Comments on Zechariah 8-14

The Messiah is prophesied in chapter 6. There, He is referred to as the Branch, who will build the Temple of the Lord. What temple did Jesus build? The Church. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19.

And then in chapter 7, the Lord, through Zechariah, said that His people ignored Him, so He ignored th...

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Podcast Introduction

Today is Poetry Thursday. We’ll read Ecclesiastes 9-10.  I’m calling today’s episode “No White Knuckles.” 

Comments on Ecclesiastes 9-10

Last week when we were last in Ecclesiastes, at the end of chapter eight, Solomon had said that after setting his mind on understanding wisdom, after watching what happens here on earth, he concluded that it’s impossible for a man to understand it all. And this is coming from the wisest man that ever lived!

At the beginning of our reading...

What does it mean to “commit” your work to God? Proverbs 16:3 gives us a vivid Hebrew picture that may change how you think about your plans, desires, and trusting God with what comes next.

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Executive Producer

John.

Podcast Introduction

Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 134-136.  I’ll have a brief introduction to the chapter before we begin reading.  I’m calling today’s episode “Forever Is A Long Time”  

Comments on Psalm 136

You might remember that I’ve said more than once, “When the Bible repeats something, it’s usually because God wants us to remember it,” or words to that effect. See if you can pick up the important thought in th...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is History Tuesday, and we’ll read Ezra 6-10. I’m calling today’s episode “It’s Not As Bad As It Sounds.”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Xan Griffin on Unsplash Comments on Ezra 10 In this chapter we find Ezra kneeling in front of the temple, tearfully confessing the sins of the people of Israel. And he is joined by a large crowd of men, women and children who also begin weeping bitterly. Why are they crying? Because they have disobeyed God by marrying foreign, or as some translations say, pagan women from the local area. Do you remembe...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Monday. We’ll read Deuteronomy 16-19.  I’m calling today’s episode “You Consulted A What?”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Drew Beamer on Unsplash Comments on Deuteronomy 18 One thing that comes through very clearly in this chapter of Deuteronomy is that dabbling in the occult is something that God will hates. That means playing with horoscopes, Tarot cards, numerology, Ouiji boards, or trying to contact the dead through seances or anything else. Some people consider this type of thing “just having fun”. But when you read this chapter of Deuteronomy, you see that God does not see it that...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read the book of 2 Peter. I’m calling today’s episode “How To Identify A Counterfeit.”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Marten Newhall on Unsplash Comments on 2 Peter 1-3 I’d like to just briefly touch on a couple of points made by Peter. First, the topic of false teachers. They were a problem in Old Testament times, they were a problem in the early church, and they are a problem today.  False teachers are usually students of the human mind and human weaknesses, and they know what people like to hear. Their motivatio...

Transcript Distinguished Producer Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle Podcast Introduction Today is Gospel Saturday Acts 15-16. I’m calling today’s episode “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.”  Design: Steve Webb | Photo: CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash Comments on Acts 15 I’m always struck by the last scene in chapter 15. It’s in verses 36 through 41. Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go and see how well the followers were doing in the cities they had visited and preached in. Barnabas said, “Hey, let’s take my cousin, John Mark along with us.” Paul said, “Yeah, no. When things got tough in Pamphylia, he wimp...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read the first seven chapters of Zechariah. I’m calling today’s episode “The Lord Remembers.”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash Comments on Zechariah 1-7 Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries. Both were called by God after the 70 year exile. Zechariah’s prophecy came two months after Haggai’s first prophecy. Where the prophecies of Haggai had primarily to do with the Temple, Zechariah’s were about the people. The language of Zechariah’s messages were very similar to that of the book of Revelation, with symbolism, types, and visions. Zechariah...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Poetry Thursday. Ecclesiastes 7-8. I’m calling today’s episode “Trust.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash Comments on Ecclesiastes 7-8 I think that what we can take from Solomon’s teaching here in Ecclesiastes is that wisdom, money, power and everything else that man strives for does not bring happiness or understanding or peace. Solomon had it all. But at the end of his life he realized that what God does is far beyond man’s understanding.  Notice that not once has he accused God of being unjust or unfair. He has said that...

What does Colossians 1:11 mean? Paul talks about being strengthened with God's power and glorious might—but what he says that power is for might surprise us. In this episode of Verses We Missed, we explore why God's power doesn't always look like immediate healing, deliverance, or victory. Sometimes the race keeps going, the prayer remains unanswered, and we can't see the wall. What does God's strength look like then? Browse more episodes at Recent Episodes. When You Can't See the Wall Colossians 1:11 (ESV) Colossians 1:11 (ESV) "being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience wi...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 131-133. I’m calling today’s episode “No Room For Pride.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ben White on Unsplash Comments on Psalm 131 Psalm 131 is David’s song in which he declares that pride has no place in his heart. For someone with as many accomplishments as David had, it can be very difficult not to harbor pride or arrogance. We know from Scripture that David had at least one bout with pride, when he got into trouble with Bathsheba. To be sure, lust was a big part of his sin, but pri...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is History Tuesday. We’ll read Ezra chapters 1-5. I’m calling today’s episode “Unlikely Allies.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Yan Laurichesse on Unsplash Comments on Ezra 1-5 Introduction to Ezra The previous book, 2 Chronicles ended with the fall of Jerusalem. All the articles from the temple removed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and the temple itself was set ablaze. The walls of the city were torn down. The people were taken into what would be a 70 year captivity, as was prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah. Ezra 1  And now as Ezra opens, the 70 years have come and gon...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Monday so we’ll read from the Law. We’re still in Deuteronomy, the last book we’ll read from the Law, and our chapters tomorrow will be 13-15. I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “What’s In It For You?”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Annie Spratt on Unsplash Comments on Deuteronomy 15 Have you ever heard someone make a statement like, “You should give, without any expectation of receiving anything in return”? In general, I agree with that statement as it relates to our attitude toward p...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Epistles Sunday, and our reading is 1 Peter 4-5. I’m calling today’s episode “Perspective.”   Design and Photo: Steve Webb Comments on 1 Peter 5 In today’s comments I’d like to address chapter 5, verses 1 through 6. Peter tells the older members to be shepherds to God’s flock from a sincere desire and not for money, and do so by providing a good example, not by lording it over them. And then he tells the younger folks that they should be willing to submit to the older people. He wraps up this section by saying that they should all...

Transcript Distinguished Producer Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle. Podcast Introduction Today is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts 13-14. I’m calling today’s episode “How To React To Rejection.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Lital Levy on Unsplash Comments on Acts 13 We see the beginning of Paul’s first missionary journey in chapter 13. It’s important to note that Paul and Barnabas did not begin this journey based on their own ideas. They were called by the Holy Spirit to this work. And then, the church at Antioch fasted, prayed, laid hands on them and sent them on their way. E...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday. Haggai. I’m calling today’s episode “The Desire of All Nations.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: NASA on Unsplash Comments on Haggai There were twelve Minor Prophets. The first nine prophesied before Judah was taken to Babylon in captivity, or pre-exile. Haggai is the first of the remaining three Minor Prophets who came after the seventy year exile. Cyrus King of Persia allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem in 538 B.C., after seventy years of captivity. Two years later, in 536 B.C., construction to rebuild the Temple was begun, but the work sto...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is  Poetry Thursday. Ecclesiastes 5-6. I’m calling today’s episode “Your Life Has Meaning”    Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Kimia Zarifi on Unsplash Comments on Ecclesiastes 5-6 Solomon begins chapter 5 with good advice. When coming to the house of God, it’s better to listen than to run your head (as my dad would say). Actually, that’s good advice in most situations, don’t you think? You can’t learn much when you’re talking. But when coming before the Lord, listening will always be more beneficial than speaking. And then Solomon went on to say that money will ne...

What does Psalm 20:7 mean when it says to trust in the name of the LORD? Discover what Pharaoh’s chariots, Yahweh’s name, and the Exodus teach us about where we place our trust.

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 128-130. I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “It’s More Than Happy.”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Roy Javier on Unsplash Comments on Psalm 128 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! Psalm 128:1 ESV I don’t think we’ve ever really talked much about what it is to be blessed. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” What does that actually mean? I mean, that’s a pretty inclusive statement, ri...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is History Tuesday and we’ll red 2 Chronicles 33-36, which will complete the book. I’m calling today’s episode “The Forgiven King.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash Comments on 2 Chronicles 33 Manasseh was a very evil king who ruled for fifty-five years. This tells us that just because something lasts a long time does not mean that God’s blessing is on it.  The chapter very clearly outlines the sins of Manasseh, and the judgement that he and the nation suffered because of their sins.  I want to focus for a brief moment on what happen...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Monday so we’ll read from the Law. Deuteronomy 10-12  I have a special, by request On This Date In Church History for you, and an audio comment from a friend, in response to a prayer request. I’m calling today’s episode “What’s It Take?”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Uta Scholl on Unsplash Comments on Deuteronomy 10 12“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with a...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Epistles Sunday. 1 Peter 1-3. I’m calling today’s episode “Not My Will.”  Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash Comments on 1 Peter 1 and 2 In chapter 1,  Peter called the people to holy living. He told them not to slip back into their old ways of living to satisfy their own desires. “…their own desires…” And then in chapter 2 when talking to slaves he said that they should submit to their masters with all respect. Not just when the master is kind, but when he is cruel. And then dropping down again a few verses, Peter says...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is  Saturday Acts 11-12. I’m calling today’s episode “Thunder.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash Comments on Acts 12 In verse one of chapter 12 we read that King Herod had arrested some of the Christians in order to persecute them. And in verse two we read that Herod had James, the brother of John put to death with the sword.  That’s all that is said about James. The narrative moves quickly to the imprisonment of Peter, and how the Angel came to release him in the middle of the night before he was schedule...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is  Prophecy Friday. We are in the Minor Prophets, and Zephaniah is next in line  I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.”   Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash Comments on Zephaniah Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. It is first mentioned all the way back in Genesis, chapter 10, and then it is not mentioned again until the book of Jonah.  Nineveh was large, both in area and population. Because of its geographic location on the Tigris river, it wa...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Poetry Thursday and we’ll read Ecclesiastes 3-4. I have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “Two Are Better Than One.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Quaritsch Photography on Unsplash Comments on Ecclesiastes 4 These chapters, while not entirely inspiring, seem to be a little less hopeless sounding than the first two, don’t you think?  There’s a lot here to think about, but in our limited time, I’d like to focus for just a moment on chapter four. Halfway through the chapter, Solomon talked about the man who works...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 125-127. I’m calling today’s episode “Who Is Building Your House?” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Foreground: Callum Hill | Background: Barthelemy de Mazenod | Both from Unsplash Comments on Psalm 127 It is believed that Solomon had the building of the temple in mind when he wrote “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Of course, this thought can be applied to building a family or pretty much any other endeavor. If God is not in it, there will be no lasting value.  With that in mind, it is...

What does John 1:5 mean? In one of the most beloved passages in Scripture, John reminds us that "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." No matter how dark our world or our circumstances become, the light of Jesus Christ has never stopped shining. In this episode of Verses We Missed, we explore John 1:1–5 and discover why John introduces the theme of darkness so early in his Gospel. Along the way, we'll see how Jesus is the eternal Word, the Creator, the source of life, and the Light that darkness can never overcome. Browse more ep...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is  History Tuesday. Our reading is 2 Chronicles 29-32. I’m calling today’s episode “Changes.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash Comments on 2 Chronicles 29-32 Hezekiah was a remarkable king, wasn’t he?  His father was Ahaz, who reigned before him, and he was one of the most evil kings of Judah. If you’ve been listening along, no doubt you remember him and the heinous things he did, including sacrificing his own children. That Hezekiah was such a good king is certainly noteworthy. As chapter 29, verse 2 says, “He did what was right in the eyes of the L...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Being  Monday, we’ll read from the Law. Deuteronomy 7-9. I’m calling today’s episode “Remember.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash Comments on Deuteronomy 7-9 As we often read here in Deuteronomy and other places in the Old Testament, God tells the people what He will do, and then He reminds them…many times. And He tells them what He did, and then He reminds them what He did, many times.  Why does He do that? Why does God repeat Himself so much? Because they forget. Over and over again, they forget. And when it isn’t...

Transcript Distinguished Producer Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle. Podcast Introduction Today is  Epistles Sunday James 4-5. I’m calling today’s episode “Golden Nuggets.”  Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash Comments on James 4 Some have said that James is a bit like the book of Proverbs because of the way nuggets of truth are presented. Let’s look at a few of them. James 4:2b – You do not have, because you do not ask. Prayer is a necessary part of the Christian’s life. If we want God to bless us, we must ask. Listen to Charles Spurgeon...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts 9-10. I’ll have some comments after we’ve read. Then there’s an on this date in church history. Also I have a giant praise for our prayer time today. I’m calling today’s episode “The Righteous Roman.“  Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Craig Zdanowicz on Unsplash Comments on Acts 10 In Acts 10, we are introduced to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, an officer in the Roman army. This was not a typical Roman, though. He was a devout believer in the God of the Jews, even though, being a Gentile, the av...

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday and we’ll read the book of Habakkuk. I’m calling today’s episode “The Conversation.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Greg Rakozy on Unsplash Comments on Habakkuk There is a lot of conjecture on just who this prophet Habakkuk was. The fact is, we don’t have much information about him. The Jewish Rabbis have their ideas. Roman Catholicism has theirs, based on one of the books of the Apocrypha.  What we do know is that this is a book of Habakkuk’s statements to God in the name of the people, and God’s statement...