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Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Quino Al on Unsplash Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Job 19-20, and I’m calling the episode “The Redeemer.” Comments on Job 19 The chapter begins with Job responding yet again to his "friends" turned accusers, asking "How long will you torment me and crush me with your words?". And he continues by recounting how utterly miserable he has become. Even God seems to have turned his back on him, even persecuting him. And yet in verses 23 through 27 we see that indeed, Job's faith in God remains steadfast! He says,"As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives!" Hallelujah! Let's take a closer look at the word "redeemer".  The Hebrew word is "goel". We see the goel in Joshua 20:7-8 and Numbers 35:12-28, where the cities of refuge were established. In these chapters, goel is translated as the "avenger of blood". It was almost always the nearest family member who was appointed as goel, and it was It was his responsibility to rightly carry out justice when a fam

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Psalms27-29, and I’m calling the episode “The King Who Loved God.” Comments on Psalms 27-29 Thoughts on Psalm 27 This psalm of David is one of contrast. Verses one through six show him extolling God's protection, but from verses eight through thirteen David pleads with God to hear him and not forsake him. The psalm ends in verse fourteen with David's words of encouragement to hope in the Lord. Thoughts on Psalm 28 This is a Psalm of David in which he is again crying out to the God he loves. He praises God for hearing and answering his prayer. Three different facets of the heart are described. In verse three: the evil heart. In verse seven: the trusting heart and the rejoicing heart. Thoughts on Psalm 29 In this psalm by David, he writes of the power of a storm and compares it as the power and voice of God. David speaks of the voice of God no less than seven times, and repeats the name of the Lord eighteen times. This is a psalm of praise. To

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Judges 17-21, and I’m calling the episode “Instructions Required.” Comments on Judges 17-21 Proverbs 14:12 tells us, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." In Judges 17, we read about the fellow named Micah that stole a very large amount of silver from his mother, and then returned it to her. The she decided to "set apart" the silver to the Lord, and gave a small portion of it to a silversmith to make an idol. And Micah set up a small temple in his house and made one of his sons to serve as "priest". Obviously, *none* of this was right in God's eyes. All of this happened in the first five verses of the chapter. And in verse 6 we read, "In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.” And as we just read, the book of Judges ended with those same words,“In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.” Pretty much everything we read fr

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Genesis 32-35, and I’m calling the episode “Wrestling With God."  Comments on Genesis 32-35 Jacob is again the main character in today’s reading. I’m sure you remember what we have already learned about him, the kind of man he was. What is the meaning of his name? Right. Deceiver, supplanter. He was a liar, a manipulator, a con man. He was the younger of twin sons (Esau was his older brother), but he conned the rights of the first born from Esau. Then he conned their father, Isaac’s blessing, away from Esau. It’s no wonder that Jacob was afraid to meet Esau and his army of 400 men. He figured Esau was going to kill him.  But of course, that is not what happened. When they met, Jacob bowed to the ground seven times, and “Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around (Jacob’s) neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.”  And then, a little later, after Esau told Jacob that he didn’t need the gifts that Jacob wanted to give him, Jacob says,”“

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is 1 Corinthians 1-2, and I’m calling the episode “Too Smart By Half” Comments on 1 Corinthians 1-2 Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 1 1 Corinthians is actually the Apostle Paul's *second* letter to the church at Corinth (In 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul mentions his "previous letter".  This letter has been lost.), he opens chapter 1 by identifying himself, and he declares that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ *by the will of God*.  We haven't talked about what an apostle is yet on this season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians 15, but let me quickly give you the meaning. The Greek word *apostolos* means "a special ambassador". What is an ambassador? According to Merriam-Webster it is "a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment." The eleven dis

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Matthew 23-25, and I’m calling the episode “Do I Hear Thunder?”  Comments on Matthew 24 and 25 As long as I’ve been a believer, one of the topics within the church that never fails to inspire conversations is the return of Jesus. When will it happen? How do current events line up with end-times prophecy? Is the antichrist alive now? Who is it? What is the mark of the beast?  In verse 3 of chapter 24, we see that wanting to know when Jesus is coming back is not a new phenomenon. Here, the disciples asked Jesus what they should be looking for that will signal His coming and the end of the age. Jesus spent a lot of time in chapters 24 and 25 talking about the end times and His return. Today, I want to focus quickly on the first thing that He said in response to the disciples’ question.  In verse 4 He told them,“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”  And then dropping down to

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Isiah 45-50, and I’m calling the episode “Surf’s Up.”  After my comments, we will of course learn what happened “On This Date In Church History”, and I’ll give you my opinion as to whether a Christian should celebrate Halloween. Comments on Isaiah 48 Do you live near an ocean? Have you ever been to the beach and watched the waves come crashing onto the shore?  I’m a southern California native. For all but about four years of my life, I’ve never lived more than an hour from the Pacific Ocean. As a matter of fact, I used to go surfing early in the morning before school started when I was in high school. I used to go SCUBA diving. I’ve never owned a boat, but I’ve had friends that did, and I love to sail. I love pretty much everything about the ocean. One of the things you learn about the ocean if you spend any amount of time in, under or on the water is that there is no fighting the force of the waves. When the swells come in, you can’t do anything to

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Job 17-18, and I’m calling the episode “Never Give Up." Today's Executive Producer Phil Colbourn Comments on Job 17 Job opens by confessing that his spirit is broken. Why? Because his so called friends have become mockers in his eyes, and he can't get away from them. They have made him an object of scorn. Allow me to remind you of how they initially came to him: Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place--Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. (NAY-uh-muh-thite) For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. 12 And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Psalms 24-26, and I’m calling the episode “Exit Stage Left." Comments on Psalm 26 Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers..." Here in chapter 26, verses 4 and 5 David says, "I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked." When I was a boy, my parents taught me the importance of choosing my friends wisely.  Bible commentator James Montgomery Boice wrote, “Many Christians can trace a lost youth or fruitless middle years to the bad influence of evil persons, whom they looked up to and even envied at one time.”  I'm thankful that I learned that lesson early in my life. Much of my teen years were in the 60s. I am truly one of the hippie generation, and marijuana and LSD were very much glorified in those years. Many of my high school classmates got involved

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Judges 12-16, and I’m calling the episode “ The Costly Haircut.” Comments on Judges 13-16 Samson is a tragic figure. He had great physical strength, but was spiritually undisciplined and weak. There were such high expectations for him at his birth. He was dedicated to God as a Nazirite, and God was going to use him to begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.  The Hebrew word "nazir" means "to be separated or consecrated". Generally, the Nazirite vow was taken by those who voluntarily decided to yield to God completely, and for a specified period of time. However, there are two people in the Old Testament who were presented to God by their parents...Samuel and Samson. In the New Testament, there was one person...John the Baptist.  As we saw in Judges 13-16, though Samson was outwardly a Nazirite, spiritually he was not wholly committed to God. He let his flesh rule his actions. His attraction to beautiful women control him. He should never have al

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Genesis 28-31, and I’m calling the episode “Let’s Get Together.”  After my comments, we will of course learn what happened “On This Day In Church History.” and I have a praise to share with you. Comments on Genesis 31 One of the things I like about doing this show is re-reading the scriptures, because when I’m preparing the show, I read with a heart that really wants to hear from God as to what I should say to you. And sometimes, God meets me in a very powerful way. What I mean is that oftentimes, as I study I note the things that sort of stand out to me as possible things to talk about. And then after I’ve read the chapters for the day, I look back at my notes, and the things that are still interesting to me are the ideas that I study further, and they’re usually the things I talk to you about. But sometimes. Sometimes I’ll be reading the chapters and writing notes, and then I’ll read a bit further and WHAM! God just really makes a verse hit me like ne

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is _Romans 15-16_, and I’m calling the episode “Lend A Hand.”  After my comments, we will of course learn what happened “On This Day In Church History.” Comments on Romans 15 Paul ends his letter to the Romans by encouraging both Jewish believers and non Jewish believers to be in harmony. And he told those who were strong in the faith to help those who were weaker.  Since we are all part of Christ’s body, we are one body. A few years ago I had an accident on my motorcycle, and I ended up with a broken left ankle and torn meniscus in my knee. And guess what. My whole body was effected by those injuries. I was basically laid up for about three months. Sure, I could get around with crutches, but I really couldn't do anything constructive. Once I got out of my cast, once I got a little bit of mobility, I wore one of those big boots. But there was still some pain and stiffness in the ankle. I limped, which was my body doing what it could to ease the pain and ma

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is _Matthew 20-22_, and I’m calling the episode “Fig Tree and Invitation.”  After my comments, we will of course learn what happened On this day in church history. Comments on the Reading Thoughts on Matthew 21 Let’s take a look at Jesus and the fig tree from verses 18 and 19. Jesus was hungry and he saw that the fig tree had leaves on it. A fig tree with leaves should have fruit on it. That’s the way they’re supposed to work. So when Jesus saw the leaves, he expected fruit. But when there were none, he cursed it. The natural question  here is, “Why are we given this picture? What are we to learn from this?”  If we profess to be followers of Jesus, there are certain expectations God has for us. When we ask Jesus to come into our lives, when we ask Him to be our Savior, we are also asking Him to be our Lord, our King, our Master. In John 14:15 He said, “If you love me, you will keep  my commandments.” In John 15:10 He said, “If you keep my commands, y

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is _Isaiah 40-44_, and I’m calling the episode “No Blockheads.”  After my comments, we’ll have our On this day in church history segment, another comment on a past episode, and some other surprises.  Comments on the Reading Thoughts on Isaiah 41 and 42  In Matthew 12:17 we’re told that Isaiah 42 is about the Messiah. After reading the chapter I’m sure you’re not surprised. As you probably know, the Old Testament is replete with Messianic prophecies. The Jews for Jesus website lists 365 of them, and of those 365 prophecies, 132 are in the book of Isaiah. The vast majority of these prophecies were fulfilled during Jesus’ first incarnation, and only a small handful remain to be fulfilled at His second coming.  In chapter 41, God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah makes a point of asking how many prophecies the false gods and idols made and had been fulfilled. Of course, since they were only man made made, the answer is none. God made a point of tellin

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Job 15-16, and I’m calling the episode “Unfounded Accusations”.  Comments on Job 15-16 Chapter 15 In chapter 15, Eliphaz is as hard on Job as he was in his first go-round. Again he makes unfounded accusations against Job. Accusations of empty talk, iniquity, lying. He continues by saying that Job is arrogant and self centered and deluded, and he tells Job that his future is indeed going to be grim. I suppose that Eliphaz’s motivation for this attack is to cause Job to turn away from his errant ways, but since Job is not the person that he is accused of being, Eliphaz’s words are nothing more than hurtful and foolish. Oh that we are not ever in Eliphaz’s shoes when our friends need us. Let us prayerfully consider our words, and ask God to help us see them as He sees them. Then we will speak words of love and salvation. Chapter 16 In chapter 16, Job finally tells his friends how he would be speaking to one of them if the tables were switched. He

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Psalms 21-23, and I’m calling the episode “A Short One”.  Comments on Psalms 22 and 23 Did the opening sentence of Chapter 22 sound familiar to you? “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” You might have thought of Jesus on the cross when He said those words. And as you listened to the chapter, you might have that this must be a prophetic look at the crucifixion.  Interestingly, scholars through the centuries have differed on this point. Some have said that this is just a psalm by and about King David. Others have said that this is all about Jesus, and others say it’s primarily about David, but also, in  a secondary role, about Jesus. So since there is not a consensus, I don’t think we can get dogmatic about it. There certainly seems to be several images of Jesus, but some parts don’t seem to apply as much. So my advice is to read this psalm, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to see.  Oh, I guess I should mention Psalm 23. Not b

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Judges 7-11, and I’m calling the episode “Think Before You Speak”.  Comments on Judges 11 Jephthah was the illegitimate son of Gilead and a prostitute, and was a brave soldier. We're told in verse 3 that "...he attracted a group of worthless men...". Worthless men probably means that these were men who were poor...men without means. I want to focus on the vow Jephthah made. "29 Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah." This is where his courage came from as he went forward to accomplish his victory over Ammon...30 Jephthah promised the Lord: “If you will give me victory over the Ammonites, 31I will burn as an offering the first person that comes out of my house to meet me, when I come back from the victory. I will offer that person to you as a sacrifice.” Judges 11:29-30 GNT  30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31then it shall be, that whatsoever come

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Genesis 24-27, and I’m calling the episode “The Scoundrel.”  Comments on Genesis 24 and 25 Thoughts on Genesis 24 Abraham sent the oldest servant of his household on a mission to find a wife for Isaac. Remember, Isaac is the son promised to Abraham and Sarah. It is through Isaac and his descendants that God's promise will be fulfilled. Abraham and his family are living in Canaan. Abraham did not want Isaac marrying a Canaanite woman. He wanted a bride from his home, Ur of the Chaldees, and from his family. To him, it was absolutely imperative that Isaac not have a Canaanite wife.  To our minds, the way that Abraham had his servant take the oath to carry out his orders seems strange. Verses 2-4: ...“Put your hand under my thigh. 3By the LORD, God of heaven and earth, give me your word that you won’t choose a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I live. 4Go to my land and my family and find a wife for my son Isaac there.”  When we swear

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Romans 13-14, and I’m calling the episode “Facts and Opinions”.  Comments on Romans 13 I recently received a question from a Lifespring Family member, and he asked about obeying government authorities in light of current events. I’ll tackle it, even though not everyone may not agree with what I’m going to say. I’ll give you some Biblical background on what I’ll be saying, and where appropriate, I’ll give my opinion…and label it as such.  One thing we have to establish up front is that much of, if not *all* of these arguments are what I consider to be peripheral issues. In other words, they are not central to our salvation. The bedrock, the things that make or break whether we are born again are believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, that he lived a sinless life,  he died for our sins, was resurrected on the third day and sits at the right hand of the Father, and is coming back. We must admit that we are sinners, in nee

Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Matthew 17-19, and I’m calling the episode “What A Memory”.  Comments on Matthew 17 and 18 Thoughts on Matthew 17  In chapter 17, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a high mountain, away from everyone else. I think He took these three for a reason. Peter was always the most outspoken, James would be the first of the apostles to be martyred, and Jame’s brother John was the one whom Jesus loved and who would be with Mary at the foot of the cross. Also, according to Old Testament law, two or three witnesses were needed to confirm a testimony. Three witnesses are obviously better than two. Knowing what would soon be happening to Him, Jesus wanted these three to see Him in his glory. He knew that they would need this memory to carry them through in the dark days ahead, and in their mission to proclaim the Good News. Not only did they see Jesus and His clothing shine, but they heard the voice of God say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well plea