The Big Book Cover to Cover

Today we move from the Pentateuch to the Historical Books, beginning with Joshua.

We’ve moved through the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and into the Historical Books. If you missed our study of Joshua, listen and review Show Notes Here. Today, we’re looking at Judges, which has often been referred to as the darkest days in Israel’s history. Judges is a tectonic shift in the storyline, as we look at a generation who doesn’t know God.

How do we resolve texts we can’t reconcile to any sort of order or justice? When the bad guys win and evil violence seems to have the last word? Dr. Mark Chavalas joins us again to discuss some of the more difficult passages in the book of Judges. 

In this episode we’ll look at a high-level overview of the book of Ruth. It’s a beautiful story of love, faithfulness, loyalty, and redemption set right in the time when the judges were judging.

Michael is joined by his dear friend Jeanne Hendricks who generously gives us her take on the purpose of the book of Ruth and who she believes to be the real hero of the story: Naomi.

This is episode 9 of our series: The Big Book–Cover to Cover. We’re in the first of six books that make up a the majority of the historical texts. In 1 Samuel, we witness the transition from the period of the judges to the monarchy.

Today we welcome Dr. Michael Lawson back to talk about God’s chosen king: David.

The book of 2 Samuel takes place at about the mid-way point in the timeline between Abraham and Jesus Christ. It’s here that we come to know David, the man after God’s own heart, whose reign is mired by his great failures – and redeemed by God’s great graciousness to him.

1 Kings begins with a portrait of the king we’re all longing for and ends in disaster. Power un-checked and un-submitted to the Lord breeds injustice and corruption. The nation of Israel splits into the Divided Kingdom and we are left longing for the King who will rule justly, mercifully, perfectly.

Dr. David T. Lamb joins Michael to discuss the tragic failures of the kings and Israelites in 1-2 Kings, and what we can learn from their mistakes.