Better Than Fiction Bible Podcast

(Genesis 33:12-18) We look back at a curious verse and ponder it's meaning. Is really it true that God hates baby Esau?

(Genesis 33:12-18) When you are traveling through a land named literally after your brother, it helps to have his name to back you up. Too bad Jacob does the exact opposite of that.

(Genesis 33: 4-11) Thing are not going the way Jacob had planned, but in a good way.

(Genesis 33:1-4) Dread it, Run from it, Esau arrives all the same.

(Genesis 32:22-32) Jacob is alone on the other side of the water, and is out of options. Will he run away, or will he be forced to move forward?

(Genesis 31:22-55) Good ol' uncle Laban the Aramean bow out of the story, but not before getting up to one last self-serving scheme.

(Genesis 31:22-42) Who do you think is the biggest villain in the old testament, well you're wrong. We talk about evil uncles, Politicians , and Emperor Palpatine.

We pause the story to talk about the how weird the Bible is, or rather how weird we are...

(Genesis 31:1-3) Jacob is fleeing Laban, just like we are fleeing chapter 30. In both cases, God is with us.

(Genesis 30:25-43) Nathan Vanhorn has an epiphany and blows his own mind, and Laban's role in the story becomes clear.

(Genesis 37-43) It takes one to know one, and Laban is about to find out why you don't trick the trickster.

(Genesis 30:25-43) Laban is up to his old tricks. He knows that Jacob has God's Blessing and he wants a slice of that pie! How does he know that he can get the blessing? Well, let's say he has friends on the other side...

(Genesis 30:13-24) The world's most dangerous sibling rivalry (right now) is in full swing. Mandrake hunting, backroom deals, and hurt hearts.

(Genesis 1 - 29) A snowy day in North Mississippi leaves Gandalf with no other choice but to do an episode on his own. https://www.bibliotheca.co/https://therawkingjames.wordpress.com/genesis-with-chapters/

(Genesis 30:1-24) Gandalf and Nathan VanHorn find out the hard way that trying to cover a whole chapter in a single episode is a bad idea. Also, a battle of babies, JFK, Lt.Dan, and Mandrakes.

(Genesis 29:31-35) Matt is out. You know what that means; Gandalf and Nathan have control over the podcast!

(Genesis 29:15-30) The story moves on to quite possibly the greatest bamboozle in human history.

(Genesis 29:13-20) Imagine getting to be included in the Bible, one of only a handful of individuals who are mentioned by name. Now imagine that you are introduced into the story with a description that just says that you are not a pretty as your sister. Well, if you're Leah you do not have to imagine.

(Genesis 29:1-13) We move onto chapter 29 and Jacob moves on to Paddan Aram. There he has a moment, or at least he tries to.

(Genesis 28:16-22) We wrap up the Dream Saga and reflect on how God works while the world sleeps.

(Genesis 28:10-17) Almost done with Genesis 28. We look at the ways God works in the lives of His people when they are sleeping. Can you think of times God worked through a dream?

(Genesis 28:10-17) Get it? Like, the song? "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas....? Nevermind. It's always an exciting time for the Podcast when we encounter some Jesus imagery!

(Genesis 28:10-17) Jacob gets his “Patriarch Moment” and has a dream about the intersection of heaven on earth.

(Genesis 28) "Have you ever had a dream that you, um, you had, your, you- you could, you’ll do, you- you wants, you, you could do so, you- you’ll do, you could- you, you want, you want them to do you so much you could do anything?"

(Genesis 29: 1-13) Often we discuss links back to previous parts of the story, and sometime we talk about links to future events. But what happens when you have a passage that links you both the past and the future? That's when you get a Hyperlink.

(Genesis 28:1-9) Celebrating three years of the podcast! Jacob begins his character growth, much in the same way Abraham did. Esau meanwhile, starts doubling down.

Let's take a break from the story and have a discussion about one of the central pillar's of this Podcast: "How did the original hearers of this story approach it?"

(Genesis 27:5-46) Who is the one pulling the stings of this whole deal? Hint: it isn't Isaac, Jacob, or Esau. Today we find out what happens when Mama isn't happy.

(Genesis 27) Nathan Vanhorn is back in the copilot's seat as we discuss the parallels between Genesis 3 and 27.

(Genesis 27:1-4) Exactly how good was Esau’s red meat? I mean, it’s mentioned by the text like 3 times. Isaac LOVES that New York Strip so much he wants to mark the blessing of Esau with a meal of it. This Is a cautionary tale of sensuality gone too far, to the point where you forget the promise of God and turn a blind eye to strife among family.

(Genesis 26) At last we reach the end of Genesis 26! and we get another good look at Esau: the man who will play a major role in this story. Surprisingly, he may not be the man you thought he was.

(Genesis 26:26-33) Clean, flowing water is an unquestionable requirement of living in the ancient world. If you didn’t have it, you had to go to someone who did. So is it any wonder that the family blessed by God, hits water every time they dig a well?

(Genesis 26: 23-25) How do we know Isaac is a real patriarch? Why do we had the repeated phrase "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"? Let's take a look at the man's ancient world street cred.

"Dig Another Well" by Paul Overstreet - https://youtu.be/UpWEtIiL-tw(Genesis 26:12-22) And when Ike went out for his morning drinkHe got a dipper full of dirt and his heart did sinkBut he knew it was the devil so he said with a grinGod blessed me once and he can do it againHe blessed me once and he can do it againSo when the rains don't fall and the crops all failAnd the cows ain't puttin' any milk in the pailDon't sit around waitin' for a check in the mailJust pick up the shovel and dig another wellPick up the shovel and dig another well

(Genesis 26:6-11) Another laughing episode. But wait! It's not what you think, this might be the strangest case of laughter yet seen in the narrative. It involves Moses, Samson, and even Jesus. Always pay attention when the story draws your attention to laughter.

We continue our look at the reoccurring themes of Genesis 26. Abimelech, famine, going to a land as God says, and a covenant. Sound familiar? It should.   

(Genesis 26: 1-6) And..we're back! I hope you're ready for reoccurring generational themes, restating of covenants, and more Abimelech.

(Genesis 25:34) And we are back! We've got a great show for you today; it has it all: Hitler, Indiana Jones, Monty Python, Allusions to The Exodus, and an unwillingness to move to chapter 26!

(Genesis 25:29-34) I don't like your little gamesDon't like your tilted stageThe role you made me play of the foolNo, I don't like youI don't like your perfect crimeHow you laugh when you lieYou said the soup was mineIsn't cool, no, I don't like you

(Genesis 25:27-28) Esau. A man of the land. A man of integrity. Someone who values family and understands the importance of trust. When it comes to leaders, we need someone who is strong. Someone who works hard for their inheritance. But his opponent, Jacob, wants your trust. Can you trust a man who takes advantage of his own family's hunger? We need a leader who respects tradition, who is honest, who values hard work. Esau, the rightful heir, who believes in justice, truth and family.Paid for by the Committee to Elect Esau 2024

(Genesis 25) Esau really is like the Thanos of Biblical characters, right? But instead of Infinity stones, he has traits from every bad actor in the story. To be fair, Isaac has a few bad traits as well. I guess nobody’s perfect, especially God’s people. It must be exhausting always rooting for the antihero.

(Genesis 25) Gandalf is on vacation, so we don't have a witty description for you today. You know what we are talking about: meal imagery, brother imagery, and pop culture references.

(Genesis 25) “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided" Time to breakout Chekhov's Gun again. Anytime you see two brothers mentioned in the story, you better pay attention.

(Genesis 25:19-28) The end is nigh, the singularity is upon us. The crew have finally done it, they are arguing about Biblical interpretation with an AI.

(Genesis 25:12-18) Abraham's life is over, but his story still echoes in his sons.

It's easy to judge biblical characters behind thousands of years and the pages of the Bible, but what did the ancients see when they looked at these figures of God? This week, we take a moment to reflect on on the actions of Abraham, David, and Solomon.

(Genesis 25-1:18) The Abraham arc never ends, but his time on earth does. After following his story for the last two seasons, we start to wind down Abraham’s role in this narrative. This week we talk about his legacy and how to fairly interpret ancient biblical characters despite our modern sensibilities.   

(Genesis 24:29-67) Guest contributor Kaitlin Flowers makes her second appearance to discuss her specialty: hospitality! Water, food, and provision are symbols we've seen before. This week, we discuss their significance.

(Genesis 24:10-28) Please welcome Kaitlin Flowers as our guest mystery contributor! This week we talk about water, camels, limited real estate in the Bible, and Indiana Jones.