David Pawson - ’Unlocking the Bible’ Podcast

Part 48 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that, though some of the Minor Prophets occupy just one page in our Bibles, they are very important. “Minor” refers to the size of the book rather than their message. These written prophets seem to all relate to the exile of the people of Israel, either warning of its coming – before the event, (Obadiah then Joel were the first 2 in this category); seeking to comfort them once it happened, or encouraging them to get settled back in their own land when the exile finished. David says a prophet speaks for God which means that he has also heard from God, so he needs both the sensitivity to hear, and the courage to deliver. God usually sends prophets when something is going wrong, and it is part of his goodness that he warns people before bringing punishment. Obadiah actually didn’t speak to God’s people but to one of Israel’s neighbours, Edom. At this time it was a radical thought that the God of Israel was the God of all other nations as well, and judgment would come from him. Edom was the first nation to be warned that they would be judged for what they had done to Israel. There is no trace of the Edomites in the world today.

Part 47 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Hosea was the prophet who gave God’s final appeal to the Jews to repent of their unfaithfulness to him. God’s relationship with Israel was one of covenant love so loyalty was a key part. God was looking for glad, eager obedience that wanted to live the way he wanted her to live. Hosea had to experience what God was suffering by marrying a woman who would be unfaithful. But, like God, he was to remain true to her. The sins of Israel listed are Infidelity – in their marriages as well as to God; going after other gods as Hosea’s wife went after other men; Independence – they had set up their own independent kingdom; Intrigue – lies and deceit, treaties outside the people of God; Idolatry – worshipping a golden calf; Ignorance – when they should have known about God, they didn’t bother; Immorality - drunkenness, promiscuity and violence were rife; Ingratitude - he had redeemed them but they were ungrateful. The Priests, false Prophets, false Princes and the Profiteers were accused by Hosea. He warned of suffering ahead – Barren women, Bloodshed and Banishment from the land.

Part 46 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson unravels the second half of the book of Daniel as it is very difficult to understand. This section is primarily for God’s people, having been mostly written in Hebrew. This moves on from Daniel’s life in the present to extremely detailed predictions of the future, some far removed from his time. Chapters 7-12 are not continuous or consecutive, but are separate visions of the future. They vary in duration and some overlap. Altogether, they cover a vast amount of time. There were to be successive kingdoms of lessening power before the coming of the divine Kingdom heralded by Jesus Christ’s coming, but then this divine Kingdom would exist alongside human kingdoms until Jesus’ second coming. Daniel even revealed the length of time from his prediction about Jesus’ coming until it came to be. 135 major events were predicted in 35 verses. God knows the end from the beginning. No other book of the Bible contains such a concentration of predictions about the future. Daniel is both an encouragement and a warning for the future.

Part 45 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Much of Daniel is well known but David Pawson explains the more difficult passages. Because the Bible is a divine book penned by human beings, the supernatural is involved. Amazingly, though the book spans 75 years of Daniel’s life, it covers 2400 years of history – including events of the distant future. Those who discount miracles can’t believe that Daniel accurately predicted events which took place centuries afterward. Approximately 200 details in chapter 11 came to pass. David points out that there is far less evidence that Julius Caesar invaded England in 55BC than that Jesus was resurrected, yet nobody questions Julius Caesar. There is a built-in reluctance to accept the supernatural dimension of scripture in many people. The first half of Daniel is all miracles and the second, prophecy. The first half is written about him and the second by him about the future. David explains the background of the time. Daniel’s character showed firstly in small issues such as diet, and would be tested in larger things as time went on. David says, Daniel was a man whose quality and integrity everybody recognized, a wonderful model and example for young men.

Part 44 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In this 3rd talk in the series on Ezekiel, David Pawson deals with the later messages the prophet had for his people in exile in Babylon. God assures them their enemies will be punished. David tells how amazingly some of Ezekiel’s prophecies came true. God says that when his predictions come true, “then they will know that I am the Lord.” After having to tell them earlier that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, now he is able to deliver the good news that they will be going home. Some prophets, priests and kings had been bad shepherds but now God says he will be the Good Shepherd of both Ephraim and Judah. Some of Ezekiel’s predictions are about end times and have not yet been fulfilled. He mentions Gog and Magog and these two names can be found in Revelation as well. David says that some of the prophecies are dated and need to be fitted into the history, whereas others are timeless. One of his later messages assures the exiles about the restoration of the temple and this would have given them hope. David says that God will never allow his people Israel - or his church - to disappear. [David mentions a book he has written titled The Fourth Wave; this has since been renamed Word and Spirit Together.]

Part 43 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson begins this talk with the call of Ezekiel. He could not fulfil his priestly role because he was in exile from Israel in Babylon. Now the synagogue replaced the temple. His career as a prophet of God began with a vision which was quite strange, but David gives us an explanation. The 4 creatures of the vision represent all of God’s creation. Above them is the Creator on his throne. The wheels supporting his throne illustrate that God can be anywhere at any time. This was very significant during the Israelis’ exile as, until then, God’s presence had been static in Israel. The eyes of the vision relate that God can see everywhere as well. Although the messages the prophet had to give the people were severe, they were sweet to Ezekiel because they came with the encouragement of the vision he’d received. Ezekiel is an example of apocalyptic prophecy, an unveiling or revelation usually via visions. 27% of Bible verses have a prediction about the future and Ezekiel has a high concentration of them, and to date, over 75% have already come true to the letter. This 3-part series gives a very comprehensive study of this unique book.

Part 42 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson takes time to explain the background to Ezekiel as he says it is probably the most neglected part of the Old Testament and also difficult. Its messages were given over 20 years. Ezekiel reveals a severity in God’s character which is not usually emphasized. Paul in the New Testament referred to the “goodness and severity” of God as well. Because preachers usually concentrate on the goodness of God, listeners tend to have a one-sided view of what God is like. The southern two tribes of Israel should have known that they needed to heed God’s word because they had seen the northern 10 tribes carried off in exile. Yet they ignored prophets Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and Habakkuk. King Josiah tried to restore the worship of God, but the people didn’t really follow his lead. Various nations attacked the land until only Jerusalem was left to the very poorest people who had not been deported. Ezekiel was taken away in the first deportation, as was Daniel, so was never able to serve as a priest but God called him to be a prophet. He preached and performed miracles.

Part 41 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that Lamentations was written by Jeremiah in tears over the state of his people. As a matter of fact, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament it is called “Tears”. David says that if you picture the desolation of Hiroshima during the second World War, that is what Jerusalem looked like to Jeremiah. He had composed a lament for the whole nation to sing when King Josiah was killed in battle as he was a poet and songwriter. The 5 chapters of Lamentations are really 5 laments and 4 of them are written in the form of an acrostic – using a letter of the alphabet to begin each section. David Pawson believes that using the alphabet actually helps an author to put his feelings in order. David sees the 5 themes of these laments as: The Catastrophe, The Cause, The Cure, The Consequences, The Cry. Jeremiah’s problem was that when God’s anger was simmering nobody would take it seriously. Then it boiled over as the consequence. God’s mercy allowed exile, not extinction. David says there are 2 destinies open to us – weeping forever or having our tears wiped away.

Part 40 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that when Jeremiah looks further into the future, he has a lovely optimism about the ultimate restoration of his people. David looks at the structure of the book. Though the book is a collection of his messages and not in chronological order, there is a pattern. God says the way to peace for Israel is not by making alliances with other nations; they simply need to trust God to look after them as he does when they walk in his ways. Though Jeremiah has similar messages for the people as other prophets of God, he also has some unique things to say. He emphasizes spiritual living – religious ritual is worse than useless if your heart isn’t in it. David points out that going to church is no substitute for godly living. God had largely dealt with his people corporately, but Jeremiah is introducing the concept of God dealing with individuals once they returned from exile. This is extremely important as each of us will stand alone before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jeremiah’s political message was seen as treason by the king and Jeremiah suffered as a result. Assassination attempts failed however.

Part 39 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson shows that there is sunshine in Jeremiah as well as cloud. David identifies with the author and he shows why this book should be read and studied. We are helped to understand Jeremiah the man because he reveals his heart and his own struggles. David looks at the situation the prophet addressed, he examines the man himself (for instance, he was a lover of nature), looking at his background; and also his method of communication. He didn’t simply speak his messages, but sometimes acted them out. Like other prophets, he had to warn his people that, because of their sins, God was going to bring judgment upon them. He suffered for his message – the Jews call him the weeping prophet. Although the prophet called the people to repentance to save themselves, they refused to heed the message. One vital aspect of this talk is to hear David explain the true meaning of God as the potter and human beings as the clay. Jeremiah sometimes spoke in poetry, bringing out the feelings of God. Despite the doom and gloom, there is promise of a New Covenant with God. David says we need Jeremiah’s messages today.

Part 38 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says Isaiah is a collection of prophecies made over 40 years and is not ordered, so he gives the ‘shape’ of the book to help with our understanding. Chapters 1-10 are a reproof for Judah; 13-23 deal with nations that God used to discipline Israel but who were too harsh - they will now be judged. 24-34 speak of judgment on the northern tribes and Judah. But there are 2 sections sandwiched that are good news. God gives his people a little glimpse of a brighter future. 36-39 are narrative of King Hezekiah’s illness and show how Assyria gave way to Babylon as the main threat. This first part is leading to the people’s exile from their land. Even so, there will be a remnant to return and there will be a King who will bring peace to the nations. The second section shows a wonderful picture of God all the way through. He’s the only God there is, he’s the Almighty Creator, the Holy One of Israel, the Kinsman Redeemer, the Saviour of the nations, and the God of history. Also, to the Jew there is a mysterious figure who has a faultless character, is a Man of sorrows, is killed for the sins of others and is raised from the dead and exalted. Believers recognize that this is a prophecy of Jesus.

Part 37 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson shows the surprising parallel between the chapters of Isaiah and the composition of the entire Bible. Isaiah is the Bible in miniature. But parts of it are not well known. Jesus referred to Isaiah more than any other scripture, as did Paul. David provides insights from the historian Josephus and other Jewish tradition. Isaiah was the greatest prophet in word, as Moses and Elijah were great in deed. From the time of his encounter with God in the temple, Isaiah referred to the Lord as ‘the Holy One of Israel’. He had a difficult task because God had warned him that he was to preach but the people would not heed. His resultant book has been an inspiration to generations. He preached during the reign of 4 kings, and when the king was good, they won their battles as God was with them. Isaiah emphasized both justice and mercy. The first section of 39 chapters is national, looking at Israel and the small nations around her, and God is pictured as fire; part 2 is international, looking at Israel and all the nations of the world, and God is seen as Father. Whereas the first part majors on judgment, the second on comforting with good news.

Part 36 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson explores the reasons for the Song of Songs being in our Bibles. It has no mention of God or anything of a particularly spiritual nature, yet rabbis treat it as very holy. David says, for Hebrews there is one God who made the physical and the spiritual and physical is good - whereas in the West we have been influenced by Greek thinking which separates the two. “Here in the Bible, God is affirming love between a man and woman.” David says the Bible is a story of how God went looking for a bride for his Son; it is a love letter to us. It is a love story from beginning to end. Song of Songs was written by Solomon and David Pawson fits the pieces of the romance between Solomon and his love interest together for us. He says, at the heart of our religion is a very personal relationship; being a Christian is being in love with the Lord. God always speaks of his relationship with his people in terms of family relationships. Jesus Christ says he is the Bridegroom. Our relationship with the Lord is not erotic, but it is emotional.

Part 35 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series We disagree with some of Ecclesiastes as the author has reached the end of his life and is disappointed, disillusioned and depressed. It doesn’t mean that God has the same attitudes. Solomon had been in a position to have or do anything he wanted. Now he felt that everything had been pointless. Some pastimes are acceptable but if they are the main focus in life, they will not satisfy, they will not interpret life for you. This book is old but it speaks to the modern person who is ever seeking something to stimulate him/her. If we find meaning to life first, then we are ready to enjoy other experiences. Solomon observed multiple situations ‘under the sun’, and David Pawson says that life can’t be lived under the sun – you need a much higher perspective to see what life is all about. Solomon’s other limitation was that he looked only at this life. He never mentions the next. It is only when you see life in light of heaven’s perspective and this world in light of the next that you begin to see what life is all about. In 2 chapters, Solomon mentions God and becomes positive in outlook. God is weaving a pattern out of your life. Fear God and obey him. People are foolish to leave the Maker’s instructions on the shelf. Life can be worthwhile.

Part 34 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David discusses the decisions we have to make in life and the advice given in Proverbs relates to making wise choices in the large and small aspects of everyday life. David says, wisdom is what’s best for you, not what’s profitable. It’s based on knowledge of God, not knowledge of the world. Proverbs deals with subjects such as laziness, the company you keep, being faithful, relating to neighbours, even taking out loans. Being a good wife is also discussed, though the book as a whole is addressed to a young man from his father. There are over 70 proverbs on what a fool is like and they seem to describe some modern people. Another key subject is the tongue and the danger it can be. Relationships, family and otherwise, are discussed. Proverbs shows how to be a good friend. David says that the Bible view is that we are basically bad and can do good things in contrast to the humanist view that we are basically good and can do bad things. Unfortunately, the Israelis did not follow the wisdom of King Solomon and Israel spiraled downwards. David points out that the word ‘wisdom’ goes right through the New Testament and Proverbs is frequently quoted. ‘Christ has become for us wisdom from God.’

Part 33 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says, when you first read the book of Proverbs, it seems to be a jumble of folk sayings or just common sense - except that sense isn’t all that common. Solomon collected most of the proverbs, some of them Arabic and some Egyptian which he put in a context of God, as well as many he wrote himself. They don’t deal with spirituality, but they focus on day to day life and many of them are still used today though people often don’t realize where they originated. The key to reading these proverbs is to recognize yourself in them. The book is really saying godliness is worked out in real life – it’s not just something you do on Sundays in church. As David Pawson says, there is nothing secular except sin in God’s sight. Every job is sacred to God whether you’re a computer operator, taxi driver or preacher. David sees this book as ‘the key to the good life’. The Bible talks about the good life in moral terms rather than material terms. Proverbs is about what we are saved for, not what we are saved by. Salvation is a process - God is saving us to be sensible people who can make the most of life and be useful to him again. A proverb is not a promise.

Part 32 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In this talk, David Pawson looks at groups of psalms which should be taken together. Psalms 96 to 99 have the theme: God is King; 113 to 118 are sung together at the Passover. The word ‘hosanna’ from 118 is actually a demand for freedom – ‘save us’. The Songs of Ascent 120 to 134 were to be sung as the Jews travelled up to Jerusalem. The final group is 146 to 150 which are all Hallelujah songs. From groups, David moves on to types of psalms – Pleas – a cry from the heart; Thank you – gratitude for deliverance; and Sorry psalms – penitence – which all have a particular form or pattern. David points out that there are 4 categories of psalms. #1 Royal Psalms written by King David which deal with reigning from his personal perspective. #2 Messianic Psalms which prophesy about the coming Messiah. #3 Wisdom Psalms – the result of quiet meditation, full of practical wisdom for handling life. #4 Imprecatory Psalms (calling down vengeance on enemies) – David reminds us that they didn’t have the knowledge that we have of Jesus’ teaching or the afterlife. At least, they were honest; and they left vengeance to God himself. One day God will avenge those who’ve been wronged.

Part 31 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that, though the Psalms were written over a period of a thousand years, and two and a half thousand years ago, they speak to us as though written yesterday. They were really the Jewish hymn book, divided into 5 sections. And David points out that when we praise or pray we are doing so as part of the Body of believers. However, there are personal psalms as well. They cover almost everything you could possibly want to say to God and express 3 particular attitudes: Pleas, Thanks and Sorry. They range in feelings from deep grief to anger, frustration and great joy. It is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. Over half the psalms were penned by King David and his life story can be traced through the psalms. One group of psalms – 22 to 24 – should be taken together and present us with the Lord who is first of all Saviour, then Shepherd and then Sovereign. David says, until you’ve been to the cross and found him as your Saviour, you have no right whatever to regard him as your Shepherd. This follows on to recognize that he is also the King of Glory who is coming as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Part 30 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Why is it important to have a Bible which shows the difference between poetry and prose? Because, as Hebrew poetry differs from English poetry, it would be easy for us to miss it. Prose is written from margin to margin while poetry is spaced out more. David Pawson says, when God speaks in prose, he is communicating thoughts from his mind to ours, but when he speaks in poetry he is communicating his feelings from his heart to our heart. We should recognize that we actually affect God’s feelings every day. What we feel about God is not nearly as important as what he feels about us. Poetry reaches the parts of us that prose cannot. Also it stays in the memory longer. As well as touching your heart, it can go deeper into the will and challenge you – to change your way of life. It is meant to be read aloud. Poetry has Rhyme, Rhythm and Repetition. Hebrew poetry does not use rhyme but has rhythm and especially repetition. It often relies on two statements that belong together – couplets – which echo each other, with the 2nd line usually taking the thought a step further or presenting the opposite thought. An interesting study which helps us to appreciate the different form of poetry which God used.

Part 29 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that the book of Job consists largely of two debates, one in heaven and one on earth. As in any particular case of suffering, nobody knows the whole picture. David says the real question is not about undeserved suffering, but whether you can go on believing in a good God when everything is going wrong. He says that Job’s real pain was that through the suffering he lost touch with God. Several friends came and sat with Job which was good – until they opened their mouths and gave him their own human wisdom – and some of their arguments are still being used today. They all saw that Job could not be innocent since he was suffering so much. Each man was trying to force Job’s situation into their own preconceived ideas; this is bigotry. Job responds to each of his friends by acknowledging that God has visited this suffering upon him, but he can’t repent because he is not aware of any sin. He calls upon God to visit him so he can argue his case with him. When God finally responds, he shows that Job had been discrediting him to justify himself. Job repents of this arrogance, he is at last back in touch with the Lord, and the Lord blessed Job amazingly.

Part 28 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson warns against quoting verses out of context because, in a book such as Job, you may be quoting one of Job’s friends when they were wrong about what they said. God eventually showed that they were wrong. “That’s why it’s so important to know a whole book”, says David. This is an unusual book and David looks at the possibilities of how it came to be recorded. Job is indeed a factual person, known about outside the scriptures and the land of Israel. David believes that the author has taken the true story of Job and written it up in poetic form, bringing out the real issues he was facing. This book presents an answer to some of life’s biggest questions: Why is there pain and suffering? Why do good people endure it, and bad people escape it? Does God care about it? This is one of the books that reveals what is happening in heavenly realms so that we can make sense of what happens on earth. We can learn some valuable lessons from Job. David says, “It’s not finding the answers to your questions, it’s getting to the point in your relationship to God where you don’t need them.”

Part 27 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says there are few books of the Bible set outside the Promised Land, Esther being one. They tell us how Jews behaved when they were in Gentile society. We can learn from some of them how to interact in non-Christian society without compromise. David looks at Daniel alongside Esther as both record events during the Jewish exile to Babylon. Both rose to positions where they were able to help their people, Esther being queen. The story of Esther is quite a romantic one with all the ingredients of a great drama and archaeology has shown it is a true story. And though God is not overtly mentioned, it is through the prayers and fasting of the Jews when under threat of death that they were rescued by the intervention of Queen Esther. But to do so meant she had to reveal her secret – that she herself was Jewish. Even a dream of the king was involved in the drama. What David brings out is that this drama played out so long ago, had it gone the wrong way, would have meant the annihilation of the Jewish race and meant that Jesus could not have come to earth. This story reveals the strategies of both Satan and God.

Part 26 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In this talk, David Pawson gives more emphasis to the book of Nehemiah – the story of the man of prayer and faith given permission to return to Jerusalem to organize the rebuilding. Despite opposition, he encouraged the returned exiles to do the work while armed to ward off attack. They completed the repair of ancient Jerusalem’s wall in 52 days because ‘the people had a will to work’. Nehemiah had to deal with internal economic and moral woes as well as external threats and conspiracy. Ezra arranged the public reading of God’s Word so that the people would have an understanding, and had the people renew their Covenant with the Lord. David Pawson compares the two leaders, Ezra and Nehemiah, and says we need both types of men. He says if Ezra was the Bible man, Nehemiah was the prayer man, but he was also practical and didn’t mind putting his hand to cementing. David says he thinks we should be inspired by Scriptural characters, emulating what’s good in them and avoiding their mistakes if we can. Overall, we are looking at the story of God and his people. And God kept his promises to both punish their wrongdoing and to bless their repentance. David reveals the thread of Scripture.

Part 25 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In looking at Ezra and Nehemiah, David Pawson gives the background of the 3 deportations which Israel had suffered under Assyria and Babylon, and the 3 returns to the land. Years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied that a man named Cyrus would release Israel from their captors and Cyrus, of Babylon, did just that though he did it for his own agenda. Apparently both being written by Ezra, these books record the rebuilding of the social life, of the religious life and of the physical wall and buildings, though the latter suffered threats and interruptions. Zerubbabel, of the Hebrew royal line, led the first return. Now Ezra, a priest, led the second and Nehemiah, a few years later, led the third. Each made an impact on a different aspect of Israeli life. Both books look at how the leaders went about rebuilding the state and reforming the people. The tragedy was that, though the earlier sin of the people had been the catalyst for losing their land, when they got back, they went back into sin. We see that Ezra was a “Bible man” – he studied it, he lived it and he taught it. What an example.

Part 24 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson explains that, though there is much repetition in the books of Kings and Chronicles, one is viewed as a prophetic book and the other not, by the Jews. Jews have grouped the books of the Old Testament entirely differently from Christians, and thereby we have misunderstood some important matters. And if we skip Chronicles because it seems to be like Kings, we will miss the unique message it brings. As with the Gospels, these books are written from different angles, one from a prophetic viewpoint and the other from a priestly viewpoint. And Chronicles covers a much longer period, omits much included in Samuel and Kings, and is looking at the kings of Judah only. In fact, the writer is concerned only with kings in the royal line of David and their attitudes to two spiritual matters. David Pawson brings clarity to this study on Chronicles. He says that the author is writing for the sake of the Jews returning to the land from a long exile, and wants to give them Roots (that they had a line that God had been controlling all the way down), Royalty (they had their own royal line) and Religion (the purpose for which they existed) again.

Part 23 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson observes that the book of Kings begins with King Solomon who began well by asking for wisdom, so God gave him everything he didn’t ask for as well: wealth, fame and power. Solomon wanted to share his wisdom. Unfortunately, he only had wisdom for everybody else, none for himself though he wrote three books and did many good things. He built a temple for the Lord with the materials and the plans from his father, David. All the northern kings were evil. In the south, some were good. The south survived a hundred and forty years longer than the north because good kings reigned longer. They had two very good kings called Hezekiah and Josiah, but another, Manasseh, even got into Satan worship. He ordered the death of Isaiah the prophet. We see in the book of Kings the dangers of becoming mixed up in other religions, other ways of life and other moralities. And it’s happening. But the God who is the king of the universe is also our judge and sooner or later we will lose what He’s given to us unless we wake up. That’s the lesson from the book of Kings. The Bible is able to make us ‘wise unto salvation’ and avoid the terrible mistakes that God’s people of old made.

Part 22 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says other history may be interesting, but the history of Israel is vital for the whole of mankind. From the height of success, the times of the kings headed downhill. First the land was split between 10 tribes in the north and 2 in the south and eventually the 10 were deported to Assyria. While there were a few good kings it was not enough to stem the downward trend and the 2 tribes were taken away to Babylon. God had warned them that they would suffer a similar fate, but they disobeyed. David says one of the main reasons for reading the books of Kings is that it can happen to the church as well. Though their descendants returned to the land under priests, they were then occupied by the Egyptians, the Syrians, the Greeks and finally the Romans which was the situation when Jesus was born. For a Hebrew, a kingdom is about authority, not a place. Thus the kingdom of God is not a place but a power. The kings were judged as good or bad according to whether they honoured God or not. This is history from God’s point of view. Understanding history saves us from repeating the mistakes of the past. David says God is still in charge of history. The two significant prophets in Kings are Elijah and Elisha.

Part 21 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson, in this 2nd talk on Samuel, points out that there are 6 different levels at which you can read Bible stories and it’s important that we should choose the right one. They are: 1. Anecdotal, just an interesting story; 2. Devotional, hoping to find a personal word; 3. Character Studies including the character of women, which can be inspirational (Hannah & Abigail for instance); 4. History of Israel – how it developed, and King David’s leadership is worth studying; 5. Critical – and higher critical study sadly has infected the whole world; 6. The Theological – finding out about God. He’s having an influence on history and is the major player in these stories. God is the living God. King David wanted to build a temple for God but was forbidden as he had blood on his hands. Jerusalem means city of peace and Solomon, a man of peace, did the building. But God made a covenant with David that his house (family line) and kingdom would endure forever. A thousand years later, this covenant was fulfilled, and the promise kept, and Jesus was born who was often called “Son of David” and was of his family line.

Part 20 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In this first talk by David Pawson on 1 and 2 Samuel, David gives us an overview so that we know the ‘shape’ of the story and how it develops. The two books really belong together as one, but were later divided because of their length. It covers 150 years of history in the form of narrative and includes only what is important and significant to God. This is prophetic history, named after the prophet who dominates the story. This book is set in the last century and a half of the rise of Israel to peace and prosperity. David shows that Israel had been led successively by patriarchs, prophets, kings then priests, each for 500 years. Samuel was the last of the prophets. King David dominates the stories though Saul was the first king. The stories of the book deal with various interesting relationships. David Pawson says whenever Israel disobeyed God an enemy would come and defeat them and whenever they repented they defeated the enemy and got the land back. A difference between Israel’s first and second kings was that David could honour those who succeeded but Saul was jealous of them. But David’s sin heralded the downward slide of Israel from its peak.

Part 19 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In the book of Judges, David Pawson observes that God is very prominent even though the people are in a downward spiral. He heard their prayers and sent them someone to rescue. God delivers to evil as well as from evil. A whole generation grew up who did not know the Lord and what He had done for Israel. They weren’t grateful for their salvation. Because there was no king, there was no continuity of leadership. The people wanted a visible king, not just their heavenly King. God was going to provide a king and the book of Ruth tells us where he was going to come from. The book of Ruth is a romance and is the answer to the book of Judges. Ruth made the right choice at the right time and went down in history as an ancestor of Jesus Christ. She not only chose to stay with Naomi, she chose Naomi’s people and Naomi’s God. Loyalty is a very precious quality to the Lord. Love without loyalty isn’t real love. The family tree of Jesus contains some unlikely people. Individual Christians can learn a great deal from the characters in the book of Judges. We’ve got a King, and if we all did what is right in His eyes, the church would be united tomorrow, but we are following men instead. The marriage of Ruth and Boaz is a perfect picture of Christ and His Gentile bride.

Part 18 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson makes history interesting. Looking at the books of Judges and Ruth, he shows that there are 4 levels of studying history. 1) Important people; 2) Nations, political; 3) Patterns/cycles – rise and fall of civilisations; 4) Purpose/plot. While people often see no purpose in history, David shows that God is moving history to His planned ending. History is HIS-story and He’s writing it. In Judges, people had gone away from God and life became cyclical and things just happened again and again. In Ruth the line becomes the main thing and it ends with a royal line that is fulfilling God’s purpose. Redemption gets you off the roundabout and onto a line that’s going somewhere and you’re part of a purpose that’s being worked out in history. Originally Judges and Ruth were one book and still are in the Hebrew Bible. That’s important because they belong together. Many of the characters in Judges are weak but God uses them. Their weakness was matched by God’s strength. The people in this book weren’t actual Judges. They each saved the nation from a very bad situation. The Judge was God, operating through people. There was no King in Israel in those days. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. Because they didn’t clean wickedness from the land it was a constant problem to them.

Part 17 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Looking at the book of Joshua, David Pawson points out that the first two towns the Israelites came to are written about a lot because of their significance. Jericho was a great victory, Ai, a great loss. God told them not to loot Jericho as it was the firstfruits. They made 2 errors. One was over-confidence because of their first victory. The second was that one man did loot from Jericho. One man’s sin caused the people of God to fail. Joshua preaches his final sermon. He didn’t appoint a successor like Moses because from now on, one man couldn’t do the job alone. So each tribe had its own elders, a very significant move. It actually failed as the people wanted one-man leadership again and demanded a king. But it wasn’t God’s will. Joshua made the people swear an oath of loyalty to God. Through Joshua, God says, I have done all of this for you. I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities which you did not build, and you live in them, and you eat from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant. Out of gratitude Joshua says, ‘so fear the Lord and be faithful to Him and throw away all other gods. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.’ As long as Joshua’s generation lived, the people were faithful to God, but then, things went badly wrong. Each generation has to rediscover God for themselves.

Part 16 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson looks at Joshua, the 6th book in the Old Testament which seems to follow directly on from Deuteronomy but for Jews there is a profound difference: No laws in the book of Joshua. The first five books are the basic Constitution of the people of Israel. The rest of the Old Testament is how it all works out. The next six books are what we call history, but the Jews call them prophecy. The first five books are the foundation of Judaism, and they call them The Torah which means instruction. The first five show God’s promises to them, the next six show the fulfillment of those promises, cause and effect. The book of Joshua covers his life, from the age of 80 to 120. It details how they took the land that God had promised them. After that, how they divided the land between the tribes. The book begins with Joshua’s commission by God and the people and ends with his final sermon, death and burial. God promised Joshua He would never leave him and that he would prosper and be successful in what he did for the Lord. Joshua’s courage and the people’s morale would be what won them the battle. Morale and morality are what God requires in a leader. God drying up the Jordan was a repetition of the parting of the Red Sea for a new generation to show them the God of their fathers was with them too.

Part 15 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson examines Moses’ speeches to his people in Deuteronomy before they enter the Promised Land. Their parents’ lack of faith had delayed their journey almost 40 years. God had been faithful to them, now they are warned, don’t be like your parents; keep your faith and you’ll keep the land. Moses tells them how they are to live if they want to keep their land. The Ten Commandments are all about respect. The quickest way to destroy society is to destroy respect. The laws given to Moses cover the whole of life, from your toilet arrangements to the way you worship, from your clothes to your cooking. The laws weren’t written to restrict people, but so that it may be well with them. The last speech tells the people that when they get in they must announce the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience and the people must say amen. Deuteronomy is the most fundamental book to the whole of the Old Testament. It’s the key to the whole history of Israel because when they went in to the Promised Land, they followed the practices of the evil inhabitants instead of ousting them. Prophet after prophet told them, go on like this and God will keep His promise to curse you. Every prophet appeals back to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy plays a big part in the New Testament too. To love is to obey because in God’s sight, love is loyalty.

Part 14 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson explains that in Deuteronomy God’s law had to be repeated for a new generation as almost every adult who had come out of Egypt had died. They had to enter into the covenant with God as their parents had. 2 key phrases are repeated time & again. One is “the land the Lord your God gives you”. They are reminded that this land is an undeserved gift. The other is “go in and possess the land”. Everything you receive from God is a gift, but you must go in and take it otherwise you won’t get it. The message of Deuteronomy is simple, you can keep the land as long as you keep My law, but if you don’t keep it, even though you own the land, you won’t be free to live in it and enjoy it. Ownership is unconditional, occupation is conditional. The covenant linked the land and the law of God. The Israelites were not given the land because of their righteousness but because of the current inhabitants’ wickedness. Everything God tells the Israelites not to do is what was happening already in the Promised Land with its current occupants. Deuteronomy is made up of 3 long speeches, Moses talking to the people in the last week of his life. He speaks to them like a dying father to his children. It is warm, expressive and emotional and yet very well written.

Part 13 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson looks at the narrative part of numbers which turns from the divine word to the human deeds, from what the Hebrews should do to what they actually did do. Israel did not pass the test of the difficulties of the wilderness. After Sinai they are in a covenant relationship with God and there are now punishments for their sins. They made a promise to obey Him. Obedience would bring blessing; disobedience, curse. God’s law showed them what is right; the limitation is that they can’t do it and the law can’t help them to live right. Without supernatural help we are unable to live right which is why the Spirit was given later at Pentecost. Moses got impatient with the people and didn’t listen carefully to what God told him to do. For this reason, God said Moses would not enter the Promised Land. All 3 leaders failed. Leadership of God’s people is a big responsibility, do it God’s way. The major failure of the people was they grumbled - about lack of water and lack of variety in food. The first huge crisis and the worst was when the people sent 12 spies to check out the land God was going to give them and 10 came back saying, we can’t do it, there are giants living there. So the people decided not to trust God and for that God made them wander the wilderness for 40 years.

Part 12 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series The book of Numbers starts and ends with a census of all the men over 20. There were about 600,000 both times. God was not blessing them because when God blesses, numbers multiply. At that time the life expectancy was about 60 so after 40 years, all but 2 of the men who had been over 20 at the beginning, had died. Only Joshua and Caleb survived. Two thirds of the book of Numbers should never have happened, they were not part of God’s purpose. God deliberately delayed their journey from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land because of their disobedience, so that a whole generation spent their entire adult life doing nothing and died before they reached the Promised Land. Numbers is important because if you don’t study history, you’re condemned to repeat it. God spoke to Moses eighty times face to face. When God camped among the people, there was a danger they would become over-familiar with Him, so God gave them the legislation in the book of Numbers to prevent that. There were three types of legislation - carefulness, cleanliness and costliness. You had to be careful how you approached God, you had to be clean when you came to Him and it is costly not to be holy yourself.

Part 11 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series The most important things for Christians to read in Leviticus as they keep reappearing in the New Testament, are: “Be holy for I am holy” and “Love your neighbour as yourself”. There are over ninety references to Leviticus in the New Testament. God didn’t give reasons for all His rules. If you will only obey a command when you see the sense of it, you are not obedient and do not trust the one who gave you the command. God knows best. He has very good reasons for His commands. Modern man wants to know the point of it. God wants obedient, trusting children. God does give punishments for disobedience. There are rewards for obedience, blessings for those who trust and obey, but a curse on those who disobey. You could lose your home, your citizenship or even your life. God is saying the only way to be really happy is to be really holy. The sinfulness of man is not just in polluting clean things but in profaning holy things. There is a shift from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Holiness is moved from material things to moral things. Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into your mouth now that makes you unclean, but what comes out”. The other shift is that rewards and punishments are moved from this life to the next. This life is only the preparation for a much longer life elsewhere.

Part 10 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson concedes that Leviticus is difficult to read as it lacks narrative and features a different and unfamiliar culture; but there is more of the word of God than in any other book. The first half of the book is about the way to God and the second half about the walk with God. Leviticus focusses in on the most important month in the most important place and the most important tribe. The whole of the law of Moses hangs on this. The book of Leviticus is about everything that goes on in God’s tent and everything that should go on in the people’s tents. It is the rules and regulations for both. God expects something in return for what He has done for us. Exodus talks about how God saved His people. Leviticus talks about how they are to serve Him. There is only one God and the Israelites were His only people on Earth and therefore there was a special relationship between them. God was going to be everything they needed and in return, He expected them to live right. He said, “Be holy for I am holy” - You are to reflect my character and let people see what I am like by what you are like. If God saves you, He expects you to be like Him. There are two types of offering, one to show gratitude to God, and the other to make atonement for sin. The Jews had a calendar of feasts to remind them of things they would forget.

Part 9 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that the book of Exodus is central to the old testament. All the books after Exodus look back to Exodus as the redemption on which everything else is based. The cross is central to the New Testament. All the Ten Commandments are based on three principles. The first is the principle of respect - respect for God and respect for people. A healthy, holy society is built on respect. We can see in our society what happens when respect disappears. Loss of respect for God leads to idolatry and loss of respect for people leads to immorality and injustice. Most of the Ten Commandments are about words and deeds but the last is about feelings – don’t be greedy, don’t want what you haven’t got. The second principle is that of responsibility. The law of God says you are accountable for your actions and it holds us responsible to live right before God. The third principle is retribution. There are sanctions in this law, one of them is capital punishment. The death penalty is applied to 18 different sins towards God in the law of Moses.

Part 8 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson finds Exodus is the story of the biggest escape in history. Over 2 million Hebrew slaves escape from one of the most highly fortified nations in the world. It was a series of miracles. Moses saw more miracles than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob put together. Exodus has national and spiritual significance. In Exodus the people are told God’s name and when we know someone’s name, the relationship becomes more intimate and personal. In Exodus, the Creator of everything becomes the redeemer of a few people. Exodus begins Moses’ lifetime. The first half of Exodus is about what God did on their behalf. The second half is about what God said, and how they were to live now that they were free. The first half demonstrates God’s grace towards them in getting them out of their problems, so the second half expects them to show their gratitude by living His way. We are redeemed first and then taught to live right. The people of Israel are set free to serve God. We are also set free to serve God, not to do our own thing. The plagues showed that the God of the Hebrew slaves was much more powerful than the Egyptian gods. God only hardened Pharaoh’s heart after Pharaoh had repeatedly hardened his own heart. If we persistently choose the wrong way, God will help us along that route to demonstrate His judgement - if we refuse to be a demonstration of His mercy.

Part 7 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson, looking into Genesis, notes that Joseph is the 4th generation - great-grandson of Abraham. There is a clear pattern. The natural heir does not get the blessing. God never calls himself the God of Joseph; angels never appeared to Joseph; his brothers are not rejected. God reveals things in dreams to Joseph and gives him their interpretation. There are 4 levels to Joseph’s story - the human level, God’s angle, as a study of Joseph’s character, and Joseph as a picture of Jesus. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are models of our faith in God; Joseph is a model of God’s response to that faith. The genealogies of Genesis are the genealogies of Jesus. You see Jesus not only in Joseph but in Isaac. He submitted to being put on the altar, but an alternative sacrifice was provided, a ram with its head caught in thorns. King and priest, Melchizedek, brought out bread and wine to refresh Abraham and his troops and Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils. Jesus implies He is Jacob’s ladder, i.e. the link between Heaven and Earth. God says to the serpent in Eden, the seed of the woman will bruise your head, even while you bruise his heel, implying Jesus would deal Satan a fatal blow someday. In Romans 5, Paul says, “as one man’s disobedience brought death, so one man’s obedience brought life.” Jesus was involved in the creation of and is the reason why for the whole universe. It was made for Him, through Him and by Him.

Part 6 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Looking at Genesis, David Pawson says, the God of the Jews is the God of the Universe - The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Bible is not God’s answer to our problems, but God’s answer to His problem – what to do with a race that doesn’t want to know you, love you or obey you? God created humans because He wanted a bigger family. The God of the entire universe makes a friend called Abraham. God freely initiated the relationship. God would rather have a believing man than a good man. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had faith. Ishmael is the father of the Arab nations today. Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel were all very beautiful and had the lasting beauty of inner character. God began creation with one man and began redemption with one man. A covenant is made by one party to bless the other. God makes covenants and He keeps them. He promised Abraham a place to live, descendants, and that He would use them to bless or curse every nation. The calling of the Jews is to share God with everybody. In return, God expected that every male Jew would be circumcised, as a sign that they were born into that covenant, and that Abraham would obey God. They were all commended for their faith yet none of them received what was promised to them.

Part 5 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says, when God finished creating our world, He said that’s very good. Genesis 3 tells us what went wrong and when. Satan went for Eve as women are generally more trusting. There are 3 ways in which people misquote the word of God - by addition, by subtraction, and by alteration. Satan knows his Bible very well and did all 3 to God’s command. Satan’s strategy always uses 3 devices, to get us to doubt with our mind, desire with our heart and disobey with our will. We should have learned from Eve’s situation. In chapter 3 God’s holiness comes out clearly. He hates sin and must deal with it. If He’s really a good God, then He can’t let people get away with badness. God gets angry with Adam and Eve because of their disobedience and punishes Adam in relation to work and Eve in relation to family. There was a ripple effect caused by their sin that went down through the generations and out through the nations. Chapters 4-11 cover many centuries, but God picks out the events that most affected Him and His purpose. Three events that mattered most to Him for the next many centuries were Cain and the weapons of mass destruction that came from Cain’s line; Noah and his ark; Nimrod and his tower. God shows His justice and His mercy in these events.

Part 4 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson notes a radical shift in style, content and viewpoint from Genesis chapter 1 to chapter 2. In chapter 1, God was the centre and everything was from His perspective. Chapter 2, man is the centre. There are 3 dimensions to our relationships which every human needs – with God above, with creatures below and with other people. When sin comes in, all these relationships are spoiled. There is an affinity with God that humans have and animals don’t, because we were made in his image. We are like God and yet not like God. We need to keep that balance to have a good relationship with Him. God retains moral authority over us. He has the right to tell us what is good for us. Science poses two questions in relation to creation. Where does prehistoric man fit in? and Is man directly and physically related to the animal world? David gives answers. Nothing has yet been found that is half ape, half man. Mutations deform and cause species to die out. Inter-breeding usually causes sterility. The effect of the evolution theory on humans is devastating suffering. Fascism, capitalism, communism and early colonialism all wiped people out in the name of progress and “survival of the fittest”. This idea when applied to human beings, has caused more suffering than any other idea. It has also faced us with two huge choices, a mental choice as to what we believe and a moral choice, what we do.

Part 3 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says God wanted the story of creation to reach everybody in every time and in every place, so he made it utterly simple. So Genesis 1 was not written in scientific language but in simplistic language. It takes a genius to be that simple. The structure is beautifully put together, so orderly and mathematical. There are 3 ways of handling the problem of science vs scripture - repudiate, segregate or integrate. God is Creator and Redeemer. Physical and spiritual belong together. Scripture and science are overlapping circles - they are dealing with some things that are the same and therefore there are apparent contradictions between them. We need to remember 2 important things, science changes its views. What was once thought of as scientific fact, is no longer. And traditional interpretations of scripture change. Each of the 7 days in which God created everything, can be looked at in different ways: 24 hours, an era, a myth, a day on which Moses was taught by God part of what he created, or a God day (i.e. time is relative).

Part 2 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says, the first book in the bible, Genesis, is the foundational book for the whole Bible - the key that unlocks the rest of the Bible. Jesus was constantly endorsing it. Genesis tells us exactly what has gone wrong with our world and the rest of the Bible tells us how God is going to put it right. Only God could solve a problem the size of our world. Genesis is about the Creator, not creation. It shows us that God is personal, powerful, uncreated, creative, 3-in-1, good, loving, living, speaking, like us - but unlike us. Most of Genesis is made up of hero stories and family trees so it is obviously a compilation of memories that Moses picked up from the slaves in Egypt that had been passed down through the generations in spoken form. Genesis 1v1 - 2v3 must have been dictated to Moses by God. The style is very different and has all the hallmarks of having come directly from God. The word Genesis means origin and the book contains the origin of the universe and everything in it. It also deals with many ultimate questions that can’t be answered by any human being as no one was there to either observe or record how it happened. Is Genesis the result of human imagination or divine inspiration? A series of guesses from human speculation - or the answer from the Person who was there and indeed was responsible for it?

Part 1 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series The Old Testament is actually a library of 39 books written over a period of 1000 years with most of it covering 2000 years of history before Christ. David Pawson shows how they fit together. With teaching on any one topic scattered all over the Bible, every text is in the context of the book, and every book is in the context of history. God speaks into particular situations, so the time and place give the text its meaning. It features the struggle between the two world powers in the ancient Middle East. The first 5 books are on God’s law and are the most important books in the Old Testament as they are the foundation of the Bible and help us to understand the rest of it.