The Family Bible Journey Podcast

When the foundation stones are laid for the new temple, there is a mix of sadness and joy expressed by God's people. The younger Jewish people are celebrating an ecstatic with joy at this new beginning this is for their nation. We also hear the weeping of those who had been exiled and remembered the glory of the former temple. As tears mingle with joy, we are also beginning to see how the Jewish religion is transitioning from a temple centered life around worship, to a life revolving around the word of God, as preserved and maintained by faithful scribes and teachers, such as Ezra.

The world hated Jesus so much it killed Him. Should we be surprised then, when the world hates us because we bear His Name? Thanks be to God that He has given us His Great Helper in the person of His Holy Spirit. With His guidance, we can navigate the difficulties that confront us.

Ezra, the faithful scribe, records for us the events surrounding the return of the first exiles to Jerusalem. The joy of the returning exiles is mixed with sadness because of how few and poor they were, compared to the great strength and glory of ancient Israel. Yet they begin their work, confident that the Lord is moving as he encourages them to return and rebuild his house.

Chronicles comes to a screaching halt. Faithless kings and ruthless invaders make for an abrupt and difficult end of the nation of Judah. But there is hope, because we learn there is an end to the Lord's wrath, and the dawn of a new day for Jerusalem.

As Jesus teaches the blessings of being connected to Him, we explore a paradox at the heart of Christianity. When it comes to matters of salvation, there is nothing left for us to do because God, in His great love, has saved us and given us faith by the power of His Holy Spirit. But when it comes to matters of sanctification, or "being holy, as the Lord God is Holy," there is always more we can do. Here, we explore this paradox and find ourselves rooted and pruned in Christ.

Josiah's earthly life was shortened so that he would not experience the distress of the fall of Judah. From him we learn many leassons about life and faith, including the difficulty of knowing the Lord's will on this side of eternity.

Josiah proves among the most faithful of Judah's kings. The last righteous kings makes the restoration of the nation to faith his life's work. In him we see a mighty type of Christ.

Earlier in John's gospel, we heard that the Father and the Son are One. In this chapter, Jesus explicitly connects Himself with His Father and the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit is prominent. The Spirit's work is going to be keeping the disciples connected to the Father through the Son, by faith in Him.

Manasseh begins as God's great adversary at the outset of his reign. But after confronted and exiled for his breach of faith, Mansseh repents. He proves its never too late for even the most wayward of souls to return to the Lord and live.

Satan's dark and evil plan to slay the sinless Son of God begins to unfold as Judas Iscariot goes to betray Jesus. Jesus allows this evil to be done to Him, because in killing Him, satan will be destroy. In this comedic tragedy, God's greatest work, the work of our salvation, will be accomplished.

Hezekiah's victory over Sennecharib of Assyria is an epic tale of faith in the face of impossible odds. Sadly, despite this victory, and a miraculous healing from a terminal disease, Hezekiah's pride grows to endanger his faith and the security of the nation.

Hezekiah invited everyone, even the lapsed tribes of the northern kingdom to join in celebrating the Passover. Thousands came and were blessed. They were so thankful and generous in their renewed faith that Hezekiah, the priests and Levites were in awe. Here, we are encouraged to never give-up on those who've lapsed in the faith, and persist in giving to the Lord and His purposes, knowing that He is able to bless us more than we can imagine.

Jesus washed the feet of the disciples for three reasons. He prepared their "beautiful feet" to carry the good news of the gospel. He washed them clean so that they may walk with Him in heaven. And, He gave them an example to follow, that they may wash the feet of others.

Hezekiah was the answer and reaction to his faithless father. Fully devoted to the Lord, his first order of business was to restore the worship of God in the Temple. In him, we see a mighty example of how the Lord can warm cold hearts quickly, and be encouraged in our own Christian witness.

King Ahaz was raised by a father and grandfather who kept God at a distance. So we are not surprised that Ahaz is devoted to every other god under heaven. This chapter describes the decline of Judah, which began as a spiritual decline. We learn the importance of raising children in the faith, and trusting in the Lord, instead of earthly princes and authorities.

Jesus was lifted up on the cross because He loves us. In this episode, we see that the pain and punishment He would face was real and frightful. When confronted with God's wrath, we can also be terrified. Thanks be to God that Jesus came to save, not condemn.

Uzziah and Jotham were two kings of Judah who kept God at arm's length. The father, Uzziah, was struck with leprosy when he tried to play the part of a priest in the temple. The lesson he and his son Jotham learned was to stay away from the Temple. Instead of repenting, they kept their distance from God and moved the nation further from Him.

Amaziah is another King of Judah whose reign looks promising at the begining, but cools off towards the end. He leans heavily on the Lord at the outset, but as he experiences victory and grows wealthy and powerful, he turns away from the Lord. Here we learn the dangers of losing focus and putting our trust in anyone or anything other than the Lord.

Jesus tells His disciples that His "hour" has come. As He approaches the cross, He prepares His disciples for His imminent departure by rooting them deeply in His love.

Wicked Queen Mother Athaliah murdered all of the young royals in-line for the throne as she could get her hands on. But when a surprise heir is put on the throne, she yells, "Treason!" In this sorid chapter of Chronicles, the nation is being held together by faithful priests, while the monarchs run amuck.

When the monarchs of Judah adopt the treachery and faithless behaviors of the kings of Israel, watch out! Jehoram begins his reign by killing his brothers, men who were, "more righteous than he." Ahaziah, his son, reigns only a year before the wicked Queen Mother Athaliah ascends to the throne. So much evil, so little hope.

God looks at life and death differently than we do. In God's eyes, all who have faith in Him are alive. Conversely, many who appear to be alive are spiritually dead. In light of this paradox, we consider how the hope of everlasting life in Christ transforms this life, and the next.

Jehosaphat gives us a great pattern for prayer. Faced with impossible odds, he poured his heart out to the Lord asking for mercy. God saved faithful Jehosaphat and the nation, reminding us of the many times God intervened on behalf of his people.

Jehosaphat was a good and faithful king of Judah, who decided, for whatever reason, to ally with wicked king Ahab from Israel. God will preserve Jehosaphat from his folly, even though it nearly cost him his life. But Ahab will die a traitor's death because he proved unfaithful to the Lord and the nation of Israel.

Jesus states very clearly who He is as the Good Shepherd, and the very door to salvation. As His sheep, we hear His voice and follow His lead. Even in the face of death, we follow faithfully, because the hope of everlasting life in Christ transforms our earthly lives.

Asa was another righteous king in Judah, whose reforms brought back to faith many of those living in the godless northern kingdom of Israel. From him we lern the blessings of truly godly leaders.

When Jeroboam and Abijah go to war, God prospers the cause of the godly. This theme of God taking care of His own runs strong through the Chronicles. But how do we process loss when we are fighting for Christ, and we lose our battle?

When Jesus heals the man born blind, He teaches important lessons about the human condition and His unconditional love. There will always be those who are spiritually blind and refuse to believe in God, even when He shows them His love in unmistakable ways. Despite our spiritual blindness, He blesses us with His Holy Spirit, that even though we are blind according to our nature, we may see Him by faith.

David's grandson, in folly, creates a divison that seperates the nation. After strengthening his hold on power, he decides to worship other gods. Just two generations after David, the nation is being led astray and suffers greatly for her breach of faith. Here we learn that faith is always only one generation away from extinction.

The Queen of Sheba, the Mother of Africa, comes to see Solomon in all of his splendor. We see her so amazed that she is brought to faith in the One True God. Imperfect though he was, Solomon was good at pointing others to the Lord and impressing upon them the wonders of His love.

The Pharisees and Jesus go round and round because His opponents refused to accept Him. He is the very Wisdom and Word of God in human flesh, yet they stubbornly refuse Him. We pray that we would be delivered from such foolish pride and arrogance, recognizing God and His Son.

When Solomon offers the dedication sacrifice for the Temple, God indicates His divine approval by sending fire from heaven. This is yet another way God made His personal presence known to His people at this monumental moment in their history.

At the dedication of the Temple, God's glory filled the place. We are reminded of the clouds at Sinai, and upon the Mount of Transfiguration. When God descends to His people, all we can do is marvel and praise the One who breaks our darkness with His love and living light.

Humans have a knack for making a mockery of justice. A woman caught in the act of adultery is brought in front of the public for a show trial. But where's the man, if she was caught in the act? Jesus saves her by fufilling both the law of love and the law of Moses. So too, we are saved by Jesus, even when we are wrong.

The Temple was created as a little "heaven on earth." In worship still today, we get a taste of "heaven on earth" when we receive the Lord's love and gifts anew. As we consider the wisdom of the Temple's design, we reflect on how we experience heavenly splendor in worship.

Wisdom, properly applied, is the key to earthly success. While wisdom can give you untold earthly success, no amount of earthly success or possessions can ever give you wisdom. We consider the gift of wisdom as we consider the key to Solomon's success.

In the face of hatred, Jesus brings love! This chapter reveals the hatred that Jesus experienced from the crowd, the Pharisees, and even His own family. Yet Jesus continues, because the work of God is to bring transformational love to people filled with hate.

David blessed the people in his farewell speech, encouraging them to live lives of service. Despite his personal struggles, David proves to be a good example of a life of service. There is great blessing for us when we follow the Lord gladly and willingly.

We hear echoes of Joshua's blessing and Jesus's Great Commission as David reminds young Solomon that the Lord will never leave nor forsake him. We are ourselves comforted with this assurance, knowing the Lord is always present and blessing us even when we doubt His loving care.

Jesus insists that He is the very Bread of Life, come from heaven to earth. He is so insistent on this fact that He offends many listeners. There can be no middle ground on this. Either Jesus is, or is not, the Son of God. Who do you say that He is?

Here we are given occasion to thank God for worship musicians, greeters and our church security teams! These often under-appreciated servants in the Lord's Church are highlighted. We thank God for those who are called to teach through music and greet, as special expressions of God's love.

Two whole chapters are set aside by the Chronicler to list the genealogies, roles and responsibilities of those who would serve in the temple, both leading worship and in supporting roles. This shows us how important worship life was to God and his people in the eyes of King David. We also are given in this episode an opportunity to appreciate and thank those who are mentioned as supporting cast members.

The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. In John's gospel, it gives us opportunity to reflect on why Jesus came from heaven to earth. He didn't come to become a "bread king," but rather as the King of Kings.

Did you realize that King David's net worth was greater than the richest person alive today? Did you know that the gold he donated to the construction of the Temple was worth ~$330 billion? Here we consider the blessing of his generosity, and how our giving to the Lord and His purposes richly blesses others both now and forever.

In two chapters chronicling the military victories God granted to David and his armies, we reflect on the prevalence of conflict in the world. In this fallen world, we often only find peace in the midst of conflict. Conflict is often necessary to secure peace. This is not God's original intention for humanity, but rather the course humanity choose in the Garden, and the course we choose for ourselves when we exercise our will over others or over the clearly revealed will of God.

After being confronted by the Pharisees for healing a man on the Sabbath, Jesus points to five witnesses to Who He Is. John the Baptist. His own works. God the Father. The Old Testament scriptures. Moses. If the works were not enough to sway the skeptics, Jesus gives them four more reasons to listen to Him.

We hear the priestly version of God's promise to build a house for David, and to bless his family, so that his throne is established forever. New testament believers know these promises were not ultimately fulfilled in Solomon, but rather in Jesus. As "Immanuel," "God With Us," God dwells with us in the Person of His Son. He reigns over us both now and forever as a good and loving God.

David learned a painful lesson when he tried to move the ark in an unorthodox way. But in these chapters, we see that he learned his lesson. We also hear legendary songs of praise that were sung as the ark entered Jerusalem, which were also recorded among the psalms.

Jesus exalts a woman with a checkered past when he deigns to speak with the Samarian woman. Despite the ethnic, religious, social and other barriers between these two, God's love prevails. By the end of this chapter, the woman is a leading evangelist, bringing her entire town to Jesus.

In moving the ark, and building his family, David was only half-faithful to the Lord. His decision to move the ark on a cart, instead of on poles, as Moses instructed, cost the life of a priest. His lust, and accumulation of wives in Jerusalem, is also not what God requested of the kings. These chapters remind us that David, great as he was, is still human.