The Family Bible Journey Podcast

When Paul speaks to his accusers, and says that he was preaching to Gentiles, a riot breaks out, and they are about to kill him. A Roman Tribune intervenes. Interesting that a gentile rescues Paul, after the Jewish crowd was about to kill him for preaching to gentiles.

We live in a time where lies are treated as truth, and the Truth of God as a lie. In this Psalm, we lament the harm caused by those who think they will prevail by the power of their words. For recourse, we turn to God, asking for his protection, and seeking to live according to His truth.

We live in a tumultuous time, where many of the institutions that long provided safety and security are passing away. How do God's people process such loss, especially when our beloved nation, church or denomination is being rent asunder? By relying on God, we find solace in His grace and not the things of this world.

Paul is broken-hearted by the outpouring of love and concern of his children in the faith. They are dismayed at the thought he would be arrested and likely killed for the faith in Jerusalem. Pleading with them to encourage, instead of discourage him, they weep, and pray, and Paul continues on his way.

David warns those who act like they are God that they will answer to the true God in the end. It's convenient for some to act as if there is no God, but disastrous in the end.

David exalts the cause of the poor and oppresed over those who afflict them in this section of the psalms. David himself was oppressed and opposed for decades, so he relates to the oppressed as one of them. He also warns oppressors that God will judge all in the end, so we heed his warning when we find ourselves in positions of power or influence.

As Paul begins his journey to Jerusalem, we see his sacrificial spirit. He gave everything for Christ and continues to pour his love and faith into the faithful. This he does with tears, knowing that he is unlikely to see most of the people he loves on this side of eternity.

In this psalm of praise we reflect, on the unique place of humanity in God's design. The stars, in all of their majesty and power, even if they burn for billions of years, will one day pass away. But God has endowed human creatures with an immortal soul, so that by His grace, we may live forever.

The weak often suffer at the hands of the strong. The poor are victimized by the rich. How do we reconcile God's care for the innocent in a world where the innocent often suffer? We wrestle with this difficulty in these psalms.

A stable and fruitful season of ministry unfolds for Paul in Ephesus. He teaches and preaches for years, planting the Word deeply in the lives of God's people and cultivating their spiritual growth. But all good things must come to an end, and he sets his heart on Jerusalem and Rome, where he intends to preach the gospel in the halls of power.

There is great difficulty for a person of integrity and faith to live among the wicked. We are constantly harranged and opposed. But we can take heart in our earthly struggles, knowing that we have God's favor as a shield.

Psalms three and four give voice to our cries for mercy. There are times that try men's souls, and leave us questioning God, His love and goodness. Here we learn to share our burdens with the Lord, Who promises ultimately to save us.

Paul gets a repreive from mob violence, God granting him rest and assistants to help spread the gospel. Here we see how his assistants are traveling apart from him, to solidify Christians and establish new churches and pastors. What a blessing it is to have good and faithful co-workers in Christ.

This is the first of the Messianic psalms. In the Psalms, God gave such clear prophecies of Christ, Who He Is, and how He would accomplish salvation that we are left marveling. How could th psalmist know his Savior so intimately 1,000 years before Jesus was born? Only by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Psalms begin with an encouragement to find "delight" in God's Word. We delight in God's Word because in it, we find wisdom and life.

Paul's sermon at the Aeropagus in Athens shows us how to engage with others. We must meet them where they are, sharing God's love with them when God gives us the opportunity. We need not worry about saying things exactly right. We share our faith humbly, trusting God with the results.

If Job gets twice the blessing he had before he was afflicted, why does he only get seven sons and three daughters, the same as before? Herein lies hidden a wonderful testimony of the resurrection! Redemption, a mighty theme of Job, is reinforced in these closing verses.

Is it a dragon, a Pleasaur or Mesosaur? Whatever it is, this terrible, firebreathing monster, that reduces all of man's strength to fear and ashes, is nothing more than a playful pet from God's perspective. Once again, God's imagination, wisdom and strength are beyond our understanding.

Now that Paul is traveling on his own, we see God bringing many new friends into his circle. Timothy and Luke emerge as his new travel companions, in the wake of Barnabas's departure. It's good that God grants him faithful friends, because his missionary work is getting harder, not easier, as he continues his preaching.

Job is humbled when his request to make his case before his Maker is granted. He repents of his sin of judging God and of speaking ill of God. We too must be quiet when confronted with God's greatness, or fall in danger of sinning presumptuously against God.

After using the depths to demonstrate his wisdom, God makes an appeal using the heights. Some of the most reclusive and elusive creatures, ibex, hawks, and eagles, demonstrate the surpassing intimacy God enjoys with His creation. Here again, we are limited, but God is unlimited in His knowledge of all things.

The Jerusalem Council is convened to answer a most basic question of faith. Must we do something to be saved? The leaders had been divided on the necesssity of circumcision before this, but after Peter's impassioned speech, they all agree that only faith and grace are necessary for salvation. But this great moment of unity is tempered by the end of the chapter, where Paul and Barnabas part ways over a disagreement.

God's speech begins by God contrasting His wisdom to the depths of the earth, the seas, the heavens, space and even human understanding. He puts Job and his friends in place not by condemning them, but rather by sharing with them the true nature of reality.

Elihu proves a faulty friend of Job for three reasons. He is foolishly arrogant, expouses the faulty logic of Job's other friends, and finds fault with Job, insisting that Job somehow deserves his lot in life. Elihu's faulty example gives us good reason to cherish good and faithful friends as the gift of God that they are to us.

In Lystra, a mob, inspired by Paul's healing of a cripple, want to offer sacrifices to him and Barnabas as representatives of Zeus and Hermes. Paul restrains the crowd, only to have the same mob whipped into a murderous state by his opponents, stone him, and leave him for dead. Revived and undeterred, Paul and Barnabas continue their preaching, and establish leaders and churches in every community they visit.

Elihu, the young man, speaks with some degree of naiveté and runs his mouth when he should be opening his years. In his speech, he wrestles with the difficulties of reconciling God's goodness with the reality suffering and evil in the world. Here we learn the dangers of conflating related ideas in a way that corrupts our thinking.

After rebuking Job's other friends for their worldly wisdom, Elihu turns his tongue on Job. Elihu's speech will alternate accusations against Job, and defense of God.

The church grows as a diverse assembly of saints by the Holy Spirit's leading. Leading businessmen, an African, a member of Herod's court and even the Roman Governor of Cyprus are brought to faith. This shows us that God does not discriminate between rich or poor, educated or uneducated. He welcomes all into His family.

Elihu, the thus far silent "friend," now speaks. In his speech, we see that in his silence, Elihu had defered to his elders. Eager to be heard, he promises to tell them exactly how he feels.

Job makes his final self-defense by insisting on the purity of his heart, extolling just punishments for evil, and recounting his generosity with those who had suffered. He ends his case with a final plea is to make his case before the Almighty.

The bookends of this chapter are the death of James, and the death of Herod, who had ordered James killed and Peter imprisoned. But the story of a little servant girl named Rhoda, who couldn't believe that her hero Peter had been freed from prison, stands out as a cute story of genuine faith.

We can commiserate with Job when others kick us when we are down. Job recalls the blessings of his earlier years and laments his demise. Even the poorest of the poor and the meanest of the mean are looking down on him.

Job tells his friends that they will only find wisdom with God and where God is found. So much of their "wisdom" was earthly, not based upon God's etermal Word. Listening to Job, and learning from Him, we want to find wisdom by spending time with God in His Word and in worship.

The key to the Christian faith is that repentance leads to life. Too many people have it too good, or are too distracted to care about sin or to think they've ever done any wrong. May we never lose sight of the most important fact that in Christ, we have life, through the forgiveness of our sins.

Job declares the wonderful working of the heavens, as he begins to describe the majesty of God. He decribes natural phenomena that still amaze us today. He lays the case for God's inscrutable and unfathomable ways, as he prepares to lay out a long defensive discourse with his "friends."

This brief chapter gives us opportunity to reflect on the breakdown in communication between Job and his friends. Even though they had much more in common than not, they couldn't connect. Instead of listening, they talked past each other. Here we learn the importance of listening, if we want to make a meaningful connection with someone.

Cornelius was a Roman Centurion who feared the One True God. The Lord sent Peter to him, to tell him of God's love. Cornelius was so excited at the prospect of hearing Peter, that he invited all he knew to hear the Good News. In so doing, Cornelius brought many of his loved ones to faith in Jesus as the Savior.

Job is tired of his "friends'" constant assaults and blame. In weary resignation, he wishes to make his case before God Almighty, the only true and understanding Judge. Here, we have the blessing, as New Testament saints, of knowing that when we stand before God in judgment, we shall be aquitted for the sake of Christ Jesus.

Nobody wants to suffer. This is why so many, when confronted with seemingly random loss, often try to find a cause and effect relationship between human suffering and a human cause. But this life is patently unfair, as Eliphaz fails to recognize.

Saul left Jerusalem with arrest warrants for anyone who followed, "the Way," of Jesus. Along the road, he was blinded by Jesus, the One Saul had been persecuting. Terrified and confused, Saul was converted, baptized and renamed Paul. He, who had been the Church's most aggressive opponent, became its most ardent proponent.

Zophar continues berating and belittling Job, whom he assumes has done some terrible wrong to merit God's wrath. Job insists he has done nothing in particular to deserve such harsh treatment. And so we are left considering injustice and the hard realities of living in a world where the evil and the good suffer alike.

In the depths of despair, Job utters one of the clearest statements of faith ever spoken in the Bible. His comfort is ours in Christ Jesus. Job's proclamaition of unwavering faith is a great encouragement and comfort for us all.

We hear the birth story of the Church in Africa. Long before the gospel reached Europe or the Americas, God's Word was firmly planted in the heart of the Ethiopian eunuch. He fathered the Coptic and African Church.

Philip is an under-appreciated leader in the early church. In chapter 8, he takes the gospel to Samaria. His interactions with Simon the Magician, a fraud and swindler, show how powerful Philip had become as a Spirit-led evangelist. Before the end of the chapter, he will reach the heart of Africa with the gospel!

Bildad insults Job for not submitting to his friends' insistence that he must've done something to deserve God's wrath. Like every good lie, there is some truth in what they say. But Job is left now with nothing but sadness, loss, and accusations that all is his fault.

Job loathes his "friends." Instead of consoling him, his "comforters" blame him for his misfortune, amplifying his grief and shame.

Stephen is stoned for laying blame at the feet of the religious authorities for the death of their own Redeemer. Before accusing them of treachery towards God, he recounts the long history of Israel's rejection of her redeemers from Joseph, to Moses, and throughout their history. As Stephen is stoned, we meet a young man named Saul, who approves of this martyr's death.

Eliphaz suggests that Job's insistence that he has done nothing in particular to deserve his suffering is a threat to faith. A basic misconception is laid bare here. Eliphaz believes if you do good, you will receive good. Bad, receive bad. But Job contends saying that the good and evil suffer alike. This gives us occasion to consider the relationship between our works and what happens to us in this life.

Job compares the weariness of this life to waters that erode even the mountains over the course of time. When we suffer like Job, we lament our loss. But as people of faith, it is OK for us to mourn because it brings healing. Even when mourning, we recognize the blessings that God has given us, thanking and praising God for the people and the things we love and cherish, even when they are taken away from us.

Stephen is a leader in the early church. Excellent in his faith and devotion, he is made a deacon, and trusted with the care of widows. As he goes about his work, he is identified as a threat to the religious leadership of Jerusalem, and is put on trial for his faith.