Bible, theology, culture, etc.
Polygamy was very common in the ancient world. It is somewhat understandable: in an agrarian culture, it was not impossible (cf. Ruth 2), but very difficult for women to provide a living for themselves apart from a husband. It was also shameful in a patriarchal society to be an unmarried women. And if there were few … Continue reading What’s the Deal with Polygamy in the Bible?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vYTnwTFAXQ83ZeZvOoSfC?si=0b49ebd5d055432c Open with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter nine. Picture a bright eyed, young man walking down a road. He comes upon two houses on either side. Out of each walks a woman. One woman is beautiful and dignified. Her name is “Wisdom” (Prov 9:1ff). The other woman is seductive and loud. Her … Continue reading Two Ways to Live (1 Sam 25:32-38)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/07yNcRimNxCY7CFlglEoqw?si=5d8a9b594c624fe8 We have more information than any previous generation that has ever existed on the planet. At any moment, we could find out almost anything we wanted with a few swipes of our fingers. In previous generations, if you were a member of the aristocracy, or were a king or emperor, one of the benefits … Continue reading Beautiful Wisdom (1 Sam 25:23-31)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hL5nXxcetwvppnmJGwwvm?si=2c24d8b4622244ad We all are familiar with famous dictum that power corrupts…but how? The 19th century historian Henry Adams was being metaphorical, not medical, when he described power as “a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.” In 2017, The Atlantic published an article on how power affects our brains, citing a study from UC Berkeley, they said, … Continue reading A Tale of Two Fools (1 Sam 25)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nkjGdzdumS5NJBWrj0mae?si=c3967649d1cd45da Sermon Discussion Questions: What stood out to you most? What surprises you most about this chapter? What's the connection between grace and not taking ourselves too seriously? Would people around you (spouse, friends, coworkers) describe you as someone who "takes themselves too seriously"? Why was David cut to the heart? Can you think of … Continue reading Vengeance Is Mine (1 Sam 24)
The Argument1. God is all powerful2. God is all knowing--including all possible realities (1 Sam 23:11-12; Matt 11:21)3. God is perfectly good∴ We live in the best of all possible worldsWhen we take God's omnipotence and omniscience together, it means that the current version of reality we now inhabit has come about precisely the way in which God has … Continue reading Is This The Best of All Possible Worlds?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ThmiUTpG9X77FgjDKdMlj?si=8782890ba06e426c Sermon Discussion Questions: When you compare and contrast the characters of David and Saul in these chapters, what do you learn? Are circumstantial comforts and positions a clear indicator of God's blessings? In what ways does Saul serve as a cautionary tale here for the worship of power? Read 1 Sam 21:10-15 and then read Psalm … Continue reading Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous (1 Sam 21-22)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/48V7Q7tRE1OETilGDoagal?si=972e8b252ff24a81 Sermon Discussion Questions: If so many people throughout history have prioritized friendship, why do you think we tend to sideline it today? Do you think you have an accurate view of friendship? (Consider: what do you think of Jesus describing Himself as your friend? John 15:14-15) How does Saul's suspicion become a self-fulfilling prophecy? What … Continue reading The Blessing of Friendship (1 Sam 19-20)
In reading of the relationship between Jonathan and David, one is struck by their depth of affection and commitment to one another: As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul...Then Jonathan made a covenant with … Continue reading Homosexuality and Friendship: Jonathan and David
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7975sjlFD4XeXdG9k772t6?si=7867087161834a4c Sermon Discussion Questions: What stood out to you the most? Why is Jonathan, second only to David, the hero of 1 Samuel? How can grow to be more like him? How is our ego like an elbow? Saul's story is an extreme example of what happens when you are controlled by the approval of … Continue reading The Providence of God (1 Sam 18)
Marc Sims 