In this section, we will read about Hananiah, a prophet who claims to speak from the LORD. We have no reason to doubt his sincerity. On top of that, his message is a lot happier than Jeremiah’s. He predicts a quick end to the exile. The only problem is that his prophecy is not true. Full reading and audio »
As we turn now to the prophecy of Jeremiah, we are introduced to a theme that runs throughout the Old Testament and the story of Israel: living as people in exile. Full reading and audio »
Although ancient, biblical texts are never dead — not even past. Rather, they are continually enlivened and made relevant by the Spirit’s inspiration. Full reading and audio »
“You know my methods, Watson. There was not one of them which I did not apply to the inquiry. And it ended by my discovering traces, but very different ones from those which I had expected.” Full reading and audio »
In these two chapters, David finally takes the throne over all Israel, makes Jerusalem his capital city, and brings the ark of God there. Full reading and audio »
Most people know Leviticus 19:18 but are not as familiar with the rest of the chapter. One reason we selected this chapter as part of “Israel’s Story” is that it is so important for understanding who Israel is — or, perhaps more accurately, who Israel is called to be. Full reading and audio »
After the interlude of Romans 9–11, Paul picks up where he left off in Chapter 8, speaking of the various implications of this new way of life in Christ Jesus and his Spirit. As we have mentioned time and time again in this series, there is an active involvement on the part of believers. Full reading and audio »
With this week’s reading, we approach the climax of Matthew’s gospel story. Jesus’ Galilean ministry has come to an end, and his journey to Jerusalem is now complete. Full reading and audio »
Every Sunday-school child knows the Joseph story. Joseph, who dominates every chapter from Genesis 37 on (except Chapter 38) is among the more admirable biblical characters. Still, calling this material the “Joseph Story” is not quite accurate. Full reading and audio »
Looking back, it is easy to see that all of the churches I grew up in followed traditional gender roles. The men were pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, and teachers. The women were pastors’ wives, children’s Sunday school teachers, worship team members, and women’s Bible study teachers. Full reading and audio »
The origin of the word “thug” is from The Thugees, a large, well-organized assassin cult found in India from the 14th to 19th centuries. Its members, called “thugs” for short, infiltrated tourist caravans disguised as friendly co-travelers in order to put victims at ease before strangling them and stealing their goods. Full reading and audio »
Congratulations. You’ve reached this milestone in your life through hard work and dedication. Be thankful for those who have come before you, and for those who have encouraged you to reach for your dreams. Full reading and audio »
The first three of this week’s psalms all have a different title. Psalm 85 is a psalm of the sons of Korah, Psalm 89 identifies Ethan the Ezrahite in its title, and Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, the man of God. The fourth, Psalm 91, is untitled Full reading and audio »
The early Hebrew sages were prudentialists, moral optimists, and empiricists. It is the inadequacy of their empiricism, at least in the eyes of the later wisdom tradition, that concerns us today. Full reading and audio »
Well, that’s that, isn’t it? A distinguished council and a well-crafted compromise setting Jews and Gentiles side-by-side in a harmonious whole. Can we all just get along? You bet we can! Full reading and audio »
Mark Twain once quipped, “It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” As we listen to Jesus tell these remarkable “stories with intent” called parables, there are things we may not fully understand. Full reading and audio »
Like many, I was tempted to watch the television shows Lost and Battlestar Galactica (2004–09) when they aired. However, the reason I never did is that Battlestar Galactica ran for 75 episodes, and Lost for a whopping 121! Full reading and audio »
Although this week’s Lectio passage does not open with “Now concerning,” Paul most likely is still responding to concerns raised by the Corinthians. In fact, two concerns are addressed by Paul in this passage, and both have to do with proper behavior in the context of worship. Full reading and audio »
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about two brothers in the same situation (Matthew 21:28–30) — the father tells them both to “go and work in the vineyard today.” Only one does the right thing; while he originally tells his father “no,” he later changes his mind and does as he was told. Full reading and audio »
CBTE is an arm of the SPU School of Theology whose purpose is to provide biblical and theological education for the SPU community, the church, and the world. More»
In this free six-part video series, Associate Professor of Old Testament Bo Lim, CBTE Lectio guide for Isaiah, discusses several major topics in this book that has been called the “Fifth Gospel.”
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