Bible in a Year (The Story) Podcast

Day 38: Liminality and Leadership

Today we read Exodus 17-18, Leviticus 12, and Psalms 73. This is a story about the time and space between something we left and somewhere or something we are becoming. The wilderness can be a place of growth or a place of rebellion and ingratitude. It is meaningful to note that God’s response to the people’s lack of trust and ungratefulness is reassurance and provision. There are contrasts being made between their work for Pharaoh and their cycle of work and rest where God provides instead of us providing for a false-god - Pharoah. This is also a story which highlights the leadership God appointed and the leadership innovations the people make to be and become a more sustainable community of God, a Kingdom of Priests.

Week 7: Weekend Review & Reflection Challenge

This is the weekend review and reflection challenge. We'll be back on Monday! If you need to catch up, the weekend gives you the chance to do that. Remember, you can start whenever, pause whenever, but never stop listening (or reading) the Bible!
Reflection challenge question: What is one or two things you learned this week from listening to the Bible that you can put into practice in your life today? 
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to our show wherever you are podcasting to get notifications to remind you on Monday that the show has been posted! Subscribing, rating, reviewing and sharing our show also helps to organically grow our channel and make it easier for people to find us! Thanks for listening and we look forward to being back with you next week.

Day 37: The Song of the Sea

Today we read Exodus 15-16, Leviticus, 11, and Psalm 71. This story takes us to that liminal space between going and coming into something new. This is a story of God fighting for us. This is a story about a brother, Moses, and a sister, Miriam, leading the Israelites in a song, a song about the sea. It is a story just after a rescue where freedom is made complete when God ends the imminent threat of re-enslavement by the Egyptians. We read about God’s victory, justice, reputation, creation, and the purpose is being made clear, we are going to a place where God and us can be together, always. It is a story of God's presence and provision in liminal spaces and seasons. He is beginning the process of helping His people let go of the old and trust in Him for food - echoes of the Tree of Life from Genesis. It’s a story of God’s great care for us and His patience. It’s the beginning of Levitical laws on purity and holiness, it also echoes back to moral accountability, the “do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge” policy given to us in Genesis 2. God is asking to be the Lord of our lives, what are His people going to do?
Resources:
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
 

Day 36: Military Units and the Crossing

Today we read Exodus 13-14, Leviticus 10, and Psalms 53. In this story, we read about the actual Exodus. The journey out of Egypt through the “Sea of Reeds.” We discuss a lot of the details of this story such as the meaning of the word glory, the symmetry in a heavy plague and a heavy heart, and the number of people in the new nation of Israel, and we begin to see the importance of how to follow God in the way He designed in a consistent and cohesive way.
Resources:
Marty Solomon and Brent Billings (Feb, 2017), A Strengthened Heart (35 minutes), Retrieved from https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/19 
Give an overview of the book of Leviticus.
Transcript for BEMA 19
Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/exodus-1-18/ 
Fretheim, Terence (Nov. 2016) The Reclamation of Creation: Redemption and Law in Exodus. Volume 45, Issue 4 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002096430004500403 
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
 
Dr. Haley Goranson Jacob (2019) Bible Project Podcast. Destined for Glory. https://bibleproject.com/podcast/destined-glory/ 
 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
 

Day 35: Rescued, Redeemed, and Recruited

Today we read Exodus 12, Leviticus 9, and Psalms 114. This is a messy story that is confronting, it requires a choice that has a cost. God is claiming all the first borns and the choice is to allow the Lord to pay the debt or pay the debt in full - death. This story forces the decision, do we cling to our idols and or ways or do we surrender to the rescuer and allow God to redeem and restore us in His recruitment of us back into the story as a kingdom of priests to put God on display, reflect His reputation by helping other navigate their atonement, give to those in need, stand in the gap with intercessory prayers and not stand in the way of others or cause them to stumble away from the Lord. This story brings home that His calls to action are with intention and He makes a way for everyone who is willing to leave their idols, the things that enslave them behind, for His restoration, redemption, and recruitment into a brand ambassadorship we were custom made for by God himself. We are not being freed for freedom's sake but called, recruited, into the vocation we were custom made for, in a story that is still unfolding today. We were made for purpose. God is willing to pay the cost to have us back, but we must decide, Him first, or something else? Imagine we are like a child that refuses to put their coat on and goes out into the cold, God will keep carrying our coat and walking alongside us, asking us to put the coat on, but if we refuse, there is a cost, our bodies will eventually give way and we will freeze to death. This is a hard but important part of the story. 
Resources:
Marty Solomon and Brent Billings (Feb, 2017), A Strengthened Heart (35 minutes), Retrieved from https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/19 
Give an overview of the book of Leviticus.
 
Transcript for BEMA 19
Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/exodus-1-18/ 
Fretheim, Terence (Nov. 2016) The Reclamation of Creation: Redemption and Law in Exodus. Volume 45, Issue 4 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002096430004500403 
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.

Day 34: Freed From and Freed For

Today we read Exodus 10-11, Leviticus 8, and Psalms 50. The first story we read today in Exodus 10 and 11 is best understood in context and comparison. I think it’s important to draw a sharp contrast between what Pharaoh did - killed Hebrew babies for coming into existence vs God not retaliating in vengeance but displaying His power beyond Pharaoh yet offering mercy, offering a way for no one to die and then offering individual families a way to allow a sacrifice to cover over their house and avoid death. This comparison displays God as both just and merciful, but if we still struggle with it all, I think it’s important to remind ourselves to put our trust in the one who is wisdom itself and put our faith in the “who” over our need for the answer to “why.” It’s also ok for stories like this to cause distress and feel uncomfortable. But our reaction to these feelings is important. I recall the story of Job here. What we do not want is to make our response one where we know wisdom, right and wrong, over God and where we lean into a sense of self-righteousness or pride that might in fact lead our hearts to become harder and more distant from Yahweh. The second story, Leviticus 8, reminds me of how the responsibility to teach makes me seek to understand something and apply it in a deeper way than when I am just the student. Maybe this is my shortcoming or perhaps your experiences are similar. This got me thinking about how (a) God commissioning Moses and (b) Moses commissioning Aaron and his sons to (c) commission all of Israel is something like the train-the-trainer model where the first teaches the second, the second then shadows the first, then the first shadows the second, and the process is repeated where the second becomes the first and so on until we have a kingdom of priests that (1) puts God on display, (2) helps others navigate their atonement in Jesus, and (3) intercedes in prayer for people, and (3) is prodigally generous with our resources to those in need.
*Correction, it was Judah not Levi that suggested to sell Joseph into slavery in Genesis 18
Resources:
Marty Solomon and Brent Billings (March, 2017), A Kingdom of What? (40 minutes), Retrieved from https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/25 
Give an overview of the book of Leviticus.
A Kingdom of What? Presentation (PDF)
Discussion Video for BEMA 25
Leviticus: A Call to Priesthood (Sermon Series) — Real Life on the Palouse - Paule Patterson
Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/exodus-1-18/ 
 
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.

Day 33: Decisions, Debts, and a Way Forward

Today we read Exodus 9, Leviticus 7, and Psalms 49. The story of Exodus and Leviticus seem to incrementally feel more uncomfortable and seem strange. But, it’s important not to give up on these very important parts of “the story” that is unfolding. Dr. Tim Mackie describes Exodus as a foundation story which is really important for the storyline in the Bible where we are being drawn into our need for a Savior in a clearer way than ever before. When we compare the Exodus story to the Noah’s Ark story in Genesis, we see here that God is confronting the wicked at the same time that He is commissioning His people to go when in the Noah story, we only read that God commissioned Noah and His family and the story does not say that God confronted, denied, or invited the wicked to change their heart. Dr. Tim Mackie describes reading Leviticus like eating our vegetables, it is good for our bones, for our spiritual bones. We also have to remember that one of the reasons this part of the story line feels so foreign to us is that this is a very foreign culture to us. Therefore, instead of just turning away, we keep reading and focusing on what God is doing in, through, and despite the culture, the people, and the situations. There is where wisdom can be found. For example, animal sacrifice is hard to read, but we are also reading about the “why” it is a sacrifice that covers our sin debt. It is God making a way to atone for us that will ultimately be fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus.
Resources:
Marty Solomon and Brent Billings (March, 2017), A Kingdom of What? (40 minutes), Retrieved from https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/25 
Give an overview of the book of Leviticus.
A Kingdom of What? Presentation (PDF)
Discussion Video for BEMA 25
Leviticus: A Call to Priesthood (Sermon Series) — Real Life on the Palouse - Paule Patterson
Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/exodus-1-18/ 
 
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.

Week 6: Weekend Review & Reflection Challenge

This is the weekend review and reflection challenge. We'll be back on Monday! If you need to catch up, the weekend gives you the chance to do that. Remember, you can start whenever, pause whenever, but never stop listening (or reading) the Bible!
Reflection challenge question: What is one or two things you learned this week from listening to the Bible that you can put into practice in your life today? 
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to our show wherever you are podcasting to get notifications to remind you on Monday that the show has been posted! Subscribing, rating, reviewing and sharing our show also helps to organically grow our channel and make it easier for people to find us! Thanks for listening and we look forward to being back with you next week.

Day 32: The Sun Can Melt Wax or Harden Clay

Today we read Exodus 8, Leviticus 6, and Psalm 48. This story is God beginning His response to the groins of suffering from Israel. God introduces and reminds Egypt and Israel that He is God, the one and only. Some biblical scholars think that each plague is a direct counter-expression of power against an Egyptian god and others see it more as a general sovereignty over Egyptian gods that is conveyed. The story also has many of us wondering about the three mentions of a hard heart. Hebrew adds some clarity in the sense that each use is different in meaning, two seem to assign the “who” and the third is not clear on the “who,” just that Pharaoh's heart is hard. Father Mike Schmitz compares God to the sun and describes how we have influence over the state of our hearts and if we keep it soft, like wax, it will melt in the presence of the sun. However, if our heart is more firm, like clay, it will harden in the presence of the sun. We learn more about God’s incredible mercy and the cost of a right relationship with Him.
Resources:
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
Father Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavins, Episode 31-33, The Bible in a Year, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/day-33-locusts-darkness-and-death-of-the-firstborn-2023/id1539568321?i=1000597676343 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.
 

Day 31: Letting Go and the Purpose of Confrontation

Today we read Exodus 6-7, Leviticus 5, and Psalms 47. In this story, we read how God uses symbols, like a staff and snake, that convey important messages and meaning in that culture. In other words, God speaks to us in our language to help us understand. We also learn that the purpose of confrontation is not to just be freed from or make a point, it is to be free for our real purpose, to worship God, to be a blessing to others as God’s Image and Name Bearers in the world. Our work and the way we rule and subdue is further clarified in Leviticus as we understand our four fold purpose as a kingdom of priests is to put God on display, help others navigate their way to God, pray for and intercede for the world, and give generously. But this all comes after atonement. We have to let go and allow God to free us. He covers the cost of our sin debt. In these stories we talk about what it means when confronted, do we, like Pharaoh, blame shift or harden our hearts, even as God gives us chance after chance. God relentlessly and mercifully seeks to make a way to cover us, atone for us and restore us to a close physical relationship with Him where he can dwell with us and redeem us to our Genesis 2 purpose. So far, Leviticus reminds me of how I felt reading Genesis 3, where I was devastated at our choice to sin, but hopeful at God’s promise in 3:15 that a wounded victor will defeat the advisory and when I recall the cost of our sin, “death,” I begin to get a sense of that cost here in Leviticus. We get a glimpse, as the reader, of the innocence and blood that was and will be required, ultimately through Jesus conquering death that will atone for us. Letting go and confrontation are sometimes something we cannot avoid and we need to think carefully about our response to them.
Resources:
Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/exodus-1-18/ 
Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins (2017) Torah Leviticus Q&R, Episode 5, Bible Project. Podcast: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/leviticus-qr/ 
Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 
Credits:
Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.