Unfinished Business

Jonah's story closes with an artfully crafted scene focused on a conversation between the prophet and his God and a poignant object lesson that Yahweh designs for him. In this conclusion, all of the threads that have been weaving through this book come together and yet we are left with an unresolved plot. The open ending leaves us with some questions to face and work to do.

Jonah is given a "Groundhog Day" opportunity to get it right this time and go to Nineveh, which he does. The question is, "Why?"

This is perhaps the most famous scene in the story and yet the prayer that dominates it in the text is largely ignored most of the time. We explore what is really going on from inside the fish in this episode.

In this episode we ask the question "Why did Jonah ask to be thrown overboard?"

After a year-long hiatus, I am back and will be spending this season of Lent walking us through the little book of Jonah. Something new this season is that I am recording these episodes with a live virtual audience and then providing opportunity for unrecorded discussion afterwards. If you'd like to take part in that, it will be on Sunday evenings at 7:30 Eastern Time and the l

This is the final episode of my series in Chronicles, the final book of the Scriptures of Israel. Like so many biblical stories, the ending is open-ended and gives an invitation to its audience and to us. I also include some bonus material about my shifting views of the Bible in response to some questions I have gotten over the past year or two. This will also be my last episode fo

Hezekiah is upheld by the Chronicler as a "second Solomon", an ideal king that comes closer than any other to fulfilling God's design and desire for God's people. There's lots for us to take away from the survey of his life in 2 Chronicles 29-32.

The way the Chronicler treats the "bad" kings is complex and nuanced and in this episode we dive into those narratives, focusing on the worst of them all, Manasseh.

In this episode, I survey five monarchs of Judah that get favorable reviews in the book of Kings, but are treated a little differently by the Chronicler. As always, there is a purpose to the variation that is significant and relevant for us today.

As we begin to look at the kings of Judah that rule after Solomon's death and the division of the kingdom, we take a look at the accounts of their battles that are prominent in Chronicles and what they are meant to teach (and not teach) us about God's work in the world.