1 Chronicles

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah in two volumes. Pretty self-explanatory, right? Well, not exactly, but, sort of.

1 Chronicles begins with one of the longest stretches of genealogy in all the Bible. (To understand why it does this, you'll need to watch the video.) Then it picks up at the death of King Saul and begins re-telling the story of David. Why the redundancy? Why are we covering the same material again? Is it exactly the same? What's going on? And what does it have to do with me as a Christian?

There's also a great segment toward the end of the first video where John asks me about contradictions in the Bible. Isn't the Bible full of them? And what does a Bible believer say about that? Well, I have quite a bit to say about that it turns out, though I had forgotten I said it until I re-watched the video.

The first video is about fifteen minutes long. The second one only seven. There is much more to 2 Chronicles than you might think and I hope you will take the time to watch and perhaps learn a little more about this great book.

2 Kings

The second book of the Kings in the Old Testament is an action-packed narrative detailing the history of the divided kingdom. Entitled "Kings" it is more about prophets than it is about kings. Major characters include Elijah, Elisha, Jezebel, Jehu, Isaiah, Hezekiah, and Manasseh. As with any book of the Bible, the main character is actually God. What is he doing? Why did he give us this book? What are we to learn from it? And where is Jesus in all of this?

In these two videos John and I ask and answer several questions about the book of 2 Kings. The session is lively and informative and very poignant toward the end. The total length of the two videos is about twenty-five minutes and it is well worth your time. If you are reading, or plan to read this book in the Old Testament, give this question and answer session a viewing and see if it helps you to understand what the book is about. God bless.

1 Kings

The names of the Old Testament books don't always give a good clue as to what they're about. For example, the two books of Samuel are mostly about David. Similarly, the Kings are as much about prophets as they are about kings. In fact, after Solomon is gone, the two characters who dominate these books are Elijah and Elisha. Yet they are called the books of the Kings.

In this video conversation, Pastor John R. Pflug Jr. and I talk about the first book of the Kings. What is 1 Kings about? Who are the dominant characters? What is God doing? Where is Jesus? The first video is a little short of fifteen minutes long and the second about eight more.

2 Samuel

David is one of the great figures of the Bible. He, along with Abraham, Moses, and Elijah, towers over the middle of our Bible. He is the dominant figure of the second half of the Old Testament. Most importantly he prefigures Jesus Christ.

2 Samuel follows David from the beginning of his reign as king until the end. What was that kingdom like? If David was a man after God's own heart, what does that mean? Did he never do wrong? Did he ever fail? What about his relationship with God? Did God make him promises?

In this video Pastor John Pflug and I open up the book of 2 Samuel and discuss its contents, what it means for the Christian, and how it points to Jesus Christ. If you are new to the book or if you have read it several times there is still something for you here to learn and be blessed by. The first video lasts about 15 minutes and the second part about 9 more.

1 Samuel

Hannah, Samuel, Eli, Saul, David, Goliath, Jonathan, Ichabod, (Ichabod?) (Yes, Ichabod), Hophni, Phineas, Doeg the Edomite. These are characters you meet inside the action-packed book of 1 Samuel. Was Samuel the last judge or the first prophet? What is this Ark of the Covenant and does it have anything to do with Indiana Jones? Why do the people want a king? What king do they get? Why does this king want to kill David? Why won't David kill him back? How does all this point to Jesus?

Here are the videos for the conversation John and I had about the Old Testament book called 1 Samuel. The entire conversation is only about twenty minutes long and, I think, very informative about the content of this book. If you would like to read 1 Samuel and know what it is you are reading and what it means to us as Christians then these videos were made for you. Watch and be blessed.

Ruth--Grace In The Midst of Chaos

Tucked away in the Old Testament is a beautiful little book called Ruth. Four chapters long, it is easily overlooked among all the longer works in the early narrative of the Hebrew Scriptures. What is Ruth about and why is it important? When I open it, what should I expect? Is it possible that this little story points to Christ?

Judges

The biblical book of Judges is a gritty chronicle of the early days of the people of God after they entered the promised land. If you attended Sunday School as a child then you are familiar with many of the characters and stories in the book--Gideon, Samson and Delilah, Barak and Deborah. The book of Judges is a fast-paced, sometimes gruesome portrayal of heroes, apostasy, faith and faithlessness, triumph and tragedy. In this video we look at some of the details and ask some tough questions. Most importantly we tackle the meaning and purpose of the book and what the Christian can take away from it. Finally we look for Christ and, of course, we find him here, too. Only about twenty minutes total, I hope you will take the time to watch.

Joshua

Genocide, holy war, the sun standing still, whole families being wiped out for the sin of one individual . . . what are we to do with the book of Joshua? John and I take a look at this tough to understand, controversial book in the Old Testament canon, and we look it right in the face. Does God command his people to wage holy war? Is it fair that God punishes whole families for the sins of a patriarchal leader? Do Christians really believe that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and it did? What are we to make of this book and what does it have to say to us today as Christians in the 21st century? Does it have anything to do with Jesus?

I would like to say that we give thorough and satisfying answers to all these questions, but I'm not sure we do. What we do, however, is look the questions right in the face without flinching and give a defense of the holiness of God and the authority of Scripture. Having reviewed this several times I'm still not satisfied with my answers completely, but I believe the testimony of God can stand up to all scrutiny. Watch and think and learn and trust and adore.