22. The Bible Book So Intense, Rabbis Said You Had to Be 40 to Read It

Habakkuk - What Do You Praise God For When You've Got Nothing Left? (feat. Rolf Jacobson)

What is the life of faith good for when there is nothing left to praise God for? In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Rev. Katie Langston welcome Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty and Old Testament professor at Luther Seminary, to discuss the book of Habakkuk. This short three-chapter book begins with Habakkuk's lament over injustice in Judah and God's surprising answer. Together they explore the famous verse "the righteous shall live by faith," the meaning of the Hebrew word mishpat, and how God works through even unjust powers to bring about a greater purpose. The conversation also traces Habakkuk's influence on Paul's letter to the Romans and Martin Luther's Reformation theology. Rolf offers a moving reading of the book's final praise, offered even when the fields are empty and the flocks are gone. Listeners will come away with a richer understanding of what the life of faith truly asks of us, especially in seasons of hardship. This episode is part of The Bible in a Year podcast, a resource from Enter the Bible. Hosts: Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker, Rev. Katie Langston Guest: Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Old Testament, Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary Seven-Word Summary: Habakkuk laments, then praises in the emptiness. Key Themes: * Habakkuk's argument with God over injustice in Judah * The rise of Babylon (the Chaldeans) as God's instrument of judgment * The meaning and threefold use of the Hebrew word mishpat (law, justice, judgment) * The famous verse "the righteous shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4) and its use by Paul in Romans * Habakkuk's influence on Martin Luther and the Reformation * The book's terrifying vision in chapter 3 and its closing hymn of praise amid total loss * God's providence and the "long view" of faith Scripture References: * Habakkuk 1:1–4 (lament over injustice) * Habakkuk 1:5–11 (God's answer, the rise of the Chaldeans) * Habakkuk 2:1 ("I will stand at my watch post") * Habakkuk 2:4 ("the righteous shall live by faith") * Habakkuk 3 (the vision and closing praise, "though the fig tree does not blossom...") * Romans 1:17 (Apostle Paul's quotation of Habakkuk 2:4) * Isaiah's love song/judgment oracle and Assyria parallel (referenced for comparison) * Amos's funeral dirge and intercession for Israel (referenced for comparison) * Psalm 46 (referenced in connection with Habakkuk's terrifying vision) Bible Bingo Words: Lament, Mishpat, Vision, Faith, Praise People Mentioned: * Walter Brueggemann, The Psalms and the Life of Faith (edited by Patrick D. Miller): referenced for Brueggemann's definition of lament as protest to God * Karl N. Jacobson (Rolf's late brother), who held an alternate view that Habakkuk's lament was play acting * Rolf's Great-Grandfather Roe, whose Depression-era story of loss and continued generosity is shared as an illustration of praising God amid hardship

28. Nahum, Jonah, and the God Who Won't Give Up on Nineveh

Most people know Jonah as the guy who got swallowed by a whale, but this book of Jonah summary reveals a much stranger and funnier story than that. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Katie Langston and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty at Luther Seminary, to explore the books of Jonah and Nahum. Rolf walks through Jonah's reluctant call to preach against Nineveh, his flight in the opposite direction, the storm, the big fish, and the five word sermon that somehow converts an entire city from the king down to the animals. He also unpacks the book of Nahum, which pronounces God's judgment on Assyria for its brutality against Israel and sets the stage for everything Jonah wrestles with. At the heart of the conversation is the Hebrew word hesed, God's steadfast loving mercy, and the uncomfortable question Jonah leaves us with. If you want mercy for yourself, can you also want it for the people who hurt you or the people you hate? Along the way, Rolf and the hosts play a round of Bible Bingo covering Nineveh, providence, nature, and obedience, and dig into some strange details in the Hebrew text that even seasoned scholars find surprising. Whether you are new to the minor prophets or have read Jonah a dozen times, this conversation offers a fresh way into a small book with a lot to say.

27. The Book of Micah: Justice, Mercy, and God's Emotions with Dr. Cory Driver

In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Kristofer Phan Coffman welcome back Old Testament scholar Dr. Cory Driver to dig into the Book of Micah. This short but powerful minor prophet speaks into the eighth century BCE, addressing both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms as Assyria threatens on the horizon. Dr. Driver explains why prophecy isn't primarily about predicting the future but about communicating how God feels, and he shows how Micah brings that message home with striking specificity, naming small towns and villages to make clear that everyone, not just the powerful, is caught up in the story. The conversation moves through the "Bible Bingo" terms of nations, place, injustice, hope, and repetition, then lands on the courtroom scene of Micah 6, where God calls creation itself as a witness against the people's injustice. That scene sets up the well-known words of Micah 6:8, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, which Dr. Driver unpacks in its full context. He also shares a personal story about how Micah 7:5-6 unsettled and ultimately shaped his own faith, offering listeners a moving picture of how this ancient text still speaks to real life today.

26. The Verse on Dr. King's Wall, and the Book Most People Never Read

In this book of Amos overview, hosts Kristofer Phan Coffman and Jennifer Wojciechowski welcome back Cory Driver, Director of Research at the Center for Life at Miami University and author of God, Gender and Family Trauma [https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9798889832201/God-Gender-and-Family-Trauma], to explore one of the Old Testament's most pointed minor prophets. Cory explains how Amos draws Israel in with a "tour of sinfulness" against their neighbors, building confidence and comfort, before turning that same judgment back on Israel itself. The conversation digs into prophecy as a window into God's emotional life: God's love, disappointment, and frustration, expressed through a farmer turned reluctant messenger. Cory and the hosts also explore the agricultural language that runs through Amos, Jeroboam II's prosperous but unjust reign, and the famous Amos 5:24, the verse Dr. King made iconic on the walls of his memorial. They draw a surprising connection between Amos and the prophet Jonah, two prophets sent to people who weren't their own, with very different responses.

25. The Day of the Lord: What Joel and Obadiah Teach About Judgment and Hope

The Day of the Lord connects two of the Bible's shortest and least familiar prophetic books. In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston welcome Dr. Tyler Mayfield to explore Joel and Obadiah. Joel reads a catastrophic locust plague as a sign from God, calling the people to lament and repent before delivering a tender promise of restoration and a vision of a far-off day of divine judgment. It is the same passage about God pouring out the Spirit on all flesh that the book of Acts would later draw upon. Obadiah turns its gaze toward Edom, the sibling nation whose story reaches back to Jacob and Esau and whose betrayal after the fall of Jerusalem turned the people's lament into righteous anger. Dr. Mayfield helps us see how both books wrestle with judgment, hope, and the very human desire for vengeance, and why the Day of the Lord ultimately points toward God's longing to set things right. * Father Abraham’s Many Children [https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802879455/father-abrahams-many-children/]