For Better, For Verse

God's Heroes?

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel bridge the era of judges and the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. These narratives not only depict the rise and fall of Saul and David but also reflect the struggles of a people seeking identity and stability after years of turmoil. Their significance extends beyond mere historical events; 1 and 2 Samuel invite us to reflect on what it means to listen to God and follow His guidance. Join Justin and Jewelle as they explore how even the most flawed Biblical heroes can teach us about faith, redemption, and what it means to listen to God.

Power, Projections, and Providence

In this episode on Judges and Ruth, Justin and Jewelle explore how the Biblical writers are gradually becoming aware that God works in the world in many varied and complicated ways. In Judges, we see God rewarding holiness and punishing wrongdoing, but we also see God partnering with flawed people, striving to rack up little wins even in the midst of big failures, and conspiring to help good people to whom bad things happen. At one point, God clearly has nothing to do with something the characters in the story think God has everything to do with. By the end, Israel has failed in its attempt to govern itself through judges, setting up the story of monarchy. But there's no easy triumphalism: Israel needs a king to keep going, but only because they've shown they don't want God himself to be their king.

Did We Hear That Right?

Justin Crisp and Jewelle Bickel explore the depths of Deuteronomy and Joshua, examining biblical history, theology, and moral questions surrounding divine revelation, the conquest of Canaan, and how justly to organize a whole civilization. Together they try to discern what the divine author, the Holy Spirit, is telling us through the conflicting, confusing (and maybe even confused!) testimonies of the human authors of these Biblical books. This episode offers a nuanced look at Scripture, the idea of divine retribution and punishment, social justice in ancient Israel, and what God thinks of war, violence, and human struggle.

Moses, We Have a Problem

In this episode, Justin Crisp and Jewelle Bickel explore the rich narratives and theological themes of the Book of Numbers, including its realistic account of human nature, the contradiction between God's love and God's justice, the nature of God, and the surprising ways God reveals Himself beyond the people and practices of His covenant with Israel. Discover insights into biblical leadership, human doubt, and God's providence in unexpected places and people.

The One About Leviticus

In this episode, Justin and Jewelle explore the conclusion of Exodus and the whole book of Leviticus, focusing on the Golden Calf episode, God's loving determination to keep his covenant with Israel in spite of their wrongdoing, the nature of idolatry, the significance of sacrifice, and how we must distinguish between what's universal and contingent, applicable and inapplicable, in the Scriptures. Exodus and Leviticus say God and humanity have a common goal—for humanity to behold the glory of the Lord in God's personal company—and that the complex sacrificial system of Leviticus is a way God provides for humanity to clean up its act (literally!) so that goal can be reached. God's love and God's justice are a difficult circle to square when people like us and a world like this are concerned. Sacrifice and atonement are the solution—one that points us, in the fullness of time, to what God accomplishes for us in Jesus Christ.