The Two Year Bible

Week 24 Review

Chris and Sarah wrap up Deuteronomy and step into Joshua, highlighting the major transition from Moses to Joshua and the repeated command to be strong and courageous. They trace how God reassures Joshua six times that He will be with him, mirroring the Great Commission’s promise of Christ’s presence. Deuteronomy closes with instructions to publicly read the law every seven years at the Feast of Booths, emphasizing generational discipleship—God’s Word is for men, women, children, and sojourners. Moses presents the Song of Moses, contrasting God’s faithfulness with Israel’s rebellion, and urging Israel to see the law as “your very life.” Moses blesses the tribes, dies on the mountain close to God, and the Pentateuch ends with the declaration that no prophet like Moses ever arose again—setting the expectation for One greater to come. As Joshua opens, Chris and Sarah show the deliberate Exodus parallels: a new leader, a crossing through water, a rescued Gentile family, and a memorial of stones that testify to God’s power. They explore Rahab’s faith, the red cord as a “Passover” echo, and how Jericho was likely a military outpost rather than a civilian center. The Jordan crossing echoes the Red Sea and invites Israel to trust Yahweh rather than Baal, even during flood season. The 12 stones point both backward (to God’s faithfulness to the tribes) and forward (to Jesus choosing 12 apostles to bless all nations). In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes from Corinth with deep affection, speaking of the church as his “crown.” They unpack the city’s loyalty to Caesar and how that heightens the tension of proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Paul celebrates their endurance, addresses sexual ethics in a Greco-Roman culture with very different sexual norms, and frames holiness through the lens of the Pentateuch’s call to be set apart. They walk through the “coming of the Lord” using imperial imagery—the trumpet, the royal arrival, greeting a king outside the city—not as escapism but as the triumphant arrival of Christ to His world. Paul urges them to grieve with hope, live awake and sober, reject false peace offered by empire, and trust that God has destined them not for wrath but for salvation. Psalms 91, 31, and 66 end the week with themes of protection, lament, refuge, and grateful remembrance.

Week 23 Review

Chris and Sarah continue moving through Deuteronomy, exploring laws that shape Israel into a community marked by justice, restraint, and care for the vulnerable. They discuss cities of refuge, property boundaries, protections against false witnesses, and the surprising ways God’s law centers “innocent until proven guilty.” They walk through laws on warfare—where Israel must offer peace first—and the tension modern readers feel with Canaanite judgment. Sarah highlights how Israel’s society was structured without a standing army so they would rely on God, not military strength. The conversation moves through provisions for women taken in war, polygamy complexities, rebellious sons, cross-dressing in pagan worship, building codes, care for birds, sexual ethics, rape laws that protect vulnerable women, assembly boundaries, escaped slaves, loans without interest, justice for widows/orphans/sojourners, divorce laws that shield women, Leverite marriage, honest weights, Amalekite judgment, firstfruits offerings, covenant renewal, and the vivid blessing/curse ceremony on Ebal and Gerizim. They spend time on Deuteronomy’s heartbeat: choose life, anchored in repentance, mercy, and the promise that God will restore His people when they return to Him. In Acts, Paul moves through Thessalonica and Berea before landing in Athens. They unpack the “unknown god,” Paul’s bold critique of idolatry, his engagement with Greek philosophy, and the scandal of resurrection in a culture whose founding myth denied it. Chris shows how Paul quotes their poets but reasons from Scripture underneath. In Corinth, Paul shifts tone—perhaps learning from Athens—and finds encouragement in God’s promise: “I have many people in this city.” The episode ends with Paul returning to Antioch and the introduction to 1 Thessalonians. They trace the city’s loyalty to Caesar, the cult of empire, the letter’s themes of faith/hope/love, the radical claim that Gentiles are now “chosen by God,” and the cost of turning from idols in an embedded pagan culture. They also highlight Paul’s parental tenderness, his emphasis on endurance, and the contrast between the “wrath to come” and the rescue we receive in Christ. Psalms 74 and 127 round out the week with lament, longing, and a reminder that God is the builder and giver of life.

Week 22 Review

Chris and Sarah keep walking through Deuteronomy, where Moses reminds Israel that they are God’s chosen people—not because of their righteousness, but because of God’s grace and his promises to Abraham. As they prepare to enter the land, Moses warns against intermarriage that leads to idolatry, calls them to remember God in seasons of abundance, and presses home that obedience leads to blessing while rebellion brings curse. They unpack the call to “circumcise your hearts,” the picture of God as defender of the orphan, widow, and sojourner, and the way Israel’s new life in a rain-fed land will tempt them toward Baal worship. Laws around tithes, sabbatical years, care for the poor, festivals, just judges, and even future kings all underline God’s passion for life, justice, and protection of the vulnerable. A prophet “like Moses” is promised, setting the stage for how the New Testament reads Jesus. In Acts, the Jerusalem Council’s decision becomes official: Gentile believers are welcomed as brothers, not second-class outsiders, with a communal verdict that “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” Paul and Barnabas part ways sharply over John Mark, yet the mission multiplies as Paul takes Silas and recruits Timothy—who is circumcised for the sake of ministry among Jews. The team is redirected by the Spirit to Macedonia, where Philippi becomes the first European beachhead for the gospel. Lydia, a wealthy God-fearing merchant, and her household believe and are baptized. A slave girl with a “spirit of python” is delivered, exposing the emptiness of Apollo worship and provoking an economic backlash. Paul and Silas are beaten and jailed, but choose worship over resentment; an earthquake opens the doors, yet they stay for the sake of the jailer’s soul. The week’s wisdom and worship readings (Psalm 114, Psalm 146, Proverbs 21) tie it all together with themes of God’s power over creation, his care for the oppressed, and the call to wise speech, humble planning, and trust in the Lord for victory.

Week 21 Review

Chris and Sarah wrap up Numbers with Levitical cities and the six “cities of refuge,” where people guilty of unintentional killing could find protection until the death of the high priest—a vivid pointer to Christ bearing our judgment. They revisit the daughters of Zelophehad and the practical marriage solution to keep land within tribes, then reflect on Numbers as 40 years of wandering that expose Israel’s weakness and God’s steady covenant faithfulness. Deuteronomy opens as Moses’ final sermons on the plains of Moab: a retelling of the journey from Sinai, battles with Sihon and Og (the “giant” kings), and strong calls to trust the God who fights for them. Moses warns against idolatry, hints at future exile and restoration, and anchors everything in the Shema (Deut. 6): the call to love God alone, teach the next generation, and see the law as a gift for their joy and flourishing. In Acts, Paul and Barnabas head from Cyprus to Pisidian Antioch, where Paul preaches his first recorded sermon to a mixed crowd of ethnic Jews, converts, and God-fearing Gentiles. Some believe; others resist when Gentiles flood the synagogue. The pattern repeats in other cities, including Lystra, where a healing leads locals—shaped by a Zeus-and-Hermes legend—to misread the miracle. Paul is hounded by opponents, yet he plants churches, appoints elders, and strengthens the disciples through suffering. Back in Antioch, stories of Gentiles receiving the Spirit drive the church to the Jerusalem Council, where Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James wrestle with whether Gentiles must become Jews. They affirm Gentile inclusion without circumcision, likely drawing on the Noahic covenant to set basic requirements around idolatry, sexual immorality, and life. Wisdom and worship readings finish the week: Proverbs 20’s sharp one-liners on character and sin, and Psalm 37’s honest wrestle with why the wicked seem to prosper and the hope that God’s justice will finally stand.

Week 20 Review

This week we talk through Numbers 26-34, Acts 11-13:12, and Psalm 111 and Proverbs 7. Chris Case and Sarah Pascual cover the second census (for land allotment), the daughters of Zelophehad winning inheritance rights, and Joshua’s commissioning to succeed Moses. Numbers reiterates daily/weekly/monthly offerings and the festival calendar, then details vows (including headship caveats), the vengeance on Midian and difficult conquest ethics, Reuben/Gad (and half-Manasseh) choosing the east side, the wilderness itinerary, boundary lines, and land-division leadership—plus a warning that failure to drive out idolatry will become “thorns” later. In Acts, Peter retells Cornelius’ story to skeptical Jerusalem believers; then the focus shifts to multicultural, sending-oriented Antioch. James (son of Zebedee) is martyred; Peter is miraculously freed while the church prays; Herod dies under judgment. Antioch fasts and lays hands on Barnabas and Saul, launching the first missionary journey to Cyprus, where a Roman proconsul (Sergius Paulus) believes while a Jewish magician is judged—coinciding with Luke’s narrative switch from “Saul” to “Paul.” Wisdom/poetry readings: Proverbs 7’s sober warning against sexual temptation and Psalm 111’s praise for God’s faithful provision. EPISODE RESOURCES: Twelve Tribes Layout (With Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh outside land) [https://www.twoyearbible.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/12_Tribes_of_Israel_Map2-56aaca985f9b58b7d008f7c5.jpg] Peter’s Journey to Joppa (Map) [https://www.twoyearbible.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/PetersJourney.png] Location of Acts 13 Antioch (Map) [https://www.twoyearbible.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/palestine-syria-map.jpg]