Oct 26, 2018
One of the most difficult elements of the spiritual life to accept is that humans are inherently bad at it. That is not to say we cannot make progress (we surely can!). But for every three steps forward there are two in reverse. That's simply how it is. And it is a journey God accepts. What's more, God willfully chooses...
Oct 19, 2018
The divine commandment of sabbath is stunning and without parallel in the Ancient Near East. Yet YHWH regularly repeats the command to rest and connects it with the covenant bond between Israel and God (so critical was it to God that laboring on the sabbath could be a capital offense!).
In this episode we examine both...
Oct 8, 2018
Unheard of in the ancient world was a deity who travelled with his people. There were gods of particular regions (and within those regions lesser deities who controlled the wind here or the rain there), but a god so tied to his people that he sojourned with them, never. Until YHWH called Israel.
In this episode we...
Oct 3, 2018
Sep 30, 2018
One of the most striking aspects of Israel's God is his concern for human interactions. We've seen this already in the 10 Commandments and YHWH's insistence that his people be marked by justice. But God does not stop a broad principles.
In this episode (the first of two), we look at what's known as "The Mishpatim" - the...