March 4 - Mr. Big House
פרעה - Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold ta feast to me in the wilderness.’ ” But Pharaoh said, “Who is…
Contributors
Chad Bird
Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence at 1517. He has served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. He holds master’s degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. He has contributed articles to Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Modern Reformation, The Federalist, Lutheran Forum, and other journals and websites. He is also the author of several books, including Night Driving & Your God Is Too Glorious.
Chad Bird
Most Recent
March 3 - A Bridegroom of Blood
חתן דמים - At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said…
March 2 - Sin’s Skin Story
צרעת - Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your…
1 Samuel 30:1-31 (Episode 256)
Captured families, an abandoned servant, and a drunk raid party.
March 1 - Sticking It to Enemies
מטה - The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran…
What is Sanctification? Revisiting the Old Testament for the Answer
The words “sanctify” and “sanctification” have deep roots in the Old Testament. There, holiness is about nearness to the presence of God. He is the holy-maker. Sanctification is his gift. The Old Testament helps us to avoid the common misunderstanding today that sanctification is all about our life of good works.
February 28 - I Am Who I Am
יהוה - Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I…
February 27 - Holy Ground
קדשׁ - Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” EXODUS 3:5
February 26 - God’s Unique Messenger
מלאך - And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. EXODUS 3:2
February 25 - When God Knows
ידע - And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew. EXODUS 2:15–16
February 24 - Drinking from a Beer
באר - When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and…
February 23 - Moses the Water Man
משׁה - When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” EXODUS 2:10
Get Behind Me, Satan: Public Opinion about Jesus, Peter’s Half-Confession, and the Hebrew Meaning of Satan
How was Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ,” really only half a confession? How does the two-stage healing of a blind man prepare us for Peter’s confession? Why did people think Jesus was one of the prophets come back to life (redivivus)? And how does the Hebrew meaning of satan/Satan clarify why Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”…
February 22 - The Birth-Helpers
מילדת - Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is…
1 Samuel 28:20-29:11 (Episode 255)
Saul eats and David is unlike anyone else.
February 21 - Be Fruitful and Multiply
פרו ורבו - But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. GENESIS 46:27
Are Images of Jesus a Violation of the Commandments?
Different groups within Christianity disagree as to whether Jesus should be depicted in icons, crucifixes, paintings, or other visual media. In this article, Chad Bird approaches the question from the angle of both the commandments and the incarnation.
February 20 - Seventy
שׁבעים - And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy. GENESIS 46:27
Repentance According to the Scriptures: 2 Chronicles 7:14
We cannot scan any random passage of Scripture and automatically assume the words are unconditionally addressed to us. Often, very often, they are not.
February 19 - From Sister-in-Law to Wife
יבם - But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. GENESIS 38:9
February 18 - The Coat of Many Colors
כתנת פסים - Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father…
February 17 - Israel the God-Fighter
שׂרה - And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day... Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[a] for you have striven with God and with…
Learning Hebrew and the Jewish Background of the New Testament: Recommendations and Resources
Do you want to learn Hebrew or expand your knowledge of the language? What are some online resources for studying the Bible in the original languages?
February 16 - The Ineptitude of Idols
תרפים - Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let not my…
1 Samuel 27:8-28:19 (Episode 254)
Violent raids and raising the dead.
Featured Resources
Christ in the Old Testament
Why read the Old Testament now that we have the New Testament? When we're reading the Old Testament, we're reading a book that is all about Christ. When Christ talked about himself, and when his earliest believers talked about who he was and what he was accomplishing through his acts of salvation, they referred to the Old Testament. Enroll in…
40 Minutes in the Old Testament
Welcome to 40 Minutes in the Old Testament, a show that moves chapter by chapter through the Old Testament, diving into scripture, and conversing about the sinner and saint aspects of God's Word.
Upcoming Events
Chad Bird - Ocean Grove, NJ
Rediscovering the Centrality of Christ in the Old Testament
Chad Bird - Camp Arcadia, MI
The Christ Key: Unlocking the Mystery of Jesus in the Old Testament
Chad Bird - Birmingham, MI
God's Extraordinary Grace for Ordinary Men
Regional Conference in Bentonville, Arkansas
A two day event designed to center your faith in the limitless grace of God.
Here We Still Stand 2021
Consciences Captive to the Word of God