Untranslatable Love
This is an excerpt from “Unveiling Mercy: 365 Daily Devotions Based on Insights from Old Testament Hebrew” written by Chad Bird (1517 Publishing, 2020). Used with permission.
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
1 Samuel 10:23-11:15 (Episode 234)
A hiding King turns into a warrior.
1 Samuel 9:26-10:22 (Episode 233)
Saul is made King and hangs out with some prophets.
The Junkyard God of Conditional Forgiveness
From the junkyard of my past, I assembled the scrap metal of self-preservation, self-righteousness, and unalloyed selfishness, to weld together a hollow divinity. In its core, I stuffed myself: a god without divinity, offering forgiveness with conditions, to sinners without love.
1 Samuel 9:1-25 (Episode 232)
The Rock searching for donkeys but finding a throne.
1 Samuel 7:7-8:22 (Episode 231)
Samuel is old. Give us a king!
1 Samuel 6:13-7:6 (Episode 230)
Don't open the Ark. Just don't do it.
1 Samuel 5:1-6:12 (Episode 229)
Holy Saturday in the Old Testament.
1 Samuel 3:19-4:22 (Episode 228)
War, the Ark, and the family of Eli.
1 Samuel 3:1-18 (Episode 227)
God calls Samuel and complicated Eli gets a hard word from the Lord.
Our Precious Sins We Don’t Want God to Forgive
There is a repentance that is anti-repentance, for it clings tightly to the sin over which it sorrows, because in that sorrow is its consolation. In this warped spiritual scheme, our anguish is atonement; shame is our absolution; tears are our baptism. We feel better knowing how bad we feel about our wrongs. But there is a much better way.
1 Samuel 2:11-36 (Episode 226)
Samuel is growing before the Lord while Eli and his sons are growing in different ways.
The Unexpected Gospel of the Fiery Furnace
The well-known Sunday School story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is far from a simple account of three brave and faithful Israelites. It’s a mini-story with a mega-story tucked inside it—a story that links it (backward) to Exodus and (forward) to the Gospels.
1 Samuel 1:18-2:10 (Episode 225)
God remembers Hannah and she bears a son and names him Samuel.
1 Samuel 1:18 (Episode 224)
Chad and Daniel begin the book of 1 Samuel in this episode
Ruth 3:10-4:21 (Episode 223)
Chad and Daniel wrap up the book of Ruth in this episode.
The Number 666 and God’s Merciful Math
The number 666 is Revelation has been interpreted in a myriad of ways. To whom does it apply? Is it a reference to a particular man or humanity in general? In this article, Chad Bird describes how 666 is related to God's math of mercy in the Messiah.
Ruth 2:14-3:9 (Episode 222)
Grain, Bread, Wine, and the "feet" of a redeemer.
Ruth 1:19-2:13 (Episode 221)
Naomi changes her name and Ruth meets Boaz.
Hashtag Preaching and Whack-a-Mole Worship
When the direction of preaching is dictated by the hashtag issues of the day, the pulpit becomes the perpetual servant of CNN and Fox News. The news and social media cycle, with its chameleonic alterations from this all-important issue (this week) to that next-all-important issue (next week), does not create a rhythmic dance for the church but a sort of…
Ruth 1:1-18 (Episode 220)
Chad and Daniel begin the book of Ruth in this episode.
Judges 20:1-21:25 (Episode 219)
Chad and Daniel wrap up the book of Judges
Psalm 69
When we are suffering persecutions, falsely accused and battling our own emotions, the truth of His grace is greater than anything that can attack us, including ourown thoughts.
Psalm 56
Asking God to be gracious to me, because my enemies are trampling on me.
Psalm 142
The Psalm is written in the cave, referring to the time David was hiding from Saul and his soldiers.
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 - Camp Arcadia
God's Extraordinary Grace for Ordinary Men
Chad Bird - Grace Anglican Church
Walking Backward to Bethlehem
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