October 23 - Dark but Lovely
שׁחר - "I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me." SONG OF SONGS 1:5–6
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
October 22 - This Is the All of Humanity
כל - The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or…
2 Samuel 23:3-39 (Episode 288)
Last words and mighty men.
October 20 - The Fool
כסיל - Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness…
October 19 - Mega-Vanity!
הבל - The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. ECCLESIASTES 1:1–2
October 18 - Train up or Dedicate?
חנך - Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. PROVERBS 22:6
October 17 - Souls and Throats
נפשׁ - Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. PROVERBS 13:3
October 16 - Covering Sins
כסה - The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. PROVERBS 10:11–12
October 15 - The Architect of the World
אמון - "When [God] assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was…
October 14 - To What Shall I Compare It?
משׁל - The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge…
October 13 - In the Wilderness
מדבר - He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into…
October 12 - God’s Land
ארץ - O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. PSALM 104:24
2 Samuel 22:37-23:2 (Episode 287)
The sweet psalmist of Israel.
October 11 - Orienting Ourselves
מזרח - For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from…
October 10 - The Discipline of the Lord
יסר - Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. PSALM 94:12–13
October 9 - Abba, Father
אב - He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. PSALM 89:26–27
October 8 - Prayer
תפלה - O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! PSALM 88:1–2
October 7 - The Kiss
נשׁק - Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. PSALM 85:10
October 6 - A Long Time Ago and Ahead
עולם - I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” PSALM 77:5–6
October 5 - The Goyim
גוים - May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O…
2 Samuel 22:1-36 (Episode 286)
A song of righteous David.
October 4 - Man’s Best Friend?
כלב - Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips— for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” PSALM 59:6–7
For God So Loved the Animals
Bulls, lions, dogs. Why all these metaphors from the animal kingdom to describe humanity as it encircles the crucified Savior? Because the man on the cross, God incarnate, is there for all creation, not just humanity.
October 3 - Skin or Scroll of Tears?
נאד - You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? PSALM 56:8
October 2 - Purging Hyssop
אזוב - Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. PSALM 51:7
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.
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