August 5 - God the Housebuilder
בית - "Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from…
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
Three Popular, Wrong Ideas About the Old Testament
The Old Testament is a long, strange book that’s not easy for modern readers to understand. What is understandable, therefore, is that people can get lost and confused when studying it. Here are three common misconceptions about it.
August 4 - Dancing before the Ark
כרר - So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed…
August 3 - Do Not Touch
אחז - And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against…
2 Samuel 14:25-15:12 (Episode 277)
Absalom becomes a populous politician.
August 2 - Hebrew Gospel
בשׂר - The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the…
August 1 - The Necromancer of En-dor
בעלת־אוב - And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium…
July 31 - Saul and His Spear
חנית - So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 1 SAMUEL 26:7
July 30 - Razor Tongue
לשׁון - Then the king [Saul] said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob…
July 29 - The Madman
שׁגע - So [David] changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants…
July 28 - Knit Soul to Soul
קשׁר - As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let…
July 27 - No Mere Child’s Toy
קלע - Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 1 SAMUEL 17:40
2 Samuel 14:1-24 (Episode 276)
Devising a way to escape the law.
How a Small, Country Congregation Became a Megachurch Overnight
This tiny rural church would bulge at the seams with worshipers from realms seen and unseen, all mixed together in the adoration of the Lamb.
July 26 - Single Combat
לחם - [Goliath] stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let…
July 25 - Music Man
כנור - And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. 1 SAMUEL 16:23
July 24 - The Redheaded King
אדמוני - Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not…
July 23 - Divine Regret
נחם - The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to…
July 22 - High or Haughty?
גבה - There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. And he had a son whose name was Saul…
July 21 - Be Careful What You Wish For
מלך - Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to…
A Q&A for The Christ Key: Unlocking the Centrality of Christ in the Old Testament
The Christ Key: Unlocking the Centrality of Christ in the Old Testament by Chad Bird is now available to order
July 20 - Kiriath-jearim
קרית יערים - And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark…
2 Samuel 13:23-39 (Episode 275)
The Vengeance of Absalom
July 19 - Golden Hemorrhoids
עפל - The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The…
July 18 - Ichabod
אי־כבוד - And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel…
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
HWSS Regional Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
A two day event designed to root the Christian's full assurance of salvation in the work of Christ alone.
Chad Bird | Hendricks, MN
Messy Discipleship
Chad Bird | Cottonwood, MN
Extraordinary Grace for Ordinary People
Chad Bird | Camp Arcadia, MI
The Christ Key: Unlocking the Mystery of Jesus in the Old Testament