The Story of the Bible
The Story of the Bible presents the full narrative of the Bible from Creation to Revelation, telling every story in order with historical and Scriptural context. Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. The podcast uses music by Alex-Productions under a Creative Commons license.
Episodes
The Temple and the Fall of Solomon
1 Kings 5-11; 2 Chronicles 2-9 King Solomon builds his glorious temple, setting a monument that will be the focus for the religious life of Israel for centuries. He also fails Israel, building wealth and taking wives that will start a long, dark path for the nation. Season 4 ends on a dark note for the kings and kingdom.
The Ascent of King Solomon
1 Kings 1:11-4:34; 2 Chronicles 1 Solomon ascends to the throne. This is a king of unrivaled wealth and wisdom thanks to God's blessing. He eliminates his enemies, gets his request from Yahweh, and settles into his reign with aplomb.
Passing the Torch
1 Kings 1-2:10; 1 Chronicles 28-29 King David passes the kingdom to his chosen son Solomon.
The Reign of King David
2 Samuel 21-24; 1 Chronicles 20:4-27:34 David deals with a famine in the land, fights Philistine giants, causes a plague because of a sinful census, and prepares the transition to his son Solomon.
Absalom's Defeat and David's Restoration
2 Samuel 17:24-20 David gathers an army to face his son. Absalom's hair proves his undoing and David is restored to his capital. Yet another rebellion breaks out and is put down. Joab protects his position as commander.
Job and the Time Between
Job The Story of the Bible sets some historical context for the book of Exodus and tells the story of a good man who had terrible things happen to him.
Israel in Egypt
Genesis 45:16-50:26 Jacob joins his son Joseph in Egypt. Joseph centralizes the power and wealth of Egypt in the person of the Pharaoh. Israel settles in Egypt for a 400 year hiatus from their homeland.
Dreams Fulfilled
Genesis 42-45:25 A famine devastates the land and Joseph's brothers come and bow before their dreamer of a brother. Joseph tests his brothers.
The Rise of Joseph
Genesis 41 The Pharaoh has a strange series of dreams and Joseph is pulled from the prison and placed at the pinnacle of power.
Joseph in Egypt
Genesis 39-40 Joseph rises up, first in Potiphar's household, then in the prison, but keeps facing suffering he does not deserve. The first truly moral of the patriarchs learns obedience through suffering.
Israel's Family Falls Apart
Genesis 37-38 Joseph is sold into slavery, Judah behaves badly.
He Wrestles with God
Genesis 32-36 Jacob gets into the world's strangest wrestling match, gets a blessing, a limp, and a new name. He meets his brother again, then ends up in Shechem. His family again faces tragedy and vengeance, and finally he returns to Bethel. Isaac, Rebekah's nurse, Rachel, and the entirety of Shechem all die.
Jacob's Wealth and Escape
Genesis 30:25-31:55 Jacob takes his family and his animals and flees toward home. Laban overtakes him, but he cannot make his wayward son-in-law return home.
Jacob in Exile
Genesis 28-30:24 Jacob flees from his brother's wrath and ends up in his uncle's home. He has 20 years of work, earns two wives, has 11 sons and a daughter, and gets to feel what it's like to get cheated. The promise of God is affirmed to this grasper and cheater at the start of his journey in a place he will call the House of God.
The Life of Isaac
Genesis 25:19-27 Isaac lives in the promised land. He has two sons, has some interactions with local kings, and sees the effect of favoritism on his family.
A Wife for Isaac
Genesis 23-25:18 The son of the promise needs a wife, so the first of two trips back to Haran takes place. Abraham and Sarah both die and God affirms the covenant with Isaac.
God's Promises Accomplished
Genesis 19-22 Sodom and Gomorrah are judged in a cataclysm, only Lot and his daughters escape. Finally a son is born to Abraham at the age of 100. The supreme act of faith in Abraham's life serves as a foretelling of a future redemption.
The Covenants
Genesis 15-18 Abram wanders. Again and again God meets with him, clarifies and expands the Covenant, and gives both Abram and Sarai new names in keeping with their new purposes. A son is born, but not the right one.
The Call of Abram
Genesis 12-14 God reaches into history and chooses one man, a childless 75 year old descendant of Shem, and tells him to go to a new land. A son and a blessing are promised.
The Nations
Genesis 10-11 Mankind multiplies and spreads throughout the earth. They build a tower to make a name for themselves, but God confuses their speech. Languages now divide humanity. The nations plant themselves.
Noah and the Ark
Genesis 6-9 The most gruesome and horrifying story the grace the walls of a nursery, God decides to judge humanity by killing everything that walks on the earth. Only Noah and a selection of animals escape the deluge. Even then, sin escapes the flood with the eight people on the Ark.
Murder and Mayhem: Early Man
Genesis 4-5 Early Man suffers the consequences of sin. Incredibly long lives are filled with suffering and sin, waiting and crying out for rest and redemption.
The Fall
Genesis 3 Do Man and Woman keep the perfect garden they live in? Well, not for long. A talking serpent, a bit of fruit, and the world will never be the same.
The Creation
Genesis 1-2 God creates everything with His Word. In His crowning achievement He creates man and woman, people with His own image who can be in relationship with Him. All is very good. For now.
Story of the Bible Season 1-Redux
Love the story of the Bible, but didn't get enough of the early stuff? Think the first season could have used a bit more polish? Do I have news for you. Season one is now remastered, redone, and getting re-released. Enjoy!
Absalom's Rebellion
2 Samuel 15-17:23 David's own son plots a rebellion against the king and seizes the throne. David flees into the wilderness, cursed and mourned. The fleeing king is far from done and the seeds of the fall of Absalom are already planted.
Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom
2 Samuel 13-14 David's family fall apart. One son rapes his sister, another son murders the rapist, and David seems entirely unable to bring himself to punish anyone. The consequences of sin are severe.
You Are the Man
2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20 David, at the height of his reign as king, falls into sin. He commits adultery and murder and has his sin exposed by the prophet Nathan.
David's Victories
2 Samuel 8-10; 1 Chronicles 18-19 King David destroys his enemies and fulfills his promise to Jonathon. The reign of David is at a high point as he extends his control over all the enemies that surround him.
King David
2 Samuel 5-8, 1 Chronicles 11:4-9; 12-17 David finally rules from his throne, first in Hebron, then in Jerusalem. The City of David becomes the City of David, the ark comes to its home, and David is given a covenant that will bear his name and echo throughout history.
David's Civil War
1 Chronicles 11, 2 Samuel 2-4 With the death of Saul, David makes a claim to the throne. Ishbosheth and Abner stand in the way for a while. For two years, Civil War rages between the houses of David and Saul. Way too many people get stabbed in the stomach. Way too many. Seriously.
Disaster
1 Samuel 29-2 Samuel 1; 1 Chronicles 10 The saga of David and Saul comes to an end. David gets out of a fight he wants no part of, then has to rescue his family from raiders. Saul falls in battle, joining Samuel in death just as was promised. After 40 years, Israel's first king is dead.
Paths Diverge
1 Samuel 26-28 Once more David confronts Saul with a chance to kill him, but he doesn't take it. David flees to Gath, offering his services to a pagan king. Saul, facing a Philistine army, consults an old friend through the services of a medium. God's plan to place David on the throne follows a rather strange path, but the end is in sight for Saul.
David Flees and Marries
1 Samuel 23-25- David takes his men and flees from place to place in the wilderness, narrowly avoiding the murderous intent of Saul. Along the way David takes two new wives, one as a result of an insult from a fool.
David the Fugitive
1 Samuel 21-22; 2 Samuel 23:8-17 David has had enough of spears and assassins and makes his break with King Saul. He makes his way to the priests at the Tabernacle, with terrible consequences, and then to Gath, then to a cave and a wood. He is a man on the run and Saul is deadly in pursuit.
David the Hero
1 Samuel 18:10-20:42 The victorious David goes from success to success in Israel, but a violently jealous king plots his downfall.
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 16:14-18:9 The young shepherd, anointed in secret, becomes a court musician and then a champion. David makes his name in a combat that is a very emblem of a plucky underdog taking on a much bigger opponent and the most famous champion of the Philistines ever falls to a youth with a rock.
The Fall of Saul and Anointing of David
1 Samuel 15-16:13 King Saul fails in an important mission and the kingdom is not just taken from his line, but now from him in particular. Samuel goes out to anoint a new king, this one found herding sheep in the field. The greatest king in Israel's history makes his entrance onto the stage.
Saul's Reign and Samuel's Goodbye
King Saul moves to the front, Samuel to the background. Saul wins a great victory against the Philistines, but displays some of the character flaws that will lead to his ultimate downfall. His son Jonathon shows incredible bravery and faith.
King Saul
Israel finally gets a king, a tall and reluctant son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Will this be the king they have wanted? Can he be a source of salvation for the people of Israel?
Summer Update
What happens next with the story of the Bible? Well, a summer break and change of frequency are in the future, along with updates to past episodes. That, along with a shameless plug for Mike Brakken's book, learn what's coming with the podcast!
Samuel the Final Judge
1 Samuel 7:2-8 Samuel takes on the role of judge at Mizpah as all Israel repents. His time as a judge is briefly covered and, as his sons aren't up to the task of ruling, Israel asks for a king. The era of the judges in the promised land ends.
Samuel's Call and Eli's Fall
1 Samuel 3-7:1 The young man Samuel hears a voice in the night and hears a horrifying prophecy. Eli dies is ignominy, the ark is captured by the Philistines and then returned to Israel.
Eli and the Birth of Samuel
1 Samuel 1-2 The penultimate judge of Israel isn't doing a good job at keeping his own house in order and a childless wife of a Levite man is desperate for a son. One house is blessed, another cursed, and one of the men on whom the history of God's people hinge is born.
Ruth
Ruth 1-4 A side story in the era of the judges. A young woman from Moab accompanies her bereft mother-in-law home to Bethlehem, catches the eye of a wealthy landowner, and enters the story of a coming King.
The Rise and Fall of Samson
Judges 15:7-16:31 The Bible's strongest man rises to power, slaughters his enemies, performs feats of astounding strength, and falls prey to a nagging woman.
Samson Enters the Scene
Judges 13:1-15:6 The most petulant of the judges, but he has great hair. Samson is born with the prophecy of an angel and tries to get a Philistine wife. The most famous riddle in the Bible and Samson starts a notorious career picking on Philistines. To be fair, they started it.
Judges Across the Jordan
Judges 10-12 A few obscure judges lead Israel, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Jephthah makes a foolish vow to get a chance at a victory over the Ammonites that he will regret and we find out where the term "Shibboleth" as a mark of belonging comes from.
The Fall of the House of Gideon
Judges 8:30-9 Gideon lives forty years more as a judge, but sets Israel up for failure. His ephod will lead them into idolatry. The son of his concubine will take a bloody path to a throne, only to lead to his downfall and the downfall of a city. Yet another woman proves deadly in the stories of the Judges.
Gideon and the Three Hundred
Judges 6-8:22 The most scared of the Judges, Gideon, takes a tiny force chosen by God and saves the people from the threat of Midian. Angels, a fleece as a test, whipping elders with thorns, and destroying pagan altars, life in the times of the Judges is never dull.
Outrage in Benjamin
Judges 19-21: A Levite from Shiloh pursues his wayward concubine and is subject to one of the worst outrages in Israel's history. The story that most clearly explains why God continued to punish Israel with oppressors.
Dan's Idolatry
Judges 17-18 Micah installs a Levite with an impressive pedigree as his household priest, but the tribe of Dan wants their own priest. We found out a little of what it means when the people of Israel do evil in Yahweh's sight.
The First Judges
Israel begins the pattern of disobedience, oppression, salvation and repentance and the first of the saviors known as Judges are introduced. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah each in term bring salvation to Israel, but the people continue to fall away.
Conquering the Promised Land
Joshua 11-24 Joshua and Israel complete the conquest of the promised land, distribute the land, and settle in it. Joshua comes to the end of a very successful life and the people of God are wanderers no more.
The Sun Stands Still
Joshua 9-10: The next phase of the invasion of Canaan takes place. Gibeon deceives Joshua and the elders of Israel and gets a treaty, but then suffers an attack by an alliance of five cities. Joshua responds and God does something He has never done before or since. The sun stops in the sky as Joshua defeats his enemies, then conquers the south in a march of victory.
Jericho and Ai
Joshua 5-8: Joshua and the nation of Israel experience victory and defeat, conquering Jericho in dramatic fashion and losing to the small city of Ai. Obedience and victory are tied together in a pattern that will repeat itself for much of Israel's history.
The Invasion Begins
Joshua 1-4: Joshua takes control of the people after the death of Moses and crosses the Jordan River in dramatic fashion.
Season Update
The Story of the Bible is taking a break. We will return in the fall, taking on Joshua and the Judges.
A New Leader, A Final Goodbye
Numbers 26-36, Deuteronomy 31-14. Moses says goodbye. After four decades leading the people of God he passes on leadership to Joshua, lays out one more reminder of the law, and goes up the mountain. He will see the promised land but not enter it in this life.
The Acacia Grove
Numbers 22-25 Israel finally finished their battles over Sihon and Og and sit next to the Jordan to stage the coming invasion, but someone comes against them. Balak and Balaam set evil in motion. Talking donkeys, sexual sin, and a priest spearing two people at once. Mayhem in the wilderness continues.
Wandering in the Wilderness
Numbers 20-25, Deuteronomy 2-3. Israel passes a generation in the desert. The death of Aaron, an attack battle, snakes in the camp, no one is really having a good time. Then, once everyone is dead they have to fight a warrior king and a giant.
At a Place Callled Quarreling
Numbers 15-19, Deuteronomy 1: Unable to enter the Promised Land, Israel sits in Kadesh and tries to figure out what comes next. Korah makes a play for leadership, it does not end well for him or his followers.
Journey to the Promised Land
At long last, the people of God are brought to the very border of the land God promised to Abraham centuries before. They have the Law, they have the leader in Moses, all they have to do is get there and take it. They have a better idea.
The Law
Exodus 19-40, Leviticus: Yahweh, the Lord God, gives the people He has brought from Egypt His Law. They promise to obey it, but fail spectacularly before He has even finished giving it to them. Let's hope this doesn't become a pattern.
Travel in the Wilderness
Exodus 15:22-18 No water, no food, no military and no unity. A mob of freed slaves is wandering behind a cloud in the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula. What could go wrong? God shows His remarkable patience and care as He leads His people to the mountain.
The Passover and Exodus
Exodus 12-14: Death stalks Egypt and the people of God finally make their escape. The most important festival in Judaism, the very beginning of the Jewish calendar, remembers the events of this story as the people of God become a people.
The Plagues of Egypt
Exodus 5-11 The nation of Egypt, the most powerful and influential nation in the world, is humbled to the point of devastation by a series of plagues, all for a three-day journey into the wilderness. The Pharaoh does not "know" this God Yahweh. He is about to.
The Call of Moses
Exodus 1-4 God's people, Israel, have lived in Egypt 430 years. A new king is oppressing them and they call out to God. God saves a little boy in a basket from death, this boy is raised in the palace, flees into the wilderness, and after 80 years is called to return to Egypt and lead Israel out. Moses, the most consequential person in the formation of Israel as a people, is called.
Introduction to the Story of the Bible
This is a podcast of the full narrative of the Bible in order. From Creation to Revelation every story with the historical and Scriptural context is going to be told as they took place.
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