The Bible by David Alley

The Bible by David Alley

por David Alley
Superación personalCristianismoReligión
Temporada 1

The Bible: Judges Chapter 17

In this video listen to Judges 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 17 we are now in the so called appendix of Judges. The last five chapters of Judges don’t cover any more actual judges, but they do provide a window into what life was actually like during the time of the Judges. If you needed examples of how corrupt Israel was becoming, here they are. This part of the Judges does not continue chronologically from the previous chapter. We are jumping back from Sampson to much earlier. According to Josephus this story took place during the reign of the very first Judge Othniel, the nephew of Caleb. We are now quite likely about 300 years earlier than Sampson. This whole chapter represents what seems like sincere behaviour toward God combined with very little understanding of what God actually requires. The woman for example praises Yahweh and then commissions an idol. The author says “there was no king” as an explanation of the behaviour. This is both a statement which gives a window into the author’s mind, theology and dating of authorship. Some have tried to use this to prove that these examples were arguing for the need for a king, and were written by later authors in the time of King Josiah. However, that's odd given that they would be arguing about the need for a king, while already having had a king for many hundreds of years. Also the author here thinks that having a king would avoid these problems, but if it was written in the time of Josiah, it would be obvious that many kings still allowed idolatry. Samuel is the author and he lived and wrote during the time of King Saul, the first of the kings. He was writing about this time explaining why things were the way they were politically and spiritually. Israel had no king, either a man, or God. People didn’t have a man to follow, and neither did they do what God wanted. We must assume that most people had no idea of what God actually required. They didn’t have a bible to read, and most people were probably illiterate anyway. They were sincere in doing things God didn’t approve of. A big lesson here has to do with assuming that our way of loving and serving God is the right one.
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19 oct 2022
14:11

Judges 16 - The War Against the Tribe of Benjamin |Bible Podcast, David Alley,Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 16 the saga of Samson concludes in this chapter where we see a picture of Christ. Even Samson as weak as he was, illustrated to us the power of grace at work in lives as weak as our own. The Philistines almost trap Samson in Gaza, but he rips off the city gates and deposits them close to Hebron. The distance from Gaza to Hebron is no less than 60 kilometres according to Google maps. There is also a difference in elevation of 916 meters, so the gates of the city are removed to such an extent they are not recoverable. God has removed the thing which blocks us and traps us so completely that it is impossible for the evil one to contain us, whilever we are in Christ. Samson’s feat is a picture of the work of Christ, carrying the cross up the hill. Jesus is the gate according to John 10 and here we see a picture of this reality. Finally he falls in love with Delilah, who is offered 5 lots of 1100 silver pieces to betray him. Considering Abraham bought a block of land for 400 shekels of silver. THis is probably a million dollar sum being offered. Eventually Delilah works out his secret and the seven locks of his head are shaved off, and he loses his strength and is captured, adn blinded. A lot of people question what the seven locks are, given there doesn’t seem to be seven natural sections of hair on anyone’s head. I suggest his was simply how he had done his hair for his own practical purposes. He had a lot of hair to manage and tying it up in sections was probably how he did it. There were simply seven locks in his hair, and it's not an indication of all humanity. One of the clear lessons here in the Samson story is that the enemy within can be stronger than the enemy without. In Samson’s final moments he is put between two pillars. He prays for strength and pushes them over and the building collapses killing thousands of Philistines, and himself. Here we are given a picture of Christ. Samson stretches out his arms and dies, and in doing so he destroys the enemy who has placed the people of God in bondage. He dies so that others will be liberated.
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18 oct 2022
20:56

The Bible: Judges Chapter 15

In this video listen to Judges 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 15 Samson tries to pay his wife a special visit, even though the marriage was never properly finalised. This was undoubtedly a conjugal visit, and the bringing of a goat might have been the cost of the visit, similar to when Judah sent a goat to Tamar in Genesis 38. His father-in-law isn’t keen and tries to buy him off by offering her sister instead. Samson is wild and catches 300 foxes, ties them in pairs, lights their tails and lets them go in the wheat fields. Apparently the word here can mean jackals, and not necessarily the foxes that we think of that come from England. And he may not have caught them all single handedly. What is sometimes described in a sentence is a process that took considerable time. HIs actions destroy the wheat, grapes and olive crops making him very unpopular. The Philistines negotiate with the tribe ofo Judah to hand him over, but it results in the death of a thousand Philistines at Lehi - the place of the jawbone. After having now killed a thousand Philistines, Samson has reason to feel significant and proud of his accomplishments. He seems completely unaware of his failings which are obvious to us. He then calls out to God who answers his prayer for water, and God does. It is ALL grace. God answers prayers because he is good, noto because we are good. The NT reminds us that “if you think you are standing firm, be careful you do not fall. (1 Cor 10:12)
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17 oct 2022
14:06

Judges 14 - Samson's Capture and Death | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 14 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 14 the scene is set in Timnah. Back in Joshua 15, Timnah was a part of the dividing up of the inheritance of the land and part of the boundary of Judah, but now seems to have reverted to the Philistines. One of the big tragedies of not doing what God asks is that you lose ground. There doesn't seem to be a neutral in spiritual matters. Not rowing is to risk going with the current somewhere you didn’t want to go. Our first impression of Samsoon is a bad one. He is immediately going against everything taught in the Law, and looking at inter-marriage with the nations who worshipped other gods. In modern times we question the wisdom of marriage based on appearance only, but that is not a good enough reason to reject a potential partner, but for Samson simply knowing she was not of Israel was sufficient reason for that time. This isn’t about inter-racial marriage which isn’t a problem to God, but rather about mixing worldliness with faith. Samson said he saw her, and she pleased him. Since when has pleasure been a good reason to do things? In modern times it is though, and Samson shows us that this is not a new idea. Today people say “if it feels good, do it.” Samson was a proponent of this. The chapter tells the story of the killing of a lion, Samson’s riddle, his marriage which isn’t consummate and falls apart, and his revenge killing of thirty Philistines at the city of Ashkelon, for the purpose of taking their clothing. Apparently the shallot or shallot is an onion named after Ashkelon. Also it is an indication of the high value of 30 sets of clothing. THis chapter is an introduction to the strength, and foolishness of Samson, and to the deception and treachery of the Philistines.
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16 oct 2022
9:18

Judges 13 - Samson's Revenge on the Philistines | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 13 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 13 we now come to the backstory of Sampson, who was the twelfth and last of the Judges in this book. Samuel is ultimately the last of the Judges but is spoken of in the book of Samuel. Samuel is also the first of the prophets, with the exclusion of Moses. Samson is an enigma, but in some ways represents us all. We see the obvious lessons in his life about avoiding sexual impurity and temptation, but a bigger less obvious lesson is portrayed out through his life, and it has to do with giftedness. Samson’s strength is a gift from God, but it was not based on merit. So the gift doesn’t validate the person, but the person’s life can certainly undermine the gift. An angel advises Samson’s parents about how he is to live. He is going to be a lifelong Nazarite. The Nazarite vow was covered in the Law in Numbers 6. There are only three lifelong Nazarites in the Bible, Sampson, Samuel and John the Baptist. The angel also advises that his mission in life is to “begin’ to save Israel from the Philistines. But it is really King David, a reflection of Christ who completes the job later. In the same way, each of us are called to begin the task of subduing our flesh, but like Samsono we are totally helpless to do anything. Only when we have the Spirit at work, or we come into Christ, as reflected in King David can we actually overcome.
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15 oct 2022
11:46

Judges 12 - Samson's Marriage and Riddles | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 12 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 12 the tribe of Ephraim is jealous of Jepthah’s victory and threatens to burn down his house. This is the second time that Ephraim has been jealous. This also happened when Gideon was victorious over the Midianites. They seem to not want to fight the enemy, but seem to want the credit after it is over. Occasionally we find this type of thing in the Body of Christ. Some people think that unless it is them that does something, it doesn’t count. The truth is that God deliberately uses weak things to achieve his ends, and so it leaves Ephraimites - people of strength out in the cold. Isn’t a victory worth celebrating? Why then cause a fight over a victory? But in the body of Christ some people are not happy celebrating someone else’s success, they want it for themselves. Such people don’t really have a heart for the whole, but only for themselves. Jepthah wasn’t the diplomatic genius of Gideon, and so the pride of the Ephraimites was put to bed. This sometimes is the only solution for those who think so much of themselves that they cannot learn with words, but must learn with humiliation. This story is also an interesting window into ancient accents of the Hebrew language. Apparently the Ephraimites couldn’t pronounce “sh.” After this the mighty tribe of Ephraim was much less mighty until later times. Here they lost 42000 fighting men. At the time of the second census about 300 years earlier, Ephraim only had 32500 fighting men, so this was clearly a big percentage of their population. After this Izban was the ninth Judge. Elon is the tenth judge and Abdon is the eleventh judge.
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14 oct 2022
10:22

Judges 11 - Samson's Birth and Calling | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 11 we meet Jepthah, the son of an Israelite and a Canaanite prostitute who becomes the eighth judge. There is a backstory to Jepthah that we know basically nothing of. His heroics with a band of outlaws sounds like King David who is to come, and he gets a reputation for bravery. He is asked to judge Israel. Jepthath ends up fighting Ammon who holds a grudge that is 300 years old and demands the return of land. The reply of Jephthah to Ammon ends up proving very helpful in dating the early history of Israel and the juges, and also helps firm up the early position for the Exodus at 1446 BC. There is no resolution and they go to war. As Jepthah leaves his home, he vows to offer to God whatever greets him on his return in exchange for victory. This was a tragic mistake, and clearly he thought an animal was going to greet him as he returned home. This is also a window into the rural lifestyle of the inhabitants of Israel. Instead his daughter greets him. Jepthah says “I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.” This phrase echoes a commitment to God which is binding. What a different world we would live in if people thought like Jepthah. Her response is to request permission, and then mourn her virginity for two months. This is an action that makes no sense if she was actually offered as a burnt offering. Quite a few commentators think that she was redeemed with an animal sacrifice and then lived as a woman at the temple, never to marry. This is a real possibility and explains her actions here. The redeeming of the firstborn is an activity that fits this type of thing. Finally we learn there is an annual feast that remembers Jepthah’s daughter. This feast makes a hero out of this woman, and also helps make Jepthah’s addition to the hall of fame in Hebrews 11:32 acceptable. Why would he be held up as a great hero if he killed his daughter, a thing which would have been hideous in the eyes of God? We learn a few lessons from Jepthah - first about the foolishness of making vows. In the sermon on the mount Christ says to let your yes be yes and your no be no. (matt 5:37) We also learn the value of strong dedication to Christ that is unwavering. He did what he said he would do.
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13 oct 2022
21:30

Judges 10 - Jephthah's Tragic Vow | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 10 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 10 we meet the sixth and seventh judges and very little is said about them. Tola is the sixth judge. There is no military victory described but he is said to have arose to save Israel. This is interesting because it highlights the idea of salvation as being much more significant than just a military one. Because of his leadership, the slide away from God is halted. Salvation in God’s mind is always a spiritual thing, and the real bondage isn’t a military issue. THe seventh Judge is Jair. He had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and he ruled 30 cities. Probably he used his thirty sons and their thirty donkeys to rule the thirty cities. But interestingly the idea of a donkey being associated with kingship is found early in Israel. Jesus later rides a donkey as a sign of his kingship. In the NT, Jesus heals the daughter of Jairus - the same name roughly speaking. It means he enlightens. And some Bible experts think it was during the time of Jair, that the story of Ruth happened. After these two judges are briefly mentioned, the scene is set for the rest of the book of Judges and in particular the two key judges to come, Sampson and Jepthah. Their two main enemies were the Philistines and the Ammonites. Sometimes we read of the juges and get an impression that they are chronological in order, but Sampson and Jepthah who are the two final most prominent judges, seem to have overlapped. This helps explain why the ages of Judges add up to over 400 years, but in reality only covers a period of about 350 years.
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12 oct 2022
13:13

Judges 9 - The Story of Jephthah | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 9 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 9 the story of Gideon continues as an excursus telling about his sons. Abimelech was an illegitimate son of Gideon from Shechem, who convinced this town to support his initiative. With their support, Abimelech killed 69 of his 70 brothers in an attempt to take total control of Israel. He wanted to be effectively the king. But his father’s words in 8:23 were to prove prophetic when he said that neither he, nor his son would be king. Jotham, the remaining son of Gideon told a parable and added a prophetic curse to it. He predicted that fire from Abimelech would destroy Shechem and fire from Shechem would destroy Abimelech. The chapter tells how these events come to pass and there is a battle between Shechem and Abimelech. Ultimately Abimelech dies when a woman drops a millstone on his head from a city wall above.. Skeptics have questioned how a woman could have lifted an upper millstone. They have in mind a huge stone, but they come in all sizes, and this was clearly a smaller one. Female scholars have supported the possibility of this by using small stones to destroy watermelons from a height. As seen in this article at brainerdispatch.com https://www.brainerddispatch.com/life... Much later in 2 Samuel 11:21 King David was well aware of this story and used it to give battle advice. Abimelech’s death lived on in notoriety. The double prophecy of Gideon and Jotham came to pass. Gideon that his son would not be king, and Jotham that fire would come out and devour. This chapter is an illustration of how lawless things are starting to become in Israel, but it gets worse as Judges progresses.
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11 oct 2022
20:39

Judges 8 - Abimelech's Reign and Downfall | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Judges 8 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 8 the battle against the Midianites is still ongoing with 15000 troops and two king remaining on the eastern side of the Jordan at Karkor. Gideon requests help from two cities, Succoth and Penuel, but they hedge their bets and refuse help, probably thinking the Midianites might retain ongoing influence. This comes back to bite them later. Gideon catches the remaining 15000 Midianite soldiers by surprise and defeats them. He then returns to punish the leaders of Succoth and Penuel. This illustrates to us that in the battle between the Lord’s kingdom and the kingdoms of this world, we should not hedge our bets. It always results in catastrophe. Finally Gideon overcomes and they want him to be the King. He refuses, but internally sees himself as a king, naming one of his sons Abimelech, which means, my father is King. His position of pride leads him to make an ephod which becomes a snare to Israel. This chapter teaches us the danger of firstly not trusting our spiritual leaders, and secondly the danger of pride in spiritual leadership.
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10 oct 2022
19:29
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