Simple Gifts

HOSEA, Chapter 5

The book of Hosea is especially apropos at this time (October 2024) as we are currently drafting our second Christian Atheist series on malaki (the Hebrew word explicitly this time), which first occurs in Exodus 23:20–24:
“Behold, I send an angel [malak - "a messenger"] before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When my angel [malaki - "my messenger"] goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. (ESV)
The Hebrews described by Hosea are the same as those described by Moses in the Pentateuch and, by extension, the Christian church of today. We are all unfaithful spouses of our Lord. By right, God's holiness should "break out" against us, and we should be consumed. His faithfulness, however, is new every morning. But we should never forget that we serve a holy God, and we live by His grace:
Malachi 3:6
[6] “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." (ESV)
Join Jenny and me in this faithless and compromising generation in cleansing our lives from all elements of unfaithfulness, unbelief and disobedience to our LORD's revealed word.
Farther up, and farther in to God's infinite wisdom, love and knowledge!
We highly recommend this excellent summary of Hosea:
https://youtu.be/kE6SZ1ogOVU?si=xmg5ZhYVRTILGC6y
Malachi 3:7
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)

JEREMIAH, Chapter 4

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise of that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Psalm 135

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
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Psalm 134

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 133

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

EZEKIEL, Chapter 2

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Proverbs 29

The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.
In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.
 
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (30:2–3 (ESV))
 
As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:
 
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls." (ESV)
 
We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM
Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

HOSEA, Chapter 4

The book of Hosea is especially apropos at this time (October 2024) as we are currently drafting our second Christian Atheist series on malaki (the Hebrew word explicitly this time), which first occurs in Exodus 23:20–24:
“Behold, I send an angel [malak - "a messenger"] before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When my angel [malaki - "my messenger"] goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. (ESV)
The Hebrews described by Hosea are the same as those described by Moses in the Pentateuch and, by extension, the Christian church of today. We are all unfaithful spouses of our Lord. By right, God's holiness should "break out" against us, and we should be consumed. His faithfulness, however, is new every morning. But we should never forget that we serve a holy God, and we live by His grace:
Malachi 3:6
[6] “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." (ESV)
Join Jenny and me in this faithless and compromising generation in cleansing our lives from all elements of unfaithfulness, unbelief and disobedience to our LORD's revealed word.
Farther up, and farther in to God's infinite wisdom, love and knowledge!
We highly recommend this excellent summary of Hosea:
https://youtu.be/kE6SZ1ogOVU?si=xmg5ZhYVRTILGC6y
Malachi 3:7
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)

JEREMIAH, Chapter 3

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise of that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Psalm 132

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 131

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 130

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

EZEKIEL, Chapter 1

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Proverbs 28

The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.
In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.
 
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (30:2–3 (ESV))
 
As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:
 
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls." (ESV)
 
We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM
Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

HOSEA, Chapter 3

The book of Hosea is especially apropos at this time (October 2024) as we are currently drafting our second Christian Atheist series on malaki (the Hebrew word explicitly this time), which first occurs in Exodus 23:20–24:
“Behold, I send an angel [malak - "a messenger"] before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When my angel [malaki - "my messenger"] goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. (ESV)
The Hebrews described by Hosea are the same as those described by Moses in the Pentateuch and, by extension, the Christian church of today. We are all unfaithful spouses of our Lord. By right, God's holiness should "break out" against us, and we should be consumed. His faithfulness, however, is new every morning. But we should never forget that we serve a holy God, and we live by His grace:
Malachi 3:6
[6] “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." (ESV)
Join Jenny and me in this faithless and compromising generation in cleansing our lives from all elements of unfaithfulness, unbelief and disobedience to our LORD's revealed word.
Farther up, and farther in to God's infinite wisdom, love and knowledge!
We highly recommend this excellent summary of Hosea:
https://youtu.be/kE6SZ1ogOVU?si=xmg5ZhYVRTILGC6y
Malachi 3:7
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)

JEREMIAH, Chapter 2

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise of that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Psalm 129

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 128

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 127

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

THE BOOK OF ESTHER, Chapter 10

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's Word for our listeners.
The post-exilic Book of Esther is set in the time between the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (520-518 BC) and that of Malachi (450-430? BC). The Jerusalem temple had already been rebuilt (c. 515 BC) some 35 years prior to the events narrated in Esther. However, neither Ezra nor Nehemiah had yet returned to Jerusalem. Ezra would lead the return of the second wave of exiles in about twenty years, and Nehemiah the third wave in another fifteen years after that.
The historical timeline of Persia's King Xerxes is a perfect match to Esther's story. The events of chapter 1 would have been in the years of military planning leading up to Xerxes' famous attack on Greece. Queen Vashti was likely his queen Amestris, whom Xerxes married on his ascent to the Persian throne in 486 BC. It was in 480 that Xerxes and his army defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens, but then losing decisively in the naval battle of Salamis. Xerxes with the remainder of his fleet and much of his army, returned home, fearing that the military defeat at the hands of the Greeks would inspire rebellion within the empire. Thus, he would have been present at the palace in Susa, as it says in the second chapter of Esther, in the 7th year of his reign (479-8 BC) to choose Esther as queen in Vashti's place. It is important to remember this, as Queen Esther in the palace at Susa may be the queen mentioned in Nehemiah 2:6 as sitting beside Xerxes son, Artaxerxes (though it might also be Vashti/Amestris, mother of Artaxerxes, who was still alive at this time). It is possible that Queen Esther continued to influence Persian politics for quite some time.
The historical accuracy of Esther is confirmed, as related here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_13K4O3EA
 
This BRILLIANT summary of the Book of Esther is highly recommended. I suggest watching it both before and after listening to/reading it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs
 
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Proverbs 27

The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.
In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.
 
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (30:2–3 (ESV))
 
As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:
 
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls." (ESV)
 
We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM
Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

HOSEA, Chapter 2

The book of Hosea is especially apropos at this time (October 2024) as we are currently drafting our second Christian Atheist series on malaki (the Hebrew word explicitly this time), which first occurs in Exodus 23:20–24:
“Behold, I send an angel [malak - "a messenger"] before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When my angel [malaki - "my messenger"] goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. (ESV)
The Hebrews described by Hosea are the same as those described by Moses in the Pentateuch and, by extension, the Christian church of today. We are all unfaithful spouses of our Lord. By right, God's holiness should "break out" against us, and we should be consumed. His faithfulness, however, is new every morning. But we should never forget that we serve a holy God, and we live by His grace:
Malachi 3:6
[6] “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." (ESV)
Join Jenny and me in this faithless and compromising generation in cleansing our lives from all elements of unfaithfulness, unbelief and disobedience to our LORD's revealed word.
Farther up, and farther in to God's infinite wisdom, love and knowledge!
We highly recommend this excellent summary of Hosea:
https://youtu.be/kE6SZ1ogOVU?si=xmg5ZhYVRTILGC6y
Malachi 3:7
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)
 

JEREMIAH, Chapter 1

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise of that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Psalm 126

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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Psalm 125

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
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Psalm 124

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
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Psalm 123

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 122

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 121

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

THE BOOK OF ESTHER, Chapter 9

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's Word for our listeners.
The post-exilic Book of Esther is set in the time between the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (520-518 BC) and that of Malachi (450-430? BC). The Jerusalem temple had already been rebuilt (c. 515 BC) some 35 years prior to the events narrated in Esther. However, neither Ezra nor Nehemiah had yet returned to Jerusalem. Ezra would lead the return of the second wave of exiles in about twenty years, and Nehemiah the third wave in another fifteen years after that.
The historical timeline of Persia's King Xerxes is a perfect match to Esther's story. The events of chapter 1 would have been in the years of military planning leading up to Xerxes' famous attack on Greece. Queen Vashti was likely his queen Amestris, whom Xerxes married on his ascent to the Persian throne in 486 BC. It was in 480 that Xerxes and his army defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens, but then losing decisively in the naval battle of Salamis. Xerxes with the remainder of his fleet and much of his army, returned home, fearing that the military defeat at the hands of the Greeks would inspire rebellion within the empire. Thus, he would have been present at the palace in Susa, as it says in the second chapter of Esther, in the 7th year of his reign (479-8 BC) to choose Esther as queen in Vashti's place. It is important to remember this, as Queen Esther in the palace at Susa may be the queen mentioned in Nehemiah 2:6 as sitting beside Xerxes son, Artaxerxes (though it might also be Vashti/Amestris, mother of Artaxerxes, who was still alive at this time). It is possible that Queen Esther continued to influence Persian politics for quite some time.
The historical accuracy of Esther is confirmed, as related here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_13K4O3EA
 
This BRILLIANT summary of the Book of Esther is highly recommended. I suggest watching it both before and after listening to/reading it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs
 
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Proverbs 26

The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.
In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.
 
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (30:2–3 (ESV))
 
As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:
 
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls." (ESV)
 
We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM
Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

HOSEA, Chapter 1

The book of Hosea is especially apropos at this time (October 2024) as we are currently drafting our second Christian Atheist series on malaki (the Hebrew word explicitly this time), which first occurs in Exodus 23:20–24:
“Behold, I send an angel [malak - "a messenger"] before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When my angel [malaki - "my messenger"] goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. (ESV)
The Hebrews described by Hosea are the same as those described by Moses in the Pentateuch and, by extension, the Christian church of today. We are all unfaithful spouses of our Lord. By right, God's holiness should "break out" against us, and we should be consumed. His faithfulness, however, is new every morning. But we should never forget that we serve a holy God, and we live by His grace:
Malachi 3:6
[6] “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." (ESV)
Join Jenny and me in this faithless and compromising generation in cleansing our lives from all elements of unfaithfulness, unbelief and disobedience to our LORD's revealed word.
Farther up, and farther in to God's infinite wisdom, love and knowledge!
We highly recommend this excellent summary of Hosea:
https://youtu.be/kE6SZ1ogOVU?si=xmg5ZhYVRTILGC6y
Malachi 3:7
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. (ESV)
 

MALACHI, Chapter 4

The Book of Malachi holds special charm for Jenny and me at the Christian Atheist. This is the first book of the Bible we undertook to "study" intensively as our 4th year of the Christian Atheist podcast began, with our new emphasis on knowing our God as primary, and apologetics as subsidiary.
To say that it has revolutionized our Christian walk is to say far less than the reality. What started as a simple Bible book-study has turned into a passionate engagement with the whole of Scripture, and an ever-deepening fascination with God's Word! Our series on Malachi this year ending up being over ten episodes, and with this renewed approach is still lengthening!
We would suggest listening to our first Malachi series before beginning the new one we are developing as we publish this first chapter of Malachi, as we will be building on what was there discovered.
As with our other readings, I would suggest listening to this wonderful summary on Malachi on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/HPGShWZ4Jvk?si=Br4KXUKnrGawswfV
May God's richest blessings come to you through hearing and obeying His word!
John and Jenny Wise

Psalm 120

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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Psalm 119

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

Psalm 118

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
#thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron

THE BOOK OF ESTHER, Chapter 8

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's Word for our listeners.
The post-exilic Book of Esther is set in the time between the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (520-518 BC) and that of Malachi (450-430? BC). The Jerusalem temple had already been rebuilt (c. 515 BC) some 35 years prior to the events narrated in Esther. However, neither Ezra nor Nehemiah had yet returned to Jerusalem. Ezra would lead the return of the second wave of exiles in about twenty years, and Nehemiah the third wave in another fifteen years after that.
The historical timeline of Persia's King Xerxes is a perfect match to Esther's story. The events of chapter 1 would have been in the years of military planning leading up to Xerxes' famous attack on Greece. Queen Vashti was likely his queen Amestris, whom Xerxes married on his ascent to the Persian throne in 486 BC. It was in 480 that Xerxes and his army defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens, but then losing decisively in the naval battle of Salamis. Xerxes with the remainder of his fleet and much of his army, returned home, fearing that the military defeat at the hands of the Greeks would inspire rebellion within the empire. Thus, he would have been present at the palace in Susa, as it says in the second chapter of Esther, in the 7th year of his reign (479-8 BC) to choose Esther as queen in Vashti's place. It is important to remember this, as Queen Esther in the palace at Susa may be the queen mentioned in Nehemiah 2:6 as sitting beside Xerxes son, Artaxerxes (though it might also be Vashti/Amestris, mother of Artaxerxes, who was still alive at this time). It is possible that Queen Esther continued to influence Persian politics for quite some time.
The historical accuracy of Esther is confirmed, as related here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_13K4O3EA
 
This BRILLIANT summary of the Book of Esther is highly recommended. I suggest watching it both before and after listening to/reading it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs
 
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords
https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
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Proverbs 25

The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.
In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.
 
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (30:2–3 (ESV))
 
As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:
 
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls." (ESV)
 
We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM
Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

DANIEL, Chapter 1

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners.
The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context.
It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah."
Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years.
Confused?
It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar).
Length of reigns?
3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah).
See the pattern?
What does it mean?
If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word.
Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon.
This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance:
As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV)
God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts."
As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend:
https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62
May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

MALACHI, Chapter 3

The Book of Malachi holds special charm for Jenny and me at the Christian Atheist. This is the first book of the Bible we undertook to "study" intensively as our 4th year of the Christian Atheist podcast began, with our new emphasis on knowing our God as primary, and apologetics as subsidiary.
To say that it has revolutionized our Christian walk is to say far less than the reality. What started as a simple Bible book-study has turned into a passionate engagement with the whole of Scripture, and an ever-deepening fascination with God's Word! Our series on Malachi this year ending up being over ten episodes, and with this renewed approach is still lengthening!
We would suggest listening to our first Malachi series before beginning the new one we are developing as we publish this first chapter of Malachi, as we will be building on what was there discovered.
As with our other readings, I would suggest listening to this wonderful summary on Malachi on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/HPGShWZ4Jvk?si=Br4KXUKnrGawswfV
May God's richest blessings come to you through hearing and obeying His word!
John and Jenny Wise

Psalm 117

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
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Psalm 116

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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Psalm 115

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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THE BOOK OF ESTHER, Chapter 7

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's Word for our listeners.
The post-exilic Book of Esther is set in the time between the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (520-518 BC) and that of Malachi (450-430? BC). The Jerusalem temple had already been rebuilt (c. 515 BC) some 35 years prior to the events narrated in Esther. However, neither Ezra nor Nehemiah had yet returned to Jerusalem. Ezra would lead the return of the second wave of exiles in about twenty years, and Nehemiah the third wave in another fifteen years after that.
The historical timeline of Persia's King Xerxes is a perfect match to Esther's story. The events of chapter 1 would have been in the years of military planning leading up to Xerxes' famous attack on Greece. Queen Vashti was likely his queen Amestris, whom Xerxes married on his ascent to the Persian throne in 486 BC. It was in 480 that Xerxes and his army defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens, but then losing decisively in the naval battle of Salamis. Xerxes with the remainder of his fleet and much of his army, returned home, fearing that the military defeat at the hands of the Greeks would inspire rebellion within the empire. Thus, he would have been present at the palace in Susa, as it says in the second chapter of Esther, in the 7th year of his reign (479-8 BC) to choose Esther as queen in Vashti's place. It is important to remember this, as Queen Esther in the palace at Susa may be the queen mentioned in Nehemiah 2:6 as sitting beside Xerxes son, Artaxerxes (though it might also be Vashti/Amestris, mother of Artaxerxes, who was still alive at this time). It is possible that Queen Esther continued to influence Persian politics for quite some time.
The historical accuracy of Esther is confirmed, as related here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_13K4O3EA
 
This BRILLIANT summary of the Book of Esther is highly recommended. I suggest watching it both before and after listening to/reading it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs
 
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
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Proverbs 24

The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.
In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.
 
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (30:2–3 (ESV))
 
As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:
 
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls." (ESV)
 
We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM
Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS #85, "Concluding Remarks," by Alexander Hamilton

With the Federalist #85 We have completed the entire FEDERALIST PAPERS!
Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its construction.
In Federalist number one Alexander Hamilton sets forth the ambition of arguing the following positions in favor of the adoption of the Constitution:
"I propose, in a series of papers, to discuss the following interesting particulars:
THE UTILITY OF THE UNION TO YOUR POLITICAL PROSPERITY
THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT CONFEDERATION TO PRESERVE THAT UNION
THE NECESSITY OF A GOVERNMENT AT LEAST EQUALLY ENERGETIC WITH THE ONE PROPOSED, TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THIS OBJECT
THE CONFORMITY OF THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION TO THE TRUE PRINCIPLES OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT
ITS ANALOGY TO YOUR OWN STATE CONSTITUTION and lastly,
THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY WHICH ITS ADOPTION WILL AFFORD TO THE PRESERVATION OF THAT SPECIES OF GOVERNMENT, TO LIBERTY, AND TO PROPERTY."
Articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States.
 
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Psalm 114

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
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Psalm 113

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
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Psalm 112

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
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THE BOOK OF ESTHER, Chapter 6

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's Word for our listeners.
The post-exilic Book of Esther is set in the time between the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (520-518 BC) and that of Malachi (450-430? BC). The Jerusalem temple had already been rebuilt (c. 515 BC) some 35 years prior to the events narrated in Esther. However, neither Ezra nor Nehemiah had yet returned to Jerusalem. Ezra would lead the return of the second wave of exiles in about twenty years, and Nehemiah the third wave in another fifteen years after that.
The historical timeline of Persia's King Xerxes is a perfect match to Esther's story. The events of chapter 1 would have been in the years of military planning leading up to Xerxes' famous attack on Greece. Queen Vashti was likely his queen Amestris, whom Xerxes married on his ascent to the Persian throne in 486 BC. It was in 480 that Xerxes and his army defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens, but then losing decisively in the naval battle of Salamis. Xerxes with the remainder of his fleet and much of his army, returned home, fearing that the military defeat at the hands of the Greeks would inspire rebellion within the empire. Thus, he would have been present at the palace in Susa, as it says in the second chapter of Esther, in the 7th year of his reign (479-8 BC) to choose Esther as queen in Vashti's place. It is important to remember this, as Queen Esther in the palace at Susa may be the queen mentioned in Nehemiah 2:6 as sitting beside Xerxes son, Artaxerxes (though it might also be Vashti/Amestris, mother of Artaxerxes, who was still alive at this time). It is possible that Queen Esther continued to influence Persian politics for quite some time.
The historical accuracy of Esther is confirmed, as related here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_13K4O3EA
 
This BRILLIANT summary of the Book of Esther is highly recommended. I suggest watching it both before and after listening to/reading it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs
 
If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist
Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured
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https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com
 
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