Month: April 2022

Judges 11:1-12:15, John 1:1-28, Psalms 101:1-8, Proverbs 14:13-14

Today is the 30^th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here as we conclude our fourth month of 12, which means we’re one third of the way through the year. And even as we end this fourth month of the year, we will be beginning the final gospel in the New Testament, the gospel of John when we get there. But first, we are working our way through the book of Judges. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. Judges, chapters 11 and 12 today.

Introduction to the Gospel of John:

Okay. So, this brings us to the opening of the final gospel, the gospel of John. So, we have read Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And those are known as the synoptic Gospels because even though they were written to different audiences the stories are very very similar, and in some cases, word for word the same. And, so, basically as far as the timeline goes, we think of the gospel of Mark being the first gospel written with Matthew following about a decade later, and then Luke somewhere in that same general time and then the gospel of John being the final gospel written, maybe 15 years or more after the gospel of Mark. And of course, some of the letters of the apostle Paul even predate the Gospels. They are the earliest Christian writings that we have. And, so, in terms of time, the gospel of John would be the most recent. And the gospel of John is very different than Matthew, Mark, or Luke. It's…it’s like 90% different from the synoptic Gospels, which gives us an entirely new perspective and context and interpretation of Jesus life and ministry. So, for example, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke one of the central questions that we are being led to as we read those Gospels is Jesus’ question, “who do you say that I am?” Whereas John’s gospel is written to people who already have answered that question and already believe. Of course, John was one of the disciples of Jesus and had seen Jesus in person and knew…well…I mean what we have in the Gospels is only a fraction of what Jesus life and ministry would’ve contained day by day, step-by-step, and John was there taking those steps. So, he had an understanding of the back story and some of that is brought forward for us in the gospel of John. And, so, let’s enjoy this. John is writing this later in its life, and it’s beautiful to behold. And, so, with that we begin. John chapter 1 verse 1 through 28.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have already talked about moving into the book of John and kind of flying over that and just getting a little bit of an overview of where were going and we’ll have plenty to talk about as we move into the gospel of John.

But in the book of Judges, we have a pretty disturbing story about the judge Jephthah who was the son of a prostitute and so was excluded from his family and run away until the people came under distress. Jephthah was a mighty warrior and so they went and brought him back in made him the leader he became the judge of Israel and went to battle. He just made this vow to the Lord, that whatever came out the front door of his house when he got home if he was victorious, he would sacrifice a burnt offering to the Lord whatever came out the door. And of course, as we know what came out the door was his only child, his daughter, which is a terrifying thing to think about, and it’s supposed to be. That’s the thing. Some of these disruptive things in the Bible are supposed to be disruptive. They’ve been disruptive all along because they shouldn’t have happened. God didn’t ask Jephthah to sacrifice anything in exchange for victory. He didn’t ask for a vow that a human being would be sacrificed. God says the contrary, in the Scriptures. He talks about people’s who sacrificed their children to false gods and how that had never even crossed His mind. One of the things that we’re supposed to be kind of understanding as we move forward through the book of Judges is that everybody’s doing what they think is right in their own eyes. Moses had been a mighty leader. Joshua had been a mighty leader. Now there is no mighty leader and we’re going through centuries before the children of Israel finally want to standardize things under the common rule of the singular king uniting the tribes. And, so, one of the things we see in the times of the judges is the back and forth and up and down and erratic behavior and just the way that they are thinking about things. And we are also to note that although they have abandoned God, God continues to rescue them when they come home. And, so, this story of Jephthah is a story of what Jephthah did, not what God told him to do. And there are plenty of people that just can imagine that this actually happened, that Jephthah actually sacrificed his daughter to God. And, so, it’s sort of made into that she was never able to marry, that she was dedicated to God and to God’s service. And, so, she went on the mountains, and she spent some time alone morning her virginity and so she remained a virgin the rest of her life in the service of the Lord. Maybe so. That’d be great. That’d be a way better ending to the story than that she got sacrificed. It’s just the way that the Bible reads it sounds like Jephthah did exactly what he said he was going to do, which is revolting as it should be. And if we take a good glimpse into the times of the judges, where everybody is doing what is right in their own eyes then we get a good picture of just how sideways things can get, just how good and evil can get blended. And that should be a very unsettling thought because it’s a very unsettling thing. And, so, the story becomes similar to like the story of Lot and the daughters who decided they needed to have children with their father. And often we can do is, you know, get this subtle kind of animosity or distrust for God because a story in the Bible is disturbing. And we can think, like well it’s in the Bible so it’s something that God wanted when the truth is there are all kinds of things in the Bible that God warned against and people went ahead and did. He didn’t want those things, but the will of the people did and it brought all kinds…well…it brought everything that he warned them that it would. And, so, when we encounter a disruptive story, our objective is to normalize it, make it, “okay, that’s how they did things back then.” It’s to be disrupted and to look closely at our own path and where it is going.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and another week. We thank You Father for Your word and another month. We thank You that You have brought us to this point, and we are grateful. And we are learning, and we are growing, and we are becoming rooted and anchored in You and You alone. Come Holy Spirit as we close this month and prepare for next month and what comes next in our story and our adventure of life with You. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base. That’s the website and that’s where you find what’s going on around here. If you’re using the app, and the app is definitely a primo way to have the Daily Audio Bible experience and be able to kind of keep track of the days that we listen to and keep track of the different sections of the Bible that we’re moving through. And, so, check that out. You can download the Daily Audio Bible app from the app store that works with your device, your phone or tablet. So, check it out. It’ll let you know what’s going on around here as well.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there in several different categories. Whether that be stuff to wear, stuff to read, stuff to listen to, stuff to watch. So, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. It is there with resources for the journey that we are on to draw the Bible more near into our lives, make it more part of our rhythm, part of how we make the choices that we make. So, yeah, check out the resources in the Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to bring God’s spoken word read fresh every day given to whoever might listen to it and to build community around that rhythm so that we’re not alone. It’s not a solitary endeavor of devotion to try to make our way through the Bible. It’s a year of life together with brothers and sisters from all over the world who are literally on the same page. Literally, we’re moving on the same page together as we move through the Scriptures and allowing the Scriptures to penetrate our lives and transform us from within together. If that is meaningful to you than thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning DAB this is Learning to Let Go from North Carolina. I was calling today just to send some love to all the parents who have called in for prayers for their children, underage children dealing with suicidal ideations and cutting, friendship issues, adult children who have strayed from the ways that they were taught, struggling with substance abuse or marital issues or pretty much the gamut. So, parenting is hard. I have one child who’s young and I just feel for all those whose children that we have the best intentions for just have not been able to right themselves yet. So, I want to pray for you and your strength and being there for your children and continuing to uplift them, support them, and love them whether it be from afar or nearby. And I just pray that you remain steadfast in that. I’m also calling for prayer for myself. I am again going through a legal situation that started last year and I’m just believing that it will end soon so that I can move on with my life and that of my child so that we are safe and free of this person that we’ve been dealing with for some time now. So, if you all could just say a prayer for me for that freedom believing that this court situation would remove that person from my life totally. I wish them the best, but I don’t want them tied to me any longer period thank you. Love you. Amen.

Hello, my Daily Audio Bible family. This is God’s tree. I have many branches, but I’m rooted by the word of God. You know sometimes as Saints we try to be perfect and have a perfect faith and we don’t want to show our weaknesses, but we fall short sometimes. I’ve been struggling in my marriage and my relationship, and I’ve been praying and praying and praying and ask God to restore the love in the relationship, but this seems like it never happens. And I think my spirit is showing me that God wants me to be more in love with him. And be truthful it’s hard to really really be in love with God in the level that you want to be in love with somebody and it feels good on a personal level. And, so, I’m asking that you pray that I would develop a stronger loving relationship with God so He’s more important to me than having a physical and intimate relationship here on earth. And I think that’s what God wants to have for me and hopefully He’ll restore my marriage and my relationship, and I ask that you pray for those same things for those who are struggling in their relationship as well, that we have a closer walk with God and he will add to it if we learn to fall in love with Him. It’s just hard when you just don’t have that physical contact. So, continue to pray for my strength as I pray for you and as we walk by faith and not by sight that God would restore all that the enemy has taken away from us. God bless. Love you. This is God’s Tree.

Hey Daily Audio Bible this is Missy from the Midwest. I’m calling with a prayer request. We had a horrific event yesterday in our community. A 10-year-old little girl was murdered on her way home from a relative’s house. The murderer is still at large. The police are searching. I’m just praying specifically that whoever did this would turn themselves in, that it would become unbearable and that they would have to turn themselves in. Would you join me in that? We are praying for peace for this little girl’s family. Her name was Lily, and she was beautiful. And our hearts are broken. Our hearts are broken for our children, her friends, her family. So, please just pray for the healing of our community for the safety of the rest of our children and our citizens and for this person to have to turn themselves in. Thank you, Daily Audio…

Good morning Daily Bible Audio my name is Francoise I am a second time caller and it’s my first year on this platform and I just wanted to pray for…I know yesterday there was a lady who called on the 24^th and she’s praying…asking prayer for her marriage. And I’d like to pray for all the marriages. I’d like to pray for those marriages who are one with God and one with each other and I’d also like to pray for those marriages who are in rough times. I pray for the wisdom of the Lord for patience and for the fire of the Holy Spirit to restore marriages, to change the lives, the hearts of the husbands or wives. I myself sit in a marriage that is in the rough waters yet that is not a fight for me to fight. That battle is for the Lord to take care. I will just have faith. I will love my wife and I will do whatever it takes to glorify the Lord our father God through our Holy Spirit who __ the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray for children of marriages that are going through __ be witnesses of hard trials and tribulations. May we have the heart of the Lord. May our hearts be turned to hearts of flesh. I am very thankful for this platform. I am a first-time member of this platform and I thank you so much for your prayers. And I say that we pray for each other, especially in this times that we’re going through. May God strengthen us as we await for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and as we carry his Holy Spirit that we will do it will be the best portion of ourselves as we carry the Holy Spirit. I pray for unity for restoration for understanding for love…

Judges 9:22-10:18, Luke 24:13-53, Psalm 100:1-5, Proverbs 14:11-12

Today is the 29th day of April, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we, man, as we take the next step for the end of this month right, we’re close. Tomorrow’s the last day of the month. But also, as we do what we do, no matter what week or month it is, the next step forward in the Scriptures and our next step leads us back into the Book of Judges. We have spent a couple of days going through the story of Gideon as a judge of Israel who redeemed Israel and we witnessed his death and then the assassination of his sons and the one remaining son that, sort of takes over, his name is Abimelech and we’ll continue with that story today. Judges chapter 9 verse 22 through 10 verse 18.

Commentary:

Okay so, in the Book of Judges, we see that Abimelech, who was the son of Gideon, who had assassinated and murdered his 70 brothers so that he could be in control, finds his end today, when an upper millstone is dropped from a tower and smashes his head and it was a woman who dropped it and he didn’t want to be known as the guy that was killed by a woman in the time that they are in and so, his servant finished the job and killed him. And so, he reaches his end. And once again we see, just kind of how erratic things were in the times of the judges, the times between Joshua’s leadership and the first appointment of an actual king of Israel. And that is actually something to notice as we go through the Book of Judges, just the time, the way that it was, the erratic and disruptive nature of things, the way that the Bible describes it is that everybody did what was right in their own eyes and what we see being right in their eyes quite often, is the worship of other gods, the gods of the regions that were around them. The peoples that were around them. The very thing that they had been warned over and over and over about. They don’t seem to be getting the lesson and that becomes a lesson for us, because how many things are we stiff-necked and hardhearted about and we’re just getting the lesson, and so we’re stuck.

Then, we move to the Gospel of Luke and we concluded the Gospel of Luke today, which means that we have concluded Matthew, Mark and Luke, the three, well, the first three Gospels, but the Gospels known as the synoptic Gospels. And of course, the story ends with Jesus showing up on a walk, to a place called Emmaus. It’s such an interesting story, such an interesting way that Jesus was spending His time after His resurrection. Coming to his friends secretly, they don’t recognize Him. He teaches them, then they asked Him to stay and He’s like, I can’t stay I gotta go. He stays with them and breaks bread and then their eyes are open and they realize, this is the resurrected Christ and poof, Jesus disappears. And then He reappears. It’s almost as if there’s a lesson there, that He is teaching one of the final lessons that He may be teaching to his disciples, and that is, He is there, whether they can see Him or not. And so, as we bring to a close, the third of the four Gospels and prepare to enter the final gospel tomorrow, may our hearts be overwhelmed with joy, He is with us whether we can see Him or not. He is within us, more intimately intertwined with us, then if we could see Him. He is a part of us and we are a part of Him and we are a part of each other and He is the head of the body that we are a part of, and we all belong here and everyone matters.

Prayer:

And so, Jesus, we love You and we thank You for revealing this, showing us that there are other ways to look at things, that we don’t just have to follow the course of the river of humanity, wherever it is leading, that we can actually follow You and You will navigate us where You are going, and that is where we want to be. So, come Holy Spirit and seal what we have read in Matthew, Mark and Luke into our hearts, irreversibly changing us. We pray, in the mighty name of the risen Savior. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that’s home base, that is certainly where to dive in and find out what’s going on around here. You can do that right in the palm of your hand if you have the Daily Audio Bible app, which is free and you can download from the App Store that works with whatever smart device that you may have. So, just search for Daily Audio Bible and download that and enjoy. Check out the Community Section, that is where you can get connected, different links to the different social media channels that we participate in. That is also where the Prayer Wall lives, which is a resource just for us, here in this community, a place that we can go and ask for prayer, a place that we can go and offer prayer, a place that we can follow each other’s stories and be together in, in prayer, so that’s why it’s called the Prayer Wall. So, check that out, it’s in the Community Section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. Thank you, humbly and profoundly for your partnership. There is a link at dailyaudiobible.com. If it’s if you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, TN 37174.

And of course, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that’s the little red button up at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello DAB-C family, it’s Anderson here from South Africa. It’s my first time calling in and I’m calling in with a prayer request. I’m looking for a job and I’ve just returned from the Department of Tourism to submit my job application forms. And I’m praying in to ask you to stand in with me, prayer on this. I have been looking for a job for a while now. And I’m asking for God’s favor in this. It would mean a lot for, for my family and I. And thank you family, I appreciate you all. And it’s such a blessing to be a part of this community. Have a good day everyone, thank you. Bye.

Hi, this is Becky, this is the first time I’m calling in and I just wanted to say, quickly, thank you to Brian and his family for everything you do. And I listen to the prayer requests daily and I pray for you all. And sometimes situations stay in my mind for longer but this is the first time I’ve been prompted to call in. This message is for Aaron who phoned in his, well it was aired, his prayer request on the 8th of April. You said on the 24th of December you’d been diagnosed with Leukemia. And then later you’d found fungi lesions on the brain and that you had to stop chemo. And I just wanted to say to you not for me personally but I’m sure many people, what a huge and incredible witness you are, what a man of faith. In the light of this situation and everything that’s happening to you, you’re not angry or bitter. You say, you know God has a plan for you. And you’re talking about your own life but you say, if it’s God’s will and you accept that no matter what that means. That’s huge, huge faith and an example and I think that we should all follow God’s will for our life. And I’m personally am praying for healing for you, as long as that’s in God’s will. And I feel the need to say it’s gonna be okay. I don’t know what that means but Aaron, it’s all gonna be okay.

Hey DAB family, this is Tammy from the Adirondacks. I’m calling in and asking my DAB family, brother and sisters to, can you please just pray for me. I spend so much time over thinking this journey that I’m on with the Lord. And I just, overthink, am I spending enough time in His word, am I pleasing to Him. I’m my husbands care giver and praise God, I’m a year and two months today actually, it’s the 25th in remission from my ovarian cancer. And God has answered so many of my prayers and I know He’s with me and I know He’s for me. But sometimes I just can’t get it to sink in. I don’t know if any of this is making any sense to anybody. And sometimes, I love my husband but being a care giver is hard. So, I over think and I feel guilty about that and I just want my brain to rest and I just want to rest in the peace that the Lord has given to me or trying to give to me. And know that I am His child and He loves me and He is for me. And even if I make a mistake, I can still come to Him and stop comparing my life to others because my life not like other peoples. And I know all this, it’s just the days of over thinking. I love you all and I pray for you all and I just thank you for your prayers. Love you, God Bless.

Hi family, my beautiful family. This is Jesus’s Worshiper from Del Rae Beach. And I wanted to pray for Josh. For Josh, he’s the young man and his mom, her heart is broken that he might go to jail and I would like to call in for him because I was in his place. My grandmother told me about God and she was bringing me to the church and she was the church. But I wanted to    be free from that, I thought that it was a chain that I need to follow some goals and I didn’t really want to do that. But God had mercy on me, even I didn’t deserve it, He showed up and He rescued me in the time of the need. So, I pray and I know that those things are happening to him. So, he will return because this

This is Madison from California. I wanted to pray for the mom who is asking for prayer for her son, Josh. She was asking for God to have great mercy on her son who has been caught up in some things and it sounds like might be, potentially, looking to jail time. I just wanted to pray for you and your son. I have a Josh in my life who also needs great mercy from God. And I’m convinced that it is in God’s will to bring His children home to Him through great mercies, like the one that you’re asking for, for your son. And that one I’m asking for, for my friend. So, Jesus, I just ask that you would have mercy on this young man, who has been caught up in some trouble. I pray that despite any shame or fear, You would speak so directly to his heart. I pray that You would reassure this young man and his mom, that you are with him, regardless of what he’s done. And I pray that You would demonstrate such a great mercy, that it would become a testimony for this young man. That his faith would be so ignited because of the great mercies You have in store. But Lord, above all, I just thank You that You promised to be with us no matter what. You promised to take…

Judges 8:18-9:21, Luke 23:44-24:12, Ps 99:1-9, Pr 14:9-10

Today is the 28^th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we continue our journey forward cause that’s the only way this journey goes, forward, the next step forward together. And that next step forward will lead us back to the book of Judges, where we have been reading the story about the judge, Gideon, who has in fact been able to deliver God’s people under God’s direction with 300 men, 300 men against an entire enemy army. And they have been victorious. They surrounded the enemy army in three different groups of a 100 people and started blowing their trumpets and smashing things and yelling and the armies got up and fought one another and then some of the other tribes of Israel got involved. And, so, there’s a great route happening of Israel’s enemies. And, so, let’s pick up the story. Judges 8, 18 through 9:21.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Judges we…we get a pretty clear view of what the times were like during the seasons of the judges over the centuries of the judges just by watching what happens after Gideon’s life. So, we followed through the great rescue of Israel and the offer of Gideon becoming the ruler and that his…that a dynasty be set up and he declines and says no, the Lord our God is…is our Lord. And, so, everyone on honors Gideon during his life, and there is peace in the land for 40 years. But as soon as Gideon dies…well…there are 70 contenders then for his spot, even though he had declined any kind of position of royalty. So, we see one of his sons, Abimelech, conspire against the other, his brothers, the other rest of the family and kill them all except for one who escapes and then attempts to set the record straight from Mount Gerizim calling down to the people that basically if they love Abimelech and this is what they intended to do by dishonoring Gideon and destroying his family’s name, if that’s what they intended to do, then, may they all be happy but they have done wrong, and if they can realize that, then he’s hoping that his brother Abimelech and the Shechemites will end up destroying each other. And this isn’t the last we’ll see of tribal warfare in the time of the judges.

Then in the gospel of Luke we are definitely pushing toward the conclusion of the third of the Gospels. We have the story of Jesus breathing his last and dying on that cross and being taken down from that cross a corpse and laid in a tomb. And then the Sabbath day came and a day of rest and then the women went to anoint Jesus body and it was gone. And Peter goes to check it out in the body is gone. We know how this story goes, but as we leave the reading today we are at a moment where there is confusion, but there is this ember of hope that is sparking into a small flame. His body isn’t in the tomb. And that is a point of rejoicing up until this very day.

Prayer:

Jesus, we rejoice in that, that evil would not conquer You, that death would be swallowed up in victory, that You, the Lord of Heaven’s armies would indeed be victorious on behalf of mankind and that we have been invited to be a part of Your story. And, so, we rejoice in this most important of all stories, that Your body wasn’t there, that You had risen from the dead, and You are Lord of all. And we thank You and humble ourselves before You in worship and praise. And we pray this in Your mighty name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that is homebase, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. And homebase is also in the palm of your hand if you have the Daily Audio Bible app which you can download free from whatever app store’s connected to your device. So, check that out.

Check out the Community section. That’s where to get connected. That’s where the Prayer Wall lives.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources in a number of categories there for the journey through the Bible in a year. So, check that out.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you humbly. Thank you for your partnership. If the Global Campfire and this place that we create together every day and come around hear the Scriptures and kind of process together and pray for one another, if that is life-giving to you than thank you for your partnership. We wouldn’t have a global campfire if we didn’t have it together. And, so, there is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the with a mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial a number of numbers depending on where you are in the world, if you prefer dialing numbers. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to call. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to call.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian. I love you and I will be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible it’s Sebastian. I wish to pray today for the gentleman who called in the 22^nd day of April. You did not leave a name, but you asked for prayer for your marriage I believe for that you would find peace and that you and Veronica would be blessed. That’s what I pray about. I pray that you Father bless this family, this marriage. I pray for peace, I pray for joy, I pray for hope, I pray that You’d give Your son to trust You, to seek You, to believe that You can help him. Fill him with peace. Help him believe that You can fill him with peace and restore his marriage. I pray in the…I pray in the name of Jesus, in the mighty precious name of Jesus, Father that You bless this whole situation, that You bless Veronica and Your son. Thank You, Father for blessing the situation. Amen. God bless every one of you Daily Audio Bible. Bye.

Good afternoon and happy April fam this is James calling in here from the state of Maryland. It’s been a minute since I’ve called in here but just had a…want to comment and a congrats. A comment was I woke up this morning and thought I just had to read one…one missing Khan podcast from Monday. It’s Monday. It turns out I just didn’t miss yesterday I missed Saturday. And every time that I get to hear Brian, he says the same thing almost every day at the end of every podcast. He says, that’s it for today I love you and it’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow. So, sorry Brian, I missed you here a couple days in a row but looking forward to keeping pace with you this week. And I just heard our gentleman from Pennsylvania as we call it Pennsyltucky who just became finally and Army National Guard chaplain. And I’ve been listening to your prayers and been in your corner and love to buy you a beer, cerebrate with you. I’m happy to hear about that. So, really congratulations brother. __ to see what you do. So don’t see be a stranger. God bless you. And, so, the rest of you all, God bless you all as well and just stay in God’s word and stay reading and stay hungry and take every fearful thought captive in the name of Christ. Until next time. Amen.

Hey everyone, this is my first time calling in at all. My name is Owen, and the funny thing is when I tried to call this in I wasn’t intending to do this today but I pressed on the little red button and then there’s an error so I close the app, but anyway yesterday was my 18^th birthday and I’m technically an adult now. I’m in my last couple weeks of high school. And I just don’t feel the best about becoming an adult. Don't…I just kind of have this big pit in my stomach. I don’t really feel like prepared or able to be an adult. So, I’m just hoping that God will have my back and everything…my parents and I’ll be OK. But it’s just little bit of an overwhelming time right now. So, if I could just have some prayers on direction and know what to do that’d be nice.

Good morning, everybody it’s Susan from Canada Gods Yellow Flower calling and I wanna thank you all for your prayers because they it is helping. Oh my. And today is April 26^th and Brian read the proverb about the oxen and how he can make a mess and we have to clean up the mess. And it was kind of just for me because over the last…well…long time my sisters and I, we feel like we are shoveling all this crap and poop and the pile just keeps getting higher and higher. So, I really related to that analogy there. But my response is always to shovel faster and harder. But today God revealed to me that maybe I should just lay on top of that pile of crap and plant across and just rest and let God work it out. We…it says like when we put on the armor of God that we are to put on this armor and stand firm. We don’t have to fight. God does the fighting for us. We just have to stand firm. So, God bless you all. Thank you again for your prayers.

Hi DAB family this is Babs in Mississippi. I want to thank the lady that just called in on the 23^rd of April in the community prayers to tell the people that were hesitant to call in to call in. I have been thinking about calling in for years and just nervous and afraid but today I wanted to ask for prayer for my grandson Haven who is pretty severe autistic. I’ve been praying for him, like I said, for years. He’s 16 years old and he needs prayer so badly. So, please if you’d lift him up and just…just ask the Lord to heal him. And I thank you for being there DAB family for all the people in the world that need encouragement and hope and just need to be lifted up. Thank you and bye.

Judges 7:1-8:17, Luke 23:13-43, Psalm 97:1-98:9, Proverbs 14:7-8

Today is the 27th day of April, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian, it is awesome to be here with you. It’s wonderful to come in around the Global Campfire, find a place and ahhh, let it go and look to the Scriptures to inform the choices that we need to make, the decisions that are out in front of us and help us reflect and interpret what we’ve already gone through in our past. So, let’s dive in. We’re working our way through the Book of Judges and we’re meeting the different judges of Israel, but we met one yesterday named Gideon. And it will be Gideon’s story that we continue forward with today. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week, Judges chapter 7 verse 1 through 8 verse 17.

Commentary:

Okay so, reflecting back on what we read today in the Book of Judges, we’re certainly understanding the story of the Judge Gideon, much better and we see the counterintuitive ways in which the Lord is showing Himself, Powerful and the Redeemer of Israel. They have a pretty big army that has assembled to fight, but the Lord says it’s too many. Like, basically we have to whittle this down to the point that you all realize that you could not have created this victory in your own strength. It’s kind of the lesson of the wilderness, we are utterly dependent on God, utterly for everything. And so, this large army of tens of thousands, 30,000+ people, they…they are whittled down to 300 people and that would have had to been unnerving for Gideon but the Lord had shown him a sign, two signs in fact, with fleece and then he went down and heard a dream in the camp, which certainly gave him courage about what the enemy was thinking, they were disrupted and afraid. And so, all it took was these 300 men, stationed in different areas that made it look like the Army, the enemy army, was surrounded and all they had to do was make a lot of noise, which is what they did. And so, it looked like an army was coming in from all sides. And of course, the enemy army freaked out and started fighting each other and that is how that battle was won. We aren’t done with the story of Gideon yet; we’ll continue it tomorrow. But once again we see God redeeming His people, who are covenant and oath breakers and have done exactly what He said not to do. I mean if you remember when we were reading Deuteronomy, and even the end of Joshua, the leaders of Israel, they knew how stiff-necked and stubborn the people were and they told them what was going to happen in which way to go and told them to choose who they’re gonna serve; of course, they chose the Lord in that moment, but as we see, time went on and they started serving the gods of the nearby region, exactly what they were warned against. And so, to take away any kind of misunderstanding about who the deliverer was, when God came for His people again, it was against all odds and victory was given.

Then in the Book of Luke, we just need to note that once again, we are at the scene where Jesus has been nailed to across in agony, dying unjustly, pouring out his love for our rescue. And we can see all the different ways that God comes for His people in the Old Testament, through the prophets, through the judges, even through Gideon as a Redeemer will not stop coming for the people that He loves. And we see that on the cross, that never changed. He never stopped coming. He never stopped trying to redeem His people, until He came in person to do it once and for all. And so, may we spend some of our day reflecting upon that. There’s only one more time that we’ll pass by this story this year. There’s only one more gospel to read this year and it is a central piece, it is a central piece of the Bible, the story of the passion of Jesus, but it is the central piece of our faith and so it’s not something to blow-by, even though we’ve heard it a thousand times. There will never be enough times to look at this situation and realize the injustice of it and the profound humble love of God for us.

Prayer:

And so, Jesus, we love You and once again we thank You, and once again we confess that words are not enough. Once again, we confess that nothing is enough, there is nothing that we can do. But we love You and our hearts are given to You and we want our lives to look like Your life and there’s nothing that we can do to make that happen, other than surrender who we are and allow You to live within. And then it is You that lives within, Christ, who lives within, no longer we. And so, as we surrender to that posture, we invite Your Holy Spirit to lead us deeper and deeper and deeper, day-by-day, step-by-step. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that is home base. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, which you can download free from your app store, whatever app store works with the device that you use, that’s home base as well, so check that out, stay connected. Check out the Community Section, that is where to get connected on social media and it is also where the Prayer Wall lives and so it’s important to always know that resource is available, no matter what happens in our lives, no matter what the day may bring. There is a place we can reach out and ask for prayer and share our story and there is also a place that we can go and hear stories and pray for one another and respond to one another, and that is the Prayer Wall, so check that out. Check out the resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. They exist for the journey that we are on, to take this journey deeper and wider and knit us together and so, check…check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible and humbly, humble gratitude. Thank you, we would not be here if we were not in this together, and it’s remarkable that we are in this together and that we get to move through the world at this time, where there is such a technology, that every day we can create a space for ourselves that is serene and hopeful and allow the Scriptures to speak into our lives and hear from one another and pray for one another. It is a beautiful thing. A beautiful oasis, that we have. And if it has been life-giving and meaningful to you, then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that is the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that is it for today, other than to say happy first birthday, to my sweet granddaughter Reagan, born to our daughter China, who reads with Jill on Daily Audio Bible Chronological and her husband Ben. It’s hard to believe, in some ways, it’s been a year, but what a year of joy it’s been to watch her, sort of, become aware. And of course, if she smiles at me, then I turn into a puddle on the floor. It’s just she melts me. And so, we’re rejoicing on this day. Happy first birthday Reagan. And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey, Daily Audio Bible, this is Susan again, from Mississippi. I had called about a month ago about my children and granddaughter, that we have taken custody of, we’ve actually adopted her. And I was calling about the family not supporting. Well, we have her birthday party, her actual two-year-old birthday was yesterday, April 22nd. Today, is the 23rd and so, we’re having a birthday party on the 30th, we’re actually having it at a goat farm, believe it or not, where you can play with little goats. And so, I’m praying that the family will show up, they’ve all been invited. And my daughter-in-law and son, they have been drug-free now for six weeks, which is a praise. And I continue to ask for prayers for them that they stay that way. They were so excited yesterday, that they got to spend the day with their daughter because they remembered last year on her first birthday, they were nowhere to be seen because they had better things to do, such as drugs. So, continue the prayers for that. Also, I want to pray for Susan in Canada, who had lost her husband seven years ago. It broke my heart listening to her and all her struggling. And Susan, all I got to say is I’ve not been in your shoes and you know, I still have my husband but just, I am praying for you to make it through the stress, that God is with you, no matter what. And remember He doesn’t give you anything that you can’t handle.

Hello, Daily Audio Bible, this is Jesus Freak NE and I just want to say thank You Lord for blessing me so much this year. It’s been an incredible, I have met so many Christians and new people that are interested about You and Your word and I am so grateful to Brian, for this ministry. I pray that God does His will in every single one of your lives. Please, let him do his will okay. And I’m saying this to myself too. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God, do what You gotta do and give us the strength and the wisdom to be open to it. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Hello my DAB family, this is Jamie in New Jersey, Standing on the Word of God. Please pray with me. Dear Father in Heaven, we come to You in prayer, as we look at the world around us and see so many that are struggling, in trials and in desperate seasons of their lives. Father, we know that You love them all. We pray that You will comfort all in their suffering. Lord Jesus, You came into the world as one of us and suffered as we do. As we go through the trials of life, help us realize that You are with us at all times and in all things. Give us all such confidence in the power of Your grace, that even when we are afraid that we can put our whole trust in You. God of all comfort, are very present help in trouble, be near us. When the evil darkens our world, give us light. Be near us in our times a weakness, struggle and doubt. Sustains by Your grace, that our strength and courage may not fail. When nothing seems sure, give us trust, keep us in that perfect peace, which You have promised to those whose minds are fixed on You. Give us the fresh vision of Your love. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Thank you for praying with me, my brothers and sisters. May God richly bless you and answer all your prayers. I love you all. I thank you all for praying along with me. Have a good night.

Sabbath Day, Father, is here once again
And I’m overflowing with praise, from deep down within
My favorite bird is singing real strong
In his usual spot where he sings all day long
Praises, my father, we both sing today
And I can’t speak for him, but I can speak for me
Thank you, my Father, for all that You do
For sunshine and flowers and skies, not quite blue
Because today they’re grey and it looks like it’s gonna rain
But I still praise You, my Father, for the absence of pain
Feels full of grain, hardship and strength
And that deep rooted peace You give us, after the rain
Deep in my brain, that cleanses my heart to see the truth really plain
A world so mundane, You’ve freed me from so many things that are clearly insane
Yet still lives in my brain and I look back over my life now and see the years lost in vain
Your forgiveness, Your patience, Your mercy and grace
Are all clearly here, Father, right in front of my face
And I’m thanking You this Sabbath Day, Father, for thinking of me
You gave up Your son at Golgotha for me
Let me always remember the blood that He shed
And let my praise produce works and not just words from my head
blindtony1016@gmail.com I’d like to give a shout out to little Ezekiel. Wow, little Ezekiel, you are really reading very well. And your insight into the principles of the Scriptures, the meaning and what, what we can take away from, is really great. Brian and Jill, you did a magnificent job raising up Ezekiel and I want to thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowing ya’ll.

Hey DAB, it’s Emmy from Illinois, just calling in with a praise. My husband decided, out of the blue a couple weeks ago that he wanted to go to church on Easter. And originally it was gonna be to a random church in town and then the day before the weekend, he decided he wanted to go to our old church that he said, he would never go back to. Mostly out of, in my opinion, pride, because he’s been gone for over two years. So, we ended up going last week which was super exciting and so many of our friends and the pastors were so happy to see him and just loving and encouraging. And then I was going to be, they encouraged him to come back this week. I was gonna be out of town so I didn’t think he would end up going and he ended up going to church by himself last week, er, yesterday and the pastor caught him and ended up talking to him for over an hour, after church. So, super encouraged to know that he’s, something is going on in his heart that he’s wanting to go back to church. And I’m gonna take it as a, as a good step in the right direction. However long it takes, just I guess, prayers that I would continue to be patient and kind and faithful in this transition phase of moving from antagonism to working on his relationship with God and us. So, thank you so much for your prayers.

Judges 6:1-40, Luke 22:54-23:12, Psalms 95:1-96:13, Proverbs 14:5-6

Today is the 26^th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is wonderful to be here with you today like every day taking the next step forward, finding what comes next in the books that we are working our way through. Right now, in the Old Testament that happens to be the book of Judges. And, so, we are meeting the judges of Israel, the people that led the children of Israel between Joshua and their first king. And, so, let’s dive in. Today, Judges chapter 6.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Judges we have met who will be a judge of Israel, a man named Gideon. His story is quite famous, and it will be unfolding in the next few days. But we see the angel of the Lord come to Gideon and say you are the one, you’re being tapped, you’re going to set the people free. Go do it. And Gideon of course, as a response is like, where is the Lord? Like, where is the Lord we’ve been told of? We have been oppressed by Midian. Where is He? Gideon is finding out that he’s right with him and is being commissioned to once again redeem Israel and we’ll watch that unfold.

And we move into the book of Luke, and we are obviously moving through the passion narrative again of the arrest and trial and beating and torture and crucifixion and death and burial and resurrection of Jesus. And we can see all of the animosity that has been building up toward Jesus beginning to spill out as accusations and beatings begin to happen. We also see Peter who has followed close behind. He’s followed close behind. That’s something. Because we don’t have any indication that any of the other friends of Jesus did anything but run away. Peter’s at least trying to stay close, but we also watch him deny that he even knows Jesus and realizes what he’s done and just as brokenhearted leaves and weeps bitterly. We then watch the Jewish Council try Jesus, question Jesus, and then condemn Jesus. We watch Jesus go before the Roman prefect. So, the top person in charge of the region, like the governor of the region. A person with the power of life and death. Those kinds of decisions Pilate could make. And they brought Jesus before Pilate. And of course, they had to find something that wasn’t just Hebrew centric, not something just against the Mosaic Law to condemn Jesus. They had to find something that would condemn him in the eyes of the Roman Empire and that was His claim to be a king. And, so, Pilate’s like, so you’re the king of the Jews. And Jesus is like, that’s what you’ve said. And Pilate doesn’t find anything wrong with Jesus. And when Pilate finds out that Jesus is a Galilean, he sends Him to Herod who is a client king. He is the king of the Jews. He is actually the king of the Jews. So, Pilates like well let me send this one king of the Jews to the other king of the Jews. It’s in his jurisdiction. They can sort it out. And Herod had wanted to meet Jesus anyway. And we hear this kind of scene and think that Jesus is being kind of put in a cage and taken by horseback on a cart somewhere far away to meet where Herod is. Herod was like just across the complex. They were all in the strongholds of Jerusalem at that time and there was a palace there. And, so, for Jesus to be sent to Herod was to send Him across a walkway or like an open area. And, so, Herod gets to meet Jesus. He’s looking for a sign, but Jesus didn’t have the conversation. So, Herod began to treat with contempt, and mock him with the soldiers according to the gospel of Luke. And then he sends Him back to Pilate and it’s almost like there’s an inside joke here. He sends Him back Pilate after draping a splendid robe, like a royal robe over Him. And then he sent Him back with this royal robe to Pilate. And according to the gospel of Luke, Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that day. Before that they were just at odds with one another. So, what would sending Jesus back to Pilate do to cause them to become friends? Probably this robe. This royal robe draped over Jesus is actually a tremendous mockery. It says if the king of the Jews, Herod drapes a royal robe over Jesus and sends them back to Pilate, as if he’s found him to in fact be the king of the Jews. And Pilate gets the joke. And that’s where we leave Jesus today. Jesus, our Savior arrested, brought before the Council of His own people who condemn Him, sent before Pilate for the capital offense in the order of execution, but Pilate doesn’t find anything wrong. And, so, he passes Him off to Herod who passes Him back to Pilate and Jesus remaining silent.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for all of the different facets and nuances, all of the different people, all of the different stories and lives that we get to engage with, and we get to see the humanity in. Help us to recognize that, that the Bible is a very very human book. If we took human beings out of the Bible, there isn’t a Bible. And, so, this book is for us, and it helps us learn about us and it leads us to you. And, so, come Holy Spirit and plant what has been read today in the soil of our hearts we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base as well as the Daily Audio Bible app. That’s home base as well. So, either place you can find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out.

Check out things like the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there in the Daily Audio Bible Shop that are for the journey through the Bible in a year that we are on. Whether that be things that are just incorporated into our lives that are centered around the rhythm of having time an oasis that we build for each other around the Global Campfire every day, or whether that be resources to take the journey deeper. Check them out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Check out the Windfarm coffee and tea we roast freshly and source from around the world and bring here to the community. It’s just one of the…one of the things that certainly help with the Daily Audio Bible but it’s the incorporation of things that we do in our lives and to bring some of those rituals that we have in our lives and center them around the Scriptures. And, so, I drink coffee every day. I drink Windfarm coffee every day and it sits here by me every day because that’s part of my ritual. It was my ritual before the Daily Audio Bible. I drink coffee. I like it. And I like afternoon tea as well. I like it. And these little rhythms, they kinda go together. And, so, my coffee and the Scriptures are a part of the same story most every single day. And we just thought, man, everybody drinks this, coffee, or tea. Most people. Not everybody. But most people do. What if we could source this? What if we could roast of this? What if we could bring this to the community together and just make it a part of our story. And, so, that’s how Windfarm coffee and tea was born, which you can find in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. You can look at all the different varietals and you can even have it shipped to you every month, monthly if you want, however many bags you drink per month, or use per month. We can ship it to you fresh, fresher than you can get pretty much anywhere else. So, check that out. You can find it in the Daily Audio Bible Shop in the coffee and tea section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and given to whoever will listen anywhere that they may be any time that it may be and to build community around the rhythm that we show up every day around this Global Campfire, if that is life-giving and meaningful to your days then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning Daily Audio Bible this is Geneva Thirsty for His Grace from Orlando FL today is April 22^nd. Family I listened to the prayer line after the broadcast today and I heard Susan God’s Yellow Flower from Canada requesting prayer for her nephew as well as Steve from Texas requesting prayer for his marriage. Both of these requests struck me. So, family let us pray. Father God today I come lifting up Susan from Canada Father God. I lift up her God and I pray Your peace Your power and Your strength be manifested in her. Lord she’s always reaching out to Your children to pray for others. Strengthen her God. She seemed to have went through God just a time of loss Father God and within her family. I pray that the peace of God and the strength of God and Your power will radiate and manifest and transform and refresh her. I pray God for the healing of this brain tumor Father. I pray that it’s benign and I pray God that her nephew God will come to know You. Put the right people in his path Father God that can share Your gospel during this time during this trying time. And Lord God we lift up Steve from Texas God who is experiencing tension in his second marriage. Father, we pray God he asks for peace. You are the God of peace Father God. May the peace rain down in Steve’s life. God may he hold on to Your unchanging hand Father God. May his wife come to know You if she don’t know You. Father may You super do that marriage. Iron out God the rough patches in that marriage Father God. Father I pray Father God You will give strength Steve the strength and the power. Show Yourself strong in this marriage and in this healing situation in Jesus’ name Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Jeremiah from Michigan. I’m a first-time caller and I just want to testify to the Lord’s goodness. 2021 was a very difficult year for me. I was fired by my little brother from a family business that I’ve been in since a little boy and didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to continue to provide for my family and the Lord led me to go to truck driving school and get my CDL. And the very first day I was there God opened up an opportunity for me to be recruited and I’ve been hired by them a few weeks later and it’s been a huge blessing, a huge joy to drive a truck and be a part of the lifeblood of America but also to see many beautiful places. And just recently the last few weeks I started to go over the road and was paired up with a young man named Phil. And the first week that we were in the truck together he dedicated his life to the Lord and has been faithfully listening to the Daily Audio Bible every night as he’s driving. He did 15 nights last week and he’s almost caught up. And, so, I’d just like to testify to the Lord’s faithfulness. We’re reading his word. We’re talking about Him and praying every day and I just ask you to pray for Phil and Madison Hagar that the Lord would continue to work in their lives and that He would be glorified. May His Kingdom come may His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He is Our daily bread, and we are satisfied with Him. Blessing.

Hello, DABbers this is Kate from Columbus OH. I’m here to pray for sparky. Man, I heard you. I felt your prayer request. Isn’t it awesome that your weakest moment that you are your strongest? It was very strong of you to reach out for help to people that you know will pray and will stay on their knees, that will stay on the wall just for you because you are special enough. God caught every tear; He hears every sigh and He’s helping you right now even before you uttered a word to us. So, stand fast on His word. Trust Him knowing that He is working for you good and something great is going to come out of it. Stay in His word. Stay in His word. I can’t stress it enough. Keep reading your Bible. When you feel your worst keep reading your Bible. When you feel your worst keep listening to the Daily Audio Bible. Keep praying. God, I don’t know how I’m going to go out of this. God what you gonna do? God, I need help. God I am depressed. He hears it. Keep putting it out there. Keep putting it out there and watch God turn it around for you good. Just when you least expect expect it it’s going to work out. Don’t worry about who’s getting laid off. God has something for you. You don’t know what He’s gonna do how He’s gonna turn that around just trust that He is working it out for you good. So what if you are laid off. He has something greater for you. He’s gonna take care of the bills. He knows what you need to pay for. He knows that your kid needs things. Trust Him. You’re trusting him to take care of your bills right now. Trust Him to take care of your of your bills if you get laid off and have to go to a new job, which might be better than what you have. So, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Love you.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family today is the 22^nd of April. I just finished listening to today’s podcast and heard God’s Yellow Flower at the very end. And oh, my sister first of all I really really love when you call in and pray for others and offer your wisdom and your prayers. I just want you to know how much you and your wisdom and your walk with God have blessed me over the last years and how much I really love you for that reason and just for the fact that you’re my sister in Christ and I love you. And I can hear the pain in your voice, and I can hear the struggle in your voice. I just lift you up before our father in heaven, praying over you, peace and strength and joy and understanding and a little…and a break, just a break, just some peace and some time in between sorrows. I pray that God comforts you in your sorrow and gives you that space where you can…you can find his joy and his peace, which I think you already have but life gets so overwhelming, and we find ourselves in those times where we feel like we can’t take one more thing. And I just pray that God will lift you from this space and just speak to your heart in the way that you need him to speak to your heart and meet you where you’re at like He always does. I’m so glad you’re my friend. I love you.

Hello DAB family. This is the first time that I’ve ever come on to actually request prayer as far as recording but I’m desperate for prayer right now for my son. He…he’s a good kid. He’s 22 and he’s in some trouble right now. I pray that you would come in agreement with me about my son. He’s been raised in the church. He knows the Lord, except, you know, when they get away from their parents, they…it’s almost like they have their freedom. And I think that’s what happened with my son. He just got caught up. And I just pray…this is my prayer for him without getting into any details, that he would not go to jail, but God would have mercy on him because God knows his heart and that God would intervene and do a miracle this week, next week, and the week after. Just come in agreement with me with my son. His name is Josh, and he needs a miracle. Thank you, so much Daily Audio Bible family.