Darash Chai Experiment
328 episodes - English - Latest episode: 24 days ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn the beginning there were two trees in the Garden of Eden. One, a tree that brought life. The other, a tree that brought death. The serpent showed up and placed the focus of mankind on the tree that brought death. Is it possible that we as a race have been focusing on the wrong tree. We talk about good and evil, right and wrong. We discuss what is moral and what is immoral. All of these questions, however, were on the tree that brought death. Perhaps it is time to shift our focus. To stop looking to the tree of death by asking the question of good and evil. Rather, let’s start asking the question of life and death. If we can shift our assumptions on this most basic of questions, we can change our entire paradigm. If we change our paradigm, we can change the world. What will be the result? I do not know, but you are invited to come along and join us as we Seek Life.
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Episodes
S3 E06: The Battle of Matza – Joshua 6
April 04, 2024 21:00 - 22 minutes - 31.5 MBThe battle for Jericho is one of the more memorable stories in the Bible. The armies of God march around a city and in the end the wall fall down and Israel is able to defeat the first city of Canaan without any sort of opposition. Most people are at least passingly familiar with this story. But when we dig into the story in the context of the narrative, and in the context of scripture, there are several things that are revealed that shed a new light on this old story.
S3 E05: Doing what was Left Undone – Joshua 5
March 28, 2024 22:00 - 19 minutes - 27 MBThe first thing that Israel does after crossing the Jordan is to engage in a practice that would leave them in physical pain and vulnerable to attack. This cutting of the flesh is then followed up by a memorial festival of Passover. The reason that these steps are necessary might seem shocking, but let's just say that Israel in the wilderness was not as faithful to God's commands as we might think. Even this second generation had left things undone, and that needed to be remedied.
S3 E04: A Miracle Memorial – Joshua 4
March 21, 2024 22:00 - 20 minutes - 27.9 MBWhile Israel is still crossing the Jordan, God asks Joshua to build something. A memorial to the event that is currently happening in the narrative. Just one of many memorials that we find being commanded in the Bible. Why is it that God commands people to create and enact memorials? Because we are human, and we trust our senses of the current world more than we trust our memories of what God has done. And a memorial bridges the gap to act as a current physical reminder of that past to p...
S3 E03: Drawing Closer – Joshua 3
March 14, 2024 22:00 - 20 minutes - 28.1 MBThe time has come for Israel to cross the Jordan river into the land of Canaan. Normally this would not be a great undertaking, until you consider the size of the Israeli army, and that it was flood season for the Jordan. There was no reasonable way to get the army across the river. That is, until God intervened. He had parted the water before, and He does so again in spectacular fashion. But that is just the setting of this narrative. There is something more going on here, just below the ...
S3 E02: A Tale of Twos – Joshua 2
March 07, 2024 22:00 - 21 minutes - 28.9 MBBefore the conquest begins, Joshua sends two spies into Jericho. While in the city, these spies encounter a woman who engaged in an inherently sinful profession. And in this woman we find a microcosm of the larger story at play in the book of Joshua. Two forces. Two leaders. Two nations. Two Spies. And one woman with two lives. It is in this contrast of twos that we find the second step on the journey toward the inheritance.
S3 E01: A Call to Faith– Joshua 1
February 29, 2024 22:00 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBThe book of Joshua is often seen as a book of history in the modern world. Simply a recounting of historical facts with little theological implications to be drawn from it. But in the Jewish tradition, Joshua is a book of prophecy. It is a book with a revelation to the people of God. As such, it contains a message that is applicable today. As such, it contains a pattern. A pattern that culminates in inheritance, but it begins with a call to faith.
S2 E32: Rebuke, Repentance, and Restoration– Job 40-42
January 27, 2023 01:08 - 52 minutes - 72.3 MBThe final chapters of Job include one of the more fascinating depictions in the Bible. Two grand creatures that appear out of mythology and onto the pages of scripture. It is extremely easy, while in these last chapters, to get distracted by the Behemoth and Leviathan and miss the concepts that are present in the last chapter. Concepts that are meant to be central to the life of every believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
S2 E31: Where Were You?– Job 38-39
January 19, 2023 18:38 - 40 minutes - 55.6 MBGod finally speaks. Job has asked for this moment. He has wished for a chance to make his case before God, and God has responded. The response Job gets, however, is not what anyone was expecting. Rather than receiving an answer to suffering, Job is simply presented a host of unanswerable questions.
S2 E30: The Nuance of Hypocrisy– Job 35-37
January 12, 2023 20:34 - 42 minutes - 58.4 MBAs Elihu ends his speech much of what he has to say sounds good. In fact, vast portions of his speech are repeated in the upcoming chapters by God Himself. And yet, when God arrives on the scene He accuses Elihu of being without knowledge and of dark speech. What is it in this speech that is so far off from the truth? Well, Elihu reveals something about himself in these closing chapters. He reveals a double-minded nature that is so easy to fall into. Fortunately we have this example to lo...
S2 E29: God in a Box– Job 32-34
January 05, 2023 18:44 - 46 minutes - 63.7 MBJob's friends have finished their arguments. Job has finally laid to rest his defense. Out of nowhere comes a zealous young man who feels it is his duty to defend God from Job's assertions. There is a problem. Elihu's certainty of how God is capable of acting blinds him of how God has actually acted. This is a trap that anyone and everyone can and likely has fallen into, and when we do so, we do this to our own detriment.
S2 E28: The Final Defense – Job 29-31
December 29, 2022 18:23 - 38 minutes - 52.2 MBLast Episode Job's friends rested their case against Job, but how did it come to this? Job suffered a great loss and was a victim, and yet, as his friends tried to comfort him, their comfort turned into an attack against Job's character. In response He was forced to defend himself. This week Job rests his defense with a series of speeches that address this state of affairs. How did this person tragedy of loss turn into a direct indictment of Job, and did he in some way deserve this treatment?
S2 E27: The Source of Wisdom – Job 25-28
December 22, 2022 19:25 - 47 minutes - 65.3 MBWith one last short shot across the bow, Bildad and the rest of Job's friends have had their say. This leaves Job open to finally be able to speak his mind. As Job begins to speak, at first he simply repeats what has already been said, but then, in a surprising move, Job begins to question the source of wisdom. It is at this point that, in this abstract discussion that we find the turning point in the book.
S2 E26: A Study in Contrast – Job 22-24
December 15, 2022 20:17 - 45 minutes - 62.9 MBJob has turned a corner and is beginning to gain his footing once again. And it is a good thing that Job is thinking more clearly once again, because the confrontation of Job's friends is about to get real personal. Before, the comments about the evil person have been rather generalized. "They do this," and "he does that." Now Eliphaz changes these statements into a direct attack against Job. "You are doing these things, Job." In response, Job doesn't get angry. Rather he offers a contras...
S2 E25: A Different Approach – Job 20-21
December 08, 2022 17:18 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBJob's friends continue to cast accusations at Job by comparing Job's current situation to their own ideas of how God should work in the world. Their only understanding of God as the one who punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous does not allow for a righteous man to experience tragedy. Up until now, Job has been floundering. At first these attacks left him reeling and grasping for a defense, but as the same accusations continue to be thrown at him he is slowly getting his bearing. T...
S2 E24: The Downward Spiral – Job 18-19
December 01, 2022 16:00 - 48 minutes - 66.1 MBRound and round the condemning thoughts go. Accusing and condemning and circling around and around without ceasing. Bildad is back and this time he is pulling no punches. The tactic that Bildad takes in attacking Job is all too common. How can we ensure that we don't fall into the pattern of Bildad when confronted with those who are on the downward spiral?
S2 E23: The Probability Doctrine – Job 15-17
November 17, 2022 18:22 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MBAt this point in the book of Job we begin to encounter a lot of repetition. Everything that is being said seems to have been said already? Why is it that this ancient scroll would spend so much ink rehashing these same arguments over and over? Unless there is something of profound importance that we can learn from the nuances that are found in the midst of this repetition.
S2 E22: Turn the Page – Job 12-14
November 11, 2022 18:56 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBThe three friends of Job have had their say. Each of them have been less than helpful in their own way. For the next three chapters Job responds to the friends and in doing so we see him turn the page on his grief. Through some subtle clues we find that Job is no longer in the stage of depression. He is moving on as the reality sets in, and as he finds a closer target for his anger than God.
S2 E21: Dogma and the Depressed – Job 11
November 03, 2022 15:57 - 34 minutes - 47.1 MBWhen attempting to help a person who is dealing with grief and depression, it can often feel like the process is taking too long. At some point the temptation arises to take a hard line with the person that is suffering. To lay out the simple facts that you feel you can see clearly. This is is the tactic that Tsophar takes with Job in this chapter and as we will see, the dogmatic solution can cause more harm than good.
S2 E20: The Cycle of Depression – Job 9-10
October 27, 2022 16:17 - 55 minutes - 76.6 MBAs Job continues to be challenged by his friends we see one of the more common issues that people face with depression. The continuous cycle of negative thoughts that seem unescapable. Round and round the mind goes, trodding the same old paths over and over again until the path become nothing more than a rut. Stuck in this cycle, Job repeats so many of the thoughts that have come previously. And yet, in this midst of this, Job takes a slight turn. Only a little one, but when you are in a ru...
S2 E19: When Tradition Meets Life – Job 8
September 08, 2022 17:09 - 38 minutes - 52.7 MBAs Job's friends continue to counsel him after the great losses that he has suffered, they continue to go back to the tried and true understanding of God that is contrary to Job's lived experience. Bildad, like Eliphaz before, points to the current understanding of God as the only way to interpret Job's circumstances, and in doing so he pushes just a bit further. Now, instead of it being Job's own understanding of God, Bildad points to the tradition of their fathers.
S2 E18: When Theology Meets Life – Job 6-7
September 01, 2022 17:20 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MBThe stages of grief are fairly well documented, and in this chapter we see the initial shift in Job from Depression to Bargaining. In the midst of this change we also catch sight of something significant. Job's own theology prior to the events of this book were in line with what Eliphaz preached to him. A small part of what makes this all so difficult is that Job is being forced, through his circumstances, to reevaluate his own ideas of who God is.
S2 E17: Consoling with Prosperity – Job 4-5
August 25, 2022 16:40 - 47 minutes - 65.6 MBWhen our friends are suffering we all want to ease their pain in some way. But all too often we don't know what to say, and our words, often, end up not helping. In the book of Job we are presented with several archetypes of unhelpful counsel in the face of tragedy. In these chapters we encounter the first. Eliphaz. Eliphaz offers counsel that so many of us have tried to offer, but in the end, it just falls short.
S2 E16 – The Depths of Grief – Job 3
August 18, 2022 16:41 - 47 minutes - 65.5 MBGrief is a terrible fact of life. Every single person who lives any length of time will have to deal with grief. The Bible recognizes this fact and gives insight into the process of dealing with grief. Job lost everything. And this book is an exploration of how those who believe in God can go about dealing with grief. Job chapter 3 is the initial lament. A moment of utter despair. A world without hope or light.
S2 E15 – The Challenge of Grief – Job 1-2
August 11, 2022 17:11 - 54 minutes - 75 MBAs the book of Job opens we are introduced to a man who is on top of the world. He has everything that he could possibly desire. And into this blessed life comes a series of great tragedies. Each one on their own would be devastating, but these tragedies compound and compile until all that Job is left with is his life, and his grief. This book presents many challenges to the reader, but none are so applicable as the example of how to handle overwhelming hardship.
S2 E14 – Intro to the Book of Job
August 04, 2022 16:38 - 45 minutes - 62.5 MBThe book of Job is shrouded in mystery. No one knows who the author is, the dialog throughout the book is written in beautiful Hebrew poetry, and there are endless debates as to the identity of Job. The beauty of Job is not found in these academic questions, however, and is rather found in the themes that Job addresses. Topics of suffering, faith, wisdom, counsel, tragedy, trauma, and more.
S2E13- The Conclusion-Ecclesiastes 12
June 30, 2022 17:41 - 50 minutes - 69.1 MBThe final chapter of Ecclesiastes features one last poem before coming to the conclusion of the matter. This poem focuses on a topic that has already been covered in the book and it's subject is one of the more common subjects of poetry to this day. The end of life experience. Unlike much modern poetry, however, the point that Qohelet makes is one that points us to God.
S2E12- The Longview-Ecclesiastes 11
June 23, 2022 22:51 - 50 minutes - 69.5 MBOnce again, here near the end of Ecclesiastes we run into a chapter that seems to be simply a series of proverbs that, on the surface, are not connected to each other. But when we really dig into these proverbs and the ideas that they represent we find a pattern that coalesces together into a series of coherent and connected thoughts on how to approach life.
S2E11- Kings and Fools-Ecclesiastes 10
June 17, 2022 02:16 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MBWhen it comes to exploring the philosophy of life, there are a lot of little proverbs that a wise man will latch on to. In this chapter we find this at play. A series of proverb after proverb that seems to meander through several different points, but throughout each two characters seem to continually make an appearance. The king and the fool. Pray that they don't both coincide in your life.
S2E10- The Great Equalizer-Ecclesiastes 9
June 09, 2022 18:01 - 50 minutes - 69 MBLast chapter the Preacher contemplated the limits of Wisdom. In this chapter, he continues to examine the limits of the human experience. While wisdom is a trait that everyone has to various degrees, the hard limit of death is one that is applicable to everyone equally.
S2E9- The Depths of Wisdom -Ecclesiastes 8
June 02, 2022 21:22 - 49 minutes - 68.4 MBThroughout the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks of wisdom often. It is good, desirable, and makes life easier, yet it leaves those who have it in sorrow and grief. It is not until now that Solomon stops to examine wisdom and as he does he recognizes that despite all of the good traits that wisdom has, it too is limited in what it is able to accomplish.
S2E8- Between the Extremes -Ecclesiastes 7
May 26, 2022 23:58 - 1 hour - 82.8 MBThe world is full of extremes and throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon explores the realm of the extremes. Wisdom and Foolishness. Righteousness and Wickedness. Rich and Poor. Life and Death. Even past and future are extremes. Extremes are all around us and it is all too easy to get stuck in these extremes to one degree or another. But there is a way of life that is revealed in this chapter. A way that is described as desireable, and that way of life is between the extremes.
S2E7- Unending Appetites -Ecclesiastes 6
May 12, 2022 16:00 - 39 minutes - 54.5 MBAs we continue through Ecclesiastes we find Qoheleth continuing to discern the meaning of life from a materialistic viewpoint. What lasting meaning is there to be found in life when the human appetite is never truly satisfied.
S2 E6: Watch Your Mouth – Ecclesiastes 5
May 05, 2022 17:09 - 40 minutes - 56.2 MBJames 3:5 - So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! Chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes features a unique set of verses in the book of Ecclesiastes. Throughout the book there is a lot of back and forth, pondering the greater questions, and seeking to discover the good in life. In chapter 5 though Qohelet gives a unique warning to all who care to take his words to heart.
S2 E5: Oppression, Trauma, and Unity – Ecclesiastes 4
April 28, 2022 18:20 - 50 minutes - 69.6 MBAs Ecclesiastes continues, the author begins to delve into more diverse topics and ways of examining life. As he does, he touches on some issues that are hot in our current culture. As we examine these topics as described in Ecclesiastes and compare them to our culture, we can pierce the veil of the absolute futility of the things that the modern world tells us that we should focus on.
S2 E4: Times and Seasons – Ecclesiastes 3
April 21, 2022 15:52 - 51 minutes - 70.5 MBEcclesiastes 3 opens with one of the most iconic passages and ideas in literature. An idea that is so foundational to our reality that many other authors over the ages have riffed off of this theme in their own works. We also find scattered throughout the Bible in various ways. What is so profound about the acknowledgment of seasons and how can this concept help us to find peace in our own lives?
S2 E3 – The Finer Things – Ecclesiastes 2
April 07, 2022 16:41 - 49 minutes - 68.6 MBAs Solomon attempts to discern the purpose of life, he attempts to engage life in every way that he can think of. He seeks out every experience that men pursue to give meaning to their lives, and the first of these is the pursuit of things. Not just anything though, the finer things. Here at the end of his life, though, Solomon looks back on these things and he is able to draw a single preliminary conclusion from the interaction of engaging in labor for the purpose of acquiring goods.
S2E2 – Cycles of Life – Ecclesiastes 1
March 31, 2022 16:23 - 39 minutes - 54.4 MBThe book of Ecclesiastes opens in a way that highlights the pointlessness of human endeavor. All things end and no experience truly satisfies because the experience fades and we find ourselves desiring or in need once again. In fact, Ecclesiastes might seem like an excuse to become nihilistic or a reason for depression. When we read this book with the conclusion in mind we find that what at first seems hopeless is in reality the very foundation for Biblical obedience.
S2E01 – The Preacher’s Wisdom – Intro to Ecclesiastes
March 24, 2022 16:53 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBEcclesiastes is the book of the Bible that gets the closest to a human philosophy of life. This book is so unlike any other book of the Bible that it needs an introduction. Simply jumping in without a firm grounding in the content of the book or its conclusion can lead to some incorrect or even devastating interpretations and applications. Before we dive into the pages of this book, we need to discuss the underlying context.
Special 13: Kingdom Life
March 18, 2022 04:00 - 37 minutes - 86.3 MBMaking the kingdom of God a priority is the calling of all who believe. This way of living comes with many benefits as well as responsibilities. But what does it look like when it comes to the day to day living out of this kingdom? In this final episode of this series, we examine, what does it look like when you live for the kingdom on a practical level?
Special 12: Kingdom Benefits
March 10, 2022 16:00 - 42 minutes - 96.5 MBIn the last episode it may have seemed as if all that we have to look forward to when we enter the kingdom of God is a never ending series of responsibilities to God and to others. This week we will change our focus and look at the benefits that are part of the kingdom centered life. God is not a slave master who simply takes without giving. He gives gifts to His people, and the gifts He gives are the most valuable things in existence.
Special 11: Kingdom Allegiance
March 03, 2022 16:00 - 38 minutes - 88.8 MBWhen enter into the Kingdom of God we enter in to a life of allegiance to the king of this kingdom. But allegiance is an idea that has lost any real meaning for a modern audience. What does allegiance mean? We have all pledged allegiance at one time to a flag or a cause. What does it mean to pledge our allegiance to the Kingdom of God?
Special 10: Three Year Wrap Up
February 24, 2022 16:00 - 17 minutes - 39.2 MBThe Three Year Cycle is done. Where to from here? Time for a little house cleaning and a few updates on the state of Darash Chai.
Ep 143: The Final Blessing – Deuteronomy 32:48 – 34:12
February 10, 2022 18:10 - 47 minutes - 108 MBAs the Torah comes to a close, Moses speaks his final words to the nation of Israel. In the manner of Jacob upon his death bed in Genesis 49, Jacob blessed his sons and here at the end of the life of Moses, blessings are once again spoken over each of the sons. Or is it? If we examine the text we find that one is missing. Added to this, so many of these blessings are confusing in their nature. What can we learn from these, and how is it that these blessings provide a fitting end to the Torah?
Ep 142: The Song of Witness – Deuteronomy 31:14 – 32:47
January 27, 2022 16:00 - 53 minutes - 122 MBDeuteronomy 32 contains a song. A song that is unique in all of Scripture. It is a song that is to act as a witness against the people when they will eventually break the covenant, but it is a song that also speaks of the future of the world to an end that has not yet occurred in human experience. It is a song of judgment and justice, but also a song of hope. And within its words is an entire theology that describes the entire spectrum of the nature and character of our God.
Ep 141: Witnesses of Life and Death – Deuteronomy 30:15-31:13
January 20, 2022 16:00 - 47 minutes - 109 MBOne thing that every Suzerain Vassal Treaty contained was a list of those who acted as witnesses to the ratification and terms of the covenant. Those who existed outside of the covenant, but who would look in and act as arbiters in matters of dispute. The witnesses to this covenant are not what we might think though. They are not human, nor are they divine in any way. In fact these witnesses are found in the very first sentence of the Bible and they will last until New Creation.
Ep 140: Remember Your Training – Deuteronomy 29:1-30:14
January 13, 2022 16:00 - 44 minutes - 102 MBThe blessings and the curses of Deuteronomy take up quite some space in the text, and the discussion of these topics does not end when the explicit recounting of the various curses ends. Rather, the text then moves on to discuss two types of people who encounter these curses in their own lives. Both are part of the covenant. But one hears these curses and looks around himself and does not see them being carried out in his midst, and so he continues to operate in the hardness of his heart. T...
Ep 139: Blessing and Curse – Deuteronomy 27-28
January 06, 2022 16:00 - 57 minutes - 130 MBEvery Suzerain Vassal Treaty of the historical record contains a section that outlines a series of blessings and curses that were to be enacted against the signatories of the treaty. Blessings for conformation to the treaty and curses for breaking the treaty. Here at the end of Deuteronomy, this treaty between the High King of heaven and the nation that he is forming under His leadership we encounter this section. As we examine these various blessings and curses we discover that there is a...
Ep 138: Tribute for the King – Deuteronomy 26
December 30, 2021 16:00 - 47 minutes - 108 MBAfter several months diving deep into the Bible's own expansion of the Ten Commandments, the text finally moves on to other topics. The Suzerain Vassal Treaty that is the book of Deuteronomy is once again brought into focus. This week with an exploration of how to give tribute and who to give your tribute to. But this idea of tribute is one that made sense in the ancient world of kings and subjects. In the New Testament, however, the topic takes an interesting shift. No longer is giving ...
Ep 137: The Tenth Ideal – Deuteronomy 24:5-25:19
December 23, 2021 16:00 - 44 minutes - 102 MBAs we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we finish with the tenth command. Do not envy. The only command that deals with a person's thought life and not with a product of their actions. But as we examine this passag...
Ep 136: The Ninth Ideal – Deuteronomy 23:1-24:4
December 16, 2021 11:00 - 51 minutes - 117 MBAs we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the ninth command. Do not bear false witness. A command that is often applied to court cases, or simply telling the truth, but once again, this ideal goes far beyond t...