Gilbert House Fellowship
198 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 179 ratingsA virtual house fellowship of like-minded believers seeking to better understand the Word of God.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Gilbert House Fellowship #407: Song of Solomon 6–8; Proverbs 1
March 10, 2024 16:38 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBIT’S APPARENT why the Song of Solomon is not often preached in church. It is a beautiful and poetic description of the love and desire felt by a husband and wife, but the euphemisms that describe physical intimacy between Solomon can raise awkward questions from children in the congregation! But if you have been blessed with a loving marital relationship, you know. We also begin the proverbs of Solomon this week. Chapter 1 emphasizes the importance of wisdom, which begins with the fear of...
Gilbert House Fellowship #406: Song of Solomon 1–5
March 03, 2024 16:54 - 1 hour - 68.3 MBTHE SONG OF SOLOMON has layers of meaning. On the surface, it’s a beautiful depiction of the intimate relationship between a husband and wife. At a deeper level, it’s a picture of the mutual love between Christ and his church. We discuss the first five chapters and note the bride’s description of herself as “very dark, but lovely,” which is not based on racial characteristics but implies one whose skin is darkened by the sun—a laborer, one of lower social status than her husband. Nonetheles...
Gilbert House Fellowship #405: 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 72
February 25, 2024 17:02 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBSOLOMON’S PRAYER for wisdom pleased God, who honored Solomon’s wish and granted him more besides. 2 Chronicles picks up the story of Solomon from the beginning of his reign around 971 BC. At this time, the tabernacle of Moses was still at Gibeon, a city in the territory of Benjamin just north of Jerusalem, although the ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem. The wealth of Solomon is legendary. It’s possible that the political situation in the eastern Mediterranean after the Bronze Age Collap...
Gilbert House Fellowship #404: 1 Kings 3–4
February 18, 2024 18:11 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBSOLOMON BEGAN his reign with a prayer for wisdom, a prayer that was answered by God in a dream. We discuss some of the interesting differences in the Septuagint and the Masoretic Hebrew text, which is the basis for our English language Old Testament translations. It appears the Masoretes made minor changes to make David and Solomon appear even more powerful and wise than in the older Hebrew text that was translated into the Greek Septuagint. We talk about a concept we’ve discussed before, ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #402: Psalm 119 (Part 1)
February 11, 2024 17:11 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBWE OFTEN WISH that God would show us the road we’ll travel for the rest of our lives. That’s not the sense of His promise in Psalm 119:105. The Hebrew word translated “lamp,” ner, is a small clay lamp with a single wick. In other words, it illuminates enough of the path to see that our next step or two is safe, but after that we have to trust that He’s leading us where we need to go. The overall theme of Psalm 119 is that those who follow God’s directions will ultimately be blessed, even t...
Gilbert House Fellowship #402: Psalm 119 (Part 1)
February 04, 2024 17:42 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBPSALM 119 is sometimes called the Mount Everest of psalms. Not only is it long, its length is due to its unique construction: It’s an extended alphabet acrostic divided into 22 stanzas, one for each of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Further, each of the eight verses in every stanza begins with that Hebrew letter. For example, the eight verses of the first stanza all begin with alef, the verses of the second stanza with bet, and so on. The overarching theme of the psalm is a contrast b...
Gilbert House Fellowship #401: Psalms 37, 71, 94
January 28, 2024 17:08 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBIt’s tempting, when looking at the state of the world, to conclude that God has abandoned us to the wolves—evildoers who think nothing of enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else. The psalms in this week’s study are a reminder that God has not forsaken us, and that those who trust in Him will ultimately be rewarded while for those who do not things will not end well. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, a new flo...
Gilbert House Fellowship #400: 1 Kings 1–2
January 21, 2024 18:20 - 1 hour - 75.6 MBThe succession of Solomon to the throne of David wasn’t secure even through the final days of the old king’s life. Like his brother Absalom before him, Adonijah declared himself king over Israel before the death of David. The difference is that Adonijah’s insurrection took place after David publicly named Solomon his heir and successor. We discuss the political machinations of Adonijah and why Solomon had him killed for asking to have David’s concubine Abishag for a wife. In a nutshell, Ad...
Gilbert House Fellowship #399: Psalms 114–118
January 14, 2024 17:43 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBPRAISE AND THANKSGIVING is at the heart of this week’s collection of psalms. From the awesome power of God and His mastery over the sea to His protection during times of distress, our God’s chesed, translated “steadfast love,” “loyal love,” “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” and other English words that don’t fully convey the concept, will never end. Our Build Barn Better project is nearly complete! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, a new floor, windows, ceiling fans, upgraded electric serv...
Gilbert House Fellowship #398: 1 Chronicles 29; Psalms 127, 111–113
January 07, 2024 18:07 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBTHE AMOUNT of precious metal used in the construction of the Temple is astonishing. The gold and silver donated by King David and the leading men of Israel would be valued today at roughly $20 billion! David alone contributed about $7.5 billion worth of gold and silver. The point of this week’s study, however, is not that one can buy God’s favor, but that whatever we have is His, to be used at His discretion and for His purposes. Our Build Barn Better project is nearly complete! Our 1,200 ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #397: 1 Chronicles 26–28
December 10, 2023 17:57 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBDAVID PREPARED the way for his son, Solomon, to take the throne and build the Temple. As we’ll see in the months ahead, our best laid plans don’t guarantee a smooth, trouble-free life. This week, we read through the divisions of priests, the organization of the military, and David’s farewell address to Israel. It may surprise some, like us, who thought that Solomon designed the Temple. The reading today makes it clear that it was David, guided by God, who was the architect. Our Build Barn ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #396: Psalms 131, 138–139, 143–145
December 03, 2023 17:46 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBDAVID EXPERIENCED more during his life than a Hollywood action movie character. It’s remarkable that despite his accomplishments, David recognized that his success was entirely due to God. This week, we study a half-dozen psalms written toward the end of David’s life that explore the king’s relationship to his Creator from birth to “the eternity of the eternity.” Our Build Barn Better project is nearly complete! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, along with a new floor, windows, ceil...
Gilbert House Fellowship #395: 1 Chronicles 23–25
November 19, 2023 18:03 - 1 hour - 67 MBIMAGINE AN ORCHESTRA of 4,000 musicians playing hymns of thanksgiving and praise! That’s what David envisioned when he organized service for the temple that would be built. This week, we read through the detailed description of the plans made by David for temple service. It may seem like a boring section of scripture, but it illustrates the central role of God in the lives of His people—at least for a while. As with people throughout history, and we include ourselves here, distractions, amb...
Gilbert House Fellowship #394: Psalms 30, 108–110
November 12, 2023 18:15 - 1 hour - 77.8 MBDAVID SAW into the throne room of God—a vision used by Jesus himself to reveal his divinity. Psalm 110:1 reads: [Yahweh] says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Jesus used this verse to teach that “my Lord” (Hebrew adoni) was not David, since David was the author of the Psalm (see Matt. 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42, and Acts 2:34). The conclusion is that the Lord to whom David referred was the Second Power in heaven—Jesus, the Messiah. (The vers...
Gilbert House Fellowship #393: 2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21–22
November 05, 2023 17:46 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBA PLAGUE that spread through the kingdom of David led to the consecration of a 35-acre piece of ground that is fought over to this day. This week, we discuss the sin of David in ordering a census of his kingdom. If God “incited” David, why was the census a sin? And why is there is a difference between 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, which names Satan (or “an adversary”) as the one who incited David to order a census? It’s possible that this was a test of David’s faith to see whether he trusted ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #392: Zechariah 12:1–10
October 22, 2023 16:58 - 1 hour - 77.2 MBA DAY is coming when Jerusalem becomes “a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.” This is a prophecy of the Day of the Lord, or the Day of Yahweh, which culminates at Armageddon. Zechariah saw the coming of Messiah, and the key verse in our view is Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #391: Joshua 11:21–22; Zephaniah 1:1–6, 2:1–7
October 15, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 74 MBTHE CONFLICT between Israel and Hamas continues with a ground assault of Gaza apparently imminent. We continue our review of scriptures that appear to prophesy a coming destruction of the territory around Gaza that was Philistine from the time of the Judges until the Persian conquest of the region in the 6th century BC. We learned this week that the chief god of Gaza, Dagon, continued to be worshiped under the Aramaic name Marna (“lord”, similar to Canaanite baʿal and Hebrew adonai) until...
Gilbert House Fellowship #390: Amos 1; Zephaniah 2
October 08, 2023 17:03 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBYOU KNOW by now that Israel was surprised by an attack from Gaza Saturday morning, which was essentially the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. We set aside our scheduled reading for today to discuss the events in Israel, which as of this recording have left some 600 Israelis and 370 Palestinians dead, with thousands injured on both sides. Instead, we look at the books of Amos and Zephaniah for what may be “already-but-not-yet” prophecies of judgment on the areas currently occupie...
Gilbert House Fellowship #389: Psalms 95, 97–99
October 01, 2023 16:52 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBONE OF THE JOYS of Bible study is discovering layers of meaning that you’d missed on your first reading. This week, we run into another instance of the English phrase “worthless idols” (Ps. 97:7b). We think the context indicates that the Hebrew word elîlîm refers to supernatural beings (angels, if you like), not carvings of wood and stone. This is emphasized by the exhortation to the unseen realm in the sentence that follows: “Worship Him, all you gods!” We submit that David, who wrote Psa...
Gilbert House Fellowship #388: 2 Samuel 23; Psalm 57
September 17, 2023 16:27 - 1 hour - 75 MBGIVING THANKS in the middle of trouble is difficult, even contrary to our nature. But David did it again and again, even when he was surrounded by enemies—not all of which were human. This week, we discuss a preview of the last words of David juxtaposed with a psalm he probably wrote while hiding from Saul at the cave of Adullam. The “lions” and “fiery beasts” of Psalm 57:4, while linked to “the children of man,” suggests that David was looking beyond the physical realm. We also discuss Da...
Gilbert House Fellowship #387: Psalms 5, 38, 41–42
September 10, 2023 16:51 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBDAVID WAS not perfect, but he recognized his failures. More importantly, he acknowledged that God was the source of his salvation—his yeshua. This week, we study four psalms dated to the last part of David’s life. This followed the rebellion and death of his son, Absalom, his near-death at the hands of one of the Philistine “sons of the Rapha,” and his decision to eliminate the male heirs of the House of Saul (except for Mephibosheth) to repay the blood-guilt due the people of Gideon. We t...
Gilbert House Fellowship #386: 2 Samuel 22
August 27, 2023 17:21 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBTHIS WEEK’S STUDY is a song of deliverance that follows the account of David’s final victory over the Philistine “sons of the Rapha.” 2 Samuel 22 is nearly identical to Psalm 18, which we studied immediately after the account of Saul’s death in battle with the Philistines. In this psalm, David expresses his gratitude to God for His salvation (which in Hebrew is yeshua), deliverance, and faithfulness. We look at the deeper supernatural implications of this chapter, especially verses 5–16, w...
Gilbert House Fellowship #385: 2 Samuel 21
August 20, 2023 16:44 - 1 hour - 72.2 MBTHE BELIEF that the Philistines were giants (or had giants among them) with six fingers and toes on their hands and feet comes from 2 Samuel 21. That’s not necessarily what those verses mean. As we discussed in our study of 1 Samuel 17, the oldest Hebrew sources, the Dead Sea scrolls and the first-century historian Josephus, record that Goliath of Gath was four cubits (not six) and a span, or about 6’9”. That’s still big, but not as big as he’s usually depicted. In 2 Samuel 21, the Hebrew ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #384: 2 Samuel 19–20
August 06, 2023 17:20 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBTHE POLITICS of David’s day was just brutal and bloody as it is today. Following the rebellion of Absalom, the people of Israel conclude that their best option is to welcome David home as king. For his part, David tried to win the loyalty of his relatives in the tribe of Judah by replacing one of his nephews, Joab, as commander of the army with another nephew, Amasa—who, we failed to mention, had led Absalom's troops into battle against the army of David! These moves had two consequences: ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #383: Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61–62, 64
July 23, 2023 17:08 - 1 hour - 83.5 MBDAVID’S CAPACITY for self-examination is remarkable. Many powerful people throughout history found it difficult, if not impossible, to admit flaws and learn from mistakes. However, David also understood the influence of spirits in the unseen realm on human activity, condemning the elim (“gods”) who administer affairs on Earth unjustly. We also discuss “the proud” in Psalm 40:4. The Hebrew word rehabim may be a reference to the “helpers of Rahab” mentioned in Job 9:13, demonic minions of Le...
Gilbert House Fellowship #382: Psalms 3–4, 12–13, 28, 55
July 16, 2023 16:56 - 1 hour - 72.3 MBONE OF THE hardest things you can do is give thanks to God in the middle of trouble. This week, we read a collection of psalms composed by David while he was running from his son Absalom, who’d raised an army and was marching on Jerusalem. Remarkably, in the midst of David’s heartbreak, realizing that either he or his son would die in the battle to come and reflecting on his failures as a father, he was still able to give thanks and put his trust in the Lord. Our Build Barn Better project ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #381: 2 Samuel 16–18
July 09, 2023 17:44 - 1 hour - 82.6 MBDAVID WAS NOT a good father. That’s obvious from the way his own children treated each other—and him. Sometimes, kids turn out badly despite their parents’ best efforts, but David seems to have been unable to discipline his sons. Amnon, his eldest, raped his half-sister, Tamar, and was murdered by David’s second son, Absalom. After a few years in exile, he returned to Jerusalem and began plotting to overthrow David, who, as we read last week, fled Jerusalem to spare the city the devastation...
Gilbert House Fellowship #380: 2 Samuel 14–15
June 25, 2023 17:41 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBTALK ABOUT ingratitude: David’s son Absalom, who’d fled to his grandfather’s kingdom of Geshur, returned to Jerusalem after a two-year exile and apparently began scheming to remove David from the throne as soon as he came home. We discuss the ploy by Absalom’s cousin, David’s nephew Joab, to return the king’s oldest surviving son to Jerusalem, and how Absalom forced Joab to meet with him and arrange his reconciliation with David. Once Absalom had regained David’s trust, he set about underm...
Gilbert House Fellowship #379: Psalms 32, 51, 86, 122; 2 Sam. 13
June 18, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBTHE PSALMS this week follow our chronological reading order, meaning they were written by David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan for conspiring to kill Uriah the Hittite so that David could take his wife, Bathsheba. We discuss the repentant heart of David that comes through in these psalms—acknowledging his guilt and pleading with God to wipe away his sin, transgression, and iniquity. Then we return to 2 Samuel for a preview of the turbulent period of David’s life that followe...
Gilbert House Fellowship #378: 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Chronicles 20
June 04, 2023 16:50 - 1 hour - 68.3 MBDAVID’S PLOY to take the wife of Uriah the Hittite is another story that shows that the Bible has not been cleaned up to make the humans used by God look more, well, saintly. Bathsheba, whose name probably derives from Hurrian meaning “lady of Hebat,” the chief female deity of the Hurrian pantheon, was impregnated by David while her husband, Uriah the Hittite, fought with the army in Ammon. After trying unsuccessfully to avoid responsibility for his child by convincing Uriah to be with Bath...
Gilbert House Fellowship #377: Psalms 60, 75, 65–67, 69–70
May 21, 2023 16:53 - 1 hour - 76.9 MBTHE TONE of this week’s psalms seems odd given the military victories of David that we studied last week. This is why we use a chronological reading order: We see in this week’s readings that David, despite his success on the battlefield, really grappled with the opposition he faced from enemies both from without and within his kingdom. But despite his occasional cries of despair, David always returned to give the Lord thanks and praise. Help us Build Barn Better! This is our project to co...
Gilbert House Fellowship #376: 2 Sam. 10; 1 Chr. 19; Psalms 20, 50, 53
May 14, 2023 15:45 - 1 hour - 67.8 MBDAVID’S KINGDOM faced a strong test from his neighbors to the east and north as a coalition of Ammonites and Arameans tried to take down the new Israelite kingdom. We discuss the nearly identical accounts in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles and the wonderful attitude of David’s nephew and general Joab: “Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” Help us Build Barn Better! This is our project to convert o...
Gilbert House Fellowship #375: 2 Samuel 8–9; 1 Chronicles 18
May 07, 2023 17:47 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBDAVID’S KINGDOM expanded outward in all directions, possibly reaching as far as the Euphrates in northern Syria. This week, we read the records of David’s wars against the Arameans of Damascus and Zobah to the north, the small kingdoms east of the Jordan (Ammon, Moab, and Edom), and the Amalekites in the south. We discuss the historical context of David’s reign and the recent discovery of an Iron Age kingdom in southern Turkey and northern Syria, known from inscriptions as Palistin (and pr...
Gilbert House Fellowship #374: 1 Chr. 17; Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, 39
April 30, 2023 17:02 - 1 hour - 78.6 MBA SUPERNATURAL worldview was perfectly natural to King David. It’s clear from his psalms that he had a better understanding of the unseen realm. After recapitulating the prayer of David from last week’s reading of 2 Samuel 7, we discuss references in his psalms that point to spiritual beings, such as “heavenly beings,” the bene elim (literally, “sons of God”) of Psalm 29:1. For all of his faults, David knew Who is above all other elohim. Help us Build Barn Better! This is our project to co...
Gilbert House Fellowship #373: 2 Samuel 6–7
April 23, 2023 18:13 - 1 hour - 75.7 MBDAVID WAS not a perfect man by any measure, but if we draw anything from this week’s study it should be his example of humility when he realized that he’d become a little too full of himself. The narrative is another account of bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, which we previously studied in 1 Chronicles 13–16. Afterward, David proposed building a temple to God, but the Lord appeared to Nathan and directed the prophet to tell David that it was not for him to build the House of ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #372: Psalms 89, 96
March 12, 2023 18:04 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBDAVID KNEW that God had a divine council comprised of supernatural beings. We see more confirmation of that in this week’s study. Psalm 89 mentions the “holy ones” (Hebrew qedoshim) and “heavenly beings” (bene elim, literally “sons of God”) who are in his assembly. The psalmist goes on to praise God for His power in mastering the sea (Ps. 89:9–10). In Hebrew, that’s yam, the Canaanite name for the chaos-dragon of the sea—their version of Leviathan. Given the reference to Rahab in verse 10, ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #371: Psalms 24, 47, 68
March 05, 2023 18:11 - 1 hour - 80.5 MBTHERE IS MORE spiritual warfare in the psalms than we realize! This week, we study three of David’s psalms that have more going on under the hood than is obvious at first read. Psalm 24 praises God for founding the earth “upon the seas and… the rivers.” In Canaanite religion, Baal became king of the gods after a battle with Yam (“Sea”), the embodiment of chaos (i.e., Leviathan), who is often called “Prince Yam [Sea] and Judge Nahar [River]” in Canaanite religious texts. So, David’s psalm is...
Gilbert House Fellowship #370: Psalms 22–23
February 26, 2023 18:12 - 1 hour - 72.8 MBTHE PSALMS OF DAVID are often prophetic. We know this. But we often overlook just how supernatural they are. This week, we focus on two of the most profound and stunning psalms in the Bible. Psalm 22 begins with a line quoted by Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It’s widely acknowledged by Bible scholars that the 22nd Psalm is a prophecy of the Crucifixion written more than 600 years before the Persians invented that horrific method of execution. However, vers...
Gilbert House Fellowship #369: 1 Chronicles 16; Psalms 1, 2, 15
February 19, 2023 17:46 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBREADING THE HEADLINES each day can cause anxiety, depression, and frustration at the plots and schemes of those who apparently feel qualified, if not entitled, to tell the rest of us how we should live. When the news is getting to you, remember these words: He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, “As for Me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:3–4, ESV) We discuss Dav...
Gilbert House Fellowship #368: Psalm 107; 1 Chronicles 13–15
February 12, 2023 19:02 - 1 hour - 76.2 MBGOD IS enthroned above the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. Failure to treat the ark with proper respect, according to the Law, cost a teamster his life. This week, we discuss the move of the ark to Jerusalem and a section of scripture in 1 Chronicles 13 that’s difficult for many to accept. Why was Uzzah killed by God for putting his hand on the ark to steady it? The answer: The ark was supposed to be treated with reverence, carried by Levites with poles made specifically for that purpo...
Gilbert House Fellowship #367: 1 Chronicles 11–12; Psalms 133, 106
February 08, 2023 18:11 - 1 hour - 84 MBDAVID ASCENDS to the throne in Jerusalem, and we recount the history of Israel, including some startling examples of warfare in the unseen realm, in the psalms accompanying our study this week. First, we discuss the Jebusites and the city of Jebus, which apparently was the area around the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David—the area just south of the Temple Mount. “Jebus” means “threshing floor,” from a verb meaning “to tread down,” as in treading out the grain. In the ancient wo...
Gilbert House Fellowship #366: Psalms 103–104; 2 Samuel 5
January 29, 2023 18:25 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBDAVID’S FRAME OF MIND was apparently much better by the time he wrote these psalms, which are dated to about the time he was anointed king over all Israel. That took place at Hebron, but shortly thereafter he marched against the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and made that his capital city. We discuss the Jebusites, why we believe they were Hurrians (Horites), and why that’s relevant to our understanding of the supernatural battle for control of God’s har moʿed (“mount of assembly”). We also ...
Gilbert House Fellowship
January 29, 2023 18:25 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBDAVID’S FRAME OF MIND was apparently much better by the time he wrote these psalms, which are dated to about the time he was anointed king over all Israel. That took place at Hebron, but shortly thereafter he marched against the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and made that his capital city. We discuss the Jebusites, why we believe they were Hurrians (Horites), and why that’s relevant to our understanding of the supernatural battle for control of God’s har moʿed (“mount of assembly”). We also ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #365: 1 Chronicles 7–10; Psalm 102
January 29, 2023 18:10 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBGenealogy was important in ancient Israel. It was how the Israelites kept track of the heads of the tribes and who was eligible for service in the Temple. It also debunks the idea that the tribes of the northern kingdom were “lost” after the Assyrian invasion of 722 BC. This week, we study the records of six of the tribes, the family of Saul, and the genealogy of the returned exiles. Then we move to Psalm 102, titled, “A Prayer of One Afflicted, When he is Faint and Pours Out His Complaint...
Gilbert House Fellowship #364: 1 Chronicles 6; Psalms 81, 88, 92–93
January 15, 2023 17:41 - 1 hour - 69.2 MBOur ancestors 3,000 years ago dealt with the same pressures and problems we face today. This week, after reading the Chronicler’s list of the descendants of Levi, we study four psalms that illustrate the frustration of God that His people do not listen; the despair that comes from feeling separated from God like the demonic spirits of the Rephaim (Ps. 88:10: “departed” = rephaim); and the joy that results from acknowledging the sovereignty of God and praising His mighty works. Get our free...
Gilbert House Fellowship #363: Psalms 73, 77, 78
January 15, 2023 17:08 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBRemembering where we came from is the theme of this week’s study, three psalms of Asaph, a contemporary of David, that lament the trials of the faithful in contrast to the apparent success of the wicked. Although the unrighteous appear to prosper, Asaph remembers that envy of the arrogant is a stumbling block, and that we must remember the mighty works of God in saving not just his people, but each of us—and that a day is coming when He will “receive [us] to glory.” We also discuss some as...
Gilbert House Fellowship #362: 1 Chronicles 3–5
December 18, 2022 18:17 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBGENEALOGY WAS important to the Israelites. It was the basis for determining who was eligible to serve in the Temple and who was worthy to sit on the throne. This week, we study the descendants of David, emphasizing his role as the progenitor of the kings of Judah, and then the tribes of Judah, Simeon, Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that lived east of the Jordan River. In the middle of the list of the Judahites, we find an anecdote about Jabez, two verses that were made famous ...
Gilbert House Fellowship #361: Psalms 43–45, 49, 84–85, 87
December 11, 2022 18:15 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBTHE SONS OF KORAH were responsible for baking and gatekeeping in the Temple. They were also singers, and this week’s readings appears to be songs of lament and hymns of praise and joy. Psalm 43 is interesting in that it was probably part of the 42nd psalm originally, which appears to put the psalmist in the north of Israel—specifically in the region of Mount Hermon, which, spiritually speaking, was the heart of enemy territory. Taken together, this collection of psalms contrasts the troubl...
Gilbert House Fellowship #360: 1 Chronicles 1–2
December 04, 2022 17:48 - 1 hour - 68 MBGENEALOGY IS IMPORTANT in the Bible. It not only establishes Jesus as the descendant of David, and thus the rightful king, it also shows that he was fully human during his time on Earth. This week, we discuss the genealogies at the beginning of the chronicles, which scholars believe were written sometime after the Jews returned from Babylon beginning in 538 BC. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday, Unraveling Revelation, and A View fr...
Gilbert House Fellowship #359: Psalms 16, 19, 21
November 20, 2022 18:50 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBTHE PSALMS are filled with supernatural meaning that we often miss because we don’t have the worldview of the authors. This week, we dig into three psalms of David that appear, on first reading, related to his ascension to the kingship over all the tribes of Israel. They are that, but on a deeper level, we find references to the the unseen realm and those spirits who rejected God’s authority. For example, the “saints/holy people in the land” of Psalm 16:3 are, in our view, rebellious angel...