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In this special final episode, the team shares why the podcast portion of Reflections Bible Study is wrapping up and how you can continue to participate in our journey through the Bible the rest of this year.

In English Bibles, the books of 1-2 Chronicles follow Samuel and Kings, but in the ancient Hebrew ordering of the Scriptures, Chronicles is the final book of the Old Testament. So what is the significance of this? The book of Chronicles ends with a decree to build a temple. This is the same decree that is told in the book of Ezra-Nehemiah. But Ezra and Nehemiah have already built the temple. So the fact that the whole Hebrew Bible ends on this note tells us that there must be another return from exile, another temple that will be built up and a better leader to come—a Messiah who will lead the people back to communion with God. The Hebrew Bible ends in anticipation for all that’s to come.

After Israel returned from exile, many of the people were just as selfish and unjust as before. But there was a remnant of Israel who trusted and honored Yahweh. God called them his treasure and reminded them to hold on to his words of promise. We too can join this faithful remnant. When we feel overwhelmed by the state of our world, we can stand alongside generations of those who patiently trusted God. He assures us that he will bring justice and set all things right. He will keep his word. So as we continue to wait, we can also hold onto hope.

The book of Daniel explores what it means to be God’s people while living in a culture that is set against his values. How do God’s people remain faithful and confident in a situation like this? The strange dream in Daniel chapter 7 gives us some insight. In it we see there’s a kingdom ruled by the “Son of Man,” the one with all “authority, glory and sovereign power.” The oppressive rulers of this world will fail, but the Son of Man’s rule will never end. So when arrogant kings rise up, the people of God can look to a more powerful King. His name is Jesus, and all his followers are invited to live in the humble values of his Kingdom now, even while living amidst the kingdoms of Earth. Let’s reflect more on this.

The book of Esther is a classic expression of the biblical idea that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. And God is still in the habit of elevating those who society has deemed unimportant. It might not always look as heroic as Esther’s story, but God can use anybody as an instrument for his purposes. If we want to partner with God, we don’t have to be rich, important, or powerful. We simply need to trust him over everything else.

Yahweh warned Israel not to tie themselves to foreign gods through marriage. But when those same foreigners left their gods to honor him, Yahweh welcomed them with open arms. Yahweh’s people were not as welcoming. Ezra and Nehemiah loved God, but they were misguided to exclude foreigners from joining God’s people. Since Ezra and Nehemiah weren’t exactly models for godliness and reform, what can we learn from their stories? How can we welcome others in the family of God who are different from us?

God’s people fail over and over again. We’re so messed up. Will there ever be a day when we get it right? The prophet Ezekiel said that God would renew his covenant by renewing hearts, and he’d do this by giving his own Spirit to those who trusted in him. God fulfilled his promise through Jesus. Now as followers of Jesus, we are invited to practice living with his Spirit. And as we do, we find our hearts are being renewed every day, filled with new desires and new decisions to love God and one another. Let’s reflect on this.

The biblical authors of Lamentations and Psalms invite us to express our grief, anger, and sadness to God. But this is hard. It’s so much easier to either avoid pain with numbing distractions or vent out frustrations without ever bringing them to God. But he is patient. He understands how painful our situations are, and he cares and grieves with us. Today, let’s practice grieving with him.

The prophetic books are intense, so it’s easy to skip ahead to more comfortable portions of the Bible. But Jesus often used the prophets’ words to describe what he was all about. So if we want to know Jesus, we need to read the prophets. And as we do, we can learn that when God’s people reject him, they are rejecting life itself. The disorder, chaos, and suffering that results is painful and it grieves God. But there is hope that God’s people can return to the life that he offers.

We all long to be truly seen, known, and loved by God and others. We want to fully give ourselves to these deep relationships. The Song of Songs is about that desire, that dream that imagines the unity of Heaven and Earth. One day this dream will be fully realized, but until then, we have access to unity with Jesus. He invites us into a real and intimate relationship. And in him, we can know a love that cannot be quenched or swept away—a love that can overflow toward others and heal creation.

How can we approach our responsibilities in life with wisdom and healthy mindsets? In this episode, we open the book of Ecclesiastes and discover some practical advice for how to live realistically.

What is the purpose of metaphor in the Bible? The biblical authors use metaphors to help us better understand the world, God, and ourselves. In today’s episode, we reflect on the surprising metaphor of God giving birth. In the book of Job, we see God giving birth to elements of creation, and in the book of Isaiah, God is depicted as both a warrior and a mother giving birth to a new reality.