Truth Be Told

There Was A Passover For Gentiles?

In the book of Exodus (chapter 12) we read the story of the first Passover kept by Israel signifying their being rescued by God from bondage in Egypt. Most are pretty familiar with the story - God is going to send the death angel, the Israelites have to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb to be spared the plague, and, through their believing loyalty, God leads them to freedom.

What's absolutely crazy about this storied pattern is that, just a few books later (in Joshua 2) we get the story of Rahab protecting the spies that have come to scout out Jericho, as well as their subsequent promise of protection to her, which actually holds nearly ALL of these same story elements.

In analyzing the specific wording of the text, we can see that the biblical authors were trying to draw our attention to something amazing that had happened to Israel, that was also able to be salvific for Gentiles!

Anyone who wants to say that God didn't have the salvation of the whole world in mind from the beginning need only to read these accounts that SO MANY read past, and see what an awesome thing God was signifying.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

The Silence of the Lamb

In the book of Isaiah, there is a Messianic prophecy regarding a lamb led silently to the slaughter that we learn (in Acts 8) was fulfilled perfectly by Jesus in His willingness to go to His death without verbally defending His innocence.

Upon this read through in my study, I asked a simple question that opened this prophecy up a bit more for me. I know THAT sheep and Jesus both were silent in the face of their persecutors/executioners - but WHY are they? In asking why sheep go silently after their masters to their death, we can actually learn something deeper that, I believe, Isaiah intended to portray with his use of this analogy.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Did God Break His Own Law? (Deuteronomy 24 and Jeremiah 3)

Let's get one things straight - God is not a sinner. He is not a transgressor of the Law. However, what this video attempts to show, is that the PURPOSE of the Law of God is an outpouring of His love, not a limitation on it. When we interpret the Law of God as some sort of hindrance on God's love, we're making the same mistake the Pharisees made.

In the same way that working on the Sabbath is unlawful, but Jesus healing on the Sabbath is good and right, God's display of love that we'll review in this week's episode does not ACTUALLY show that God did an evil or sinful thing, it shows that He fulfilled the greater purpose of the Law when it clashed with the keeping of the letter of it.

Deuteronomy 24 issues rules regarding divorce and remarriage for Israel but, later, after God issues His covenant people a certificate of divorce, He desires them back which, according to this portion of the Law, is an abomination.

God's display of love here and His desire for His wayward bride to return would have been shocking and unfathomable to an ancient people so bent on keeping the letter of the Law that they forgot how transcendent the love of God is.

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly 

Abraham's Trial = Abraham's Blessing

In Genesis 13 and 14 we read the story of Abraham. He has left his father's house, put his trust in God, and experienced a fair amount of difficulty (famine, the theft of his wife, plagues, wandering). Finally, God speaks to His chosen servant and explains the promise of land that He is going to bestow upon him. However, God tells Abraham, in very specific terms, to WALK OUT the land and wherever he walks, that will be what God gives to him.

Abraham sets out on his journey but doesn't make it very far before stopping and settling his small tribe at Hebron which is so far South in the land that he hadn't even reached where Jerusalem would be yet! We can't know Abraham's motivation for stopping: perhaps it was a lack of trust that God would deliver more than the small area he traversed, perhaps it was humility believing he didn't deserve more than that, or perhaps it was gratitude thinking "if God even gave me this small portion, it would be enough for my small group."

Whatever the reason for Abraham's stopping, God intended much greater blessings of land for His chosen people and, in a strange turn of events, presents Abraham with some provocation/trials that lead to Abraham's continued survey of the promised land.

Our trials nearly never feel like paths to gain. At best, we might learn a thing or two in the end that we're glad to have learned. However, as is evidenced by this story, sometimes God allows trials in our lives to push us towards greater blessings while, if left to our own devices, we might settle.

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Ruining Your Favorite Bible Verse

So often, this verse is one that is taken out of context because of the comforting words, lovely poetry, and pleasant picture it seems to paint for our lives as God sees them. Taking verses out of context, however, is a dangerous game. When you misapply scripture to yourself or force meanings upon the text, you inevitably have to ask yourself - where does it stop?

Where does it STOP applying to me? What DON'T I want it to mean? When you begin asking these questions, even if you aren't being malicious, you are abandoning interpretation in favor of your subjective opinion and this is the worst way to do Bible study.

In this episode, we're just going through one verse (Jeremiah 29:11) as an example of how using verses out of context can quickly become problematic for our understanding and appreciation of Scripture.

Interestingly, the message that people want to force this section to say (that God loves us, has our best interest in mind, and is not, ultimately, desiring our downfall) is a true biblical message. But if it can be found throughout Scripture, why should we insist upon forcing this verse to say what it actually isn't intending to say?

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Meeting God At The Well

Throughout the Biblical narrative, there are overlapping patterns that so many largely ignore. However, if we track these patterns, we begin to see important messages and themes building in intensity that give us a much grander view of God's sovereignty over the construction of His Scriptures, and lifechanging lessons that weave our lives inextricably to the text of the Bible. 

In this episode, we walk through one such pattern of meeting God at the well. At first, you'll just begin to notice that wells, springs, and cisterns are mentioned more frequently than you had really considered before, but after we build the examples one on top of another and ask WHY the authors are continuing this pattern, we'll see that God was building towards something in epic fashion that reminds us of His goodness and love for us. 

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Examining the Generational Divide: Ani Interview (Preteen-Teen Demographic)

**PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION**

This episode starts off a series that I plan to slowly work through dedicated to analyzing the potential for division in the church that runs along age lines.

While I don't see any wild amount of disunity between the different age groups currently, there are differences in experience, thought, understanding, and preferred methodology that could quickly turn into division if we're not aware of them.

We should all be looking around at the members of our congregations and asking ourselves, "How can I better serve them?" The first step to this, in my opinion, is understanding them. By building relationships built on a desire to understand and succeed together, we mitigate the human tendencies to assume poor motives, to write people off, or to forge ahead alone believing ourselves to be the only correct thinkers. 

In this episode, I was privileged to talk to my good friend, Ani who spoke for herself but did her best to represent how she saw the mindsets of those in her age group. Ani is a regular listener of this podcast and was excited to participate but nervous, particularly about saying anything that reflected negative views of others.

The primary points that Ani brings out in this episode that I hope those of other age demographics will take note of are:

-YOUNG Christians desire to be interacted with as GROWING Christians. They don't know everything but many of them are eager to understand and are capable of more than surface level learning.

-Young Christians have some level of fear of expressing doubts and questions for fear of how they might be perceived. Other generations working to create a Church where vulnerability is allowed and encouraged out of an evident love for those who need to express it would go a LONG way.

-Young Christians face issues that you might believe you understand by virtue of living in the same world as them. However, while you're an adult living in this time period, you've never been a kid in this time period. Listening to them with respect first will produce an incredible amount of trust for you to be able to share your advice. If you attempt to share the advice first without building that trust, it won't create the lasting relationship that they desperately need from you.

 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

The Gospel According to Zacchaeus

In the midst of a larger narrative in Luke 19, we're told a brief story featuring a small-statured, tax collector named Zacchaeus of Jericho. On its own, this account makes a cute, kid-friendly story about Jesus's willingness and desire to care for the outcast. In a deeper look, however, which we go through in this study, Zacchaeus becomes a microcosm of the entire Gospel message.

Luke is an intelligent and intentional writer attempting to accurately depict historical events, but he is also recounting these events with a purpose in mind. In this section of Luke, specifically, we are in a transitional period from the earthly ministry of Jesus to His death on the cross with this account of Zacchaeus sitting squarely in the middle.

Is this, simply, a retelling of events, or did Luke intend this retelling to speak to the larger purpose of the good news of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God?

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

God: The Fashionista

God is vast and powerful and beyond human comprehension on so many levels, but He does desire to be known. In fact, He has gone through some incredible lengths to teach us about Himself and His work. One way we can learn so much about God is by considering His creation. What better way to learn about the Creator than to look at what He has made?

Scripture shows us we can learn about God as a shepherd, a father, a farmer, a king and, now, a fashionista. 

In this episode, we track a pattern outlined in the Bible of being alternately clothed and stripped of clothing culminating in a final clothing event where we are given more excellent garments by a benefactor.

We see this pattern in the stories of Adam and Eve, Joseph and his brothers, David and Saul, Jesus and His incarnation, and even in our own lives as it relates to the scriptures. 

Viewing God as someone who is intricately invested in clothing might seem like a bizarre lens to view Him through, but there are incredible, encouraging lessons in this study that we might not get in the same way other places.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years

What Does It Mean That, YHWH Is Our Righteousness?

"YHWH Is Our Righteousness" is one of the compound names of God that describes Him as, not only righteous but, righteousness on our behalf. How are we supposed to understand that Someone can be righteousness for us when that doesn't seem to work in our human relationships? When many see the fulfillment of this in the person of Jesus Christ, they assume it means we have no obligation to behave righteously anymore since He did it for us.

 

Commandments? Laws? Good works? None of these are meant to SAVE a person (they couldn't even at their best), but if our King has shown us and offered us His righteousness, should we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not.

 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years