We’ve been studying a rough time in the history of the people of Israel during this series of Understanding God’s Word, full of chaos, violence, and misdirection. Today Dr. John Akers puts a button on this story by investigating the last few chapters of Ruth, a person who exemplifies steadfastness and faith even in the worst of times.
Sometimes the bad things that happen to us are really the seeds of something good. The book of Ruth documents such a situation, as Dr. John Akers shows us in today’s episode of Understanding God’s Word.
Samson is a Biblical character that we are all probably familiar with. He is a person with an interesting story, and even more interesting character traits: not just his physical strength, but his strength of will. But at a certain point, that willpower became stubbornness and that stubbornness became his downfall. Dr. John Akers examines the story of Samson in today’s Understanding God’s Word.
It is possible for both individual people and whole societies to completely lose all sense of direction in this world. In those moments life can become very dark indeed. We see the ancients Hebrews experience this repeatedly in the Bible, and in today’s Understanding God’s Word Dr. John Akers describes one of their darkest moments, which takes place in the very last chapters of Judges.
How good does a person have to be before God can use that person for great things? Alternatively, how flawed can a person be before God can’t use them anymore? Dr. John Akers explores these questions in the Old Testament story of Jephthah and his daughter in today’s episode of Understanding God’s Word.
In this episode Dr. John Akers wraps up our study of the historical books of the Bible by looking at the life of the prophet Samuel. In Samuel's story we can see the consequences that occur when we act on a fast and simple solution to a problem instead of waiting for God's answer to our prayers.
King David was without a doubt one of the most godly men in the whole of the bible. His life's journey, although not devoid of missteps, was a great example of a close walk with God. But a great life isn't just about how you live it, it's also about how you end it. In today's Understanding God's Word, Dr. John Akers examines the final days of King David's life.
What defines a follower of Christ? Obviously nonbelievers can be kind, loving, and doers of good works, so what sets us apart from the rest of the world? In today's lesson, Dr. John Akers examines the characteristics of a Christian believer.
One of the greatest risks a believer can encounter is that of false teachers. We encounter a lot of opinions on the correct interpretation of scripture, many of them in direct contradiction of each other, and it seems almost impossible to suss out the truth among the lies. In today's episode of Understanding God's Word, Dr. John Akers examines Paul's writing on that subject.
Part of why the bible is so relevant s because Satan used the same tricks on Biblical figures as he does on us today. Today on Understanding God's Word, Dr. John Akers explores the question of why these tricks are so effective after all this time.
