Psalm 2

Israel was unique in the ancient world, but they often struggled with their God who made them unique, and that power struggle is a feature of every person's story. The central question is: Who will be king? 1 Samuel 8 is more than a story about how Israel gets a king. It's about how they displace the King they already had. 

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer.

We started season five in 1 Samuel 1-3 before going back to the beginning of the story in Genesis 1. Today's episode catches up with where we started this season and continues Israel's story and Samuel's life in a fascinating clash of power dynamics.

Samuel has risen to the place of leadership in Israel as  Judge, the name for Israel's rulers in that day. In 1 Samuel 7 he leads Israel is a definitive victory over their enemies. It's somewhat surprising, then, in 1 Samuel 8 that the people of Israel are so eager to reject his leadership and ask for a king.

We learn there's more at play. In fact, it's a spiritual struggle on a national level: Who will be the true king of Israel? Yahweh or a human king who leads an army?

The question of who will be king is relevant for today. Will we choose to acknowledge God as King, or will we go after a leader who inspires our confidence in the daily challenges of our culture? 

Go ahead and get started listening and follow or subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.

We have a Youtube video based on this scripture that you can watch here.

The four step process demonstrated in this episode is available here.

Angela Oltmanns has written a series of family devotions based on 1 Samuel.  Get a copy of the book 1 Samuel: How to Be a Child After God's Heart on Amazon (or the ebook).

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

The eyes are a window to the heart. Unless we're striving to do what is right in God's eyes, things are not going to go well for us! That's the message in the book of Judges as part of our series on praying Bible stories.

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer.

We listen to part of Judges 2 in today's episode. It reveals a pattern that repeats over and over in Israel's early history of living in the land God promised them.

What is that pattern? Israel forgets God's works and miracles and the terms of the covenant relationship they have made with him. They go after other gods. Hostile people in and around the land of Canaan come against Israel. They suffer and fall prey to them before crying out for relief and rescue. God raises us a leader (called a Judge) who will lead Israel in victory. God's blessing is with the people...until they repeat the pattern all over again by forgetting God and disobeying him.

In the book of Judges there is a lot of dark and wicked things recorded, things that violate God's law and show the depths to which his own people have sunk when they do what is "right in their own eyes" (Judges 21:25). They clearly need a King to rule over them and show them what is right. So do we.

When we see the patterns of sin and addiction, disobedience and living for ourselves, there's hope for rescue. It requires repentance and turning back to God. We weren't created to just do what we think is right in our own eyes. We needs God's eyes on us and showing us what's truly good.

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
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Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
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We use a four step process for reading/hearing, meditating, praying and then living out scripture from Psalm 1 demonstrated here.

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

What is the secret to standing strong in faith? We see a specific truth about that in the book of Joshua.

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer.

We look at four readings from the book of Joshua that tell the story of Israel entering into the land God promised them.

First there is a new leader before Israel. With Moses' death, Joshua and chosen to lead the people into the new land. Joshua 1:1-11 gives the charge to Joshua for how he is to lead.

In the book of Joshua the people of Israel end their wanderings in the wilderness. Their first victory comes in capturing the ancient city of Jericho.  Just as God delivered them from Egypt by crossing the Sea of Reeds, they now enter Canaan by crossing the Jordan River. Victory is turned to defeat when sin among the ranks takes hold. Joshua 7:1-13 reveals Achan's sin and shows how it must be dealt with before there can be any more conquests. 

As the victories continue, Israel takes over a number of Canaanite cities and the land must be divided among the tribes. Joshua 18:1, 8-10 shows how this happened at the place of the holy tent, the tabernacle at Shiloh.

In the final chapter (Joshua 24:14-15, 23-28 ), Joshua gives his charge to Israel to purify themselves, choose God and throw away the idols they have been carrying for generations. The challenge is to continue strengthening our faith and take courageous steps to rely on God alone.  After reading these passages, we pray them and practice seeing God powerfully at work delivering us from our enemies, calling out sin, giving us our inheritance and binding us to him in a covenant of love.

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

We use a four step process for reading/hearing, meditating, praying and then living out scripture from Psalm 1 demonstrated here.

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

The Psalms lead us in prayer and teach us to pray. Listen to Psalm 2 and pray along with it.

Want a fuller devotional based on Psalm 2? Listen to it here in season 3 episode 3 of our podcast.

In our regular podcast you can listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started! Enjoy listening to God's word and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more.

Season Three features many of the psalms and has a companion book. I encourage you to get a copy  God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or ebook)

Download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

The Psalms lead us in prayer and teach us to pray. Listen to Psalm 1 and pray along with it.

Want a fuller devotional based on Psalm 1? Listen to it here in the pilot episode of our podcast.

In our regular podcast you can listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started! Enjoy listening to God's word and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more.

Season Three features many of the psalms and has a companion book. I encourage you to get a copy  God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or ebook)

Download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

God gave the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. So why did Moses repeat the law again to the children of Israel in Moab 40 years later? We find out in today's episode.

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer.

We aren't looking at any specific laws in this episode. Instead we consider the story of why Moses gave the law again and the final events before Israel entered Canaan. We listen to Deuteronomy 1 and 34, the first and last chapter of the book, to get a sense of the story taking place.  

Israel and Moses are camped in Moab just east of the Jordan River looking across into the land God has promised them, Canaan. Moses won't enter with the people; instead he dies and God buries him in an undisclosed location in Moab. It is up to Joshua to lead the people to take possession of the land and to live by God's law in it.  We pray this passage and learn to see the mercy of God giving us a second chance and a second hearing of his teaching. 

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

We use a four step process for reading/hearing, meditating, praying and then living out scripture from Psalm 1 demonstrated here.

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

In the wilderness is where God leads, provides, judges and forgives. God gives the Law and tests his people in the wilderness.  After Genesis (actually Exodus 13) all of the the action in the next four books of the Torah/Pentateuch happens in the wilderness. Today’s episode is one story from the wilderness that shows God's nature, the people's failure and how to pray in the midst of this.

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer.

Numbers 14 is our focus in this episode. It happens a year after the exodus from Egypt and right after 12 spies are sent into Canaan to prepare for taking the land. Most of them bring back a good news/bad news report that is tilted toward discouraging the people. You can read the important background in Numbers 13.   

In Numbers 14:1-19 the people complain, grumble and want to pick their own leader and head back to Egypt. Joshua and Caleb speak up and encourage faith, but the people won't hear it. God contemplates starting over with Moses, but he pleads for God to be merciful and act according to his nature. Numbers 14:18 echoes Exodus 34:6-7, which is the most quoted passage in the Old Testament.  We pray this passage and learn about how to stay faithful in the wilderness.

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

We use a four step process for reading/hearing, meditating, praying and then living out scripture from Psalm 1 demonstrated here.

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

Jesus spent time in Africa as a baby, and when the time was full scripture says, "Out of Egypt I called my son."  The meaning of that phrase has a deep resonance that reaches back to the prophets (especially Hosea) and then further back to the prophet Moses.  One of the great stories of the Bible is how God's people came to live in Egypt, slide into slavery and oppression, then see a mighty deliverance from Egypt by God.  Today’s episode is about the story of God bringing Israel out of Egypt. 

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer. 

Genesis 37:2 begins with, "These are the generations of Jacob."  But the very next word after this is Joseph, and in the following chapters Joseph's figure is central to the story.  We've already heard about Jacob in the previous 10 or 11 chapters of Genesis (go back to the previous episode of First Fifteen if you haven't listened to "How Jacob became Israel"). The last 13 chapters of Genesis (37-50) talk mostly about Jacob's sons (see Gen 35:23-26), and they show the remarkable story of how the entire family of Jacob came to live in Egypt.  

Exodus begins by naming the sons of Jacob again, but several generations pass and even though their numbers have increased greatly, Israel is reduced to slavery.  430 years pass (Ex 12:40), and God raises up a deliverer named Moses. After God visits plagues upon Egypt, Moses leads the people out of Egypt.  These 31 chapters make for an epic story that takes several hours to read.  It's well worth the time to listen to it; on this podcast, though, we listen to a biblical summary of the events found in Psalm 81.  

We take a closer look at the events that happened in Genesis 37-Exodus 18 and also the deeper meaning of this great story.  Much like the cross for Christians, the story of deliverance from Egypt is fundamental to Jewish identity and is retold every year in the celebration of Passover.      

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

We use a four step process for reading/hearing, meditating, praying and then living out scripture demonstrated here.

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com

How do you deal with someone who is slippery? You're not sure you are getting the full story from them or they seem to have other motives or intentions. Some people are pretty good at plotting and planning and getting the better side of a bargain. This might even describe you!  One of those people in the Bible is a man named Jacob. Today’s episode is How Jacob became Israel.  

Season five is focused on listening to and praying Bible stories or narratives.  In our podcast we take time to listen to God's word and turn it into prayer. 

Jacob lived a life blessed by God, but he spent a lot of time and effort trying to get more.  He outmaneuvered his older brother Esau and tricked his own father Isaac all so he could have more of God's blessing.  God appeared to him in dreams and he knew from personal experience that God was looking out for his good. Yet he still grasped to get the upper hand.  After 20 years with his father in law Laban, God tells him to return to Canaan. 

Despite having great wealth and a large family, he was still afraid of his older brother Esau. Today's episode shows Jacob wrestling with his fears about Esau and his doubts about getting the full blessing from God without resorting to elaborate schemes. In Genesis 32-33, Jacob emerges with his name changed to Israel and more importantly encountering the face of God. 

Take a closer look at Genesis 32:9-12 and Jacob's prayer. In the midst of his elaborate schemes to ensure his safety from his brother Esau, he learns that God is really in control and he doesn't have to grasp or devise his own blessing.  God is working  in this and he has a better plan.    

Connect with us on one of our social channels:
Twitter  @WordofPrayer15
Instagram @WordofPrayer15 
Facebook Page at Word of Prayer 15.

Support our show with your purchase of one of our products:
Etsy store WordofPrayer
Amazon Ron Oltmanns and Angela S Oltmanns

We use a four step process for reading/hearing, meditating, praying and then living out scripture demonstrated here.

Additional resources at https://word-of-prayer.com