The Book of Malachi holds special charm for Jenny and me at the Christian Atheist. This is the first book of the Bible we undertook to "study" intensively as our 4th year of the Christian Atheist podcast began, with our new emphasis on knowing our God as primary, and apologetics as subsidiary.

To say that it has revolutionized our Christian walk is to say far less than the reality. What started as a simple Bible book-study has turned into a passionate engagement with the whole of Scripture, and an ever-deepening fascination with God's Word! Our series on Malachi this year ending up being over ten episodes, and with this renewed approach is still lengthening!

We would suggest listening to our first Malachi series before beginning the new one we are developing as we publish this first chapter of Malachi, as we will be building on what was there discovered.

As with our other readings, I would suggest listening to this wonderful summary on Malachi on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/HPGShWZ4Jvk?si=Br4KXUKnrGawswfV

May God's richest blessings come to you through hearing and obeying His word!

John and Jenny Wise

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.

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We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.

If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist

Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

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https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

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We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. From the American Standard Version, as all copyright is expired.

If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist

Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9GPi4HTqoZ8xFgTldbBaA

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

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https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

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We continue our project of reading ALL of God's Word for our listeners.

The post-exilic Book of Esther is set in the time between the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah (520-518 BC) and that of Malachi (450-430? BC). The Jerusalem temple had already been rebuilt (c. 515 BC) some 35 years prior to the events narrated in Esther. However, neither Ezra nor Nehemiah had yet returned to Jerusalem. Ezra would lead the return of the second wave of exiles in about twenty years, and Nehemiah the third wave in another fifteen years after that.

The historical timeline of Persia's King Xerxes is a perfect match to Esther's story. The events of chapter 1 would have been in the years of military planning leading up to Xerxes' famous attack on Greece. Queen Vashti was likely his queen Amestris, whom Xerxes married on his ascent to the Persian throne in 486 BC. It was in 480 that Xerxes and his army defeated the Greeks at Thermopylae and burned Athens, but then losing decisively in the naval battle of Salamis. Xerxes with the remainder of his fleet and much of his army, returned home, fearing that the military defeat at the hands of the Greeks would inspire rebellion within the empire. Thus, he would have been present at the palace in Susa, as it says in the second chapter of Esther, in the 7th year of his reign (479-8 BC) to choose Esther as queen in Vashti's place. It is important to remember this, as Queen Esther in the palace at Susa may be the queen mentioned in Nehemiah 2:6 as sitting beside Xerxes son, Artaxerxes (though it might also be Vashti/Amestris, mother of Artaxerxes, who was still alive at this time). It is possible that Queen Esther continued to influence Persian politics for quite some time.

The historical accuracy of Esther is confirmed, as related here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_13K4O3EA

This BRILLIANT summary of the Book of Esther is highly recommended. I suggest watching it both before and after listening to/reading it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs

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The Book of Proverbs falls under the designation of Wisdom Literature (the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes are other examples), as does philosophy. Given that this book is authored by Solomon, who reigned in Israel from 971 to 931 BC, we would be hard pressed to make the case that it was the Greeks who invented philosophy, as I was always told. There are, in fact, many similarities between the two that suggest that the Hebrew language and culture might have been instrumental in much of what we think of as uniquely Greek.

In any case, we give our listeners the famous Book of Proverbs. We have divided it into three sections, with an introduction. The first section (Chapters 1-9) contains two different types of poetry - 1) speeches from a father to his son(s), and 2) the words of Lady Wisdom. It begins with an introduction (1:1-9). The second section consists of a collection of proverbs. It is easy to get lost here if you try to rush through. These proverbs are not meant to be read in large groups, but rather pondered in relative isolation from one another. In philosophy, we call these "aphorisms," short sayings meant to provoke thought. It is a style of philosophy that has many examples in both Eastern and Western literature. In the modern era Friedrich Nietzsche was its most famous practitioner. Try choosing one or two of these sayings and pondering them throughout a full day. It would be better to study Proverbs over the course of a year than a couple days, weeks, or even months. The video introduction contains a great deal of helpful information. The third section (chapters 30 and 31) present a sort of precis of wisdom at the level of the individual life. Chapter 30 gives us the words of Agur, a man who suggests to me the wisdom of Socrates, who claimed that the one certainty of knowledge in his life was his own ignorance and limitation, suggesting that above all we must avoid the sin/blindness of intellectual arrogance.

As Socrates tells us, it is only by acknowledging our ignorance that we can BEGIN to know. In that sense, Agur is the ideal example of the phrase with which Proverbs begins: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Chapter 31 makes the case that another fundamental source of wisdom for living in God's world is the advice of those who know better - in this case, King Lemuel's mother, who gives him advice on how to be a good King and on marrying a good woman. The prophet Jeremiah, likewise, points to the wisdom of tradition:

We strongly suggest that you watch, listen, and understand the following video introduction to the Book of Proverbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmYV8GNAIM

Refer back to it often as you listen to our reading. Remember that we are reading from the American Standard Translation, which has its limitations. So ... study what is said for yourself. Read the same text in other translations. Consult Hebrew language lexicons and investigate the meaning of words and phrases. Study cultural contexts. Much of what is difficult will come clear, as you allow God's word to expand your thinking and understanding. Indeed ... for the listeners to The Christian Atheist podcast, the words of Solomon should ring out with a familiar and welcome message:

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," and "fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay to appear anonymously in New York papers under the pseudonym "Publius" in 1787 and 1788, the Federalist Papers aimed to rally public support for the proposed Constitution of the United States. As such, it is one of the most important sources for understanding the original intent of the US Constitution by those who participated in its construction.

In Federalist number one Alexander Hamilton sets forth the ambition of arguing the following positions in favor of the adoption of the Constitution:

"I propose, in a series of papers, to discuss the following interesting particulars:

THE UTILITY OF THE UNION TO YOUR POLITICAL PROSPERITY

THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT CONFEDERATION TO PRESERVE THAT UNION

THE NECESSITY OF A GOVERNMENT AT LEAST EQUALLY ENERGETIC WITH THE ONE PROPOSED, TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THIS OBJECT

THE CONFORMITY OF THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION TO THE TRUE PRINCIPLES OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT

ITS ANALOGY TO YOUR OWN STATE CONSTITUTION and lastly,

THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY WHICH ITS ADOPTION WILL AFFORD TO THE PRESERVATION OF THAT SPECIES OF GOVERNMENT, TO LIBERTY, AND TO PROPERTY."

Articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States.

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The Book of Malachi holds special charm for Jenny and me at the Christian Atheist. This is the first book of the Bible we undertook to "study" intensively as our 4th year of the Christian Atheist podcast began, with our new emphasis on knowing our God as primary, and apologetics as subsidiary.

To say that it has revolutionized our Christian walk is to say far less than the reality. What started as a simple Bible book-study has turned into a passionate engagement with the whole of Scripture, and an ever-deepening fascination with God's Word! Our series on Malachi this year ending up being over ten episodes, and with this renewed approach is still lengthening!

We would suggest listening to our first Malachi series before beginning the new one we are developing as we publish this first chapter of Malachi, as we will be building on what was there discovered.

As with our other readings, I would suggest listening to this wonderful summary on Malachi on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/HPGShWZ4Jvk?si=Br4KXUKnrGawswfV

May God's richest blessings come to you through hearing and obeying His word!

John and Jenny Wise