The audio lessons on this site provide interpretative teaching on the text of Scripture. The most satisfying and beneficial learning occurs when you spend 15 to 30 minutes observing the text of Scripture before listening to the lesson. Find a quiet place, offer God your heart and mind, then read through the passage, asking yourself, "What stands out to me here as important, interesting, strange or confusing?" Write down your observations. Then listen to the podcast lesson on the passage you observed. God's word is living! Let's get into it!

Isaiah 58 A True Fast – Desiring God and Loving People

In Isaiah 58, the prophet calls out religious hypocrisy. As the paganism of chapter 57 represents the progressive idolatry of the left, the human-centered religiosity of chapter 58 represents the conservative idolatry of the right. In this lesson we raise our third big picture interpretation question, “How does the gospel of Jesus Christ help me interpret this text?”

The Pentateuch, also known as the Torah, the Books of Moses and the first five books of the Bible, is the covenant that God made with Israel. Much of the covenant is historical prologue describing God’s relationship with people, particularly with Israel, a people chosen for a special purpose. In this narrative context God communicates the stipulations of the covenant. These are the laws or the dos and don’ts.

With all the detail on how Israel ought to live out their covenant relationship, it can be easy to miss the Mosaic principle that covenant relationship with holy God only comes as a gift of grace. Not wanting to miss this forest of grace while focusing on individual trees, we need to pay attention to those important moments where God communicates his grace.

Below are five “monuments of grace” you want to be sure not to miss along the way. For more on Grace in the Law, check out the Interpreting the Pentateuch podcast from the menu above.