Biblical Reflections

Cogworks Media
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Biblical Reflections is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast that journeys through Scripture with host Andrew — a storyteller at heart who happens to know his Greek. Andrew came up in a working-class home, and it shows in the best way: he'll take you into the depth of the text, then explain it plainly and clearly, the way a good storyteller does. The result is teaching that's thought-provoking and genuinely engaging — his passion for God's Word comes through in every episode. Each season takes on a new focus. Season 1 traced the gospel across Scripture — every place the good news of Jesus breaks through. The current season walks through the Psalms, one at a time, with Proverbs up next. Wherever you're joining from — deep in study or just along for the journey — there's a place for you here. New episodes weekly. A podcast from Cogworks Media, an independent, interdenominational media ministry amplifying faithful voices for the Great Commission. Find all our shows at cogworksmedia.org.

  1. 5d ago

    Psalm 88: When God Seems Silent

    Psalm 88 is an individual lament — the darkest in the Psalter. The singer is so overwhelmed with troubles that even his friends shun him, and he comes to fear that God is shunning him too. What do you do when it seems God does not answer? Andrew walks through four movements of a prayer that never resolves, and finds the faith hidden inside it. Verses 1–2 — The cry. "O Yahweh, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you." Let my prayer come before you. Incline your ear. Verses 3–9 — The trouble. My soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to Sheol. The singer stays with his own helplessness: the pit, the dark and deep regions, companions who have turned away, eyes grown dim with sorrow. Verses 10–12 — The petition. A series of rhetorical questions. Do you work wonders for the dead? Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon? Behind them is a real fear in Hebrew thought — that to die under God's wrath is to be cut off from praising him at all. The plea is: lift this from me while I can still praise you. Verses 13–18 — The silence. "Why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?" The psalm closes with darkness as the singer's only companion. There is no turn, no resolution, no closing note of praise. And that is the point worth carrying: he is still praying. He keeps seeking the Lord even while waiting in silence. There is a realization in this psalm that God has brought these troubles, which means God can also lift them. No matter how hopeless things seem, keep the faith. God is there. Season 2 of Biblical Reflections — a week-by-week walk through the Psalms to shape our prayer and our praise. —Biblical Reflections is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast from Cogworks Media, hosted by Andrew. 🔗 More shows and ways to give: cogworksmedia.orgCogworks Media is a 501(c)(3) public charity — gifts are tax-deductible. Music: The Inspiration by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

  2. Aug 31

    Psalm 87: Citizens of Zion

    Psalm 87 is a hymn celebrating Zion — Jerusalem, the city of God. It is also prophetic, foreseeing the ingathering of the nations into Zion as fellow citizens with Israel in the kingdom of God. Andrew walks through its three movements, including a verse that has divided interpreters for centuries. Verses 1–3 — The LORD loves Zion. On the holy mount stands the city he founded. Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. "Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God." Verses 4–6 — The mystery. Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Cush are named, with the words "this one was born there." The traditional reading takes those nations as the object of God's recording: Gentiles who come to Zion to worship are entered in God's book as having been born there, made one with the Jews. Some English versions add "I will record" to make that reading explicit. But the verse may instead be addressed to those nations in the vocative — God speaking to them rather than about them. Andrew explains why Hebrew poetry can carry both senses at once, and why the ambiguity may be intentional. Verse 7 — All the praise and worship, the singers and dancers who assist in worship, are in Zion. All my springs are in you. Wherever you land on verse 4, the destination is the same: a kingdom in which Jew and Gentile alike are citizens. As Andrew puts it, some are natural-born and some are naturalized — but the rights of citizenship are identical. Season 2 of Biblical Reflections — a week-by-week walk through the Psalms to shape our prayer and our praise. —Biblical Reflections is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast from Cogworks Media, hosted by Andrew. 🔗 More shows and ways to give: cogworksmedia.orgCogworks Media is a 501(c)(3) public charity — gifts are tax-deductible. Music: The Inspiration by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

  3. Aug 25

    Psalm 86: Teach Me Your Way — A Prayer of David

    Psalm 86 is an individual lament of David, written while a band of insolent men sought his life — and at the same time a prophetic hymn looking ahead to the day when all the nations come and worship God. Andrew walks through its three movements and draws out a pattern worth copying in your own prayers. Verses 1–7 — The appeal. A general call for God to preserve and save the life of his servant. Notice the psalm doesn't open with the request; it opens by appealing to who God is — good, forgiving, and abounding in steadfast love. Verses 8–13 — The sovereignty. There is none like God among the heavenly host. Because of that, all the nations he has made will come and worship before him — including those who now oppose his people. "Teach me your way, O Yahweh, that I may walk in your truth." Verses 14–17 — The supplication. Wicked men who do not honor God have risen up against David, which makes them God's enemies as much as his own. He appeals a second time to God's attributes — mercy, grace, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, faithfulness — and asks for a sign of favor, so that those who hate him would see it and be put to shame. The closing question is the one to sit with: David doesn't just want rescue. He wants his rescue to be a sign that turns his enemies toward the God they've been ignoring. Season 2 of Biblical Reflections — a week-by-week walk through the Psalms to shape our prayer and our praise. —Biblical Reflections is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast from Cogworks Media, hosted by Andrew. 🔗 More shows and ways to give: cogworksmedia.orgCogworks Media is a 501(c)(3) public charity — gifts are tax-deductible.

  4. Aug 18

    Psalm 85: When Did Your Church Last Confess Sin Together?

    Psalm 85 is a community lament because God is withholding blessings, likely a good harvest, because the people have been unfaithful. The people ask for forgiveness for all of the people. They recall God’s steadfast love, his faithfulness to the covenant, and his righteousness. 1-3 – The psalm begins by recounting a past time when God showed his favor, forgave his people, and restored their fortunes. 4-7 – Now a plea to once again restore the people and to forgive them. 8-9 – The congregation waits in patience for God to answer their request for peace and restoration. 10-13 – God’s attributes of steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace are praised.

  5. Aug 11

    Psalm 84: Why Is One Day With God Better Than a Thousand Elsewhere?

    Psalm 84 is a pilgrimage hymn as the people travel to Israel for one of three Feasts that required all Hebrew men who were able to be present at the Tabernacle/Temple. The intent of the psalm is to cause delight in the eyes and the hearts of God’s people to joy and privilege of worshipping in God’s house, Temple. 1-4 – The singer begins with describing the dwelling place of God and how blessed are the people who can visit and worship there. 5-9 – Next, the singer states that those who make the journey or pilgrimage to the Temple are blessed. God sustains them on their journey. 10-12 – Those who trusts in the LORD are blessed.

  6. Aug 4

    Psalm 83: How Should We Pray for People Who Want to Destroy Us?

    Psalm 83 is a community lament in which God’s people are threatened by gentile enemies. The prayer is that God will defeat the gentile enemies so that they may come to know the true God. This is an example of how we, as followers-of-Jesus, should pray for the defeat, not of our national enemies, but of our spiritual enemies so that they in defeat may come to know the true God. 1-8 – This is a call to God for a perceived existential threat by gentile nations to destroy Israel. 9-18 – The basic request is that the enemies of Israel should utterly fail in their plans to destroy Israel. The request is that the enemies be put to shame in such a way that they would seek the God of Israel.

  7. Jul 28

    Psalm 82: A community lament

    Psalm 82 is a community lament. Although some classify it as a prophetic hymn like Psalm 81. The idea here is that the reference to “gods” is a metaphor for unjust judges whom God will judge. The psalm is an encouragement for those who are weak and low on the social scale, who suffer unjustly from those in authority over them. Further this psalm is a call to those who wield authority such as judges to use their power justly because they will someday stand before a righteous God in judgment. 1-4 – The task of the “gods” or the human judges is to give justice to the weak and fatherless and to rescue the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked. Judges must not show partiality towards the wicked. Others see these “gods” as a divine council of angelic beings. 5-7 – God pronounces judgment on judges who lack knowledge and understanding and who walk in darkness. God will judge the earth, and he will inherit al the nations, giving a prophetic word for the second coming of Christ as the ruler of all things, who will rule in true justice.

  8. Jul 21

    Psalm 81: Challenging the people to faithfully follow the covenant

    Psalm 81 is a prophetic hymn, sort of. This psalm challenges the people to faithfully follow the covenant and if they do follow the covenant, then covenant blessings would come. This psalm may have been used during the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). 1-3 – Here is a jubilant call to worship with shouts of joy. 4-7 – Then there is a recounting of how God cared for the Hebrew people in the past, leading them out of slavery and forgiving their rebellion at Meribah during the Exodus. 8-10 – God calls his people to worship only him. YHWH, your Elohim. In return God would bless them with food. 11-16 – Sadly, God’s people do not listen to God or observe his covenant. If only they did, then God would subdue their enemies and feed them with the finest food.

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About

Biblical Reflections is a Christ-centered Bible teaching podcast that journeys through Scripture with host Andrew — a storyteller at heart who happens to know his Greek. Andrew came up in a working-class home, and it shows in the best way: he'll take you into the depth of the text, then explain it plainly and clearly, the way a good storyteller does. The result is teaching that's thought-provoking and genuinely engaging — his passion for God's Word comes through in every episode. Each season takes on a new focus. Season 1 traced the gospel across Scripture — every place the good news of Jesus breaks through. The current season walks through the Psalms, one at a time, with Proverbs up next. Wherever you're joining from — deep in study or just along for the journey — there's a place for you here. New episodes weekly. A podcast from Cogworks Media, an independent, interdenominational media ministry amplifying faithful voices for the Great Commission. Find all our shows at cogworksmedia.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Cogworks Media
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    115
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Cogworks Media
  • Show Website
    Biblical Reflections