Bible Shorts With BibleBob

Bob Kuebler
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Are you spiritually curious? Join BibleBob for a trek over the mountains of life through the wisdom of the Bible. Using humor, stories and old head wisdom, we'll walk through life's challenges. Each episode is only 9-12 minutes long. Folks, this is gonna be good! It's a beautiful day in the Biblehood!

  1. 2d ago

    Wife of Whoredom Part Five "Blame the Men!" Ep. #107 Podcast

    It's the men who are to blame! Yes, folks, it's time to blame the men! So far in in this series, just to bring everybody up to speed; This is part number five in a series of Hosea. We've talked about Gomer his wife who was an adulterer. God told Hosea in the beginning to go marry a woman who would be cheating on him. He did, and scripture even says that Gomer would have children fathered by other men.      Eventually God has enough of Gomer's cheating ways and puts her behind a wall of thorns. She can no longer receive any provisions to survive when she's shut off from her lovers. Gomer is forced to go back to her husband. There's a catch though. Hosea is told to go and buy her back for the price of a slave. Gomer is placed in the status of betrothal until she can prove she can be trusted. All of this of course is a metaphor regarding the Northern Kingdom of Israel committing spiritual adultery with false gods.      There's always a price to pay for sin. His does hold us accountable. So far, this story has been bent toward feminine faults as Gomer is the main bad girl. The story is about to take a surprising turn! To put a modern spin on what happens next, God is taking Israel to court and puts them on trial. It's not Gomer on the witness stand to start the accountability proceedings; it's the men!      "I will not punish your daughters for their prostitution nor your daughters-in-law for their adultery because it is you men who are wandering off with whores and offering sacrifice with cultic prostitutes. So the saying is true: 'A people without understanding will come to ruin.' "" ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬      ""Wine and whiskey leave my people in a stupor. They ask questions of a dead tree, expect answers from a sturdy walking stick. Drunk on sex, they can't find their way home. They've replaced their God with their g******s. They worship on the tops of mountains, make a picnic out of religion. Under the oaks and elms on the hills they stretch out and take it easy. Before you know it, your daughters are whores and the wives of your sons are sleeping around. But I'm not going after your whoring daughters or the adulterous wives of your sons. It's the men who pick up the whores that I'm after, the men who worship at the holy whorehouses— a stupid people, ruined by whores!" ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭MSG‬‬      "And it shall be: like people, like priest." Hosea 4:9      If you do what is right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." Genesis 4:7      As the priest goes so the people go. As the men go so the women and children go. People don't like boundaries that restrain them. The world says to follow your heart or follow your desires. We're told to just "Be You!" Or "Do You!" Advertisers tell us, "Just Do It!" "No Rules!" "the World Is All About You!"      Folks, get off the sin-wheel and follow God. Avoid the wilderness of sin. His guidelines for life are found in the Bible. Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. #PleaseShare #BibleShortsWithBiblebob

  2. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing CAMILA MENDES: "Perfectionism Was Ruining My Life" from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Actress and producer Camila Mendes joins Jay for an honest conversation about the hidden cost of perfectionism, the pressure behind success, and what it took to finally choose herself. Camila opens up about the breaking point that forced her to confront old wounds, heal her relationship with food, reconnect with her Brazilian identity, and redefine what spirituality, self-worth, and love really mean. Together, they explore why chasing perfection often leaves us feeling empty, how slowing down can become the greatest act of self-respect, and why true confidence isn't about having everything figured out, but about accepting yourself exactly as you are. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Visit: https://www.statefarm.com/  Head to https://wayfair.com right now to shop all things home and get your space ready for less. On Purpose is now Netflix and Spotify exclusive  http://www.netflix.com/onpurposewithjayshetty  https://open.spotify.com/show/5EqqB52m2bsr4k1Ii7sStc?si=33f7898fb334437c JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe   Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast  What We Discuss: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:17 What Excites You Most Right Now? 00:01:57 Designing a Home That Feels Like You 00:03:32 The Challenge of Balance 00:05:26 Living One Day at a Time 00:07:24 The Importance of Learning Your Limits 00:10:09 Why Saying "No" Feels So Hard 00:15:08 Revisiting an Old Wound 00:19:56 Holding Two Truths at Once 00:21:10 Growing Up Between Cultures 00:23:12 Returning to Your Roots 00:24:41 Finding Spirituality Later in Life 00:29:44 The Power of Questioning Your Beliefs 00:31:11 Growing Up Without Stability 00:34:37 The Freedom of Imperfection 00:36:27 The Anxiety No One Could See 00:40:03 When You Have to Numb Out 00:41:45 Living With Your Own Worst Critic 00:44:35 Healing Your Relationship with Food 00:46:14 Recovering from an Eating Disorder 00:48:07 Getting Honest About Body Image 00:50:26 The Moment Self-Worth Starts to Crack 00:51:04 Meeting Rudy: The Turning Point 00:54:27 The Work of Becoming Your Best Self 00:57:30 Why You Have to Heal Before You Love Again 01:00:18 Choosing Love in the Hardest Moments 01:04:53 The Problem With One-Sided Love 01:08:20 The Proposal 01:13:08 When You're Aligned, Doors Open 01:14:54 Protecting Your Peace at Work 01:17:09 Camila on Final Five Episode Resources: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/camimendes  TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@camimendes  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

  3. 3d ago

    Wife of Whoredom Part Four "The Cost of Cheating" Ep. #106

    Wife of Whoredom Part Four "The Cost of Cheating" Ep. #106 There's a price to be paid for the wrongdoing's of sin. Redemption requires remuneration. God told Hosea to pay a price to reclaim his cheating wife. Let's read Hosea 3:1-3, "THEN SAID the Lord to me, Go again, love [the same] woman [Gomer] who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins [used in the sacrificial feasts in idol worship]. So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley [the price of a slave]. And I said to her, You shall be [betrothed] to me for many days; you shall not play the harlot and you shall not belong to another man. So will I also be to you [until you have proved your loyalty to me and our marital relations may be resumed]." Hosea 3:1-3 AMPC In Exodus 21:32 we find the value of a slave to be 30 shekels. "If the ox gores a male or female slave, he must give 30 shekels of silver to the slave's master, and the ox must be stoned." Exodus 21:32 HCSB I sat for a few minutes this morning staring off into space. My wife walked in and asked what I was thinking about.I explained to her what I had just read about Gomer's value being that if a slave that was gored to death. That's a deep and sad thought. The value of 30 shekels (30 pieces of silver) is the same as 12 ounces of silver. The price Hosea paid was only 15 shekels (pieces of silver) and the rest in barley. Back in Hosea's day the 30 shekels would be about half a year's wages. It's probable that by only paying 15 that's all he could afford. He paid the rest in barley, (about 9-12 bushels of grain) The price of a slave (30 pieces of silver) was the same price the Pharisees paid Judas as the betrayer of Jesus. The point being: sin has a cost. Gomer (and Israel) sinned and a price has to be paid for turning away from God. Israel gladly took the blessings and provisions freely given by God and misused them by worshipping other gods. That's spiritual adultery, infidelity, unfaithfulness, cheating and betrayal. We're not told exactly who Hosea paid to redeem Gomer, but we know by the cost it was the price of a slave. Judas was paid the price of a slave to betray Jesus. Our sins cost the Savior His life. He died to pay the price for our unfaithfulness. What about the barley? Is there any special significance in paying with barley? I'm glad you asked! Barley was crushed into flour before it was baked into bread. I can only imagine how crushed someone would be if their spouse continually cheated on them. Our hearts get broken easily by infidelity. Jesus is called the Bread of Life. Jesus was crushed like barley. In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah we read a story similar to that of Hosea. Homer did not value her husband. Israel did not value God. They walked in their own ways of iniquities and evil-doings. Let me read from Isaiah 53:3-7 HCSB, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn't value Him. Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth." Isaiah 53:3-7 HCSB The cycle of walking with God, walking away from God, walking into the wilderness, crying out to God and returning to God is repeated over and over. Moving away from dependence on God is an example of leaning on your own understanding and willfully refusing to acknowledge and surrender to the ways of God. That's dangerous folks! Don't go there, the wilderness is a lonely place full of thorns and probably poison ivy too! Tune in tomorrow and find out why men are the problem! Thanks for reading the transcript of our podcast/video from Bible Shorts With BibleBob. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. #GodStoriesWithBiblebob #BibleShortsWithBiblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

  4. Jul 23

    Wife of Whoredom Part Three "Gomer's Thorns" Ep. #105

    Wife of Whoredom Part Three "Gomer's Thorns" Ep. #105 Gomer is like most of us who go searching through life looking for anything to plug the empty hole in our hearts. It seems like the more holes we plug, the more holes appear. It might look like a lot of holes like someone pressed a thorn bush down on your heart , but there's really only one hole; it's a God-sized hole that only God can fill. Gomer might think she's out going from lover to lover when she's actually going from loser to loser. Men are the problem, but we'll cover that in Part Four tomorrow. The story of unfaithfulness in the first few chapters of Hosea could easily be renamed the "Tale of Two Tests." Hosea was tested in obedience, and Gomer was tested in faithfulness. You might be quick to proclaim that Hosea aced the test while Gomer failed miserably. That would be the human view of this story. But being made in the image and likeness of God, it's better to use our spiritual vision. God puts champions and losers into the same bucket of compassion. He loves all sinners and saints the same - desiring that all of us would come to know Jesus in a personal relationship. Hosea continues in obedience just like Jesus did. Here's what the Bible says about the obedience of Jesus in Hebrews 5:8-9, "Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him, [Isa. 45:17.]" ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ Obedience and suffering are stepping stones to salvation. Even as Gomer continues in foolishness, God has a plan of redemption already in progress. In Hosea Chapter Two, God issues a rebuke for Gomer and Israel. The rebuke carries the removal of His compassion and protection. Chasing after selfish desires will always lead to the end of ourselves. At that point we have a choice, accept a new beginning with God or fall irretrievably into the abyss of hell. God doesn't mince words, He calls out the promiscuous and shameful behaviors of His people. They've hit the wall, God's wall. He removes any benefits they might derive from their illicit conduct. Gomer ends up in a thorny place. God blocks her way with thorns. Let's read ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭13‬, "Yes, their mother is promiscuous; she conceived them and acted shamefully. For she thought, "I will go after my lovers, the men who give me my food and water, my wool and flax, my oil and drink." Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her way with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths. She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will think, "I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now." She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal. Therefore, I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were to cover her nakedness. Now I will expose her shame in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her from My hands. I will put an end to all her celebrations: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths — all her festivals. I will devastate her vines and fig trees. She thinks that these are her wages that her lovers have given her. I will turn them into a thicket, and the wild animals will eat them. And I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, put on her rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but forgot Me. This is the Lord's declaration." ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ God now allows (or leads) Gomer into the wilderness. Spiritually we consider the wilderness to be like a forbidden-ground, a wasteland or a desert. It's the badlands of no-growth where God (and all good things) seem to be missing. In this wilderness, God gets alone with Gomer and gives her a promise she can't refuse. Let's read ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ "Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel] and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to her heart. There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt. [Exod. 15:2; Josh. 7:24-26.] And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me Baali [my Baal]." ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ Yesterday we read in Hosea 2:19 that God makes a forever covenant with His people. "And I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy." ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ "A forever covenant," - those are pretty nice sounding words! God takes our troubles into the wilderness and shows us hope through our repentance and obedience. Suffering has a value added blessing through obedience. God sometimes uses thorns dipped in the blood of Jesus to write His love on the walls of our hearts. Tomorrow we'll find out how much it cost Hosea to buy back his wife. Thanks for reading the transcript of our podcast/video from Bible Shorts With BibleBob. How To Subscribe To Our Podcast and YouTube Videos | Biblebob.org Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. #GodStoriesWithBiblebob #BibleShortsWithBiblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

  5. Jul 22

    Wife of Whoredom Part Two Ep. #104

    Wife of Whoredom Part Two Ep. #104 Imagine being the husband or wife of a cheating spouse who went to live with their partner in adultery. Now take your imagining a bit further; imagine going to the place where they're having an affair and expressing your uncompromising love to the one you're married to. You interrupt their adulterous embrace to say, "Hi, I just dropped by to say 'I love you, do you need anything?'" Yep, I'll pause and wait for the nausea welling up inside you to subside. That's a hard thought to imagine, but that's pretty much what God did. I believe this story in Hosea is both a real story of a broken marital covenant between a real husband and wife as well as being a metaphorical allegory. On the surface it reflects the sadness of all-too-often adulterous affairs in marriages today - while on a deeper level it details the people of God breaking covenant and violating sacred promises. In the first chapter of Hosea, we saw God telling the Prophet to marry a woman who would commit adultery and have children by other fathers. In verse nine we read about Gomer giving birth to their third child. "The Lord said to Hosea, "Name him 'Not-My-People,' because the people of Israel are not my people, and I am not their God."" ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭GNT‬‬ The people had strayed so far from God, He referred to them as "not my people." And then, one verse later, God is talking about restoration - even in the midst of continued adultery. "Now God says to them, "You are not my people," but the day is coming when he will say to them, "You are the children of the living God!"" Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ ‭GNT‬‬ It's hard to wrap our human minds around thoughts of restoration while living with infidelity in your face. God did. The story doesn't stop there, adultery carries penalties. The forbidden fruit turns rotten. The roots of guilt and shame rise like greasy fat in a crock pot. Israel had forgotten their meal ticket. They had forgotten Who freed them from slavery. They had forgotten their God from whom all blessings flow. He was about to remind them. Bad times have a way of causing us to yearn for good times. In the haze of immorality we may be tempted to continue pursuing lascivious, carnal and evil-minded pleasures in defiant opposition to God. Gomer was going into the gap that spanned the abyss of no-return. Just beyond the gap, God placed a doorway exiting to a gateway of hope. It was time to walk on through or trip and fall irretrievably into the abyss. God grew some thorns to hedge Gomer in. He gave her trouble until she had nowhere to turn except going back to her husband. There comes a time in human life when nobody knows the trouble you're in except Jesus. He's the Bridegroom, as believers were betrothed to Him as His bride. The word "betrothed" in ancient times was a legally binding marriage contract. It covered the period of about a year before the couple actually lived together. Even though they had not had sex with each other, having sex with anyone else was considered adultery. Betrothed to God as our Husband means that we are in an unbreakable - forever covenant like the one in Hosea 2:19-20, "And I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will even betroth you to Me in stability and in faithfulness, and you shall know (recognize, be acquainted with, appreciate, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord." Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ God doesn't break covenants, but people do. We are quick to cancel our end of the deal when someone offends us. God is Unoffendable and He desires that none of us should perish. Unfortunately there are people who turn their backs on God's love. Hosea paid a price to get Gomer back, but now the time of proving is upon her. She's on spiritual probation. Will Gomer pass the test? We'll find out in the Wife of Whoredom Part Three. Thanks for reading the transcript of our podcast/video from Bible Shorts With BibleBob. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. #GodStoriesWithBiblebob #BibleShortsWithBiblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

  6. Jul 21

    Wife of Whoredom Part One Ep.#103

    Wife of Whoredom Part One Ep. #103 Hosea is one of the 12 Minor Prophetic books in the Bible. In its entirety, the Bible contains 18 books of prophecy; 17 in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament being the Book of Revelation. The 17 were divided by five Major Prophet Books including: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations (attributed to Jeremiah), Ezekiel and Daniel. There were 12 Minor Prophetic Books including; Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The distinction between Major and Minor has to do with more about length of content rather than importance. The Minor Prophetic Books were originally short enough to fit on one manuscript or scroll. What is a prophet and what is a prophecy? A Prophet is one who speaks what God has instructed them to speak. ‭‭The Bible explains it perfectly in 2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭ICB‬‬, "Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet's own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a man wanted to say. But men led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God." Now let's move on to the first of the 12 Minor Books named Hosea. In approximately the Eighth Century before Christ was born, God sent the Prophet Hosea to warn His people to turn from their spiritual unfaithfulness or they would face some very fierce consequences. In Hosea 9:8 we read, "God has sent me as a prophet to warn his people Israel." The Name "Hosea" in Hebrew means "salvation or deliverer." Hosea and Jesus share the same root word in their names, "yāšaʿ" pronounced, yaw-shah' which means, "to save, be saved, be delivered." Hosea can be said to be a "type of Christ" in the Old Testament. For many of us, it's easy to pass over the Old Testament books as hard to understand, but then we miss their contributions to the Bible as a whole story. The Book of Hosea begins with a strange word from God for the Prophet to go and marry an unfaithful woman who will give him children fathered by other men (through adultery.) Why? As so often happens in the Bible, God uses metaphors that people will understand. Marital unfaithfulness is an all too common occurrence in Hosea's day and in the present day as well. "The Lord said to him, "Go, and marry a woman who will be unfaithful to you. She will give you children whose fathers are other men. Do this because people in this country have acted like an unfaithful wife toward the Lord."" Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ The King James Version of the Bible calls Gomer the "wife of whoredom" who will give him "children of whoredom." In short order, we read about Hosea marrying Gomer and she gives birth to the first of three children. Let me read verses 3-5 from the Amplified Classic: "So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, Call his name Jezreel or God-sows, for yet a little while and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel and visit the punishment for it upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. [II Kings 10:11.] And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel." ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ The name "Jezreel" means "God sows." The Valley of Jezreel was a place of violence, bloodshed, tragedy and punishment. Naming the boy Jezreel was like giving the people a living, breathing, walking testimony of judgement to come if they continued in immoral behaviors. The birth of Jezreel is followed by the birth of a daughter named, "Lo-Ruhamah or Not-pitied." Let's read verse six: "And [Gomer] conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, Call her name Lo-Ruhamah or Not-pitied, for I will no more have love, pity, and mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them." ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ Yowzers! You don't have to read between the lines to know that's a pretty stark warning from God saying, "No More Mercy!" But wait! There's another child on the way! After Gomer weaned "No Mercy" she gave birth to "Lo-Ammi" meaning, "not My people." I'm going to read Hosea 1:8-9 from the English Standard Version and then from The Message Bible. "When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, "Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God."" Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬ "After Gomer had weaned No-Mercy, she got pregnant yet again and had a son. God said: "Name him Nobody. You've become nobodies to me, and I, God, am a nobody to you." ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬ Imagine that, people treated God like a nobody. Hosea was a bridegroom with an unfaithful bride. The Bible speaks of God being our husband in Isaiah 54:5. "For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth." In a spiritual marriage, Jesus is the Bridegroom and we as believers are His bride. There's a price to be paid when we're unfaithful. Hosea is like Jesus in that he is a forgiving husband and made a way for us to return to him. We receive mercy if we repent from our unfaithfulness. Thanks for reading the transcript of our podcast/video from Bible Shorts With Biblebob. Please subscribe to our Podcasts/Videos at: How To Subscribe To Our Podcast and YouTube Videos | Biblebob.org Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. #GodStoriesWithBiblebob #BibleShortsWithBiblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

  7. Jul 14

    Traitor In A Tree Ep. #102

    A Traitor In A Tree For some folks, the higher they climb on life's ladder of accomplishments with fame and fortune, their view of others is tainted by a smug self-righteousness. From the top of life's ladder, the view is far-reaching and ego-inflating. A mind set above others is in danger of believing it is better than others. Small things that are bad can cause great harm; they can also become good things of great blessing in the blink of an eye. Just one glance from Jesus, is the greatest blink of an eye of all time. Zaccheus was a chief tax collector who worked for the Roman Empire. The Jewish people saw him as a villainous traitor who fraudulently took extra money for himself beyond the regular taxes. He was wealthy and despised. The name we pronounce in English is, Zaccheus, but in Greek it's pronounced, "Zahk -high-yahss" and it means, "pure." It might seem strange to think of this despised villain as pure, but methinks he's just like the rest of us. We're made in the image and likeness of God and placed in a world of selfishness and greed. We have a lofty view of ourselves until we meet a lowly servant named Jesus. Let me pause for a moment and read a description of what Jesus did from Philippians 2:7, "But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being." Zaccheus needed to see a Savior who would glance his way. Let's read his story from Luke 19:1-10 from the Amplified Bible. "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector [a superintendent to whom others reported], and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, but he could not see because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran on ahead [of the crowd] and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So Zaccheus hurried and came down, and welcomed Jesus with joy. When the people saw it, they all began muttering [in discontent], "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a [notorious] sinner." Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this household, because he, too, is a [spiritual] son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."" ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭AMP‬‬ Jesus is always on the lookout for folks in trees. People who are searching for Him. Zaccheus must've known he wasn't doing life in the right way. He got rich at the expense of others. Maybe he had an axe to grind because he was a short guy. When someone has to climb a tree to see they must be pretty short. Maybe his shortness drove him to overachieve. Maybe he was exacting revenge from people who mocked his stature. None of that really matters in the eyes of Jesus. He's only looking to see if you're looking. Zaccheus knew enough about Jesus that he just had to see Him. When Jesus walked by his tree, He stopped and invited Himself into Zaccheus' home. The Jews only saw a traitor in a tree. Not only was he a dirtbag tax collector, but he was the chief dirtbag tax collector. When Jesus looked up in the tree, he didn't see a dirtbag, He saw a sinner seeking salvation from a Savior. The Jews might as well have been perched in their own lofty trees of self-righteous arrogance. They didn't consider the little guy to still be a Jew. He was a traitor And a turncoat. I can imagine the people cursing the sinner in a tree. How could Jesus hang out with a loser like that? Well, we already know the end of that story and the beginning of new life for Zaccheus. In repentance, and evidence of his salvation and a changed life, he paid back more than what he had fraudulently taken. The name Zaccheus was now pure again, just as he had been as a child. He became like a child and climbed a tree to see Jesus. Receiving Jesus, Zaccheus became a child of God. Zaccheus was lost and Jesus came to seek and save him. Jesus became the curse and carried our sins on a tree - He was crucified on a cross. Zaccheus was an outcast redeemed by Jesus. Soon after, Jesus would become an outcast to redeem all of us. It happened to me too. How about you? Thanks for reading the transcript of our podcast/video from Bible Shorts With BibleBob. Please go to your favorite podcast host or our YouTube channel and subscribe to Bible Shorts With Biblebob. Thank you. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. #GodStoriesWithBiblebob #BibleShortsWithBiblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

  8. Jul 14

    Be Quiet You Blind Beggar! Ep. # 101 Podcast

    "Be Quiet You Blind Beggar!" Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus was well known. They called him, Bartimaeus the "blind man." Today's Target Bible verses are found in Mark 10‬:‭46‬-‭52‬ with cross references found in the other synoptic Gospels of Matthew 20:29-34 and Luke 18:35-43. "Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road [as was his custom]. [Matt 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43] When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say, "Jesus, Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!" Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, "Son of David (Messiah), have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, telling him, "Take courage, get up! He is calling for you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road. [Is 42:6, 7]" ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭46‬-‭52‬ ‭AMP‬‬ The blind man had a voice. He used it to cry out to Jesus, but the people surrounding the blind man told him to be quiet. It was pretty much the same as saying, your blindness excludes you from having a voice. We want Jesus to be deaf to your cries because you're not worthy. This is a holy parade, please don't disturb this hallowed atmosphere. To your blindness, add dumbness and do not speak so the Savior is deaf to your pleas for mercy. To the afflicted, it was like they said, "Be silent, go and stay silent in your affliction - quiet and out of sight ." Hard-hearted and devoid of compassion, the people told the blind man to stay quiet. They knew Jesus had healed others, but why didn't they want healing for Bartimaeus? This man couldn't see, but what he could do was speak. The people wanted to stop him from doing what he could do. They might as well have said: "Your blindness also renders you speechless and thereby worthless." They were applying the law of ignorance that says, "One weakness in you means you are nothing but weakness." Have you ever been defined as worthless by a weak moment in your past? Perhaps you've done it yourself. You've told yourself not to bother crying out for help because you're not worthy to step out of your affliction. The weakness of sin will render you blind, deaf and dumb to the ways of God. Bartimaeus was told to be quiet, but he wouldn't stop. He cried out louder, Jesus heard him and healed him. Spiritually blinded by our sin we must regain our sight by crying out to Jesus. We must not only go to Him, but we must follow Him. Bartimaeus regained his sight and immediately began following Jesus. The people who tried to stop a blind man from crying out to Jesus were more blind than he was. Their own blindness prevented them from seeing why Jesus came - to seek and save the lost, to give sight to the blind. He had already detailed His mission in the fourth chapter of Luke: "So He came to Nazareth, [that Nazareth] where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read. And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, [Isa. 61:1, 2.] The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound]. [Isa. 61:1, 2.] Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him." ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ What sight have you lost? What weakness prevents you from crying out? Have you been told to be quiet? Have you been made to feel worthless because of a weakness you have? Will you cry out to Jesus now? Thanks for reading the transcript of our podcast/video from Bible Shorts With BibleBob. Ep #101 will be available late afternoon on 7/13/26. Please go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we. How To Subscribe To Our Podcast and YouTube Videos | Biblebob.org #PleaseSubscribeToBiblebob #GodStoriesWithBiblebob #BibleShortsWithBiblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

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Are you spiritually curious? Join BibleBob for a trek over the mountains of life through the wisdom of the Bible. Using humor, stories and old head wisdom, we'll walk through life's challenges. Each episode is only 9-12 minutes long. Folks, this is gonna be good! It's a beautiful day in the Biblehood!

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