The Bible in a Year from Luther Seminary

Enter the Bible

A weekly walk through all 66 books of the Bible, where you can discover more about Scripture and how it shapes our lives today.

  1. 13h ago

    What Does It Really Mean to Be "Restored"? Zechariah and Malachi Close Out the Old Testament

    What does it mean to be restored, according to the Bible? This episode closes out the Old Testament with Zechariah and Malachi, two short books written after the people returned from exile in Babylon. Dr. Cory Driver, Director of Research at the Center for Life at Miami University of Ohio, joins hosts Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Dr. Kristofer Phan Coffman to explore what restoration actually looks like. It turns out to be about more than rebuilt walls and a rebuilt temple. It's about a people learning what it means to follow God again, for the first time. Dr. Driver walks through Zechariah's eight strange and beautiful night visions, the promise of a humble shepherd king, and the two anointed leaders who point forward to something greater. Then the conversation turns to Malachi's raw, honest argument between God and the people, including the hard passages on divorce and the promise that Elijah will return before the day of the Lord. Along the way, listeners will hear how both books shape the story of Jesus in the New Testament, setting up a hopeful and fitting close to the Hebrew Bible.

  2. Jul 29

    30. The Two Shortest Books You've Probably Never Read (And Why They Matter)

    What does the Day of the Lord mean, and why does it look so different in two short prophetic books? In this episode, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jennie Wojciechowski welcome guest Kristin Wendland, associate professor of religion at Wartburg College, to explore Zephaniah and Haggai. Zephaniah confronts idolatry head-on, warning that the Day of the Lord brings judgment on unfaithfulness. But that judgment isn't the end of the story. Kristin shows how the book turns toward hope, restoration, and a faithful God who transforms rather than abandons. Haggai takes us to a different moment entirely, after the Babylonian exile, when the returning people of Judah are called to rebuild the temple. Kristin unpacks why the timing mattered, what King Josiah's earlier reforms have to do with Zephaniah, and how both books point to a God who remains present through judgment and renewal. Though these two books are short and easy to skip, this conversation shows why they still matter for faith today.

  3. Jul 22

    29. Habakkuk - What Do You Praise God For When You've Got Nothing Left? (feat. Rolf Jacobson)

    What is the life of faith good for when there is nothing left to praise God for? In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Rev. Katie Langston welcome Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty and Old Testament professor at Luther Seminary, to discuss the book of Habakkuk. This short three-chapter book begins with Habakkuk's lament over injustice in Judah and God's surprising answer. Together they explore the famous verse "the righteous shall live by faith," the meaning of the Hebrew word mishpat, and how God works through even unjust powers to bring about a greater purpose. The conversation also traces Habakkuk's influence on Paul's letter to the Romans and Martin Luther's Reformation theology. Rolf offers a moving reading of the book's final praise, offered even when the fields are empty and the flocks are gone. Listeners will come away with a richer understanding of what the life of faith truly asks of us, especially in seasons of hardship. This episode is part of The Bible in a Year podcast, a resource from Enter the Bible. Hosts: Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker, Rev. Katie Langston Guest: Dr. Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Old Testament, Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary Seven-Word Summary: Habakkuk laments, then praises in the emptiness. Key Themes: Habakkuk's argument with God over injustice in JudahThe rise of Babylon (the Chaldeans) as God's instrument of judgmentThe meaning and threefold use of the Hebrew word mishpat (law, justice, judgment)The famous verse "the righteous shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4) and its use by Paul in RomansHabakkuk's influence on Martin Luther and the ReformationThe book's terrifying vision in chapter 3 and its closing hymn of praise amid total lossGod's providence and the "long view" of faith Scripture References: Habakkuk 1:1–4 (lament over injustice)Habakkuk 1:5–11 (God's answer, the rise of the Chaldeans)Habakkuk 2:1 ("I will stand at my watch post")Habakkuk 2:4 ("the righteous shall live by faith")Habakkuk 3 (the vision and closing praise, "though the fig tree does not blossom...")Romans 1:17 (Apostle Paul's quotation of Habakkuk 2:4)Isaiah's love song/judgment oracle and Assyria parallel (referenced for comparison)Amos's funeral dirge and intercession for Israel (referenced for comparison)Psalm 46 (referenced in connection with Habakkuk's terrifying vision) Bible Bingo Words: Lament, Mishpat, Vision, Faith, Praise People Mentioned: Walter Brueggemann, The Psalms and the Life of Faith (edited by Patrick D. Miller): referenced for Brueggemann's definition of lament as protest to GodKarl N. Jacobson (Rolf's late brother), who held an alternate view that Habakkuk's lament was play actingRolf's Great-Grandfather Roe, whose Depression-era story of loss and continued generosity is shared as an illustration of praising God amid hardship

  4. Jul 15

    28. Nahum, Jonah, and the God Who Won't Give Up on Nineveh

    Most people know Jonah as the guy who got swallowed by a whale, but this book of Jonah summary reveals a much stranger and funnier story than that. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Katie Langston and Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Rolf Jacobson, Dean of the Faculty at Luther Seminary, to explore the books of Jonah and Nahum. Rolf walks through Jonah's reluctant call to preach against Nineveh, his flight in the opposite direction, the storm, the big fish, and the five word sermon that somehow converts an entire city from the king down to the animals. He also unpacks the book of Nahum, which pronounces God's judgment on Assyria for its brutality against Israel and sets the stage for everything Jonah wrestles with. At the heart of the conversation is the Hebrew word hesed, God's steadfast loving mercy, and the uncomfortable question Jonah leaves us with. If you want mercy for yourself, can you also want it for the people who hurt you or the people you hate? Along the way, Rolf and the hosts play a round of Bible Bingo covering Nineveh, providence, nature, and obedience, and dig into some strange details in the Hebrew text that even seasoned scholars find surprising. Whether you are new to the minor prophets or have read Jonah a dozen times, this conversation offers a fresh way into a small book with a lot to say.

  5. Jul 8

    27. The Book of Micah: Justice, Mercy, and God's Emotions with Dr. Cory Driver

    In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Kristofer Phan Coffman welcome back Old Testament scholar Dr. Cory Driver to dig into the Book of Micah. This short but powerful minor prophet speaks into the eighth century BCE, addressing both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms as Assyria threatens on the horizon. Dr. Driver explains why prophecy isn't primarily about predicting the future but about communicating how God feels, and he shows how Micah brings that message home with striking specificity, naming small towns and villages to make clear that everyone, not just the powerful, is caught up in the story. The conversation moves through the "Bible Bingo" terms of nations, place, injustice, hope, and repetition, then lands on the courtroom scene of Micah 6, where God calls creation itself as a witness against the people's injustice. That scene sets up the well-known words of Micah 6:8, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, which Dr. Driver unpacks in its full context. He also shares a personal story about how Micah 7:5-6 unsettled and ultimately shaped his own faith, offering listeners a moving picture of how this ancient text still speaks to real life today.

  6. Jul 1

    26. The Verse on Dr. King's Wall, and the Book Most People Never Read

    In this book of Amos overview, hosts Kristofer Phan Coffman and Jennifer Wojciechowski welcome back Cory Driver, Director of Research at the Center for Life at Miami University and author of God, Gender and Family Trauma, to explore one of the Old Testament's most pointed minor prophets. Cory explains how Amos draws Israel in with a "tour of sinfulness" against their neighbors, building confidence and comfort, before turning that same judgment back on Israel itself. The conversation digs into prophecy as a window into God's emotional life: God's love, disappointment, and frustration, expressed through a farmer turned reluctant messenger. Cory and the hosts also explore the agricultural language that runs through Amos, Jeroboam II's prosperous but unjust reign, and the famous Amos 5:24, the verse Dr. King made iconic on the walls of his memorial. They draw a surprising connection between Amos and the prophet Jonah, two prophets sent to people who weren't their own, with very different responses.

  7. Jun 24

    25. The Day of the Lord: What Joel and Obadiah Teach About Judgment and Hope

    The Day of the Lord connects two of the Bible's shortest and least familiar prophetic books. In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston welcome Dr. Tyler Mayfield to explore Joel and Obadiah. Joel reads a catastrophic locust plague as a sign from God, calling the people to lament and repent before delivering a tender promise of restoration and a vision of a far-off day of divine judgment. It is the same passage about God pouring out the Spirit on all flesh that the book of Acts would later draw upon. Obadiah turns its gaze toward Edom, the sibling nation whose story reaches back to Jacob and Esau and whose betrayal after the fall of Jerusalem turned the people's lament into righteous anger. Dr. Mayfield helps us see how both books wrestle with judgment, hope, and the very human desire for vengeance, and why the Day of the Lord ultimately points toward God's longing to set things right. Father Abraham’s Many Children

  8. Jun 17

    24. What the Book of Hosea Reveals About the Heart of God

    What is the Book of Hosea really about? In this episode, Old Testament scholar Dr. Brad Kelle joins hosts Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker to get the book of Hosea explained from the ground up. Dr. Kelle walks listeners through the book's three major sections, the famous and often misread story of Hosea and Gomer, and why the rich web of metaphors at the heart of this prophetic book points to something far bigger than one man's unusual marriage. Set against the backdrop of rising Assyrian imperialism and communal trauma in the eighth-century northern kingdom of Israel, Hosea's message is ultimately about identity, faithfulness, and what it means to be the people of God under pressure. The conversation moves through Hosea's Bible Bingo words, including metaphor, marriage and family, the Exodus tradition, politics, and divine love, before landing on the book's breathtaking arc from human unfaithfulness to the transforming love of God. Dr. Kelle highlights key passages including Hosea 6:6, the stunning parent-child portrait of God in chapter 11, and the promise of healing and new future in chapter 14. Whether you are reading Hosea for the first time or returning to it with fresh eyes, this episode offers three guiding questions that will open the book in a whole new way. The Bible and Moral Injury: Reading Scripture Alongside War's Unseen Wounds by Brad KelleTelling the Old Testament Story: God's Mission and God's People by Brad KelleEzekiel: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (New Beacon Bible Commentary) by Brad Kelle

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A weekly walk through all 66 books of the Bible, where you can discover more about Scripture and how it shapes our lives today.

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