Episodes

  • The Babel Within

    The Babel Within
    Aug 19 2025
    Introduction• What if a modern incarnation of the Tower of Babel story isn’t a place on a map, or a digital domain, but within our own hearts and souls? This tower isn’t built with bricks and mortar, or on the internet. This Babel is built on ambition, fear, the sacrifice of attention, and the desire for people to prove their self-worth.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 50 of The Bible Unplugged. We conclude our 3-part series on the Tower of Babel story with a deep dive within the human soul. You may be building your own Tower of Babel without even realizing it.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.The Background• Let’s recap what we’ve talked about so far.• In episode 48 we talked about the Tower of Babel story from Genesis 11 and looked at how unity for the wrong reason leads to a wrong result.• In episode 49 we discussed how humanity replicates the Tower of Babel in every age.• Now, we make of all this personal—how we make our own kingdoms of control within ourselves.Make a Name for Ourselves• In Genesis 11:4 the people said, “Let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves.”• Humans have a natural tendency to build things, whether physical structures or internal qualities. There is a natural drive to build a reputation, a platform, security, and approval. Babel isn’t simply a place; it’s a way of living.The Bible and Human Ambition• In Luke 12 Jesus shares a parable in response to a request to arbitrate a dispute between 2 brothers. In this parable, a rich man’s land produced an abundant crop. He thought it would be a good idea to tear down his small barns and build bigger ones to hold the large harvest. From his perspective this was ambitious and strategic. From God’s perspective the plan was worthless. When the man dies who will own his property and crops?• The man planned a future based on his own self-interest without considering what God wanted him to do. The key verse in this story is verse 15 where Jesus said, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”• From an eternal perspective, what we possess has no lasting value. But when we follow God’s lead, the things we own can be useful in God’s kingdom and be beneficial to us.Modern Personal Towers• In the Book of James chapter 4 we see an echo of this parable. In verse 14 James says, “You don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow.” We don’t know, but God does.• We may not plan on building larger barns or harvest larger crops as the man in Jesus’ parable did, but there are situations in our lives that reflect the same sentiment.• When your calendar is full of activity and requires you to keep up a frantic pace you may at the same time experience emptiness in your soul and dissatisfaction with your life.• You may constantly work to gain approval from others instead of accepting that God already approves of you and loves you for who you are.• You are making great plans for your future but don’t ask God to show you what your priorities should be.What Do We Learn from This?• In the Tower of Babel account, God interrupted the peoples’ plans in order to get their attention. God confused their language not to diminish their value but to affirm it. God interrupted their plans to rescue their soul. God does the same for us. What we see as a disappointment when our plans don’t work out may actually be God’s grace in disguise. A greater and more fulfilling future is waiting for us on the other side of our greatest disappointments.• Jesus didn’t scold his followers for having strong ambitions, but he did redirect them:• Peter went from being a fisherman in a boat to being a shepherd of God’s people.• Mary Magdalene lived through trama, but her life became a great testimony to God’s power.• Paul was a motivated persecutor who became a tireless preacher of the Gospel.• We learn that God doesn’t cancel our motivation and abilities—He reassigns them to something greater.• One thing we often learn the hard way is that the greater dependence we have on our own strength the more we fear failure. When we depend on God’s strength and direction, every experience becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth. Joy comes from knowing that God’s plans always direct us to a greater future.What Do We Do with This?• Take a discerning look at your life. Are there “inner Babel’s” you are building?• What are you striving for that you haven’t surrendered to God’s leading?• What do you fear when you consider your future?• When you identify those tendencies, practice this prayer: “God, if I’m building something you didn’t want for me, tear it down gently.”• What would life look like if you stopped using your own ...
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    6 mins
  • God vs the Algorithm

    God vs the Algorithm
    Aug 12 2025
    Introduction• Imagine a world where everyone is connected. One global language. One algorithm. One system that knows what you want even before you ask. That’s not science fiction—that’s right now. But here’s the question: Are we building something divine… or just another Tower of Babel?”• I’m Brent, and this is episode 49 of The Bible Unplugged. We continue our 3-part series on the Tower of Babel story. The dynamics of creating a tower to heaven never died. The same desire of the people back then lives on today.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.The Background• As we discussed previously, the impact of the Tower of Babel story can easily get lost when reading the list of names in Genesis 11. This 8-verse interlude breaks up the list with a difficult lesson about human pride and motivation.• In this short passage the people of the earth went from being totally unified in language and intent to being scattered throughout the earth with very little in common with each other.• Back then, the people wanted to influence, if not outright manipulate, God’s presence. The tower was their way of demanding that God to come down to them. God’s response was a lesson in why we need divine authority that is more powerful than our ambition.How are We the Same?• The Tower of Babel project was abandoned, but the human motivation for control lives on.• In every age, the same roadmap to the Tower comes back:• Centralize power• Elevate human greatness, and• Create systems that make God controllable, if not optionalThe Rise of the Algorithm• In our current environment, we are building a new and refined version of the Tower of Babel. Artificial Intelligence, AI, can be our greatest blessing or our greatest curse. Which way this goes depends solely on how we, as humans awakened to and enlightened by the direction of the Holy Spirit, utilize AI for the purpose of serving God, not manipulating God.• Today’s Tower of Babel can be defined by three aspects of modern technology:• Big Tech with global platforms that shape and even define language, culture, desire, and behavior• AI systems trained to predict and even control human behavior• What I call “branding culture” – making a name for ourselves has become a digital artform and obsession.• This parallels the Genesis 11 account in a number of ways:• A single global language and culture of data and unified connections between people across the world.• Attempts to manipulate reality- we have the ability to create alternate realities that are indistinguishable from the real world using only a few verbal prompts.• Replacing divine dependence with predictive control – when AI sets schedules, suggests directions for thought, and controls what reality we become aware of, we may lose our perceived need for God.• Paul was led by the Spirit to show us how this could take place. In the book of Romans chapter 1 he writes about what happens when humans give up on God’s truth:• They don’t glorify or give thanks to God and began to see themselves as the final authority• They profess to be wise, but become fools, unable to discern what is real from what is digitally driven.• They give up on the glory of God and worship their own image.• The most poignant message is this: in Romans 1:25 Paul says, “… they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped the creature rather than the Creator….”A Future Echo of Babel• In the book of Revelation chapter 18, we find a description of our desire to replicate the Tower of Babel. Babylon the Great is a metaphor for where this all leads:• A marketplace for souls whose attention is bought and sold• A community of luxury, pride, and control• A place where all nations are deceived• Babylon in the book of Revelation is the spiritual descendant of the Tower of Babel- a man-made world order that tries to replace God with wealth, control, and power.What Do We Learn from This?• As with any human endeavor, what starts off as useful innovation often leads to idolatry: the technology becomes the focus of devotion, not the benefit to humans.• We try to hold on to an illusion of control. As the people of Babel did, we seek safety in numbers, connection with everyone, and control over attention. But at what cost? There are potential losses of:• Privacy• Freedom• Worship• Identity• We begin to serve the system rather than the Savior. We find, though, that any system we build that doesn’t glorify God eventually fails. We learn that just because a system works by making life better doesn’t mean it’s holy.• The ultimate disruption of Babel wasn’t the end of the tower project—it was Pentecost. In Acts 2, God restores common language so that everyone could understand the Gospel message. Pentecost was the starting point of universal connection with heaven on God’s terms...
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    6 mins
  • The Tragedy of Babel

    The Tragedy of Babel
    Aug 5 2025
    Introduction• The Tower of Babel account, found in Genesis 11, is a strange story tucked in between the Flood and Abraham. The whole story happens in just 8 verses, but the meaning and impact of this account echoes throughout history and impacts us even today.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 48 of The Bible Unplugged. We start a 3-part series on the Tower of Babel account and examine how that story continues in our current experience.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.The Background• The impact of the Tower of Babel story can easily get lost when reading through Genesis. Between the Flood Account and Abraham’s beginnings, we find a series of lists naming the descendants of Noah’s family. An 8-verse interlude breaks up the list with an intriguing account of how humanity learned a painful lesson: unity, when driven by pride and ambition, isn’t necessarily a good thing.• Beginning in Genesis 11:1, we find that everyone spoke a common language with a single dialect. One would think that’s a good thing, but we learn otherwise.• The people settled in the plain of Shinar located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This area is in present day Iraq.• The people who settled there came up with what they thought was a good idea. In Genesis 11:3-4 they said, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”• The next verse tells us that God “came down to see” what the people had built. God then said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”• This confusion of their language led them to abandon their building project and scatter throughout the world.What Happened and Why?• At first glance, this looks like an ancient urban planning process. Some people believe God felt threatened that the people may no longer worship him if they succeeded. Neither of these theories is close to being accurate.• The threat of The Tower of Babel isn’t in the ability of humans to do great things; it’s the trap of believing that people don’t need God—that pride in self-sufficiency is the goal of self-worship.• There are some details in this story that show that God cared enough for his creation to rekindle the people’s desire for a purpose greater than themselves.What Were the People Really Building?• In this story people said they wanted to build a tower that reached to the heavens, but the real motive isn’t obvious. It’s doubtful that they believed they could build a tower high enough to reach God. It wasn’t possible—and that wasn’t their real motive.• What they build\t is called a ziggurat— a massive stair-stepped temple designed not for people to climb to heaven, but to compel the god’s they worshipped to descend to earth.• Ziggurats can be thought of as cosmic landing pads. The higher they built, the more likely their gods would notice. Religious rituals were performed at the base of the Temple. To steal a movie reference, the belief was, “If we build this, the gods will come.”The Counterpunch• There’s an immense irony in this story. They built this temple to compel God to come down to them, thinking they had to do this to get God’s attention. The sarcastic irony is—God came down to see what they were doing. What God saw wasn’t a great temple, but a great deception.• The lie wasn’t the tower’s purpose or height. The lie was the heart behind it. They said, “Let us make a name for ourselves.”• This was human pride disguised as spiritual achievement. They wanted God-like power, but on the own terms. They wanted God’s presence—without God’s permission. They wanted ultimate power without the divine blessing.What Do We Learn from This?• Here’s where this story gets uncomfortable: The Tower of Babel isn’t just ancient history. It’s current reality. We tend to place material and worldly things above our devotion to God. As the people of Babel did thousands of year ago we may be enticed with the thought of fame and celebrity instead of allowing God’s greatness to show through us.• We find out the hard way that our hopes and dreams, when built on a foundation of human desire and effort, can easily crumble. God only calls us to purposes that have divine power and heavenly significance.• The desire to manipulate God into getting what we want is a common fault. There are believers who think that if you pray just right and with the right attitude, God is ...
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    7 mins
  • A Widow's Loss

    A Widow's Loss
    Jul 29 2025
    July 29, 2025Introduction• She had lost everything: her husband died and now she had to bury her only son. In her culture, a childless widow depended on charity just to survive. Her world had come to an end… but then, everything changed.• The story of the widow of Nain, found in the Gospel of Luke, is only a few verses long, but we learn a lot about finding hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. If you have ever felt like your world was coming to an end, this story is a message of hope.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 47 of The Bible Unplugged. We conclude our series on people in the Bible who experienced grief and how God provided for them. If you know someone who needs this message, please feel free to share these episodes with them.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.The Background• In the Gospel of Luke, chapters 4 through 9, we find Jesus traveling around Galilee, teaching, gathering his closest disciples, and working miracles that point to the power of God in the world.• In Chapter 7, Jesus went to the small town called Nain, near Mt. Tabor where the transfiguration of Jesus occurred. Nain is about 8 miles from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. The town’s name means “beauty” or “pleasantness” likely due to the scenic view of the hills and mountains in the area. The meaning of the town’s name is a strong contrast to the painful scene Jesus encountered when he approached the town.Jesus’ Actions• A large group of followers and some of his disciples travelled with Jesus in this story. As they approached the town, they came upon a funeral procession. A widow, whose only son died, was accompanied by a large number of the people from Nain.• We know some important details about this woman so far: she lost her husband before this story, her only son died and was being taken to be buried; and, a lot of people went with her. In the Jewish culture, a widow had no rightful inheritance and depended on charity to survive. The good new is that the people of Nain went with her showing that she was well known and liked in the town.• When Jesus saw her, he had compassion for her and her situation. The Greek word for compassion means a gut-level, visceral reaction. Jesus felt her grief in his own body.• Jesus said to her, “Don’t cry.” This had to be a confusing statement to the widow and to all who heard Jesus say this. What Jesus said could have been considered cynical, even cruel, except for what happens next.• Jesus touched the coffin, and the pall bearers stopped in their tracks. In Luke 7:14 Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The young man sat up and began to speak.• Jesus then gave the young man back to his mother. This may indicate that the young man was a child, but there’s more to it than that. Jesus gave back her dignity and her source of support in the future. The widow’s world changed in that instant.• The people who witnessed the event were overcome with fear and glorified God. The news of this miracle spread throughout Judea and the surrounding region.What Do We Learn from This?• We don’t know what she said. She remains anonymous, but famous for what Jesus did for her. We learn that we don’t have to be noticed or made famous in order to useful in God’s kingdom.• In the widow’s silence we learn that grief can silence us. Fatigue, disappointment, and pain can rob us of our ability to pray. The good news is Jesus didn’t wait for perfect prayers or perfect attitudes. He knew the needs, felt the pain, and acted to comfort those who grieved in this story.• This story echoes what we find in 1 Kings chapter 17 when Elijah raised the dead son of a widow and gave the him back to his mother. In that story, the widow was destitute and felt hopeless. The widow of Nain likely felt the same way.What Do We Do with This?• The silence you experience in times of distress, pain, and grief don’t disqualify you. God’s compassion reaches us even before we know what to say. If you, or someone you know, is going through a painful time, look expectantly for God to send a message of grace in the middle of the crisis.• When we grieve, we may feel just like the widow of Nain:• We follow behind a loss that we didn’t expect• We may feel that our future is being carried away and we are powerless to change the situation• We may be surrounded by people, but still feel alone.• When we do, know that God sees you and knows what you’ve lost. Even if you don’t have the words left to voice your pain, God has compassion waiting for you.• Take some time this week to simply be present with God. Words don’t matter. You don’t have to explain yourself. Just BE with God. Especially in times of pain and grief Jesus doesn’t just meet us in our grief, he often interrupts it.A Personal Note• I want to take a minute to share with you a grief experience I and my ...
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    6 mins
  • Fierce Grief: Martha

    Fierce Grief: Martha
    Jul 22 2025
    Introduction• Martha sent word to Jesus that her brother, Lazarus, was dying. She hoped that Jesus would come quickly and heal her brother. Her hopes were dashed when Lazarus died of his illness. Even after the funeral, Jesus was nowhere to be found. Her grief compounded into disappointment and frustration.• If you’ve ever prayed and hoped for a miracle that didn’t come when you want it to, Martha’s story is a lesson in hope, faith, and trust.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 46 of The Bible Unplugged. We continue a series on people in the Bible who experienced grief with a look at Martha, the sister of Lazarus. If you know someone who needs this message, please feel free to share these episodes with them.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.The Background• Some of Jesus’s actions in the gospels can be confusing at first glance, but when we watch a story unfold, we can see the depth and dimensions of Jesus’s actions. Such is the case with the death of his friend Lazarus found in the Gospel of John chapter 11. This is the second longest continuous narrative in the gospels after the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.• Lazarus lived in Bethany with his sisters Mary and Martha. Bethany was a small town on the Southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives less than 2 miles from Jerusalem• According to the Gospel of John 10:40, Jesus was “beyond the Jordan” in the area where John the Baptist ministered. This was about a day’s journey from Bethany.Jesus’s Actions• Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Verse 4 of this chapter starts with an interesting phrase, “But when Jesus heard it…” This already implies that Jesus is not going to respond the way Mary and Martha hoped. Jesus went on to tell the disciples, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified in it.” Jesus stayed where he was 2 more days. In that time, Lazarus died and was buried.• Jesus then said to his disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.” This sounds like a casual, almost leisurely suggestion. The disciples warned Jesus that the Jewish leadership wanted to stone him if he went back there.• Jesus continues to understate the importance of the trip when he says in verse 11, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.” The disciples obviously did not understand the metaphor. They thought Lazarus was resting and would get better. Jesus broke through the misunderstanding, telling the disciples directly that Lazarus was dead.• By the time Jesus and the disciples arrive in Bethany, at least four days had passed since Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus: one day for the message to be sent, 2 days that Jesus stayed where he was, and one day’s journey to Bethany.• The timing is significant because the Jewish people held to a myth that a person’s spirit lingered for 3 days after death and could possibly re-enter their body and return to life. After 3 days, all hope was lost.Martha’s Grief• When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. We see in Martha’s greeting to Jesus an uncomfortable mix of emotions. She said, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”• Her feelings were a culmination of all she had been through. She and Mary simply told Jesus in their message that Lazarus was ill. They didn’t beg for him to come immediately. They just informed Him. I’m sure they secretly hoped Jesus would show up, but they likely didn’t feel they were in a position to demand he do so.• Her response to Jesus carries not only grief, but frustration, maybe even anger that Jesus did not show up on time. She didn’t directly accuse Jesus; she was just pouring out her heart to the one she trusted most in this world.• Jesus didn’t directly confront her feelings. What he gives is one of the most profound theological statements in Scripture: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”• Martha’s response is equally profound, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.” Martha acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God even in her mixed feelings of grief and frustration.• Jesus went with Martha and Mary to the tomb. The shortest verse in the Bible comes next: Jesus wept. Why would Jesus, who knew he was there to raise Lazarus from the dead, cry? It shows his human side, he grieved what Lazarus, and his sisters went through to this point. He may also have grieved the lack of understanding and faith everyone else expressed.• Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Lazarus emerged, alive. It...
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    8 mins
  • Tears in the Temple- Hannah

    Tears in the Temple- Hannah
    Jul 15 2025
    Introduction• Hannah’s experience of grief comes from many years of infertility, rejection, and silent prayers to God. What comes from her painful experiences leads to one of the most profound acts of surrender in all of Scripture.• If you’ve ever waited, or cried out to God without words—Hannah’s story is a message of hope.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 45 of The Bible Unplugged. We continue series on people in the Bible who experienced grief with a look at Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. If you know someone who needs this message, please feel free to share these episodes with them.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.Hannah’s Story• We learn about Hannah’s experiences from the book of 1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2. This takes place during the time of the judges in Israel. There was no king. The prevailing ethic was to do what was right in your own eyes instead of following God’s law. It was a time of chaos, idolatry, and spiritual decline.• The story begins with a guaranteed set up for failure. Elkanah, a man who lived in Ephraim, a territory to the northeast of Jerusalem, had two wives. That can’t turn out well. One was Hannah, pronounced Chanah in Hebrew and means “favored.” His other wife was Penninah, whose names means “jewels.” The problem? Penninah had children. Hannah did not.• Penninah provoked and harassed Hannah and Hannah grieved her emptiness and refused to eat.• Elkanah routinely went to worship and sacrifice before God. He went to Shiloh, which was the religious center in Israel before Jerusalem became prominent. Hannah went to worship as well, but we don’t have any of Hannah’s prayers written in the text. She grieved silently before God.• On on particular trip to Shiloh, Hannah left the family and went to worship alone. After years of bitter tears and silent prayers she made a bargain with God: look on my affliction, grant my request for a child. If the child is a boy, I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life.• Eli, the priest who heard Hannah’s intense emotional prayer and accused her of being drunk. Hannah pleaded her case. In the book of 1 Samuel 1:17 Eli replied, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.”• Hanna was so relieved that from then on she regained her appetite, and her face no longer showed signs of grief and pain. Hannah’s life changed even before God answered her prayer.• Hannah’s burdened was lifted—not because of immediate results, but because of renewed trust with God.• Two verses later we find that Hannah is pregnant with a son. She named him Samuel. This is a perfect name. It means “God heard.” God did hear Hannah’s cry of despair when those cries had no words attached and answered the prayer when the time was right.What Do We Learn from This?• Hannah’s story teaches us that grief can lead to surrender—and surrender to God invites a divine encounter. Hannah doesn’t demand or try to manipulate God. She simply poured out her heart and left the outcome in God’s hands.• Pay attention to the order of things in this story. Hannah wanted a child, but she didn’t voice that request earlier in the story. When Hannah reaches a point in her struggle that she voices her desires to God, she got a response. Could it have been that God was waiting until Hannah reached a point where her grief turned to resolve? There are times when we feel pain, rejection, and loss. God often waits until we work through the meaning of the pain and have the confidence to voice that pain to God.• After Hannah’s prayer was answered in the birth of Samuel, she gave Samuel to the priests in keeping with her promise. After completing her agreement with God, Hannah sings one of the most beautiful songs in all of Scripture in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. We see the rebirth of joy and faith in Hannah’s reply to God. I invite you to read that passage and listen again to episode 16 where discussed the similarities between Hannah’s song and Mary’s song found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.What Do We Do with This?• Maybe you have experienced painful and uncomfortable times of waiting for God to show Himself. You may have waited for healing, for an answer to prayer, or for a change in your outlook. Extended periods of grief can make it hard to talk about it anymore. The good news is:• God hears the prayer you can’t put into words• He see the tears that fall silently in the night• And He honor surrender more than eloquent prayers• There are times when the lack of an answer to a prayer shows that you are still trying to control or manipulate the situation to fit your wants. Hannah’s story shows us that God responds when we give up trying to fix a problem and ask God to show a solution. What are you holding on to that God wants to take care of Himself?• And, we ...
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    7 mins
  • From Bitter to Blessed: Naomi

    From Bitter to Blessed: Naomi
    Jul 8 2025
    Introduction• Have you ever experienced a loss to painful that you feel you have lost your direction and future? If you have, God has a message of hope for you. The pain of grief and loss can slowly transform into a sense of hope and the confidence that God is on your side.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 44 of The Bible Unplugged. We begin a 4-part series on people in the Bible who experienced grief and how God showed His grace and love in the middle of the pain. If you know someone who needs this message, please feel free to share these episodes with them.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.Naomi’s Story• In this episode we look at Naomi, one of the central figures in the Book of Ruth. These events took place in the time of the judges of Israel. It was an era of moral confusion and instability that threatened the existence of the nation.• The Book of Ruth opens with a famine in that caused Naomi and her husband Elimelech and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to move from Bethlehem to Moab. It’s ironic that “Bethlehem” means “house of bread” in Hebrew.• Within a short time, Elimelech died leaving Naomi a widow. The two sons married women from Moab, Orpah and Ruth. About 10 years later, Mahlon and Chilion died. Naomi was now without family and without any means of support. Widows at that time had no inheritance and depended on charity from others to survive.• Naomi planned to go back to Bethlehem and send her daughters-in-law back to their families. While Orpah and Ruth offered to stay with Naomi only Ruth went with her.• Naomi had encouraged Ruth to go back home, but Ruth’s reply is something we often hear in a wedding ceremony. The Book of Ruth chapter 1:16-17 Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.”• When Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, the people there were excited to see them. Naomi, though, told them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”• The word “mara” in Hebrew means “bitter” and we can understand why Naomi felt that way.• She was so immersed in her grief that she believed her life would not get better.• Naomi wasn’t aware that God had already started a process to help her. Ruth, who stayed by Naomi’s side, committed to finding a means of support for both of them.• The rest of the story unfolds quietly.• Ruth follows after the farmers to pick up leftover grain in the fields to provide for them. It was a common practice in that time to allow the poor to gather up grain leftover from the harvest.• In doing so, she caught the attention of Boaz, a relative of Elimelech.• Boaz shows kindness and protection. He instructed his helpers to leave a little extra in the fields for her and to be sure she was safe.• Eventually, Boaz married Ruth through a complicated process called levirate marriage. This restored Naomi’s family line and provided support for her and for Ruth.• I encourage you to read at least chapters 3 and 4 to see the sophisticated process involved in arranging Ruth’s marriage to Boaz. There’s a lot of conniving and planning on both sides of the relationship.• Ruth gives birth to Obed, who was the grandfather of King David.• In a beautiful twist in the story, the women of Bethlehem tell Naomi, that Ruth is more valuable than seven sons would have been.What Do We Learn from This?• We find the grief experience of Naomi to be like our own today. In the middle of pain and loss we may feel that God has abandoned us, and we have no hope. What we learn is that God is already at work for our good even when we may not see it. God was already moving:• In Ruth’s loyalty in spite of her own grief• In Boaz’s kindness and love toward Ruth• In the reward of continuing ordinary work. Ruth’s gleaning to find food led to her marriage to Boaz.• More importantly, God was at work in the birth of Ruth’s child who would be part of the Messianic line of Jesus.• We also learn that God works beyond our expectation and understanding. Naomi’s grief was cancelled, erased, and more than equally compensated. God’s movement led to Naomi’s redemption. God doesn’t always remove the pain, but He does transform the meaning.What Do We Do with This?• When you experiences grief and loss, trust that God is already at work for your good. Watch for subtle signs that God is moving. It may be the words someone says, a surprisingly beautiful sunset, or a passage of Scripture you read with a whole new meaning.• Ask yourself: ...
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    6 mins
  • The God Who Sees Me

    The God Who Sees Me
    Jul 1 2025
    Introduction• Have you ever felt invisible? Do you ever feel that you don’t matter to anyone and that nobody sees your struggles or your pain? That was the experience of Hagar, the slave to Sarai and Abram in Genesis. What she learned the hard way gives us hope for our difficulties today.• I’m Brent, and this is episode 43 of The Bible Unplugged. We take a look at the name Hagar gave to God found in Genesis chapter 16 and what that name means to us.• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.Hagar’s Story• The story of Hagar can be confusing to modern readers, but everything that happened in this story is rooted in Near Eastern culture and the Covenant God created with Abram.• Sarai, Abram’s wife, could not conceive a child. They both knew that God promised to make a great nation of their descendants. Not being able to have a child at that point, Sarai took matters out of God’s hands and tried to solve the problem herself.• That culture accepted a barren wife giving her maidservant to her husband to have a child. That’s what Sarai did with her slave Hagar. When Hagar got pregnant, trouble started.• Hagar developed an attitude and felt better than her mistress. Tension flared to the point that Abram told Sarai to do whatever she wanted to do about the conflict.• Sarai was harsh with Hagar. Hagar ran away to the wilderness to get away from the mistreatment.• Scripture tells us that Yahweh’s angel, which we find to be a physical manifestation of God himself in this story, appeared to Hagar and told her to go back home. God promised that he would take care of her and her offspring.A New Name of God• Hagar was so overwhelmed with God’s grace that she created a new name for God. Genesis 16:13 says, “She called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?”• The name Hagar created, “The God Who Sees Me,” is the English version. The Hebrew named is “El Roi.” “El” is the shortened version of “Elohim,” the most common word translated “God” in the Hebrew Bible. “Roi” comes from the Hebrew word “ra’ah.” We find that word elsewhere in the Bible. In Exodus 3:7, God sees the affliction of His people in Egypt. The word translated “see” is “ra’ah.”Hagar’s Unique Experience• Hagar is the first person in the Bible to create a new name of God.• Hagar was a foreigner, a woman, and a slave. In Hebrew society, she was at the very bottom of the social ladder. And yet, she becomes the first person in Scripture to name God.• Hagar is also the first person to be visited by the angel of the Lord. And she’s not even part of the covenant family, but she is important to God.What Do We Learn from This?• This tells us a lot about God’s character and His love for His creation.• God doesn’t only care about the chosen patriarchs. The righteous are not the only ones God pays attention to.• God sees the oppressed, the abused, and the forgotten. He met Hagar in the wilderness—a place that symbolizes chaos, isolation, and often, desperation. The wilderness, though, is also a place where God reveals himself in new and compassionate ways.• Several prominent Bible characters encounter God and receive divine inspiration to continue God’s will for them.• Moses saw God in a burning bush while tending sheep.• Elijah fled into the wilderness to escape Jezebel’s wrath and found a gentle and compassionate God.• Jesus overcame temptation after many weeks in the wilderness alone.• John the Baptist grew up and lived in the wilderness before he proclaimed the coming of the Messiah.• A complete list with Scripture references is at the end of the show notes if your are interested.• What we learn from this something profound about God’s nature. He is not a passive observer. God is intimately present with those who suffer and are alone. The name Hagar gave to God reminds us that:• God sees you in your own personal wilderness.• God sees the part of your story that others overlook.• God sees your pain even when you can’t articulate those feelings yourself.• Most of all, we see that you matter to God.What Do We Do with This?• Take some time when you can focus without distractions. Think of the times in your life you have felt alone, unsure, or afraid. How did God intervene and what was the result? God has a plan for your good, but sometimes we have to feel the discomfort before we see the goal.• When you have some idle time during your day—whether driving, in line at a store, or waiting for an appointment—try to imagine God watching over you then. Let El Roi, the God Who Sees You, become part of that experience.• When you experience difficult times—when you feel you are invisible or don’t matter—allow God’s presence to overcome the discomfort and reassure you.•...
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    6 mins