In Genesis 43 and 44, Joseph sees his older brothers again and now they've brought Benjamin. Joseph is overwhelmed, but tests his brothers to see if they have really changed. How will they react? Also, why didn't the Egyptians eat with the Hebr...

In today's episode of Bible Backdrop, the famine has hit and Jacob's sons are forced to go to Egypt to buy grain. There they come face to face with the man in charge of selling the grain...the grand vizier...the man second only to Pharaoh. Jose...

We are introduced to the land of Egypt in the Joseph story, but aren't given much context. What was their history, culture and economy like? What did they eat and how did they live? In this Extra episode of Bible Backdrop, we look at this and o...

In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we pick up again with Joseph. He is sold as a slave to Potiphar and then, through a false accusation, put into prison. However, it's here that he will have contact with Pharaoh and ultimately save both Egypt a...

In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we start the narrative of Joseph and his sale to the Ishmaelites. Then we talk about a side story with Judah and about how that fits into the Joseph narrative. Why was Joseph sold so cheaply? What was Reuben's...

The Bible talks often about the Canaanites, especially in the book of Genesis. We get a glimpse of their culture through the stories that are told and in archaeology. What was their economy like? What gods did they worship? Why was it so import...

Jacob, the patriarch who's name becomes Israel, has a history of not being fully obedient and running a very dysfunctional family. In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we see Jacob leave Laban, wrestle with God, reunite with Esau, not follow God'...

As we prepare for Easter, we often think about Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. But just how horrible was crucifixion? How did it affect the body of the person being crucified? What did Jesus go through before and during his time on the cro...

The story of the birth of Israel continues with Isaac and his twin sons, Jacob and Esau. How did the older son come to serve the younger? How does Jacob live up to his name? Why was Esau rejected for the covenantal blessing? How was Jacob decei...

The Bible tells amazing personal stories, but what about the bigger picture? What was Israel's place in the world during Bible times? This episode is the first in the series looking at the history of Israel and it's place in the ancient world. ...

The Feast of Weeks is designated as the third and final pilgrimage festival for Israelites and is described in Leviticus 23. Called Shavuot or Pentecost, it is known as a harvest festival, but becomes the day the church was founded in Acts 2. T...

Merry Christmas everyone! December 8 marks the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Most know that this involves lighting a menorah, but what are the origins of this festival? The last episode of Bible Backdrop for 2023 goes in...

Passover is one of the best known feasts in the Bible. Most people know the general story behind the Passover, but how was it celebrated in Bible times? This episode of Bible Backdrop looks at the history of Passover along with how the meal was...

We hear about the Feast of Booths, but what exactly was it? Why did God institute this festival in the Jewish religious calendar? On this episode of Bible Backdrop, we look into some of the details on the Feast of Booths including the time of y...

In the previous episode of Bible Backdrop, we talked about the details surrounding the Day of Atonement. After finishing the episode, there is so much symbolism surrounding this day that it really required an Extra episode. When you look closel...

Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Established by God with detailed instructions to Moses in Leviticus 16, this episode of Bible Backdrop looks at the particulars surrounding that day. What is the meaning of Yom Kippur? Where...

Wrapping up our series on the offerings in Leviticus, the latest episode of Bible Backdrop looks into the Trespass Offering and the Guilt Offering. Each of these had very specific requirements and we go into details on what was included, why it...

Continuing our series on the sacrifices in the Old Testament, this episode of Bible Backdrop looks at the Sin Offering. In many ways, it was different from the other offerings and we look into those differences here. God held people to a high s...

Leviticus 3 and Leviticus 7 gives instructions to the children of Israel regarding the Peace Offering. What exactly was included in a peace offering? Why did someone bring this kind of offering to God? Who needed to make the offering? In the la...

The burnt offering and the grain offering are both described in Leviticus 1 and 2. Why were these sacrifices significant? What did they mean? In this episode of Bible Backdrop Extra, we go into the deeper meaning behind these sacrifices and the...

In Leviticus, God outlined 5 sacrifices: The burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering and the peace offering. Each one had a different function and method. In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we'll look at the fir...

Welcome to the first episode of Bible Backdrop Extra! This is a shorter episode where I go a little deeper into an earlier episode. This week, I talk about the symbolism of the Tabernacle and how it points to Jesus. All the implements of worshi...

During their years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites worshiped and offered sacrifices to Yahweh at The Tabernacle. In this episode of Bible Backdrop, we look at how it was built along with the tools of worship that were used in the cou...

Most of us have seen the movie "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." The Ark of the Covenant has intrigued people for years. What was so special about the Ark? How was it made? And what happened to it? In this episode of Bible Backdr...

Mary is one of the 3 central figures in the Christmas story. Like the episode on Joseph last year, this episode adds some context around Mary's role and the evidence of her strong faith. I also talk a little about the heavenly hosts and what th...