Darash Chai Experiment

While Israel is still crossing the Jordan, God asks Joshua to build something. A memorial to the event that is currently happening in the narrative. Just one of many memorials that we find being co…

The time has come for Israel to cross the Jordan river into the land of Canaan. Normally this would not be a great undertaking, until you consider the size of the Israeli army, and that it was flood …

Before the conquest begins, Joshua sends two spies into Jericho. While in the city, these spies encounter a woman who engaged in an inherently sinful profession. And in this woman we find a microcos…

The book of Joshua is often seen as a book of history in the modern world. Simply a recounting of historical facts with little theological implications to be drawn from it. But in the Jewish tradit…

The final chapters of Job include one of the more fascinating depictions in the Bible. Two grand creatures that appear out of mythology and onto the pages of scripture. It is extremely easy, while i…

God finally speaks. Job has asked for this moment. He has wished for a chance to make his case before God, and God has responded. The response Job gets, however, is not what anyone was expecting. R…

As Elihu ends his speech much of what he has to say sounds good. In fact, vast portions of his speech are repeated in the upcoming chapters by God Himself. And yet, when God arrives on the scene He…

Job’s friends have finished their arguments. Job has finally laid to rest his defense. Out of nowhere comes a zealous young man who feels it is his duty to defend God from Job’s assertions. There …

Last Episode Job’s friends rested their case against Job, but how did it come to this? Job suffered a great loss and was a victim, and yet, as his friends tried to comfort him, their comfort turned …

With one last short shot across the bow, Bildad and the rest of Job’s friends have had their say. This leaves Job open to finally be able to speak his mind. As Job begins to speak, at first he simp…

Job has turned a corner and is beginning to gain his footing once again. And it is a good thing that Job is thinking more clearly once again, because the confrontation of Job’s friends is about to ge…

Job’s friends continue to cast accusations at Job by comparing Job’s current situation to their own ideas of how God should work in the world. Their only understanding of God as the one who punishes …

Round and round the condemning thoughts go. Accusing and condemning and circling around and around without ceasing. Bildad is back and this time he is pulling no punches. The tactic that Bildad take…

At this point in the book of Job we begin to encounter a lot of repetition. Everything that is being said seems to have been said already? Why is it that this ancient scroll would spend so much ink…

The three friends of Job have had their say. Each of them have been less than helpful in their own way. For the next three chapters Job responds to the friends and in doing so we see him turn the pa…

When attempting to help a person who is dealing with grief and depression, it can often feel like the process is taking too long. At some point the temptation arises to take a hard line with the per…

As Job continues to be challenged by his friends we see one of the more common issues that people face with depression. The continuous cycle of negative thoughts that seem unescapable. Round and rou…

As Job’s friends continue to counsel him after the great losses that he has suffered, they continue to go back to the tried and true understanding of God that is contrary to Job’s lived experience. B…

The stages of grief are fairly well documented, and in this chapter we see the initial shift in Job from Depression to Bargaining. In the midst of this change we also catch sight of something signifi…

When our friends are suffering we all want to ease their pain in some way. But all too often we don’t know what to say, and our words, often, end up not helping. In the book of Job we are presented w…