Talking Scripture

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(00:00) An overview of the two parts of Job: the frame and the poem.
(07:31) In the frame, Job is described as a just and perfect man whose property and children are destroyed, yet he praises and blesses the Lord. In the end, he receives back more than he lost.
(16:53) The poem describes Job’s complaints. He even curses being born.
(22:42) Three friends come to “comfort” Job. How to properly engage with someone who is suffering. Rigid orthodoxies and a lack of true empathy can destroy relationships.
(34:52) Our capacity for joy is connected to pain.
(40:20) When we can’t see the purpose of pain, we can still trust in God’s wisdom. It is not possible for mortals to entirely understand his plan. After Job’s revelatory experience with God, his perspective changes.
(46:39) The ideology of the Deuteronomist is challenged in the poem. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? The answers may not come in this life, but pain will ultimately be resolved in “the third act.”
(53:19) Jesus, our Redeemer, will overcome all the injustices of mortality.
(1:00:25) Another way to see Job 19.25. The redeemer in this alternate reading is Job’s defender who will one day come and vindicate him, and will defend his statements regarding the injustice of God.
(1:03:29) A hymn to wisdom and then Job’s final speech. The Lord speaks to Job about his mighty works. God’s creative power and wisdom far exceed the Behemoth and the Leviathan.
(1:09:22) The book of Job can also be read as a temple text, a journey that returns Job back into God’s presence.

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The post Ep 384 | Job, Come Follow Me 2026 (August 10-16) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) A brief overview of these chapters.
(07:23) King Ahasuerus seeks a new queen and Esther is put forth by her uncle Mordecai. He compels Esther to not reveal her Jewish heritage to the king. She is chosen as the new queen.
(14:42) The villainous Haman arranges to get the king to sign a decree to kill all the Jews in the kingdom.
(16:28) Xerxes is depicted as an unwitting king, as are other kings in the Bible.
(19:07) Esther is determined to approach the king for his help, even at the risk of her life. Mordecai tells Esther that she is born for this time and in this kingdom to save her people. The Jews fast to be saved from Haman’s decree.
(25:17) Esther tells the king her true identity as a Jew and also Haman’s evil plot to destroy them. Haman is hanged on his own gallows by order of the king.
(27:12) Mordecai is honored, Queen Esther gets the house of Haman, and a decree is made to preserve the Jews.
(28:38) The Jews have rest from their enemies. The house of Haman is destroyed as collective punishment for his crimes. The Feast of Purim is instituted to commemorate their deliverance.
(32:44) Mordecai, the Jew, stands next to the king in power and might.

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The post Ep 383 | Esther, Come Follow Me 2026 (August 3-9) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) King Cyrus of Persia overtakes Babylon. He believes the Jewish people Babylon conquered should be able to go home.
(01:51) The books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide brief accounts of the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and Jeshua work alongside the Jews and inspire them as they rebuild. Haggai and Zechariah are prophets during this time.
(04:29) The historical timeline of Second Temple Judaism. There is emphasis among the Jews on keeping the Law. Many apocalyptic texts, though preserved and read by some, are not made canon.
(08:32) Our enemies may try to discourage, mock, and conspire against the rebuilding of Zion, but this work will continue even if at times it seems to falter.
(24:30) The people of the land that opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem were the Samaritans. They also read Torah, believed in Moses’ prophetic mission, and loved God. They offered to help rebuild the Jerusalem temple, but were forbidden. The Lord needs people outside the church to help.
(33:44) How we should respond to opposition as we rebuild Zion.
(42:32) George Q. Cannon relates the experience of building the Nauvoo Temple during great persecution. We should defend the faith as we build the kingdom.
(49:10) The work of rebuilding is accomplished through the guidance of prophets. Sacrifices and feasts commence again during the Second Temple Period.

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The post Ep 382 | Ezra; Nehemiah, Come Follow Me 2026 (July 27-August 2) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) Although 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles cover the same time period, they are very different histories.
(17:25) When you violate god’s laws you are left to your own strength. The 4-4-4 principle.
(29:37) 2 Chronicles 20 emphasizes the protective power of God’s temple. The battle isn’t ours alone. Moab besieges Jehoshaphat.
(41:22) Elder Christofferson taught that no injustice in mortality is permanent.
(43:50) 2 Chronicles 30 is Hezekiah’s invitation to Israel to come to the temple.
(51:01) Some from the north came to the temple. Perhaps Lehi’s ancestors were among them. The second temple is destroyed in 70 AD, just a short time after Christ.
(54:37) Asa’s trust in God. The discrepancy regarding Azariah in 2 Chronicles 15 is explained.
(58:35) 2 Chronicles 18 portrays God among his divine council. Micaiah enters the council and is sent to deceive wicked king Ahab.
(1:07:59) The power of the temple and covenants are valid and protective.

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The post Ep 381 | 1-2 Chronicles, Come Follow Me 2026 (July 20-26) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) Israel is scattered because they rejected God’s statutes and covenants.
(09:05) Israel caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire and the Lord was very angry with them for this. These chapters are a warning to us today. We are to take care of the weakest among us. When we do, we show the Lord we desire his presence.
(11:48) In 721 BC the Assyrian empire carried away the ten tribes of Israel. The text offers clues as to when this record was written.
(13:21) King Hezekiah sends an invitation to all of Israel to return to the temple in order to avoid destruction. Individual families who are obedient are saved.
(19:01) The Israelites have divided loyalties to many gods. Being committed to our faith significantly impacts our posterity.
(21:33) In Isaiah’s day, the kingdom of Judah is ruled by King Hezekiah. He takes a bold stand against the Assyrian army and Rabshakeh’s rhetoric. This story is also found in Isaiah 36-37.
(26:23) Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promises to stop the Assyrian army, defend Jerusalem, and preserve a remnant of Judah. The incredible fulfillment of this prophecy is a pivot point in world history.
(36:37) Hezekiah allows Babylon to see all the precious things of his house and he is reprimanded by Isaiah for doing so. Isaiah prophesies that Babylon will carry Judah into exile.
(39:09) Hezekiah secures the city of Jerusalem by building a tunnel to divert water from the Spring of Gihon into the pool of Siloam inside Jerusalem’s walls. He also covers up the water source so that his enemies cannot access it. God honors our best efforts with blessings.
(43:43) Manasseh is an evil king of Judah who shed innocent blood, including sacrificing his own son. According to tradition, he even killed the prophet Isaiah.
(46:12) Josiah is 8 years old when he began to reign as king. Hilkiah, the high priest in Josiah’s day, discovered “The Book of the Law,” which many believe to be the core text of Deuteronomy. The prophetess Huldah proclaims that God’s wrath will come upon the people of Judah.
(50:29) Josiah’s religious reforms are outlined in 2 Kings 23. Josiah burns the Asherah, takes down the high places, slays many priests, stops child sacrifice, and holds Passover.
(55:37) The Book of Mormon and doctrines of the Restoration help bring balance to the reforms of Josiah.
(1:04:42) Josiah is killed in battle and is replaced by a series of unrighteous kings. King Zedekiah is the last of the kings of Judah. Many of the people of Judah are carried captive into Babylon during this time. This is where the story of Lehi in the Book of Mormon picks up. He prophesies of the coming destruction and takes his family into the wilderness for safety.
(1:09:33) After King Zedekiah is captured, Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed by the Babylonians. Gedaliah, a Judean, is appointed to govern the remnant. King Jehoiachin, after over 30 years of captivity in Babylon, is released and allowed to live, sparking hope for the return of the Davidic dynasty.
(1:12:05) One son of Zedekiah, Mulek, flees to the Americas and his posterity are the people of Zarahemla, or the “Mulekites” in the Book of Mormon.
(1:15:01) Christ is The King. If we put someone or something else on that throne, we will end up lost, captive, and scattered.

→ For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here.

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The post Ep 380 | 2 Kings 16-25, Come Follow Me 2026 (July 13-19) appeared first on Talking Scripture.