The Mountain E9 — The mountain theme shows up again and again in biblical narrative, but it’s also prominent in the Psalms. Particularly in Psalms 15-24, the biblical authors reflect on the traits of the one who can ascend and dwell on God’s holy mountain. At first, this question focuses on King David and his royal successors as they endure suffering, despair, and ultimately vindication, which leads to blessing for Israel and the nations. But eventually, it’s not just the Davidic king but a whole community of the faithful ascending the mountain! In this episode, Jon and Tim survey the mountain theme through the Psalms scroll and reflect on what it takes to be with God there.

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Timestamps

• Chapter 1: Recap of Where We’ve Been (0:00-10:21)
• Chapter 2: Psalm 2: God’s Anointed One on a Mountain (10:21-19:34)
• Chapter 3: Psalms 15-24: The King and His Crew Ascend the Mountain (19:34-51:05)
• Chapter 4: A Hyperlink in Revelation 2 to Psalm 2 (51:05-1:02:39)

Official Episode Transcript

View this episode’s official transcript.

Referenced Resources

• The Arrival of the King: The Shape and Story of Psalms 15-24 by Carissa Quinn
• Check out Tim’s library here.
• You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

Show Music

• “Sum Sum” by Ben Bada Boom
• “Sunkissed Cycles” by lloom
• “Astér” by Kissamilé
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

Show Credits

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

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The Mountain E8 — On two different mountains, we witness mountain tests with two very different Elijahs. On Mount Carmel, he partners with God in challenging the false prophets of Baal, leading to the people’s repentance and renewal of trust in God. But then only a chapter later, Elijah is on Mount Sinai accusing the people and loathing his prophetic calling. Why the sudden shift? In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss the contrasting mountain test stories of 1 Kings 18-19, reflecting on the human tendency toward fear, condemnation, and false narratives—even after great success.

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Timestamps

• Chapter 1: Recap of the Series So Far (0:00-9:53)
• Chapter 2: Elijah Tests the People on Mount Carmel (9:53-32:36)
• Chapter 3: Elijah Fails the Test on Mount Sinai (32:36-53:06)

Official Episode Transcript

View this episode’s official transcript.

Referenced Resources

• Check out Tim’s library here.
• You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

Show Music

• “Surrender (Instrumental)” by Beautiful Eulogy
• “Movement” (artist unknown)
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

Show Credits

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. Frank Garza and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode, and Aaron Olsen also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

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The Mountain E7 — After King David's failures, we hope that his son Solomon will fare better on the cosmic mountain of Mount Zion. And initially, he does! In a cosmic mountain moment when God offers to give him anything he wants, he humbly asks only for wisdom to discern good from bad. In response, God gives him wisdom plus material blessing, leading to an era of unparalleled abundance and peace in the cosmic mountain city of Jerusalem. During this time, the king builds a splendorous temple on Mount Zion. But with no limits on his power or resources, Solomon soon compromises. Slave labor, hundreds of wives, foreign gods—what happened here? In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss Solomon’s highs and lows, exploring how too much good can corrupt even the wisest of leaders.

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Timestamps

• Chapter 1: Wisdom and Great Abundance (0:00-20:56)
• Chapter 2: Prosperity and Compromise (20:56-39:42)
• Chapter 3: Further Compromise and Downfall (39:42-53:49)

Official Episode Transcript

View this episode’s official transcript.

Referenced Resources

• Check out Tim’s library here.
• You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

Show Music

• “The Turnaround” by UpsiDown
• “Astér” by Kissamilé
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

Show Credits

Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. Frank Garza and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode. Aaron Olsen also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.