Wrestling with God, Part 1 | Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing

In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with returning guest Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing to discuss his latest book, co-authored with Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann, Wrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages. Reed shares why we shouldn't skip or soften the Old Testament's hardest passages — and what we gain when we lean into them instead.Episode Timestamps0:12 — Introduction & Welcoming Reed Lessing Back1:52 — Why We Shouldn't Skip or Soften the Old Testament4:00 — What Still Perplexes the Scholars: Long Lifespans & the Trinity5:50 — The Challenge of Distance: Hebrew Language Barriers8:00 — Understanding Violence in the Old Testament14:00 — Modern Israel vs. Biblical Israel: A Grievous Confusion21:00 — The Key Question: Who Is Israel?22:00 — Why the Church Skips the Psalms of Lament26:00 — Where Reed Turns for Comfort in Hard Times28:00 — What Didn't Make the Cut29:45 — Encouragement for Those Wrestling with Scripture33:00 — Looking Ahead: The Next Book in the Trilogy34:00 — ClosingAbout the GuestDr. R. Reed Lessing is the The Edwin F. and Esther L. Laatsch Chair of Old Testament Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota. He also serves as the University’s Director for the Center of Biblical Studies and oversees the University’s Pre-Seminary Program. Previously he was Senior Pastor at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and before that, Professor of Exegetical Theology and Director of the Graduate School at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and received the B.A. in pre-seminary studies from St. John’s College, Winfield, Kansas, in 1981. He earned his M.Div. (1985), S.T.M. (1989), and Ph.D. (2001) degrees from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He was ordained into the office of the holy ministry on June 29, 1986. From 1986 to 1999, he served pastorates in West Monroe, Louisiana, and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.Resources MentionedWrestling with God: Understanding Difficult Old Testament Passages by Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing and Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann — cph.orgConcordia Publishing HouseBringing you God's enduring Word in a changing world. 👉 cph.orgFollow CPH on social: @concordiapubLCMS FoundationHelping congregations grow long-term funding to support ministries 👉 lcmsfoundation.org/podcast