Bible Book Club
by Susan Merrill & Heather Rubio
The Bible. It’s been the #1 book sold since the day it was written, but have you read it? And if you read it, did you understand it? In the Bible Book Club podcast, we read every word of the Bible for you. In fact, Heather Rubio and Susan Merrill will do it all for you—read, discuss, and explore the only book ever written that can change your life forever. All you have to do is listen. Just join the club! Start in the beginning with Season 1: Genesis or choose a book. Available Seasons include Season 1 Genesis, Season 2 Exodus, Season 3 Leviticus, Season 4 Numbers, Season 5 Deuteronomy, Season 6 Joshua, Season 7 Judges, Season 8 Ruth, Season 9 1 Samuel, Season 10 2 Samuel Season 11 1 Kings Season 12 2 Kings Season 13 1 Chronicles Season 14 2 Chronicles Season 15 Ezra Season 16 Nehemiah Season 17 Esther Season 18 Job Season 19 Psalms
Episodes
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Proverbs 8-9: Invitations Are Out: RSVP Required
How do you tell a wise choice from a foolish one when they look exactly the same? Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly throw very different parties in Proverbs 8-9, but their invitations say the exact same thing. Join us as we unpack this famous rivalry, digging into who Lady Wisdom really is and why Lady...
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Proverbs 5-7: The Path to Folly
Why does temptation feel so sweet in the moment, even though it stings so bad later? Solomon sits his son down for three final, urgent speeches. It’s a classic father-son talk warning a young man about the high cost of bad decisions. But there’s a plot twist: Solomon himself struggled with the...
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Proverbs 2-4: The Path to Wisdom
What does the Bible say about anxiety and sleepless nights? Modern life and constant algorithms lead to anxiety, fear, and hopelessness, the opposite of the life God wants for us. In Proverbs 3:24-26, Solomon says that with wisdom we can lie down without fear and sleep sweetly because we know the...
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Proverbs Overview + 1: The Search Engine of the Soul
Are you facing a tough decision or challenge? The Book of Proverbs is God's search engine for your soul, with roughly 800 wise sayings to guide you. Join us as we kick off our Proverbs Bible study with some unique facts about how the book is organized and where it fits into the Bible. Then we'll...
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Psalms 137-150: Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord
How do you go from being broken to praising God with everything you have? These final Psalms take us there. Psalm 137 begins in the devastation of exile with God’s people weeping beside the rivers of Babylon, unable to sing. But by Psalm 150, the entire creation is commanded to praise the Lord.…
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Psalm 120-136: I Lift Up My Eyes to the Mountains
How do you prepare your heart for worship? Start before you reach the church doors! Israelite pilgrims sang the Songs of Ascents, also called the Pilgrim Psalms, on the road to Jerusalem because it helped them leave daily stress behind and prepare their hearts for worship. In this episode of the...
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Psalm 119: Your Word Is a Lamp for My Feet
When you feel lost, where's the best place to turn in the Psalms? This deeply personal psalm shows us practical ways to stay on the right path, why it’s totally normal to feel like a lost sheep at times, and how cultivating a willing heart allows God to meet you right where you are. Psalm 119 is...
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Psalms 107-118: His Love Endures Forever
Where is God when you feel completely lost, trapped by past mistakes, or overwhelmed by life's heavy storms? Welcome to Book 5 of the Psalms! We’re moving out of the wilderness and standing on the edge of the Promised Land as we trace the incredible thread of God’s unfailing love through every...
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Psalm 100-106: As Far As the East Is from the West
Have you ever struggled to transition from the noise and distraction of daily life into a quiet, sacred space with God? With Psalms 100-106, discover how stepping through symbolic gates with praise can shift your focus away from life's anxieties and straight into God's heart. It’s a powerful...
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Psalms 90-99 Teach Us to Number Our Days
What does “teach us to number our days” really mean? In today’s Psalms Bible study, we have left the dark valley of Psalms Book 3 behind with its ruined sanctuary and promises that feel broken. In Book 4, Psalms 90-99 take us down the wilderness road, reminding us that God has always been our…
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Psalms 81–89: Better is 1 Day in Your Courts than a 1000 Elsewhere
Has your faith ever felt like it was holding on by a thread? In this final stretch of Book 3 of the Psalms, we unpack what it means to wrestle with unanswered questions, national devastation, and personal heartbreak. Walk with us through the raw, unfiltered prayers of lament and praise in Psalms...
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Psalms 73-80: The Strength of My Heart and My Portion Forever
Ever feel like you do the right thing but get nowhere, meanwhile everyone else gets ahead? As we dive into Book 3 of our Psalms journey, we enter what many call the "valley" of the psalms. This section of psalms mirrors the book of Leviticus with a focus on worship and the sanctuary, but with a...
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Psalms 68-72: When You Are Drowning & Searching for Hope
Have you ever felt lonely and longed for the comfort of a friend or family? Join our Psalms 68-72 Bible study as we explore the tender ways God “sets the lonely in families.” We’ll uncover why the heavy lament of Psalm 69 prophesies Jesus' own suffering and how God gives us confidence to trust…
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Psalms 59-67: Do you thirst for God?
Have you ever felt threatened and vulnerable, desperate to feel safe? In our Psalms 59-67 Bible study, we open with a Psalm David wrote while men were literally waiting outside his house to kill him. As we travel through the other psalms, David moves from total exhaustion, fear, and desert dry...
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Psalm 50-58: Create in Me a Pure Heart
What should you do when someone you trust turns against you? Psalms 50-58 are your answer. This stretch of Psalms opens with God himself taking the stand, not to demand more sacrifices, but to expose what's really going on in the human heart. From there, we watch David wrestle with his darkest...
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Psalm 42-49: Why are you downcast?
Ever wonder why God doesn't just fix your problems for you? In this Psalms 42-49 Bible study, we kick off Book 2 of Psalms by diving into the powerful redemption story of the Sons of Korah, a family literally swallowed by the earth for rebelling against God. Whether you are dealing with…
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Psalm 37-41: Do Not Fret
Ever feel a simmering anger when someone is winning by cheating, lying, or hurting others? David can relate. In Psalms 37–41, David is fed up with watching evil people prosper. He's also physically crushed by his own guilt, questioning whether life even means anything, pulled up out of a pit, and...
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Psalms 31-36: Can we trust God?
When life is falling apart, can you trust God, or does that only work for people whose faith is stronger than yours? David wrote Psalms 31–36 from some of the darkest corners of his life: betrayal, bone-deep shame, enemies closing in, evil seeming to win. And yet, six different times from six...
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Psalms 25-30: Whom Shall I Fear?
What do Psalms 25–30 teach us about how to actually live out our faith when guilt, fear, and doubt feel overwhelming? The psalms in our last episode answered the question what has God done. This episode answers the harder question...so now what do I do? In Psalm 25-30, David walks us through six...
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Psalm 22-24: The Shepherd’s Trilogy: the Cross, Crook, and Crown
What if the three most famous Psalms in the Bible are actually one story, and that story has been pointing to Jesus all along? In this episode, we dive into a Bible study on Psalms 22-24. These psalms were written by King David nearly a thousand years before the New Testament, and biblical…
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Psalms 17-21: The Heavens Declare
When it feels like God isn't showing up for you, how do you even begin to pray? Join us for this episode of the Bible Book Club as we dive into a powerful Psalms Bible study and uncover five raw, honest prayers David hands us in Psalms 17–21. These Old Testament prayers serve as a practical...
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Psalms 9–16: Refuge
When life feels out of control and God feels distant, where do you even begin? Psalms 9-16 are one big, honest conversation about what it's like to live in a broken world and still choose to trust God. David, who wrote all of these Psalms, was a man who fought 50+ battles, faced enemies on every...
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Psalms 3–8: From Fear to Wonder
What can you do when you're afraid, anxious, exhausted, or wrongly accused, and you don't know how to pray? Psalms 3–8 are David's raw, unfiltered conversations with God. They read less like religious poetry and more like texts you'd send to a trusted friend. In this episode, we walk you through...
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Psalms Overview + 1 - 2 Psalms: The Playlist of Your Heart
Ever wonder if God really gets you? The Book of Psalms is your answer. Psalms is a playlist that's been playing long before Spotify with 150 songs God selected for all of humanity. Songs for every emotion, crisis, and moment when words fail. In this episode, we open with a big picture view of the...
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Job 38-42: Finally, God Speaks to Job
What does God say when you demand answers from Him? After chapters of silence, in Job 38-42 God finally speaks, and His answer isn't what anyone expects. Instead of explaining Job's suffering or defending His decisions, God shows up in a whirlwind and asks Job 77 questions. Where were you when I...
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Job 35-37: Elihu Sees God in the Storm
When you're crying out to God in pain and getting only silence, is He ignoring you? Job has lost everything. He's been interrogated by three friends, talked over by a brash young man named Elihu, and God still hasn't said a word. In Job 35–37, Elihu makes his final case, and for one breathtaking...
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Job 32-34: Who Are You, Elihu?
When everything seems unfair, how do you keep believing God is still good? Job has defended his innocence, the three friends have finally run out of arguments, and an eerie silence has fallen over the city gate. Then a young man named Elihu steps out of the crowd, and he is furious. Furious at…
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Job 28-31 Job: Where Can I Find Wisdom?
When life falls apart, where do you look for help? Job has survived three rounds of debate with friends who had all the answers but none of them right. Now the arguments are over, and the crowd goes quiet. What Job does next is unexpected. Instead of demanding justice, he goes searching for...
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Job 22-27 Job: “Till I Die, I Will Not Deny My Integrity.”
How can God's ways be just when there is so much suffering in this world? Job has lost everything. His friends have spent weeks piling on accusations, theology lectures, and spiritual platitudes. But in Job 22–27, something shifts. The friends start running out of steam, and Job refuses to go…
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Job 18-21 Job: “My Redeemer Lives!”
Why does God seem silent when you're suffering? Job has already lost everything. His health, his wealth, his children. But in Job 18-21 things get even harder. His three friends stop offering advice and start delivering verdicts. The gloves are off, and Job is standing in the ring alone battered...
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Job 15-17: Job: "You Are Miserable Comforters"
In the midst of intense suffering, have you ever wondered if God's ways are just? By Job 15-17, the polite advice is gone, and Job's friend Eliphaz comes out swinging. He stops trying to help Job and starts trying to prove he's guilty. Suddenly Job isn’t just grieving his losses. He’s defending…
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Job 11-14: Zophar: "Stop Talking and Repent, Job"
When the loudest voices in the room are completely wrong about God, what should you do? This is one of the most emotionally raw stretches in the entire Book of Job. In Job 11–14, the third friend, Zophar, steps up, and he makes Eliphaz and Bildad look gentle by comparison. But Job has finally had...
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Job 8-10: Bildad: "God Is Just, You Sinned, Job"
What can you do when God is silent and your friends are loud? As our Job 8-10 Bible study opens, Bildad steps up to the city gate microphone, and he's not bringing comfort. He doubles down on the Retribution Principle: sin equals suffering, and righteousness equals blessing. To Bildad, Job’s...
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Job 4-7: Eliphaz: "You Must Have Sinned, Job"
Have you ever been hurt by someone who was trying to help you? Job has already lost his wealth, children, and health. Now, in Job 4–7, his three closest friends finally break their silence. What they say makes everything worse. Eliphaz, the self-appointed pious preacher of the group, opens his...
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Job 1-3: The Devastation of Job
Why does God allow suffering to get worse even when you're doing everything right? In Job 1-3, the losses pile up fast for Job. Then Satan unleashes physical suffering so severe that Job's own friends don't recognize him when they arrive. They sit in stunned silence for seven days. Job's wife,...
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Job Overview + 1 Job, the Righteous Target
Why does God allow innocent people to suffer, and can we trust Him when life falls apart? In our Job 1 commentary, we dive into one of the Bible's most honest, raw, and misunderstood books and watch God allow a blameless, upright man's world to be shattered. But Job isn't just an ancient story...
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Esther 9-10: The Great Reversal, From Fasting to Feasting
Have you ever faced an upcoming date on the calendar with growing dread? That’s exactly how the entire Persian Empire feels in Esther 9-10 as the thirteenth of Adar approaches, when two opposing edicts will have a massive showdown. The day arrives, and the Jews, once marked for total…
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Esther 8: Mordecai’s Rise: From Condemned to Crowned
Have you ever removed a toxic person from your life, then found yourself dealing with the wreckage they left behind? That's the mess they're all in as our Esther 8 Bible study opens. Haman is gone, impaled on his own gallows. But Persian law says a king's edict can never be reversed, not even by...
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Esther 6 - 7: The Masks Come Off: Esther, Haman, and Xeres Are All Exposed
What if one sleepless night changed your entire life story? Esther 6-7 is the fastest, most ironic reversal in the Old Testament. Our villain, Haman, expects to spend his day publicly humiliating and murdering his sworn enemy, Mordecai. Instead, King Xerxes’ God-induced insomnia leads to a...
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Esther 5: Esther’s High Stakes Invitation
Have you ever made a big decision based on faith alone? Esther 5 is the turning point when three days of fasting finally meet the moment of truth. Queen Esther risks her life, stepping into the king's court uninvited. Instead of demanding justice, she mysteriously invites King Xerxes and Haman to…
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Esther 4: For Such a Time As This
What does "for such a time as this" actually mean, and why does that phrase still hit so hard thousands of years later? Esther 4 is the moment everything gets real. Mordecai finds out about Haman's death decree and does something drastic. He rips his clothes, throws on sackcloth and ashes, and...
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Esther 2-3: Haman's Pride Demands Genocide
What happens when hatred meets absolute power and an entire nation becomes the target? In Esther 3, Mordecai refuses to kneel before Haman, the king's newly promoted right-hand man. That single act of defiance ignites a fury that spreads from one Jew to all of them. Haman doesn't just want…
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Esther 2: From Humble Hadassah to Exalted Esther
What was Esther 2 really about: a fairytale, a beauty pageant, or something much darker than the movies let on? After Xerxes loses his war with Greece and comes home to an empty throne, his advisors cook up a plan to distract him: a kingdom-wide search for a new queen. It sounds romantic, but it...
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Esther Overview + 1: How Divine Providence Moved Queen Vashti to Defiance
What should you do when life feels out of control? Esther 1 has the answer. With Esther 1, we step into the dazzling, dangerous world of the Persian court. King Xerxes is hosting a series of banquets meant to rally an empire for war. However, a drunken request ends in a moment of royal…
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Listener Questions
Do some Old Testament stories have you stumped or make you cringe? Welcome to this special Q&A edition of the Bible Book Club! You sent in your toughest biblical questions, and you didn’t go easy on us! Our listener Rebecca kicks off the episode with a big one. Why do innocent people get punished...
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Nehemiah 12-13: Remember Me, My God
What happens when everything you've built starts coming undone? In Nehemiah 12-13, we reach the dramatic conclusion: a massive praise parade atop Jerusalem's walls. But when Nehemiah returns to Persia, the people quickly fall back into old habits: defiling the Temple, ignoring the Sabbath, and...
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Nehemiah 10-11: God Is Committed. What About Us?
What does it really look like to commit your whole life to God, not just your words? We’ve all been there: full of fresh inspiration and making bold promises to do better. But what happens when the dust settles and sticking to those promises gets tough? While Nehemiah tackles real-life hurdles…
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Nehemiah Chapter 9: Lessons on Confession and Renewal
How do I break free from the power of sin when I keep making the same mistakes? Ever feel like you genuinely want to do the right thing, but you keep slipping up? You’re not alone! From the Israelites in the Old Testament to Paul in the New Testament and Christians today, we all feel it! So…
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Nehemiah 8: Nehemiah's Next Build--The People's Faith
How do you rebuild your faith when you feel distant from God? In Nehemiah 8, it’s time to rebuild the people’s faith, so Nehemiah calls his friend, Ezra the priest, to read the Book of the Law to the people. What follows is a massive outdoor gathering. Thousands stand for hours under the hot sun…
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Nehemiah 6-7: The Wall Is Finished But Nehemiah's Work Isn't
How do you protect your faith when the opposition never ends? All 2.5 miles of the Jerusalem wall have been rebuilt in just 52 days! You’d think Nehemiah could finally take a break, but the opposition doesn't just pack up and go home when you hit your goal. Rebuilding the wall was only the first...
About this show
The Bible. It’s been the #1 book sold since the day it was written, but have you read it? And if you read it, did you understand it? In the Bible Book Club podcast, we read every word of the Bible for you. In fact, Heather Rubio and Susan Merrill will do it all for you—read, discuss, and explore the only book ever written that can change your life forever. All you have to do is listen. Just join the club! Start in the beginning with Season 1: Genesis or choose a book. Available Seasons include Season 1 Genesis, Season 2 Exodus, Season 3 Leviticus, Season 4 Numbers, Season 5 Deuteronomy, Season 6 Joshua, Season 7 Judges, Season 8 Ruth, Season 9 1 Samuel, Season 10 2 Samuel Season 11 1 Kings Season 12 2 Kings Season 13 1 Chronicles Season 14 2 Chronicles Season 15 Ezra Season 16 Nehemiah Season 17 Esther Season 18 Job Season 19 Psalms
Hosted by
Susan Merrill & Heather Rubio
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