10/31 Exodus 20* - The "Why" Behind the Ten Commandments
Release Date: 01/31/2026
3/17 1 Samuel 28 - Visiting Witches
Key Chapters of the Bible
We’ve all had times where we wished God would make His will clearer. Today, we’re looking at 1st Samuel 28 where Saul wanted to know what to do, but sought guidance from a witch. This is a stunning passage that helps us connect the dots on God’s judgment of Saul. Join us in another key study in the Key Chapters of God’s Word! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What is the overall context of 1st Samuel 28? Where are we at in the timeline of Saul’s life? 2. What was in Saul’s heart in verse 5? How do you think this impacted Saul’s decisions in...
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3/16 1 Samuel 24 - Trusting God in Adversity
Key Chapters of the Bible
Although David was anointed by God to be king, his time was anything but easy. Yet today, we’ll see that even when David has an opportunity to take matters into his own hands, he doesn’t. He continues to trust the Lord. Join us as we continue our study of David’s life and his example of a man who trusted the Lord even in adversity. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. The podcast mentioned several times the differences in Saul’s purpose as King and David’s purpose in life. What were those differences? Why would the Lord bless one and not the other? 2. ...
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3/15 1 Samuel 17 - David and Goliath
Key Chapters of the Bible
Today we look at one of the most famous events in the entire Bible: David and Goliath. As we look at this familiar passage, we'll see that it has much more to say than simply "conquering the giants in our life". Join us for another key study in the key chapters of the Bible! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. The opening verses of chapter 17 tells us that the Philistines were gathering for battle at Socoh. According to verse 1, where was this city? What does this fact tell us about the Philistine dominance over Israel during this time? 2. The fight between David...
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3/14 1 Samuel 16 - David Serves God
Key Chapters of the Bible
One of the more unsettling truths we find in the Bible is that God is sovereign over everything, including evil spirits. Today we’ll look at 1 Samuel 16 starting with God’s choice of David to be king, but then we’ll look at His choice to send an evil spirit to Saul. Not for the faint-hearted. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What does Samuel’s grieve over Saul tell us about Samuel and his love for the Lord, the Lord’s ways and even Saul himself? 2. What does the Lord say to Samuel in verse 7? What does this tell us about the kind of...
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3/13 1 Samuel 15 - Saul Serves Himself
Key Chapters of the Bible
When God gives a command, sometimes we only half-heartedly obey. Today in our study of 1 Samuel 15, we’ll see that this is exactly what Saul did, and he was condemned for it too! Join us as we look at Saul’s heart and learn how to bring our own into wholehearted submission to God. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What was the Lord’s command, through Samuel, in verse 3? What reasons did the podcast give for why God would have given a command such as this? How does verse 33 shed light on the Amalekites? 2. What was the outcome of this battle? Did Saul obey...
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3/12 1 Samuel 13 - The Sin of Impatience
Key Chapters of the Bible
Life does not always go according to our schedule. Today we’ll look at an account from King Saul’s life where he took matters into his own hands, and ultimately was lost his kingdom because of it. Join us in a challenging reminder to trust God and wait on Him. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. How was Saul’s army chosen in verse 2? What kind of pressure with the support on Saul to have victory in these early battles? 2. What was the size of the Philistine army in verse 5? How does this compare to Israel’s army back in verse 2? 3. What were the...
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3/11 1 Samuel 10 - The Fearful King
Key Chapters of the Bible
God calls all of us to trust Him and step out in faith. Today we read the account of when Saul was chosen to be king. We’ll build upon the principles yesterday (regarding Saul’s reluctance) and see that his reluctance was really about a lack of faith and trust in the Lord. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What were the circumstances from 1st Samuel 9 that led to the events of 1st Samuel 10? 2. What did Samuel do to Saul in verse 1? What did this signify? 3. In verses 2-7, what were the signs that Saul would see? What were...
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3/10 1 Samuel 9 - The Reluctant King
Key Chapters of the Bible
Life has a way of not going exactly has we planned. Today we'll look at 1st Samuel 9 and see that a simple search for some farm animals brought Saul to a divine appointment, and it ended up completely changing his life. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. In verse 1, what tribe was Saul from? What tribe did the Lord say would produce the kings back in Genesis 49:10? 2. What was Saul’s father like, according to verses 1 & 2? How might this have influenced the people to want Saul to be their king? 3. In verses 3 to 17, how did the Lord prepare...
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3/9 1 Samuel 8 - Trying to Copy the World
Key Chapters of the Bible
There are times when the world seems to have all the glitz & glamor and we can be tempted to follow their ways. Today we’ll see that this attitude motivated the Israelites to seek a king. Although the Lord gave them their request, it was not without stern warning. DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. The podcast opens with the social context of this chapter. How might the Philistine’s success have tempted the Israelites to copy the ways of the nations? 2. How old was Samuel at this point? What was his plan for the succession of authority after him? How was that working out? 3. In...
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3/8 1 Samuel 4 - Rabbit's Foot Theology
Key Chapters of the Bible
Sometimes people try to manufacture good luck through some kind of “rabbit’s foot” thinking. It might be through an actual item or perhaps some ritual or deed. Today we’ll see that when the Israelites treated God like a “rabbit’s foot”, it didn’t go so well. Join us! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Who were the Israelites battling in verse 1? How did their battle go in verse 2? How is that different from their previous battles that we’ve looked at over the past several months? 2. What did the people decide to do in verse 3? What did this...
info_outlineThe Ten Commandments are pretty well known, but what is less known is why God has given them and today, in our study in Exodus 20, we're going to look at this extremely important passage, in its overall context to understand why God gave the Ten Commandments and how they still point to our purpose as His people today. Join us!
DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. The podcast opened with an explanation of how the 10 Commandments came to the Jews in a form of a covenant that is laid out in Exodus 19 to 24. What was the agreement that the Jews were making with God in this larger context?
2. In Exodus 19:10-11, the Lord tells the people to consecrate themselves before they would hear His laws. Why do you think this step was necessary? How do you think this prepared the people to listen to the Lord’s instructions? When you prepare to gather with God’s people at church, how do you (or should you) prepare your heart to receive God’s truths?
3. The First commandment (in Exodus 20:1) was to have no other gods before the Lord. On the one hand this may seem obvious, but it bears asking the question: Why should nothing come before the Lord? In your own life, is there anything that you’ve placed in greater worth than Him?
4. The Second Commandment (in Exodus 20:6) ends by commanding the people to not make an idol or likeness of anything that the people might use to represent the Lord in their worship of Him. How do people sometimes violate this command today? How do people often portray the Jesus? Is that how Jesus really looked? In light of this command, should a Christian ever pray to a picture or stature or image of Jesus?
5. The Third Command in verse 7 tells the people to not take the Lord’s name in vain. How did the podcast explain what this command relates to? How does it address more than just using the Lord’s name as profanity?
6. The Fourth Command was to hold to a Sabbath day of rest each week. What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? What kinds of things should have been avoided on that day? How would the obedience of this command shape the entire Jewish culture? Is this command still valid today?
7. What are the remaining six commands given in Exodus 20:12, Exodus 20:13, Exodus 20:14, Exodus 20:15, Exodus 20:16, Exodus 20:17? The podcast points out that all these commands were really the “high level” commands and that each one represented far deeper waters. Which of these commands do you find the most challenging in your own walk with the Lord?
8. The podcast points out that the commands are given in a “You shall not” format. How does this opening wording for these commands make them personal for each person?
9. How would these 10 Commandments set the Jews apart from the surrounding nations? How do they set apart God’s people still today? Does your life reflect an obedience to these commands?
Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon just in time for the Genesis relaunch in January!
To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org.
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As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com.
Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM.
Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.