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The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: The Counterfeit Version of Real Religion. (2 Kings 17: 1-41)

We use the word religion all the time; we say someone is “religious.”

When we talk about “world religions", we usually refer to beliefs, rituals, and practices connected to a deity. Usually, when we use the word, we’re thinking of the major systems of belief: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

But interestingly, the Bible doesn’t use the word religion very often. The word, when translated in this way, appears only three or four times in the New Testament, and when it does appear, it’s used in two very different ways:

Sometimes negatively describes an empty, external ritual. Sometimes, positively, describing what James calls “pure and undefiled religion.” And if Scripture speaks of pure religion, then by implication, there must also be impure religion. Religion that looks spiritual… sounds spiritual… feels spiritual… but is actually defiled.

So, what does impure religion look like and how does it affect us today?

There is a story in the Old Testament that helps answer those questions with remarkable clarity and it’s found in 2 Kings 17, I would say one of the most important chapters in the entire book, and a chapter that helps explain events in the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of John.

So, let’s walk through it together…..

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Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

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The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: The Depths to Which Some People Can Fall. (2 Kings 17: 1-20)

Now and then, we hear stories of people who have committed truly shocking sins, the kind that make you pause and ask: “How low can a person go?”

When we ask it honestly, Scripture gives us insight, not just into the human heart, but into the grace of God, the consequences of sin, and the dangers of drifting.

And today, as we continue our journey through the book of 2 Kings, we come to a king who sinks lower than any king before him. His story is disturbing. It’s dark. It’s tragic…. But it’s also instructive.

So, here’s what we’re going to do today.

First, we’ll walk through 2 Kings 16 and see just how far this king fell.

Then, we’ll step into the New Testament and ask what this means for us today.

Two passages, but one very important lesson.

Let’s begin….

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: When Tradition Helps… and When It Hurts. (2 Kings 15: 1-38)

We all have traditions.

Some are personal.

You celebrate birthdays. You mark wedding anniversaries. You gather the family, blow out candles, cut the cake, and take the photos.... And that’s a good thing.

We pause, reflect, and give thanks.

Traditions can be beautiful.

They can create belonging and reinforce values.

They give us memories that warm the heart.

But — and here’s the tension —

Traditions can also lose their meaning.

Because the bottom line — the three‑word application at the end of this episode — is something every believer can agree on.

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: How to be the Best Version of You. (2 Kings 14: 1-29)

If you have a job, any job, you have an enormous spiritual opportunity.

I’m not talking about making more money.

I’m not talking about climbing the ladder or getting a promotion.

I’m talking about something far bigger.

I’m talking about the possibility that your job is one of the greatest spiritual platforms God has given you.

What if your home, or your ministry, or your daily responsibilities, is the arena where God is shaping you into the best version of you?

Because the principle we’re going to explore today applies to every believer, in every season, in every responsibility.

It applies to your job, yes — but also to your relationships, your Christian ministry, your decisions, your calling, and your character.

To see it clearly, we’re going to look at three kings in 2 Kings 14, and how God evaluated their “performance.”

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: When Christians Don’t Really Believe. (2 Kings 13: 1-25)

There’s a strange and unsettling reality in the Christian life that we don’t talk about very often. It’s this: Christians don’t always believe.

Oh, we believe in God, that’s not the issue. We believe the gospel, we believe the Bible, and we even believe the creeds sometimes. But when life presses in, when circumstances tighten, when fear rises, or disappointment lingers… sometimes Christians stop believing in God Himself.

We stop believing His promises, we stop believing we have His presence.

We stop believing in His power, and we stop believing in His goodness and the result is not atheism; it’s something far more subtle. It is a life lived as if God were small, distant, or disinterested.

That’s the story of 2 Kings 13.

It’s a chapter about spiritual inconsistency, about half‑hearted obedience, and about people who know better… but don’t live better. And if we’re honest, it’s a chapter about us.

2 Kings 13 offers us a reflection on the Christian life that sometimes is not very flattering. But it’s also a chapter filled with astonishing grace because even when God’s people don’t believe, God remains faithful.

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes:

Many people look back over their lives and say, “I’m grateful for the teachers I had. And of course, they don’t always mean schoolteachers. Sometimes the most influential teachers are the people God quietly places in our path, a parent, a mentor, a pastor, a friend, someone who shaped us without ever holding an official position.

There’s no substitute for a good teacher, but, and here’s the twist, it doesn’t always work.

You can have a good teacher… and a poor student.

Something goes wrong.

Was the teacher unclear?

Was the student inattentive?

Did someone skip their homework?

Well, there’s a story in 2 Kings that explores exactly that dynamic — a teacher and a student — and it has a lot to teach us….

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: When You Feel Like You’re Hanging by a Thread. (2 Kings 11: 1-20)

In today's passage, we have arrived at a moment where God’s entire program. His covenant, His promise, His plan, is all hanging by a thread. One wrong move, one unexpected death, one successful assassination… and the line of David would be wiped out.... And if the line of David is wiped out, the Messiah cannot come.

This is one of the most dramatic “knife‑edge” moments in the Old Testament — and yet the story is not ultimately about danger, it’s about God’s faithfulness, even when everything looks like it’s about to collapse.

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Episode Notes: The Dangers of Fairy Tale Christianity. (2 Kings 10: 1-36)

What does it mean to follow God faithfully — not too hot, not too cold, not too soft, not too hard?

There’s a story in the Old Testament that gives us a surprising picture.

It’s the story of a king named Jehu, a man anointed by God for a very specific task. And the way he carried out that task shows us both the dangers of distorted religion and the beauty of obedience that is “just right.” The type of belief that is just a Fairy Tale.

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update