Dig deeper. One CHUNK at a time.

Chunks Bible Mini-Podcasts are devotional studies of Scripture in 5 - 10 minute episodes.

Your host is Cameron Lee, a long-time seminary professor, teaching pastor, and author.

Latest Episodes

Episode 140: Readers of the lost ark

As we’ve seen, in both Psalms 91 and 57, the psalmist finds refuge under God’s “wings,” a probable reference to the wings of the cherubim that sit atop the ark of the covenant. This may sound like a bit of a stretch, but I think there is a lesson to be learned from the story of the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark; it shows what happens when people take the ark as source of power to be exploited for their own purposes. Do we do something similar when we treat Psalm 91 as an absolute promise that God must keep us from all harm?

Episode 139: The Jim Elliot test

Psalm 91 contains some of the most confident statements of God’s protection to be found anywhere in the Psalter; such words have been a comfort to countless believers through the centuries. But as I’ve suggested repeatedly, I'm concerned about how people treat verses like these as inviolable "promises" from God, even to the point of teaching that faithful Christians shouldn't suffer, or at least suffer too much. Counter to that way of thinking, I propose the “Jim Elliot test”: would someone who drew encouragement from Psalm 91 still believe in the faithful love of God even in martyrdom?

Episode 138: Shadow of the Almighty

Elisabeth Elliot’s account of her husband Jim’s missionary career—a career which ended with his martyrdom—is entitled, The Shadow of the Almighty. The title is taken from the opening line of Psalm 91, which uses imagery reminiscent of the opening of Psalm 57. Unlike Psalm 57, however, Psalm 91 is neither a lament over the psalmist’s troubles nor a plea to be rescued. The psalmist is confident that God will protect his people from all harm. Still, one might ask, “If Jim Elliot lived in the shadow of the Almighty, why did he die at the point of a spear?” 

Episode 137: That’ll teach you!

Before we leave Psalm 59, I want to use it to reflect upon something I’ve often heard Christians ask when they suffer difficulties: “What is God trying to teach me?” On the one hand, it’s good to be teachable, because there’s always something to learn. But on the other, the question often presumes that if we learn some specific lesson, the suffering will end—which is not to be taken for granted. Suffering can deepen our faith and help us endure, even if the suffering continues.

Episode 136: The view from above (part 2)

In Psalm 59, as we’ve seen, the psalmist, surrounded by enemies, prays to God for deliverance. God is the psalmist’s fortress and refuge. The language suggests a mountainous stronghold, a higher vantage point from which we might look down upon our troubles and see them from a different perspective. That’s one lesson we can take away from the psalm: we can endure trouble more readily when we can see beyond what we want and desire in the moment, and see things from God's perspective.