Talking Scripture

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(00:00) A brief summary of the psalms.
(02:51) Psalm 49 can be read as a resurrection text. “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave.”
(09:20) Psalm 50 teaches that God will come and establish order and peace.
(11:53) Psalm 51 is a prayer asking for forgiveness and a new heart. Hesed is a word used to describe God’s lovingkindness, or his everlasting love. Repentance is rebuilding our relationship with the Savior.
(28:59) Psalm 61 can be read as a plea of the king before he goes out to battle and can be seen in the setting of the temple drama. Compared to God, we are nothing. The teaching of works is found here, but is often lost.
(33:32) To be built upon the Rock is emphasized in the Psalms and also in the Book of Mormon.
(41:43) Psalm 63 is a veil type-scene, as the king approaches the presence of God. “In the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice…thy right hand upholdeth me.” This psalm is connected to Malachi 4.
(52:10) Psalm 64 is a prayer for help. Psalm 65 is an expression of thanks for the abundant harvest feast and the blessing of water in the land.
(59:02) Psalm 66 is an example of how the sacred temple drama was participatory.
(1:03:31) Psalm 68 depicts God as one who loves the widows and the fatherless. It also portrays the battle between light and darkness.
(1:06:12) Psalm 69 teaches that God will bless and help us, but we are also here to be tested. “Deliver me out of the mire and let me not sink.” Psalm 70 is a prayer to God for deliverance.
(1:09:35) Psalm 72 portrays the coronation of the king. Isaiah 61 contains all five essential parts of the ancient coronation ceremony.
(1:14:31) Psalm 74 shows God’s conflict with the dragon and the sea. Creation and order come out of chaos.
(1:15:32) Psalm 77 and 78 retell the story of Moses, a mighty king who carried Israel out of Egypt. This establishes his legitimacy and is tied to the temple drama and God’s sovereignty on earth. We must teach our children.
(1:21:03) Psalm 82 portrays the Council of the Gods, or the council before the world was. Jesus quotes this passage, “Ye are gods and children of the Most High.”
(1:27:13) Psalm 85 teaches that truth will spring out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
(1:30:56) Psalm 86 highlights King David as he begs for forgiveness. David works to repent by reconnecting with God.

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The post Ep 386 | Psalms 49-86, Come Follow Me 2026 (August 24-30) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) The historical background and purpose of the Psalms.
(02:14) Many scholars assert that several of the Psalms were used in Israel’s temple worship, especially during the first temple period. They can be divided into hymns of praise, pleas for help or laments, and thanksgiving songs.
(08:44) Some LDS scholars see the setting of the Psalms directly connected to the temple.
(15:13) In Psalm 1 the Tree of Life is seen, similar to Nephi’s dream in 1 Nephi 8-11.
(17:14) Psalm 2 is an enthronement Psalm. The king is set on a holy hill in Zion and is adopted as a Son of God.
(20:36) By making a covenant with God, the king is given the promise of invulnerability. This is both literal and symbolic.
(23:35) Psalm 8 depicts God’s glorious creations. We are central in his creations.
(26:21) “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels”. The original Hebrew text states that man is “a little lower than the Elohim.”
(29:28) Psalm 19 emphasizes the laws of the Lord, portraying the law as “sweeter than honeycomb.”
(31:37) Psalm 20 is a plea for help. We receive increased divine attention when we go to the temple.
(33:02) Psalm 21 portrays the king receiving the requested blessing, as he comes before the Lord and receives a crown in his presence.
(36:29) Psalm 22 describes the Messiah’s battle with evil. We are given a glimpse into the Savior’s struggle in Gethsemane and Golgotha as he cries out during the day and the night. Justin, in his dialogue with Trypho, connects the sufferer’s cry in Psalm 22 with Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane.
(42:28) Jesus, though mocked while on the cross, did not revile against those who ridiculed him.
(45:31) The Bulls of Bashan compass the Messiah. His bones are out of joint, he is poured out like water, and his hands and feet are pierced.
(51:36) The Savior’s post-mortal ministry in the spirit world.
(56:50) Psalm 23 shows the plan of salvation in the pattern of a three-act play. The rod or staff is an extension of God.
(1:01:22) Changing the tenses of the verbs in Psalm 23 can provide additional application.
(1:05:03) Psalm 24, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?” As we demonstrate our trust in Jesus and are cleansed, we are promised we will one day come into the Father’s presence.
(1:07:45) Psalm 24 as a depiction of the ascent of the king coming into the hill of the Lord, with the priests and the Ark of the Covenant.
(1:08:58) Psalm 25 is an acrostic psalm. Psalm 29 portrays God’s victory over chaos as his “voice is upon the waters.”
(1:12:00) Psalm 40 describes how the king’s feet are established on the rock, a symbol of sacred kingship. The king prays for the tender mercies and the lovingkindness of the Lord.
(1:15:48) The song of redeeming love.
(1:20:14) Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.”

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The post Ep 385 | Psalms 1-46, Come Follow Me 2026 (August 17-23) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) An overview of the two parts of Job: the frame and the poem.
(07:31) In the frame, Job is described as a just and perfect man whose property and children are destroyed, yet he praises and blesses the Lord. In the end, he receives back more than he lost.
(16:53) The poem describes Job’s complaints. He even curses being born.
(22:42) Three friends come to “comfort” Job. How to properly engage with someone who is suffering. Rigid orthodoxies and a lack of true empathy can destroy relationships.
(34:52) Our capacity for joy is connected to pain.
(40:20) When we can’t see the purpose of pain, we can still trust in God’s wisdom. It is not possible for mortals to entirely understand his plan. After Job’s revelatory experience with God, his perspective changes.
(46:39) The ideology of the Deuteronomist is challenged in the poem. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? The answers may not come in this life, but pain will ultimately be resolved in “the third act.”
(53:19) Jesus, our Redeemer, will overcome all the injustices of mortality.
(1:00:25) Another way to see Job 19.25. The redeemer in this alternate reading is Job’s defender who will one day come and vindicate him, and will defend his statements regarding the injustice of God.
(1:03:29) A hymn to wisdom and then Job’s final speech. The Lord speaks to Job about his mighty works. God’s creative power and wisdom far exceed the Behemoth and the Leviathan.
(1:09:22) The book of Job can also be read as a temple text, a journey that returns Job back into God’s presence.

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The post Ep 384 | Job, Come Follow Me 2026 (August 10-16) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) A brief overview of these chapters.
(07:23) King Ahasuerus seeks a new queen and Esther is put forth by her uncle Mordecai. He compels Esther to not reveal her Jewish heritage to the king. She is chosen as the new queen.
(14:42) The villainous Haman arranges to get the king to sign a decree to kill all the Jews in the kingdom.
(16:28) Xerxes is depicted as an unwitting king, as are other kings in the Bible.
(19:07) Esther is determined to approach the king for his help, even at the risk of her life. Mordecai tells Esther that she is born for this time and in this kingdom to save her people. The Jews fast to be saved from Haman’s decree.
(25:17) Esther tells the king her true identity as a Jew and also Haman’s evil plot to destroy them. Haman is hanged on his own gallows by order of the king.
(27:12) Mordecai is honored, Queen Esther gets the house of Haman, and a decree is made to preserve the Jews.
(28:38) The Jews have rest from their enemies. The house of Haman is destroyed as collective punishment for his crimes. The Feast of Purim is instituted to commemorate their deliverance.
(32:44) Mordecai, the Jew, stands next to the king in power and might.

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The post Ep 383 | Esther, Come Follow Me 2026 (August 3-9) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

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(00:00) King Cyrus of Persia overtakes Babylon. He believes the Jewish people Babylon conquered should be able to go home.
(01:51) The books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide brief accounts of the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and Jeshua work alongside the Jews and inspire them as they rebuild. Haggai and Zechariah are prophets during this time.
(04:29) The historical timeline of Second Temple Judaism. There is emphasis among the Jews on keeping the Law. Many apocalyptic texts, though preserved and read by some, are not made canon.
(08:32) Our enemies may try to discourage, mock, and conspire against the rebuilding of Zion, but this work will continue even if at times it seems to falter.
(24:30) The people of the land that opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem were the Samaritans. They also read Torah, believed in Moses’ prophetic mission, and loved God. They offered to help rebuild the Jerusalem temple, but were forbidden. The Lord needs people outside the church to help.
(33:44) How we should respond to opposition as we rebuild Zion.
(42:32) George Q. Cannon relates the experience of building the Nauvoo Temple during great persecution. We should defend the faith as we build the kingdom.
(49:10) The work of rebuilding is accomplished through the guidance of prophets. Sacrifices and feasts commence again during the Second Temple Period.

→ For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here.

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The post Ep 382 | Ezra; Nehemiah, Come Follow Me 2026 (July 27-August 2) appeared first on Talking Scripture.