We trace the meaning of Yahweh from Exodus 3 to John 8 and ask what God’s holy name demands of our worship, language, and daily lives. We wrestle with suffering, the seeker-sensitive drift, and why awe must return to the center of the church.
• Yahweh as God’s covenant name and self-existence
• Reverence for the Name and careful speech
• Worship drift from holiness to approval seeking
• Suffering, sovereignty, and counting it joy
• Practical ways to recover awe in worship
Episode Transcript
Main Thing Podcast with Pastor Steve, equipping you
to respond and thrive in theworld we live in today.
Keep the main thing the mainthing has been a saying that
Pastor Steve has told fordecades.
It means no matter what ishappening around us, Jesus is
what we need to have front andcenter in our lives.
There couldn't be a morepowerful reminder for us to
recall in today's divisive anddark culture.
(00:24):
From foundational truths andscripture to the hot topics of
today's culture.
Allow this podcast to inspireand motivate you on your faith
journey.
Alright, well, good morning,Pastor Steve.
Good morning.
Glad to be here with you again.
SPEAKER_03 (00:37):
Good to be here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:38):
The last three episodes we're with Pastor Brent
about the history of the church.
And so now we're gonna changegears a little bit and look over
some names of God.
Through my research, I wasreminded that there are over a
thousand names of God thatdescribe his characteristics and
his attributes.
And Yahweh, that we're gonnatalk about today, um, is used
(01:00):
over 6,000 times in the HebrewBible.
So uh it's significant.
So let's let's dig in.
I want to read Exodus three andJohn eight, fifty-eight, and
then we'll we'll jump intogether.
All right.
So Exodus three, ten throughfifteen, therefore go, I am
sending you to Pharaoh, so thatyou may lead my people, the
Israelites, out of Egypt.
(01:21):
But Moses asked God, Who am Ithat I should go to Pharaoh and
that I should bring theIsraelites out of Egypt?
He answered, I will certainly bewith you, and this will be the
sign to you that I am the onewho sent you when you bring the
people out of Egypt.
You will all worship God at thismountain.
Then Moses asked God, If I am togo to Israelites and say to
(01:41):
them, The God of your ancestorshas sent to me, sent me to you,
and they asked me, What is hisname?
What should I tell them?
God replied to Moses, I am who Iam.
This is what you are to say tothe Israelites, I am has sent me
to you.
God also said to Moses, Say thisto the Israelites The Lord, the
God of your ancestors, the Godof Abraham, the God of Isaac,
(02:03):
and the God of Jacob has sent meto you.
This is my name forever.
This is how I am to beremembered in every generation.
And we also see in John 8 58,Jesus said to them, Truly I tell
you, before Abraham was, I am.
So we get this idea of God beingeternally existent.
He he didn't have a beginningand he doesn't have an end.
(02:26):
And um, so let's dig into justsome questions to talk about
this a little more, Pastor.
What what does the name Yahwehreveal about God's nature and
his relationship with hispeople?
SPEAKER_03 (02:38):
Yeah, there's there's a there's a lot there.
Um God's nature is such thatbecause he is not created, he is
not dependent on anything oranyone, uh, he does not need us.
We need him.
SPEAKER_01 (02:54):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (02:55):
And so the word originally was Y-H-W-H.
There was no vowels in it.
And um, so if you read that inthe Hebrew, it doesn't say I am
that I am, it says y'all.
Yeah, you know, uh, which andthat's what it means.
I am that I am, uh, I will be uhwhat I am.
(03:19):
And um so they they oftenreferred to him uh as Jehovah or
and Adonai we're gonna talkabout in the next session
because they had such reverencefor the name of God that that
they would not even speak it.
(03:40):
And so uh I I think it speaksvolumes to where we are in
today's world.
Well, we we throw God's namearound very casually.
Uh, but the Jews had suchreverence for the name of God
that they wouldn't even speak itout loud.
SPEAKER_00 (03:58):
Right.
And it's interesting, and Idon't know if you ever heard of
the uh plugged in.
It's uh focused on the family.
They they look at movies and domovie reviews, and anytime we
before we watch a movie, we justcheck it out just to see what
it's about.
And um the even the PG movies,like just normally you'll see
(04:19):
blaspheme, you know, using God'sname.
And it's like you said, it'sused so flippantly in our
culture.
And uh so do you think that'sbecause we have removed
ourselves so far from God as aculture, or is it because it's
just been desensitized andnormalized?
SPEAKER_03 (04:37):
And I think some of both.
I think, I think um uh I wouldexpect a pagan, someone who
doesn't know God, uh, doesn'thave a relationship with God, to
either out of ignorance or avain mind to use God's name in
negative ways.
Uh, but with within theChristian community, I think
(05:01):
we've we've become very casualum about our faith in general,
and that leads to a casualapproach to the holiness of God,
the majesty of God, who he is.
And so we even as Christianssometimes uh will use his name
(05:21):
in very casual ways, if notprofane ways, ourselves, uh,
without a real understanding uhof of the majesty of God.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:32):
Right.
We we talk you talked aboutthis, you mentioned how the name
Yahweh was too sacred topronounce.
Um and and in our reverencetoday, I was raised in a
liturgical denomination.
So it was taught very early on.
I can remember, you know, whenyou're in church, you're silent,
you're you you treat theholiness of God in a very
(05:53):
reverent way.
What has made us lose ourreverence today in worship in
all denominations?
SPEAKER_03 (06:02):
I think it's multifaceted.
I think one of the problems iswe have become so seeker
sensitive.
Um we we want to attract thosewho are not in God's family in
an effort to grow.
That we we become very much likesecular marketers.
(06:26):
We're interested in appeasingthem, appealing to them, wanting
them to be happy with theproduct, if you will.
And that's not at all who weought to be.
We always want to be sensitiveto lost people.
We want them to know that we'rehappy, they're here, we love
them, we care for them.
But I think we have goneoverboard in this effort to make
(06:49):
people happy.
I I'll give you an example.
I remember when we we firststarted uh getting into the uh
social media digital thing hereat church, and and all of a
sudden we allowed people to putreviews.
Now, I don't want to say that weshouldn't be interested in being
(07:10):
evaluated, but we do that as ateam with each other, I think,
pretty well.
But if a lost person comes tochurch and does not meet God
that day, their reviews probablywon't be that great.
SPEAKER_02 (07:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (07:27):
You know?
Uh so if you start worryingabout how many likes you get or
how people feel about you, uh, Ithink you get away from the
importance of why we're here.
A worship service is for thefamily of God to give praise and
thanksgiving to holy God.
SPEAKER_01 (07:48):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (07:49):
Uh and everything else is secondary to that.
And so I think as the church,we've we've gotten off the
tracks a little bit out into theweeds, if you will, uh, and we
forget.
I think what I'm saying is Ithink it's our own fault.
SPEAKER_00 (08:06):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (08:07):
Uh you can't blame us on a lost culture because we
we control how we do church, wecontrol uh how we view God.
And I think we're the onesthat's allowed it.
You know, I'm I'm not one towear a coat and tie.
Never have been.
I think the guy who invented thetie ought to be dug up and they
(08:28):
ought to hang him again withone, you know.
But with that said, R.
C.
Sproull, who was the greatReformed theologian, uh makes a
really good case that you shouldnever come before the Lord
casually in any way.
Attitude, dress, your yourgiving, your offering.
(08:52):
Um all of those are importantelements when you come before
the King of Kings.
Right.
You know.
And so I I think a lot of it iswe've just kind of gotten this
American attitude uh that we cando whatever we want and God's
okay with it.
SPEAKER_00 (09:09):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I was just um this is this iscoming from a plethora of
studies, not one in particular,but uh newer studies are coming
out, especially within the lastsix months, that the millennial
generation and the Gen Zgeneration are actually tired of
that seeker-sensitive movementin churches and they're seeking
more of an authentic, genuineworship experience.
(09:30):
Yes.
And so that that's encouragingto see.
SPEAKER_03 (09:32):
It's very encouraging.
You know, Sproul said, you know,I've always taken the attitude,
uh, look, we're just glad you'rehere.
Yeah.
Sproul said, trust me, uh, youwould not come before holy God
in your shorts and flip-flops.
You know, I mean, you just butuh there's Sundays I walk in
(09:53):
here and people walk by and I'mlike, oh boy, you know, here we
go.
So uh I mean I'm convinced we'vegot some that come in their
pajamas.
They don't even get dressed,yeah, you know, to come.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:06):
How did Yahweh's worship develop uh from local
tribal devotion?
What I mean by that is there aresome theologians that say uh
Yahweh, there were little G godsthat were called Yahweh, but
obviously we know that Yahwehestablished his name uh with his
(10:26):
people.
But how did it become, how didthe the Israelites become this
group of people, this body ofbelievers that worship the one
true God?
And how did they get to theplace where it was incorporated
in all facets of their life?
SPEAKER_03 (10:44):
Well, the Lord made it clear to them that Yahweh was
his covenant name.
I'll be your God, you'll be mypeople.
And so with them from the verybeginning, this is important
because in the history of theworld, Judaism was the first
ever monotheistic religion.
(11:06):
Yes.
And so for the first time ever,there's this rebuttal of
multiple gods, a God for theweather, a God for the crops, a
God for fertility, you know, allthese things.
And there was one, and and it'srepeated often throughout
scripture, one true God, thereal God, the the actual God.
(11:29):
And um, so yeah, it was anentire retraining uh of the
human mind and how they lookedat deity.
SPEAKER_00 (11:38):
Right.
Right.
I funny side note, just remindsme of all the the little pins my
grandma used to give me, youknow, like this saint will
protect you from wrecks, and Ihad that in my car, and like
this saint will protect you fromany injury.
And I would have it just whenyou said that, it reminded me of
that, how sometimes we still dothat today in certain faiths.
(12:00):
Um, why Pastor Steve, why doesGod's name matter for covenant
and identity?
SPEAKER_03 (12:08):
Oh goodness, because it it identifies the greatness
of God, which is hard for us tocomprehend.
He's self-sufficient, he's wholein and of himself, he lacks
nothing.
Uh, he is everything.
Um, and as I said earlier, hedoes not need us, he desires us.
SPEAKER_01 (12:30):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (12:30):
Uh we need him.
And so ironically, a humaneither desires God or he
doesn't, you know.
Uh, and so it's important whenwe talk about God's name to
understand what that nameencapsulates.
Um, it you you could go on fordays about what it means.
(12:51):
Uh, you know, he is adequate inevery way in everything we need.
Amen.
In every part of our life, he issufficient uh in totality for
our lives.
And so, yeah, that's why it'simportant.
SPEAKER_00 (13:07):
And it's it's interesting, it seems like
believers know that, but theysay, Yes, that plus, I need
this.
Yes, that plus, I need that.
SPEAKER_03 (13:17):
This is the battle cry of I want to be careful how
I say this because I don't wantto lump people, but I find it
the battle cry of the retrainedmind.
Uh, the Christian who has boughtinto the secular truths as
(13:39):
they're perceived.
Uh I'm a Christian, I love holyGod, but I believe in science,
therefore, evolution must betrue.
Uh I'm a Christian, I believe inGod, I know He's sufficient for
me, but I really need mycounselor.
And I'm not putting down any ofthose people.
(14:00):
I'm just saying that you hearthat yeah but comment, that
conjunction comes from so manyChristians' mouths these days.
You know, I I just listened toRick Warren's testimony on his
son Matthew, who had mentalillness, who had clinical
depression, and battled it formany years.
(14:23):
And he told his dad, he said,Dad, uh I don't get it.
You raised me in a godly home,you and mom, wonderful parents.
You've always taught me to trustthe Lord, and I do, yet I've got
these issues and I can't I can'tbreak them.
And and he prayed for healingfor years, and God never healed
(14:44):
him.
And um ironically, the secularstuff never healed him either,
right?
So Rick Warren goes on to talkabout uh, and this is this is
where I think the prime premisecomes in that gets us off track.
Uh we believe somehow or anotherthe secular answers give us
(15:08):
something the spiritual doesnot.
SPEAKER_01 (15:10):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (15:10):
Right?
And what Rick Warren talksabout, they did the medications,
they did the counseling, theythey did all of that, you know.
And their son still committedsuicide.
SPEAKER_01 (15:22):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (15:22):
And he goes on to talk about the fact is, in God's
sovereignty, in his wisdom, uh,he intends that everyone will
not be healed.
Some people with mental illness,it doesn't matter.
Physical illness, it doesn'tmatter.
But what is the point of that?
(15:43):
You glorify and honor God whereyou are, whether you're healed
or not.
Right.
See, and that's the part we wewe don't like to accept that
part.
SPEAKER_01 (15:56):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (15:56):
The idea that I have multiple sclerosis and God won't
heal me with Joni Tata Ericksonhas lived 70 years, 50 of that,
as a quadriplegic, and and givesGod honor and glory every day.
And she tells the great story ofgoing to the healing rallies
(16:18):
with the faith healers, andthey'd always put the
wheelchairs over on the cornerand out of the building away
from the cameras, and they'dhave people get healed.
And she said, I used to sitthere and go, hey, we could use
a healing over in the wheelchairsection, you know.
Uh, and she very powerfullysays, I came to a realization
(16:39):
God doesn't intend to heal me.
Do I still pray for healingevery day?
But he wants me to bless him andhis majesty and his greatness
just like I am.
SPEAKER_01 (16:52):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (16:53):
You know, so our problem is, and this is for
some, this will be considered avery mean way to say it.
We've become so soft in ourfaith that if we don't get the
healing, something's wrong withGod.
SPEAKER_00 (17:10):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (17:11):
And that's just not true.
SPEAKER_00 (17:14):
Yeah.
No, that's good.
And I mean, you've read theFox's Book of Martyrs.
Yes.
I remember you saying, I mean,when you look at the suffering
that so many have gone before ushave gone through, they've most
of them praised God through it,even though it was extreme pain,
extreme suffering, extremepersecution.
And uh to me, that's real faith.
(17:36):
And would you say our culture,our society has allowed us to be
so comfortable that it's hardfor us to even imagine that kind
of faith?
SPEAKER_03 (17:45):
Yeah, that's why everybody's melting down over
Charlie Kirk.
And look, I I was very upsetover what happened to Charlie
Kirk, but I said this in churcha few weeks ago.
Over 50,000 Nigerians have beenkilled in the last few years
because they believed in Jesus.
Thousands of churches burned tothe ground.
SPEAKER_00 (18:03):
Just attending church.
SPEAKER_03 (18:04):
Just for attending church.
In America, one guy gets killedand we're all melting down.
It's a statement of how, one,how blessed we are, but two, how
soft we are.
Uh, I'm I'm excited to see themovement that God's bringing
through this thing.
And to their credit, uh,Charlie's wife and those around
(18:25):
him, that that's what they prayfor, and they're promoting that,
okay, this is a horrible thingthat happened.
An evil person did this, andwe're praying God's going to use
it for his glory.
That's the proper response.
Uh, it's really sad that theaverage Christian, when
(18:45):
something terrible happens, isno different than the lost
person, and that the first thingout of their mouth is why.
SPEAKER_01 (18:52):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (18:53):
Why?
Well, if you really believe Godis sovereign king and on his
throne, uh you've you have tounderstand that you'll never
answer the why question thisside of heaven.
SPEAKER_01 (19:06):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (19:07):
So your natural response as a Christian uh in
Charlie Kirk's case, you canargue it was political, but he
was always very clear that inspite of his politics, he was a
born-again believer of JesusChrist first, always.
(19:28):
Uh he was killed for his faith.
He was killed for his faith.
SPEAKER_01 (19:32):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (19:33):
The guy that shot him talked about his hatred
because he wouldn't accept theLGBTQ community.
Well, scripture is very clearabout that, right?
And we got a whole bunch ofChristians who who won't accept
what scripture teaches.
It's one of the reasons we're inthe place we've been in America,
(19:54):
it's one of the reasons hundredsof churches are closing weekly
in America, God's writtenIchabod above their door, and
He's not gonna bless them.
SPEAKER_01 (20:02):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (20:03):
Uh, but they think they get to define it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:06):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (20:07):
See?
So the proper response of thebeliever when suffering, what
does James say?
Count it joy.
SPEAKER_02 (20:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (20:17):
Count it joy when you get to suffer for the cause
of Christ.
Uh that doesn't mean we don'thave to go through a season of
grieving and hurt.
I mean, yeah, uh but I I and Iforget the guy, uh one one of
one of the uh popes uh of no, itwas one of the emperors assigned
(20:39):
a guy to study the Christians inthe first century.
Popes hadn't existed yet.
So France.
SPEAKER_00 (20:47):
Yeah, I think it was France, if I remember correctly.
SPEAKER_03 (20:50):
Yeah, and and he went back and he gave the report
when when these people have ababy born, they celebrate.
And if the baby dies, theycelebrate.
Yeah, thanking God for theopportunity to have had the
baby.
He said, These are some strangepeople.
Well, everything in scriptureteaches us we're strange people,
(21:10):
right?
We don't fit this world, soprobably the greatest judgment
on us is that we fit so well inthis world.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (21:23):
How can understanding who Yahweh is and
what the name means deepen ourintimacy with him?
SPEAKER_03 (21:33):
You know, you go back to the Old Testament, you
think about the Holy of Holies.
You didn't even approach theHoly of Holies.
And and when a priest would goin to offer up sacrifices,
they'd tie a rope around oneleg.
So if God killed him, they coulddrag him out.
SPEAKER_01 (21:49):
Right.
SPEAKER_03 (21:49):
Not go in and get killed themselves, right?
That's what Sproul says.
Sproul says if you walked intothe Holy of Holies and your
flip-flops and shorts, you'd bedead.
You'd be dead.
You know?
And so I I I think I think thatwe just really don't comprehend
the awesome nature of who Godis, and that his name represents
(22:13):
that awesome nature of who heis.
It's beyond, first of all, evenfor those of us who've studied
in college and seminary, thethings of God and God and all of
the history in the background,it it's hard for us to
comprehend.
And so I don't know that that ashumans we possibly can really
(22:35):
comprehend the majesty of God.
I've always loved that songMajesty.
Yeah.
Um, you know, because I thoughtfor a long time uh as the church
we we didn't quite get it.
And that's that song had a greatimpact on America.
Um and um so so I I I think thatwe have to make an effort to
(22:58):
understand what when we sayYahweh, what does it mean?
Yeah, how does it how does itaffect me?
How do I approach it?
How do I think about it?
Um and so most Americans todaywe want the short version.
Let me go to chat GTP.
(23:20):
Is it GTP?
GPT.
I don't use it, so yeah.
Let me go to chat GTP and getthe quick answer.
Yeah.
Um yeah.
unknown (23:29):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:31):
It's uh I I think it's shaped that quick answer
has shaped a whole generation ortwo.
SPEAKER_03 (23:36):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (23:37):
And um because I'm part of that generation.
I like the quick answer.
And the days of when you want ananswer, go listen to an hour and
a half long lecture, read forfive hours to study seems to be
gone in our generation.
It's gone.
Yeah.
And and that's dangerous becauseyou get you get bits, you don't
(23:58):
get the full context.
And when you're readingscripture, you need the full
context.
And we've kind of got to in thisrhythm of, well, I don't need
the context, just let me seewhat I want to see and then move
on.
Yes, you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (24:11):
Well, we see this at our school all the time.
Um, a kid would go to AI andwrite a report, and the
teacher's reading it, and it'sobvious.
I've heard this kid talk, he canwrite this, you know, and when
they confront the student, thestudent's response will be,
Well, is it correct?
Did I get the right thing?
(24:32):
You know, this concept of ethicsin the study is gone.
Yeah, totally gone.
I remember writing a paper incollege on monasticism, and I
had out of about 18 sources,about 12 of them were religious
encyclopedias.
And I got a B on the paperbecause I used encyclopedias,
(24:58):
which would have been consideredthe quick answer rather than
delving through the hundreds ofpages of, and look, my
generation, it was Cliff Notes.
And I would always in myliterature classes go read the
Cliff Notes first because ithelped me better understand when
I read the material.
(25:18):
Um, and and so it has a place,um, but I'm seeing a lot of
studies saying it's gonnaincredibly dumb down the human
brain.
So that there's a scary side toit too.
SPEAKER_00 (25:33):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (25:33):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:35):
Well, Pastor Steve, one last thing, um, when talking
about the names of God, ifthere's if there's one thing you
could say to encourage thelisteners, encourage the church
about the name of Yahweh and howthey can respond to it, what
would your response be?
SPEAKER_03 (25:50):
Remember his name is holy.
It's holy.
Uh careful how you use it.
Um, you know, I think weobviously know people that use
it in um phrases of of cussingor the proper way cursing.
Um, but even as Christians, uh II think statements like, oh God,
(26:14):
I I I think we need to becareful with those.
We need to remember um theholiness of his name, uh, even
to the point of the ancient Jewsto be careful how we speak it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:28):
Right.
Yes.
Amen.
Amen.
Well, appreciate you, brother.
Thank you.
Thank you.
All right, y'all have a goodone.
See you on the next one.
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The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.