He has declared to you, O man, what is good. Micah 6:8 Declared – Context, context, context. Far too often we lift a verse from its culture and history when we apply it to extraneous theological topics. In this case, while it is certainly true that God does determine what is good, Micah is not…
But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for YHWH, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.” 1 Chronicles 21:24 Costs Me Nothing – Nancy Pearcey makes an astounding application of David’s principle. She says, “The…
“For you shall not worship any other god, for YHWH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” Exodus 34:14 Worship – In order to avoid idolatry, we must know what it means to worship. This might seem like a fairly simple thing, but we soon discover that it isn’t. One problem is our rationality…
Thus the priest shall make expiation for them, and they shall be forgiven. Leviticus 4:20 Expiation – For centuries we have heard Christian theologians proclaim that forgiveness comes by grace alone. Pastors and professors have driven a wedge between the teaching of Leviticus and the words of Paul. The Jews were under the “law.” Christians…
and you shall say to him, “YHWH the God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Send away My people, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness.” Exodus 7:16 Serve – What if this verse said, “so that they may work for Me”? Would that shift your understanding of God’s purpose? …
He satisfies the thirsty soul and He fills the hungry soul with good. Psalm 107:9 With Good – Did you expect that? Wouldn’t we expect the psalmist to say, “He fills the hungry soul with food?” After all, isn’t this verse about what we need to survive? The Hebrew mi le-tov is literally “He satisfies…
And He sold them into the hands of the Philistines Judges 10:7 Commodity Exchange Sold – Prognostication is a useful art. It’s too bad that we’re not more adept at it. Unfortunately, when it comes to foretelling, most human attempts are nothing more than trial and error, with lots of error. Fortunately, God’s prognostication is…
“Sunday Worship Service: 8:45 and 11:00 AM”. The Reader-Board in front of the church announced the times for congregational assemblies. Most of us think of this as “worship”, an English colloquialism that dominates the mindset of the religious devotees. Part of the regulated organization of life. Not for everyone (anymore) but at least for those…
Sometimes the teacher is more in need than the pupils. For quite awhile, I have been disturbed by the experience of worship. My wife and I have gone to many different church buildings (I deliberately use this expression to make the distinction between the church as an assembly of God believers and the place where…
Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Genesis 22:5 Worship – How unfortunate it is that we are confined with this English translation of the verb hishtahavah. Yes, it’s true that Abraham took Isaac…
