Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, traveled from his home area to bring his daughter Zipporah and her two sons back to Moses. After a joyful meeting, Moses told Jethro all that God had done to Egypt’s pharaoh and for Israel. Jethro praised God and recognized that He was above all other gods. Continue reading MEN OF THE BIBLE “JETHRO: WISE FATHER-IN-LAW”
It was customary among the Romans to scourge or flog a condemned criminal before he was executed. A scourage was a whip with sharp pieces of metal or bone imbedded in the leather. The back and chest of the criminal were struck repeatedly with this whip until the flesh was severely lacerated, sometimes all the way down to the bone. Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES “PUNISHMENT BY SCOURGING”
Israel’s greatest problem throughout its history was syncrestism-the mixing of pagan religion with worship of the true God. God judged Israel severely for failing to keep worship clean and pure. And one of the easiest inroads to Israel’s heart was through intermarriage with pagan peoples. Ezra knew this well, thus his vehement and emotional opposition to takign foreign spuses. Continue reading WHY WAS EZRA SO UPSET ABOUT MIXED MARRIAGE? EZRA 9
Job is a rich header-at least until a string of disaters take about every thing important to him.
In a single day, raiders and a freak firestorm take all of his llivestock-11,000 animals and kill his shepards. Worse, a windstorm destorys the house where Job’s 10 chirldren are eating together, killing every one of them. Later, sores erupt all over Job’s body. Continue reading WHY GOD LETS BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.