While Jesus was teaching near the temple, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who was accused of adultery. Under the Old Testament law, death by stoning was the prescribed punishment for any person who committed this sin.
Continue reading THE CHARGE AGAINST A SINFUL WOMAN
The Jews believed that God sometimes sent angels in disguise to test whether people were obeying the law of hospitality. They knew that this had happened to Abraham (Genesis 18:2-13) and to Gideon (Judges 6:17-22), and they believed therefore that the same thing might happen to them (Hebrews 13:2). This style of thinking gave rise to problems as well as opened the way for revelation. Many Jews thought that if they were in the house of God then they would be under God’s protection, and as a result tended to be careless in their daily living (Jeremiah 7:14). They did not realize that the glory of God had departed from the Temple and that it was no longer, therefore, the house of God (Ezekiel 11:23).
Continue reading MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN THE BIBLE (ANGELS UNAWEAR)
If the scholars are right, don’t expect pearly gates, golden streets, and jasper walls-even though that’s what John, wirter of the book of Revelation, said he saw in his vision of heaven.
Continue reading WHO’S WHO AND WHERE’S WHERE IN THE BIBLE (WHAT HEAVEN IS LIKE?)
15 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (MATTHEW 25:1-15)
Manasseh, king of Judah (697 – 642 BC), built altars in Jerusalem for all the “host of heaven” (2 Kings 21:5). He attempted to merge the worship of other gods with the worship of Yahweh. Manasseh’s efforts were reversed when Josiah came to the throne (2 Kings 23:7).
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (HOST OF HEAVEN PT 2 OF 2)
After His birth in a stable in Bethlehem, the baby Jesus was placed in a manger, a feeding trough for livestock. This manger may have been hewed out of rock. Stone mangers about tree feet long, eighteen inches wide, and two feet deep have been discovered in the ruins of King Ahab’s stables at the ancient city of Megiddo.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (A KING IN A STABLE)
“Fellowship” translates the Greek word koinonia, meaning association, communion, and close relationship. It implies participation in a mutual task and sharing possessions. In Christ, believers are able to enjoy this kind of intimacy with God and with fellow Christians.
Continue reading WHAT DOES “FELLOWSHIP” MEAN?1Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (JOSHUA 22:1-9)
King Daivd’s great-grandmother got her husband by sneaking into his bed with him after he fell asleep.
Continue reading WHO’S WHO AND WHERE’S WHERE IN THE BIBLE (RUTH)
The metalsmith has a very old pedigree. Cain was a smith, and it was one of his descendants, Tubal-Cain, who was described as “the forger of instruments of bronze and iron” (Genesis 4:17,22). Cain was the father of the Midianite tribe of Kenites who seem to have been involved in many aspects of Israel’s history (see, for example Genesis 15:19; 1 Samuel 15:6). They appear to have exploited the copper of the Sinai with the Egyptians. Artifacts of Kenite metalworking have yielded much of the archaeological information we know concerning ancient metal-working.
Continue reading MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BIBLE (WORKERS WITH METAL)