The request that God speed His intervention is not a complaint about slowness so much as a free expression of the writer’s acute sense of need. Everywhere the Bible encourages believers to speak openly with God about feelings, moods, and attitudes. The God of the Bible is not like
Continue reading IS IT ALL RIGHT TO ASK GOD TO “SPEED IT UP”?
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (JOB 1:6-22 “THE DEVIL AND GOD HAVE A TALK”)
Whether in connection with climate or siege, famine was clearly one of the worst experiences in the ancient world (1 Kings 8:37). The purchase of food would first consume all a person’s precious metal, then livestock, and finally even the land they relied on the produce food, putting its former owners into virtual servitude (Gen 47:13-22). Jeremiah vividly describes the circumstances in which hunger pangs could no longer be endured in silence but were given
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (FAMINE PT2)
THE OLD TESTAMENT PRESPECTIVE ON SIN: The OT has a rich vocabulary for sin. Some fifty terms provide the nuances of sin through the OT. Chata‘ means “to miss the mark,” as does the Greek hamartia. The word could be used to describe a person shooting a bow and arrow and
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (SIN PT2)34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (JOHN 8:34-38)
Yes, God decides to prosper some nations (Old Testament Israel most dramatically) at the expense of neighboring nations (three are mentioned in this psalm). As land is limited, when God gives land to Israel, it must come at someone’s expense. In this case, Canaanite fiefdoms “lose.” in that sense, some nations are put down.
Continue reading DOES GOD “PUT DOWN” CERTAIN NATIONS?
King Sennacherib of Assyria had a huge army and ruled a large empire. And he was determined to add Judah to the list of nations under his control. He believed that no one could resist his demands-after all. Assyria had never lost a war, and Judah was a small nation. But Sennacherib failed to realize that Judah was different-it’s king, Hezekiah, depended on the Lord to fight Judah’s battles.
Continue reading DID YOU KNOW THAT AN ANGEL ONCE DESTROYED AN ENTIE ARMY?
Yet another reason for seeking a concubine was to demonstrate control over the assets and legacy of a father or king. Reuben attempted to force the hand of Jacob into declaring him the primary heir of the family by sleeping with his father’s concubine (Gen 35:22). The same happened in royal circles. Abner, Absalom, and Adonijah all either slept with a king’s concubine or attempted to do so in order to advance their legitimacy as a royal figure (2 Sam 3:7; 16:21-22; 1 Kings 2:17, 21-25).
Continue reading EVERDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (CONCUBINE PT2)
Mentioned in numerous Old Testament passages, the concubine was not a prostitute but an auxiliary marriage partner who was both similar to and different from the wife. She was similar in that the Bible describes her marriage partner as her “husband” and includes her along with sons, daughters, and wives as a member of the ancient household (Judg 20:4-6; 2 Sam 19:5).
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The story of Judas Iscariot may be the most unsettling cautionary talk in all of Scripture. For three years Judas spent practically every day in the presence of the Son of God-experiencing his miracles, listening to his teachings, and watching him change lives and give hope to multitudes.
Continue reading MEN OF THE BIBLE (JUDAS, ISCARIOT)