John 4:25-26: The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
These two verses are part of the account in John’s Gospel of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. He admitted openly to her that He was the Messiah, the deliverer whom God had been promising to send to His people for hundreds of years.
Continue reading NAMES OF GOD (MESSIAH)
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (JAMES 3:13-18)
Moses learned an important lesson about violence and anger here. In the first case, he observed violence against a fellow Israelite and responded by killing the perpetrator. Clearly, other options were open to him: reporting the misdeed, using his position to bring the power of the state to bear against the perpetrator, advocating a change in state labor laws. In the second case, he intervened when some annoying shepherds pestered a group of young women, This time he did not kill but drove off the nuisances.
Continue reading IS VIOLENCE OKAY WHEN FIGHTING VIOLENCE?
The Ten Commandments remind children to honor their parents. Paul applies this command here by teaching that honor begins with obedience. Paul’s reason is not that parents are always right or because children owe some debt to parents, but because obedience toward parents pleases the Lord.
Continue reading HOW SHOULD CHILDREN TREAT PARENTS?
Solomon’s bride, the Shulamite, is speaking in this verse. In an age when women prized pure white skin, she was a country girl whose skin had been darkened by long exposure to the sun.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (SEEING BENEATH THE SURFACE)
1.Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (1 CORITHIANS 13:1-13 “THE GREATEST GIFT”)
NEW TESTAMENT – The contrasting elements of wisdom and folly evident in the OT were clearly in the mind of Paul when he asked, “Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? (1 Cor 1:20b HCSB). However, in the NT, this polarity between wisdom and folly is not always stressed. In fact, it is possible that a certain kind of wisdom can actually be folly. In Matt 7:26;2-3; Rom 2:20 “folly” is used synonymously with “experiential wisdom.” Wisdom based only on human intellect and experiences without considering God is folly.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (FOOL, FOOLISHNESS, AND FOLLY PT 2 OF 2)
Apart from these examples of literally raising hands, we also find biblical examples of this action in two related figures of speech. The mutinous revolt against established authority is described as raising one’s hand against a sitting ruler. Shortly after David survived the coup attempt of Absalom, Sheba initiated a revolt against David (2 Sam 20:1). Joab characterized this act of aggression by stating that Sheba had “lifted up his hand against the king” (2 Sam 20:21; 18:28; Ezra 6:12). The violence behind this figure of speech is also present in the figurative
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (HAND “TO RAISE OR STRETCH OUR” PT 2 OF 3)
God designed human sexuality. Like everything else God created, it was originally perfect and innocent. But after human fell into sin, sex became a source of confusion and perversion.
Continue reading WHY IS SEXUAL SIN SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE?
In this verse, Amos charged the wealthy class of the nation of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) with oppression the poor and worshiping pagan gods.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (OPPRESSION OF THE POOR)