21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (NUMBERS 5:21-24)
There’s only one sentence of prophecy in this book. And it turns out wrong: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4).
Never happened.
Continue reading THE PROPHECY THAT DOESN’T COME TRUE
The woman guilty of sexual misconduct was to lose her capacity for childbearing. This was a fearsome penalty indeed, for women in the ancient Near East established their sense of personal value and esteem on one activity only-bearing and raising children. Education, business, military status, community leadership-none of these were open to women; motherhood was everything.
Continue reading WHAT IS THE SICKNESS THAT PUNISHES ADULTEROUS WOMEN?
Elizabeth, mentioned only in Luke’s Gospel, was married to a priest named Zechariah. “Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord” (Luke 1:6).
Yet in a culture where children were viewed as a primary evidence of God’s blessing, they were also childless. Elizabeth was unable to conceive. This barrenness was a source of deep disgrace to her (Luke 1:25). Only those who’ve suffered through fertility issues can fully appreciate the sting of all those unanswered prayers, the piercing pain of an empty nursery. Since Elizabeth and Zechariah “were well along in year” (Luke 1:7), it’s not unreasonable to assume that they had given up the hope of ever becoming parents. Continue reading WOMAN OF THE DAY (ELIXABETH: THE MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST)
Ehud killed the king of Moab, Eglon, by plunging a sword into his stomach. However Eglon’s death was a result of God’s punishment for oppressing the people of Israel for eighteen years. It is not a question of murder serving God’s will. Rather, God used Ehud Continue reading HOW DOES MURDER SERVE GOD’S WILL AND WIN GOD’S APPROVAL?