December 15, 2017. This is a continuation of The Divine Love series. For a full-text PDF, click here! What about justice? I think we must go on, however, with this understanding and framework to address what all this means for us, if anything. Sure, it is good to develop theology and to think well about…
Tag: mercy
Deuteronomy 29-31: A choice set before the people.
January 13, 2016. Reading: Deuteronomy 29-31. Background: Deuteronomy 26-28. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 29 The covenant renewed: Continuing to prepare the children of Israel to enter the promised land, Moses gathers them together here to remember and renew the covenant that their God had made with their fathers. He relays to them the great provision…
Psalm 142-144: Refuge.
December 30, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 142-144. Background: Psalm 139-141. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 142 The Lord as refuge: This psalm, attributed to David, is a cry and prayer of mercy and protection from the Lord. Notice how the psalmist puts his faith and trust in the Lord, even when he finds little refuge here…
Deuteronomy 4-6: Hear, O Israel.
November 16, 2015. Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 4-6. Background: Deuteronomy 1-3. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 4 The people of God: After going over their history in the past three chapters, Moses now turns to the people of God to command their obedience. They were about to enter the promised land, and Moses wanted to remind them…
John 7-8: Words of the I AM.
September 19, 2015. Daily Reading: John 7-8. Background: John 5-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 Jesus at the feast of booths: After Jesus gives some pretty hard teachings in the last chapter, we pick up here as He avoids going to Judea because He perceived that they were seeking to kill Him. The feast of…
Hosea 1-7: The prophet who’s life was an allegory.
September 18, 2015. Daily Reading: Hosea 1-7. Background: The book of Hosea is one of the 12 prophets in the Hebrew scriptures, and is the first of the minor prophets in the Old Testament (unless you make an argument that Daniel is a minor prophet, however Daniel’s prophecies are much different in nature and they…
Ezekiel 31-36: Prophecies against the nations, and Israel’s renewal.
August 14, 2015. Daily Reading: Ezekiel 31-36. Background: Ezekiel 25-30. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 31 Prophecy against Pharaoh: In this chapter, the word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel to give to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, on the things that will happen to him. Though the prophecy is directed towards Pharaoh, the oracle uses the…
Psalm 78-80: Learning from the past and pleading for deliverance.
July 8, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 78-80. Background: Psalm 75-77. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 78 Learning from the past: Psalm 78, of Asaph, is a psalm of remembrance and teaching of things that had transpired throughout Israel’s history that they should look to an learn from. History was often passed down through oral tradition, and…
Isaiah 62-66: A strong conclusion.
March 27, 2014. Daily Reading: Isaiah 62-66. Background: Isaiah 56-61. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 62 Coming salvation: At this time, Israel was in captivity and had been in this situation for some time. Now, the oracle turns to the thoughts of God, and His arousal to take vengeance for Israel, laying His mighty hand against this…
Genesis 44-47: Reunited.
March 23, 2015. Daily Reading: Genesis 44-47. Background: Genesis 40-43. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 44 Joseph tests his brothers: Just as in chapter 42, it is hard to speculate why Joseph chose to not tell his brothers who he was right away, but rather set up a trap for them as they went home so that…
Isaiah 29-33: Downfall, complacency and hope.
February 13, 2015. Daily Reading: Isaiah 29-33. Background: Isaiah 23-28. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 29 1. A spirit of deep sleep from the Lord: As with times before, this is yet another prophecy against Jerusalem for their disobedience and apostasy, foretelling of the calamity that was in store for them if they would not repent and…
The same God, Old and New.
December 29, 2014. Sometimes when we look at the allegedly striking differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament we can almost get two different pictures of God. We see His character in the Old Testament and usually focus on His righteous and wrathful side and then we flip over to the New Testament…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 