October 23, 2014. For my final class that I am teaching in Genesis this quarter, we are going to discuss a character that only gets three verses in the book of Genesis, but becomes very important in Christology, especially when discussing the priestly role of Christ. The story of Abram and Melchizedek is perhaps one…
Tag: messiah
Malachi 1-4: A message from God.
December 25, 2015. Daily Reading: Malachi 1-4. Background: The name Malachi means “My messenger”, and there is some debate as to whether or not this was considered a proper name of the prophet or if the book is written by an anonymous “messenger” of God. Regardless, there is a strong consensus that the ministry of…
Zechariah 1-14: Addressing the people of God.
December 11, 2015. Daily Reading: Zechariah 1-7. Background: Zechariah is one of the final Hebrew prophets and is a contemporary of Haggai (see Ezra 5:1) encouraging the returning exiles to continue rebuilding the house of the Lord. Though not much is known about the personal life of Zechariah, he does date his writings more specifically than…
Acts 7-8: Stephen and the spread of the gospel.
November 14, 2015. Daily Reading: Acts 7-8. Background: Acts 5-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 Stephen: The previous chapter left of with the arrest of Stephen on the basis of false witnesses, being brought before the council of Jewish leaders. This chapter pics up here and records Stephen’s defense and message to the high priest…
Micah 1-7: Judgment and restoration.
November 6, 2015. Daily Reading: Micah 1-7. Background: The book of Micah is the sixth of the twelve minor prophets in Hebrew scripture and contains the word of the Lord delivered through the prophet Micah in the 8th century BC. A contemporary of Isaiah, Amos and Hosea, Miach’s ministry spanned from approximately 737–696 BC in the land…
John 19-21: The death, burial and resurrection.
October 17, 2015. Daily Reading: John 19-21. Background: John 16-18. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 19 The crucifixion and burial: As we enter the final stage of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, we find a man who seems to be deeply conflicted, torn between the fear of the Jews and the fear of Jesus. Pilate has Jesus…
Psalm 108-110: Deliverance and the Messiah.
October 7, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 108-110. Background: Psalm 105-107. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 108 Deliverance over the foe: This psalm is ascribed to David and deals with the Lord’s power and loyalty to bring His people out victorious over their enemies. This psalm seems to be a combination of two other psalms of David,…
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…
Daniel 7-12: Visions and revelations.
September 12, 2015. Daily Reading: Daniel 7-12. Background: Daniel 1-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 The vision of the four beasts, the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man: The first six chapters of Daniel are very different in form and content from the last six chapters. The first six deal with history and…
John 1-2: Come and see.
August 29, 2015. Daily Reading: John 1-2. Background: The gospel of John is quite different from the other three synoptic (meaning synopsis, or summery) gospels, containing different stories, miracles and theological emphasis. The differences in this gospel reflect a different purpose in writing, likely written after a good amount of theological reflection of the author,…
Psalm 90-92: Refuge.
August 26, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 90-92. Background: Psalm 87-89. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 90 Numbering our days: This psalm, a prayer of Moses, compares our finite nature with the infinite nature of God, juxtaposing our short time with the everlasting. God is eternal, enthroned in the heavens, and has been the dwelling place for…
Psalm 87-89: Addressing God.
August 19, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 87-89. Background: Psalm 84-86. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 87 The city of God: A song of the sons of Korah, this psalm highlights the holy city of God (Jerusalem, whether physical or spiritual), often referred to as Zion, of which glorious are spoken of her. The first three verse of…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 