September 25, 2016. “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the…
Tag: Pride
Worshipping rhetoric.
August 28, 2016. Today I am posting on something that I have actually been thinking about for a while, but it has the potential to step on some toes, so I have been somewhat avoiding the topic. However, I am going to try to approach the topic in a way that is humble and gentle,…
Paul’s thorn.
August 7, 2016. “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (II Corinthians 12:7) Paul’s thorn in the flesh was mentioned, somewhat in passing, in a lesson…
II John: Support and opposition.
December 19, 2015. Daily Reading: III John. Background: This is the third epistle that we have that was written by the apostle John (see the intro to I John). Unlike the other two epistles, this one is addressed to a single person, Gaius, whom the apostle “love[s] in truth,” encouraging him to support the brethren…
II Chronicles 25-28: Kings of Judah.
November 17, 2015. Daily Reading: II Chronicles 25-28. Background: II Chronicles 21-24. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 25 Amaziah: After Joash is assassinated, his son Amaziah is set up to be king. Amaziah had a strong start in doing what was right in the sight of the Lord, even adhering to the Law when delving out…
Proverbs 30-31: Appendixes.
October 22, 2014. Daily Reading: Proverbs 30-31. Background: Proverbs 28-29. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 30 The words of Agur: As we approach the final two chapters of the book of proverbs, it is interesting to note that these are not proverbs of Solomon, but attributed to other people (though some would say that these people…
Amos 5-9: Woe to those who are at ease in Zion.
October 16, 2015. Daily Reading: Amos 5-9. Background: Amos 1-4. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 5 1. Seek the Lord and live: Though the Lord is in the middle of rebuke and Amos’ message has been one of destruction, an ever present characteristic of God is found here as He offers reconciliation to His people. Though…
Proverbs 28-29: The final proverbs of Solomon.
October 15, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 28-29. Background: Proverbs 26-27. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 28 Couplets of wisdom: As we enter the final two chapters that record the proverbs of Solomon, we find that the writing style has gone back to couplets that give much wisdom in few words which span a range of topics…
Numbers 21-24: Balak and Balaam.
October 12, 2015. Daily Reading: Numbers 21-24. Background: Numbers17-20. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 21 Enemies on the journey: After finishing the days of mourning for Aaron in the previous chapter, the children of Israel set out on their journey once again towards the promised land in this chapter. Their path is detailed here, along with…
Proverbs 26-27: The fool, sluggard and gossip.
October 8, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 26-27. Background: Proverbs 25. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 26 The fool, sluggard and gossip: This chapter returns back mostly to the style in which we have seen the proverbs written in for most of the book, couplets of wisdom. However, it seems that the couplets are organized more by…
John 9-12: The building climax of the ministry of Jesus.
September 26, 2015. Daily Reading: John 9-12. Background: John 7-8. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 9 The blinding of pride and stubbornness: In chapter nine of John’s gospel, we are given an account of Jesus’ healing of a man that had been born blind, but the irony of the story is that those who could well…
Numbers 9-12: The congregation in the wilderness.
September 21, 2015. Daily Reading: Numbers 9-12. Background: Numbers 5-8. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 9 1. Lessons from keeping the passover: At the beginning of this chapter, we find ourselves in the first month of the second year that the Lord had brought the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, and as it…
Twenty Eight Eighteen 