In the previous article we made the argument that the primary reason why God sent his own Son to earth was to “preach repentance.” We argued there that “primary” referred to sequence or timing, but not to significance. We intimated then that Christ’s offering himself on the cross was of greater significance that was his […]
In recent family devotions we were reading through the book of Hebrews. The whole book is fascinating and worthy of study, but chapter 12 caught our eye. It gives us important principles for the rearing of our children, but it also gives us a historical snippet that tweaked my historical curiosity. The writer reminds his […]
You are all sons of God through Faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:26–28; NIV, italics added). A Text Becomes a Slogan […]
How do you and I respond? As we reflect on the prior topics, all dealing with the jealousy of God, we need to react. We need to ask the question: How should we worship a jealous God? Knowing what we do about God, how do we worship him? We have seen how God reacted on […]
We were gathered for a Saturday evening coffee under the big tree. We had invited the neighbors to join us. The Methodist couple came. The folks from Ada Bible Church were there. And the widow from the RCA was in her usual spot. Somehow the conversation drifted to the celebration of Holy Communion. It was […]
Scripture reading: Ezekiel 9 If you have been reading the first two articles in this series, you will remember that we began with a discussion about the names of God. We were reminded that God has many different names given to him in the Scriptures, all of which are appropriate and useful for worship. On […]
Did you ever ask yourself that question? Did anyone ever accuse you of being jealous? Was there the implication that jealousy is a sin to be avoided and for which repentance is required? Recently I put that question into my computer. What kind of answers could I expect? Would this usually unreliable source tell me […]
Scripture: Esther 7:7–8:17 Background Reading: I Samuel 15:1–9, 32–33 At the conclusion of our last lesson we saw Haman terrified before the king and queen. He has just been identified by Esther as the villain, the enemy, and the foe. As we reflect on this scene, two factors become obvious: there has again been much […]
The Persian palace at Susa is quiet. Queen Esther had graciously hosted a feast for the two most important men in the empire. Attendance was tightly controlled. No great issues had been explored, but wine was in abundance. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is another feast. Again, the attendees are limited to the king and […]
Scripture: Esther 4 Background Reading: Matthew 16:21–23; 17:22–23; 20:17–19 The opening line of Esther 4 is revealing. It is the key to understanding this chapter. The text tells us that “Mordecai learned all that had been done.” Mordecai is apparently an official in the Persian government. He has insider information. He knows exactly how much […]