The Rechabites are a wonderful inclusion in the narrative. We have a faithful family. A family full of people who choice to follow the covenant they were taught. You always wonder, or I do, when reading these accounts of judgment. With the exception of Sodom and Gomorrah, when we’re told there aren’t even ten righteous …
“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.” He’s talking about the coming of …
This isn’t the first time I’ve discussed the command to circumcise the heart. It came up in Deuteronomy. My understanding has had time to develop. My understanding hasn’t changed, exactly. I still believe it requires a removal of reservations, a cutting away of the defenses that come between us and surrender to God. However, I …
So, I grew up with translations of Scripture that call this book the Song of Solomon being taught that Solomon wrote it. A lot of people have believed he wrote it because it has the subtitle, provided in the first line of the book, “of Solomon.” Song of Songs, which is of Solomon, is a …
“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” This one struck me because that is one of the great mysteries of life, isn’t it? Humans have souls, spirit, but what …
This is prompted more by recent conversations I’ve been having than by the Scripture in the reading the plan, but it seems a good time to discuss it nonetheless. This post is not meant to be definitive. This post is going to be my experience with the question of sexuality. I will, next month, address …
What does the Lord require? One of an escalating list of sacrifices? Or is it a lot more simple than that? According to Micah, God’s been pretty clear: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. I think that’s… I think that’s plain enough, don’t you? Unfortunately, we see people argue about what is …
I missed another day. I’ll recover my schedule eventually. I hope. Anyway. I kinda want to focus on Isaiah 58: 6-8. God makes it pretty clear that he doesn’t really care about your showy observance. What he cares about is your heart. He doesn’t care that you fasted dramatically. He cares that you got by …
“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” There’s a passage here about the absurdity of idols. Men gather practice their skill, gather materials, use some of them for mundane tasks and out of the rest make idols to worship. With their …
So Isaiah lays into the priests and prophets, the spiritual leaders of Israel who are severely failing the people, and he accuses them of being drunks on top of everything else. These people were responsible for the spiritual education and welfare of the nation and they were degenerates. Isaiah asks, who then will God teach? …