When we get “carried away” it’s not so serious. Perhaps we’re a little overcome by a bout of silliness. Or we lose track of the time in conversation. Or we go a bit far as we rant about some pet topic. But getting “carried away” in the bible was very serious. The phrase is used […]
“Cor,” they might say in some regional accent or other, “It would take the wisdom of Solomon to sort that lot out!” Solomon was the son of David and as such there must have been high hopes for him. It was prophesied that the seed of David would build the house of God and sit […]
Yesterday we saw the way God had opened up for the people to cross the Jordan river. In a Red-Sea-like miracle, the new Israel “passed over” with Joshua (meaning “Jesus”) at their head. This event proclaimed the way sinners can enter God’s rest. Only through His initiative, only through a Passover-like salvation, only with Jesus […]
The story is told of a wealthy man’s funeral at which “Guide me O thou great Jehovah” was the opening hymn. It may have been a typo or it may have been requested as the deceased’s last laugh, but the final verse read as follows: “When I tread the verge of Jordan Bid my anxious […]
Think of “heart melting” today and you think of something from a pop-tastic love song. But just as “going weak at the knees” can denote love or fear so it is with this phrase. Here’s the context. The Israelites are about to go in and take possession of the land. Once again they send out […]
What is faith? Often people think of faith as a special quality that the religious happen to possess. It’s like some magic elixir. Apparently some people have lots of faith coursing through their veins, others have very little. But how does Jesus think of faith? Well when Jesus wanted to explain faith to a bible […]
“Describe yourself” says the interviewer with a glint in their eyes. Yikes. You really want the job. How to sound humble but also omni-competent? What to reveal about myself? Probably the less the better. “Why is he asking?” you wonder. Doesn’t my track record speak for itself? Won’t he see pretty quickly who I really […]
If a ploughman’s ox refuses to turn the way he wants, he calls the obstinate beast “stiff-necked.” And nine times in the bible, that’s what the LORD calls His people. The first occasion is in Exodus 32: “I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that […]
How long does it take a nation to fall away from its spiritual heritage? Well in Exodus 32 it’s been 50 days since the Israelites had arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai. They had been redeemed from slavery, brought through the Red Sea and carried by the Angel of God on eagle’s wings. He […]
When introducing people to the cross of Jesus it’s very common to hear this objection: “Hang on! If you’re saved from judgement by Jesus’ sacrifice, won’t you just keep on wallowing in sin? Doesn’t the cross mean that Christians will be complacent about sin and go on indulging in it?” Actually the opposite is true. […]
