Isaiah’s Vision and Commission

Many inspiring sermons have been preached on Isaiah chapter 6, most concluding with a call to respond like Isaiah did: “Here I am! Send me.” Yet, these types of sermons fail to explain the nature of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry, that he was to “make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see […]

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Jonah, the Older Brother

The conclusion to the book of Jonah presents us with two responses to the grace. On the one hand, Nineveh, a pagan Gentile city, turns to God in repentance upon hearing of impending judgment (unlike Israel or Judah at that time, who continued doing evil in God’s sight), and God graciously spares them. Yet on the other hand, […]

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The Rise of Folly and the End of Solomon

As we concluded the book of Proverbs in our daily, chronological readings of the Bible, we then came upon one of the most tragic sections of the Old Testament: “For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was […]

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God In Our Midst

The temple was a special sign of God’s presence among His people, of God’s covenant promise to dwell with them and be their God . Yet, in Solomon’s prayer of dedication upon its completion, he poses a profound question in view of the transcendence and holiness of their eternal God: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” In […]

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Faith, Idolatry, and the Bronze Serpent

Jesus, in his dialogue with Nicodemus, reveals the purpose of this particular incident in the Israelites’ history as a preface to arguably the most well-known verse in all of Scripture: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” […]

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Jacob’s New Name

As we look into the life of Jacob in the book of Genesis, we find that the meaning of his name is the overall theme of his life: “deceiver.”  Throughout his youth, his relationship with his family, and his laboring for a wife, Jacob is always trying to do things on his own, apart from […]

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Jesus in the Book of Judges

Throughout the book of Judges, we see a repeated cycle:  Israel serves the Lord, falls into idolatry and forgets Him, becomes enslaved, and is ultimately delivered by a judge.  This book just goes to show that mankind, as sinful and depraved as we are, can not fulfill the law of God.  We need a true […]

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25 Ways to be Useful to God

“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready […]

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Rahab and the Crimson Cord

Just as the Israelites were told to remain in their houses with the crimson blood of the Lamb painted on the door posts, and just as Rahab was told to remain in her room with the crimson cord tied to the window, so we must be under the protecting, saving power of the crimson blood […]

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