Freeze the scene. The knife gleams in the blinding sun. Lifted high above his head, his hand firmly grips the handle, knuckles bulging. His eyes, open, are intensely focused on the object of his aim. Isaac bound, looks up in fear, knowing his father has made up his mind. A little further out, a ram… read more»

I think that the next beatitude in our path is Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” There are quite a few ways that you can interpret this verse, and I am just going to give you the one that I think is the best. It… read more»

In the Old Testament there are three books (Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther) that are historical records between 538 BC and 415 BC. These books record the time at the end of the 70 year period of exile of the Jews from Jerusalem. Around 538 BC, King Cyrus was the ruler of Persia. One priest, Ezra,… read more»

God’s proper name, Yahweh, occurs almost seven thousand times in the Old Testament, and hundreds of times, we are told that Yahweh is God. In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus is the Son of God and our Lord and Savior. A few times, Jesus told someone he was the Christ, but most often,… read more»

Over the last couple of months, our society has focused a great deal on racism, especially with respect to African Americans. Although our present issue is complex and polarizing, what the Bible teaches on this subject is straightforward and clear. Let us begin with creation itself. Genesis 1:12, 20, 25. The earth brought forth vegetation,… read more»

Have you ever wondered why we sing songs about Emmanuel at Christmas, or why it was said that the Messiah would be called by this name and yet he never was? I have. Isaiah 7 foretells of what the angel told Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25. Before we read Isaiah, the following is important to know…. read more»

For those of you who drive, have you ever been in the left hand lane on the highway and the car in front of you is driving slower than you want? For those of you who don’t drive yet, you can imagine the classic slow walker in school or at a grocery store? It can… read more»

One of the major themes of today is that of people feeling “different” and “not wanted.” Fears run rampant of abandonment, not being important enough to be welcomed, and feeling like one is “in the way” or a “bother” all the time. In this state of thinking, it is difficult for us to recognize the… read more»

Joel W Hemphill in his book Glory to God in the Highest provides a description of Socrates that is eye popping. While reading Joel’s description, remember that Socrates is the forerunner and teacher of Plato and then Plato of Aristotle. “Not only were Socrates’ fellow Athenians disturbed by his personal appearance, lack of hygiene, and… read more»

Last time, we looked at the Hebrew manuscripts from which we derive our Old Testament translations.  This time, we will turn our attention to the Greek manuscripts that ultimately result in our New Testament translations.  Getting an understanding of manuscripts, both their discovery and comparison, will help explain why certain translations of the Bible are… read more»