Early in the days of Saul’s kingship, the Philistines gathered a large army to come against Israel. One contingent of this force camped upon a rocky plateau called Michmash, which provided a strategic advantage for the Philistines. Upon seeing how powerful and well equipped this army was, the Israelites trembled in fear and hid themselves….
Posts Categorized: Bible study
1 Samuel 12:21 – Empty Things
“And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.” (1 Samuel 12:21) How the world loves to pursue empty things! All of humanity has a void in their heart and seeks to fill it, yet they almost always seek to do so in ways that don’t include…
1 Samuel 8:7 – Rejecting God
The mindset of the people in the Ancient Near East (ANE) was quite different from ours today. This is a major reason that when we read the Bible, we need to do so with the mind of someone in ancient Israel. If we don’t do that; if we read and judge from our modern perspective,…
Luke 12:46 – Cut to Pieces
When I read Luke 12:35-48, sub-headed in the ESV as You Must Be Ready, the passage inevitably disturbs me. Jesus was speaking to His disciples and relating a parable that reflected directly upon His return from heaven. The parable deals with the master who has gone away for his wedding feast and the servants who…
1 Samuel 2:15-16 – Corrupt & Ungodly
The book of 1 Samuel gives us a glimpse into the condition of the priesthood in the days of the Judges. God had been silent, as the Word of the Lord was rare (1 Samuel 3:1). When we look at Eli and his worthless sons who ministered as priests, we can certainly see the reason…
Luke 11:50-51 – The Doomed Generation
On the heels of Jesus describing the people of His time as an evil generation because they sought a sign from God – despite having seen many signs from Yahweh in the person of Jesus – He condemned them. He said that the queen of Sheba and the men of Nineveh would rise up in…