Christmas Eve 2020: The Seer & the Savior
No one in Israel could forget the year 739 B.C. Politically, the king, Uzziah, who had enjoyed a 52-year reign, had his share of leadership issues. Scripture does denote he did lead in a godly, righteous fashion which pleased God (2 Kings 15). However, he spiritually compromised in key areas. He failed to remove pagan […]
Anna & Christ
Hope. It’s a rare commodity in our day and age. More than any other time in our history I think many people are on the verge of simply losing hope that darkness will ever be totally pushed back by light. Nationally, many are wondering if our Constitution and nation will survive the now blatant corruption […]
The Priests & Christ
The late Dr. Duane Gish is best remembered as a highly educated Christian scientist who courageously presented the weaknesses of evolution and the strengths of special creationism on secular university campuses. His academic and professorial record made him a force to be reckoned with. During WWII, he bravely served in the Pacific Theater as an […]
Herod & Christ
Matthew, a former tax collector, a man known for digging into details, makes sure we know the geo-political situation of the birth and infancy of Jesus when he writes these words: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, (Matt. 2:1). Focus, please, on that prepositional phrase. […]
Psalm 51 – Part 2
The young bride-to-be had a credit card problem. During our last counseling session prior the wedding, I discovered she, at twenty-seven years old, had a minimum payment on her Visa card for $720. You read that right. After I explained to her and her groom how to strategically eliminate this massive debt, she looked at […]
Psalm 51 – Part 1
Much spiritual wisdom can be gained by studying the flora and fauna around us. Take, for instance, a tree I trimmed as a gardener years ago. Outwardly, the tree exhibited life and health. Internally, however, the evidence could not have been more contrary. Cutting my way through a large vibrant branch with a sharp, many-toothed […]
Psalm 46
Making a Hebrew exegetical class on the Psalms, while a student at Dallas Theological Seminary in the early 1980s, changed, challenged, and comforted me in so many ways. During that class, the professor arbitrarily assigned various periscopes/texts for each student to dissect, using all of their grammatical, textual, and rhetorical skills. One passage I had […]
Psalm 37 – Part 3
Jesus warned His followers what to expect prior to return His glorious return. Writing through and amanuensis named John Mark, Peter, recounts Christ’s teaching in chapter 13: 9 But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers […]
Psalm 37 – Part 2
Prior to his martyrdom at the hands of Caesar Nero, Paul wrote about what Christians should expect prior to the return of Christ at the Second Advent at the close of the seven-year tribulation: 1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 […]
Psalm 37 – Part 1
Sadly, the presidential debates this past week were far from presidential. Anger replaced argument. Emotion replaced substance. Evasion replaced answers. Personal disrespect replaced respect. Indecency replaced decency. The whole event really served as a on stage, quite public picture of what is going on in the public at large. Darkness fights against light, error masquerading […]
Psalm 33 – Part 3
How important is praise to the life of a Christ follower? When the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke His disciples for praising Him as the messianic king as He rode the humble donkey into Jerusalem, Jesus rebuffed them with a shocking statement: 40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if […]
Psalm 33 – Part 2
Really, how much time to you spend in a given day giving God praise? Interestingly enough, the first time the word “praise,” yadah (ידה ), appears in the Bible is when Leah bears Jacob another son and calls him Judah (Gen. 29:35). Rightfully did she immediately praise the LORD (Yahweh, the eternal One) because through this special […]