The time of the judges were turbulent days in Israel’s history, marked by a continuing cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. In time, the people decided they would do better under the leadership of a king, and they arrogantly demanded that God provide them with one. Samuel, God’s anointed prophet, warned they would be getting more than t… Read more…
It took more than forty years of wandering, but finally the nation of Israel was ready to enter the land that God had promised to them. However, they knew that arriving at the borders was just the beginning, for many battles and many foes still lay ahead. Yet, as Joshua reminded them, they also knew that the Lord had promised to fight all their battles and d… Read more…
The people in the city of Philippi who received this letter from their friend, Paul, were suffering from two of Christianity’s greatest adversaries: self-sufficiency and complacency. While writing this letter from a Roman prison cell, Paul was able to provide a unique perspective on these enemies of our faith. Even as he faced horrific trials, Paul continu… Read more…
Nearly half the book of Genesis is devoted to the lives of Jacob and his twelve sons, who were important figures in the history of Israel and in the history of the Christian church. The account of their lives takes the term “dysfunctional family” to a new level, but God used this flawed clan as a beautiful canvas to portray His providence, judgment, and … Read more…
Where did we come from? Why is there pain and suffering? Who committed the first murder? Why are there so many languages in the world? The first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis have the answers to these questions and more—providing us with the history of the human race in its earliest years prior to the time of Abraham.
In this st… Read more…
Although the descendants of Jacob moved to Egypt as honored guests, in time they became despised slaves groaning under the mistreatment of Pharaoh. In response to the people’s cries, God called a man named Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan, but their journey took a dramatic forty-year detour when they failed to trust in God.In this stud… Read more…
It is widely accepted that Mark's gospel reflects the teaching of Peter. The internal evidence suggests that it was written for primarily the Romans, with comparatively few Old Testament quotations. Rather than assuming knowledge of Jewish customs, it explains them, pointing to an intended Gentile audience. Scholars tell us that Mark's Greek was suit… Read more…
Both Titus and Timothy were young, gifted, and beloved by Paul; both of them were entrusted with delicate missions on more than one occasion. But there the similarities end. Titus and Timothy are a study in contrasts. Timothy was half Jew and half Gentile; Titus was a full-blooded Gentile. Paul circumcised Timothy because the young man was already half Jewis… Read more…
The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for the Jewish people, whose great hope was the coming of a Messiah that would restore the former glories of the kingdom, elevate Israel to the head of the nations, put an end to Gentile dominion, restore the world, and bring blessing to all mankind. Enamored of the promises of a Messiah coming to reign, they forgo… Read more…
We know little of Luke, with information found in the "we" passages of Acts, in three places where Paul mentions him by name, and where he identifies himself as the author of Luke and Acts. Luke interviewed and conversed with the people who had known Jesus. He likely studied Mark's gospel, with nearly half of Mark's verses appearing in his own gospel… Read more…
John's gospel immediately impresses us with how different it is than the others. There is no genealogy, no manger, no boyhood, no baptism, no temptation, no mount of transfiguration, and no Gethsemane. There are no scribes, lepers, publicans or demoniacs. There are no parables. Luke had written to show that Jesus was the Son of Man, but John to show he w… Read more…
Peter's epistle seems to have been written between AD 65 and AD 67, between the outbreak of Christian persecution and the outbreak of the Jewish war. The world was changing, and Peter felt the peril and suffering of the times. With Christianity in crisis, Peter had some things to say.
Peter had known Christ as few people have known hi… Read more…
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