Israel’s God In 1 Kings 20, we have a record of the kings of Syria seeking to conquer the kingdom of Israel under the reign of Ahab. Ahab was a terrible king. Not only did he lead the people to live sinfully but he even allowed his family’s personal ambitions to come before any sense…
God of Power and Grace
Elijah Flees Elijah had stood up to the corrupt rule of Ahab’s family. After God had demonstrated that he was the only true God, Elijah had ordered the people to execute the servants of Baal (1 Kings 18). The demonstration seemed to have shaken Ahab but his wife, Jezebel, sought to have Elijah executed in…
Need for Repentance
Leaving the Ninety-Nine In Luke 15, we have a series of parables Jesus told about how he had come to seek the lost. The first such parable concerns sheep. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one…
Sincerely Wrong
The Coexist Movement In order to defend the apathy of our society toward matters which are most significant (topmost being man’s relationship with our creator), it is often claimed that it doesn’t matter what you believe about God as much as it does that you believe it sincerely. In this way, it is argued, Buddhists,…
Peace With God
Call To War In chapter 6 of the book of Judges, we are introduced to the story of Gideon. The Midianites had been marauding Israel to the point where Israelites were coming up with ways of hiding their food stocks. As many people are already familiar, God called Gideon to wage war on them in…
One With Authority
Shocking Power Jesus early ministry led him to the city of Capernaum. While there, he went to the synagogue to teach. While the audience there may have heard of him, they certainly wouldn’t have considered him a foremost authority in the synagogue. The religious leadership of that time was centralized in a council called the…
Old Made New
Continuity Jesus didn’t just drop into a world that knew nothing about his coming. In fact, he was born among a people who traced their ancestry back through Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and all the way to Adam. That’s a long line of people to whom God made wonderful promises. At first glance, it may seem…
Sovereign Love
God’s Choice In Romans 9, Paul is discussing the doctrine of election. More specifically, in the verses we’ll be looking at today, he is refuting the idea that God is unjust for redeeming some of those “from Israel” (Christ’s disciples) but not all. But it is not as though the word of God has failed….
Collective Judgement
Does God Judge Peoples? Recently, I had listened to an interview of a fairly conservative Christian teacher regarding how the church should view national identity. During the exchange, he argued that God formerly judged nations but with the coming of the new covenant he no longer does so. Instead, each person will be judged according…
Purposeful Plagues
Plagues to Save Israel In Exodus 9, we’re well into the record of God’s plagues against Egypt. Their water had been turned to blood. They’d had nasty wildlife invade their homes. They’d had boils come upon them personally. To be sure, Egypt has suffered greatly for ignoring God’s command to release the people of Israel….