The Example of two Hebrew Midwives Shiphrah and Puah are two Hebrew midwives. They live toward the end of the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt. The Pharaoh of Egypt, fearing their slaves’ mounting numbers, tells Shiphrah and Puah to kill all the baby Israelite boys as they are being born. This is worse than, in effect, […]
Today’s passage: John 12:37–50 Focus verse: Because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. (John 12:42) At about this time in the book of John, we read of the Jews’ response to Jesus and the miracles he performed before them. We could […]
We Must Respect God’s Chosen Leaders In my post on Korah’s rebellion, I noted that Korah had some progressive ideas about God and the people’s relationship to him. While these views are widely accepted today (thanks to Jesus), they were quite radical in Korah’s day. However, I don’t think that Korah’s rebellion was theological in […]
Seven Plagues to Complete God’s Wrath Today’s passage: Revelation 15 Focus verse: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. (Revelation 15:1) Revelation 15 seems out of order. In it seven plagues of God’s wrath are unleashed even though his harvest already […]
We Honor God When We Take Care of His Temple In the post “Take Care of God’s Temple,” we talked about honoring God with our bodies because the Holy Spirit lives in us. But there is more to this idea of our bodies being God’s temple. Collectively the church is God’s temple too. That is, […]
A Speculative Fiction Novella Until last week, Emma’s main goal was to land the lead in the school musical. And maybe find a boyfriend. Oh, and keep her extra-curricular activities a secret from her parents. Then everything changed. Quite unexpectedly—and completely unwanted—her life did a 180. Her priorities flipped upside down. Now she’s being attacked […]
A Grandfather’s Blessing Joseph and Asenath have two sons. The oldest is Manasseh, and the younger is Ephraim. They are the grandsons of Jacob, later called Israel. When Israel is on his deathbed, Joseph comes to see his ailing father, bringing his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him. Hearing about Joseph’s arrival, Israel rallies […]
Anna is widowed after only seven years of marriage. A devout woman, she dedicates her life to God, spending as much time as possible in the temple fasting, praying, and worshiping him. Anna is at least eighty-four years old when Mary and Joseph show up to consecrate Jesus. First, she recognizes him as the savior […]
Consider What the Law and Jesus Say About This Phrase The phrase “an eye for an eye” occurs four times in the Bible. The first three are in the Old Testament, in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 24:17-22, Exodus 21:22-25, and Deuteronomy 19:16-21). In these verses, it seems that Moses grants us permission to seek […]
The Harvest Today’s passage: Revelation 14 Focus verse: “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” (Revelation 14:15) A heading later added to Revelation 14:6 in some Bibles says, “The Three Angels.” Yet a careful reading of this chapter reveals seven. The first angel […]