Don’t Drink Blood versus Drink My Blood Among the many “laws” (that is, rules and regulations for right behavior), that God—through Moses—gave the nation of Israel was an unconditional prohibition against drinking blood. Every Hebrew would have been taught this from early childhood. Breaking this law would have been unthinkable to them, a repulsive act to […]
The Old Testament Law Talks about Offering Sacrifices to God, but What If He Wants More? King Solomon writes in the book of Ecclesiastes that we need to be careful when approaching God. “Guard your steps,” he says. This is wise advice. Then he adds something more: “Go near to listen.” He even places listening […]
Jesus does three things to complete what the Old Testament started Jesus draws people to him. The words he speaks and the hope he communicates attract them. Some people assume he had come to replace the Old Testament Law and the work of the prophets. Instead, Jesus fulfills it. Jesus doesn’t come to do away […]
Balance Old Testament Commands with New Testament Freedom Psalm 15 opens with one essential question, phrased in two ways, that most everyone asks, either out loud or to themselves. In this Psalm, David asks God, “What must I do to live with you?” The next four verses give us the answer. Actually, it’s a series […]
God’s Promises to Us Reveal His Character The Bible talks a lot about covenants. In a generic sense a covenant is an agreement or compact. But in the Bible, it takes on an elevated meaning. In Scripture a covenant is a promise from God to his people. There are two types of covenants. One is […]
God Doesn’t Give Empty Threats; He Will Do What He Says He Will Do God has expectations for his people. The Old Testament of the Bible covers this. The first five books of the Bible, often called the Law of Moses, details God’s expectations. He tells the people what to do and what not to […]
Check Out This New Christian Podcast I listen to a lot of podcasts. And I started a podcast over a decade ago. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. After a dozen or so episodes I ran out of time. Yet my interest in the medium never waned. For me, the […]
God Promises Rewards for Obedience and Punishment for Disobedience As we read through the book of Leviticus, which is a struggle for most of us, we read instruction after instruction of what God expects from his people. With precise detail, his commands come forth one after another. Then, in chapter 26, the book begins to […]
The Old Testament Law Gets Us Started and Points Us to Jesus Why is the Old Testament Law in the Bible? How is it relevant for us today? Many followers of Jesus ignore the Law they read in the Old Testament, and a few people pick which parts of it they want to follow and […]
The Most Important Thing in the Bible Is Love Though the Bible has many commands, love is the greatest command of them all. Check it out: The Old Testament Law In the first five books of the Bible, sometimes called the Torah or Pentateuch, God gives instructions to Moses. The people refer to this as […]