There three ceremonies prescribed in Deuteronomy 26 and 27 that set up the Deuteronomy 28 recitation of blessings and curses in the covenant made with the generation going into the land. Each of these ceremonies is designed to maintain perspective as Israel prospers in their new land. When they neglected them, the nation descended into idolatry, in…

joel and his love of Dairy Queen.

Food and table fellowship has always been a stumbling block between Jews and gentiles. Peter's vision of the sheet descending from Heaven showed him that diet does not disqualify gentiles from the Kingdom of God.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

The month preceding the fall feasts is an excellent time to reflect over the past year and think about what you want to accomplish in the next. In this, 2 Peter has a helpful progressive list of character traits that lead to Godliness.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

joel and hot chocolate.

Philip's ministry in Samaria and his conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. The conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

In Parsha Shoftim Moses describes the duties of and limitations on judges, officers and kings. In this he makes it clear that, except for a king who is chosen by God, they are to be appointed by Israel. He also makes it clear that their first priority is to act according to the Torah and that they must not regard themselves as somehow 'better' than…

joel and hot chocolate.

When Stephen is falsely accused of blasphemy he defends himself before the council in Jerusalem. The record of his testimony provides compelling evidence of the accuracy of the Book of Acts.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

In Deuteronomy 11 Moses explains to Israel that their future is in their own hands. If they faithfully follow God's instructions, they will be blessed. If not, they will experience curses. In the same way, the meaning of the events in your life is yours to interpret and to act upon. You may choose to interpret unfavorable events as an indicator tha…

joel and his water.

The first church lived communally, holding everything in common. This may have been done in anticipation of the quick return of Y'shua and the expectation that there was no need to save for the future. Peter and John's second arrest and appearance before the Temple authorities.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

In Deuteronomy God describes His covenant with Israel as one of love. He describes the statutes that He provides as being for the benefit of the beloved and says that Israel's faithfully following them will result in abundant blessing. Starting in the Garden, it has been Satan's goal to lead God's people away from God's way to life and blessing and…

joel contemplates a 5k.

People's need for an intermediary with God discussed in the context of 'The Prophet' promised in Deuteronomy 18. Peter and John's first arrest and appearance before the Jerusalem authorities. Discussion of their citation from Psalm 2.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

There are two major religions at war with the western world and Christianity. Sadly both of these religions have managed to disguise the religious nature of the conflict. Islam is bent on world domination, yet it has managed to conceal that fact by posing as an oppressed minority. Liberalism is also a religion with its roots going back to Plato, ye…

joel hikes it good.

Peter's speech after the giving of the Holy Spirit. Discussion of the differences in Scripture between the TANAK and quotations in the New Testament. Discussion of the similarities between the giving of the Holy Spirit and the giving of the Torah at Sinai.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

The 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av has for millennia been the occasion of calamitous events for the Hebrew people. That date marks, separated by centuries, the destruction of both the first and second temples, the expulsion from England and Spain and many other such events. How do we relate to such events? What do they have to teach us?…

Broadly speaking, the Bible has three sections. In each of those sections, one member of the God Head takes center stage. In the TANAK God the Father gets most of the narrative. In the four Gospels, it is Y'shua. In Acts the Holy Spirit has the emphasis. This first session gives background and goes through Pentecost.…

In Matthew 15 the Pharisees berate Y'shua because His disciples were eating with unwashed hands. He tells the crowd and his disciples that putting food into the mouth with unwashed hands does not defile, it is what comes out of the heart. How does that defilement get in there and how can we remove it?…

joel will pay good money for a mouse.

The group of Psalms from Ps 60 to Ps 108 heavily refer to Joseph and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In these three Psalms we see evidence of two Messiahs, one from Joseph and the other from Judah.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

The Bible is full of conflict - wars, interpersonal problems, spiritual battles. In the Letters to the Seven Churches, Christ makes wonderful promises to those who conquer. Those who have locked themselves up within spiritual strongholds or prisons aren't conquering anything. How do we construct these prisons and how do we tear them down? How do we…

joel gets a surprise in the mail.

Psalm 110 introduces the idea of a priestly king. Heretofore priests have come from Levi and kings from either Judah or Ephraim. This change and the reasons therefore are explained in the Book of Hebrews.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

The intellectual foundations of liberalism were laid in the 19th century. The ideas of Darwin, Malthus and Marx made atheism respectable, racism 'scientific', and promised a man-made paradise. We are now seeing the dismal failure of that legacy. It appears that God has once again answered prayer and is moving to deliver us from our hubris and folly…

joel likes his tastycake pies.

Psalms 22, 23 and 24 form a Messianic tryptic. The first describes the crucifixion and the last describes the return of the conquering king. In between is the Valley of the Shadow of death where He descended into the grave and then arose three days later.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

Parsha Chukat is almost entirely about death. There is the red heifer whose ashes are used to purify those who come into contact with death, Miriam dies, Aaron dies, Moses is told he will die in the wilderness, and deadly snakes invade the camp. Oddly enough, all of this points to the fact that death is not permanent, and although it defiles, it is…

Going back to the blessing of the Sons of Jacob and then the tribes by Moses, it becomes clear that both Joseph and Judah have leadership roles within the nation. Joseph gets the blessing of Abraham and most of the attention in Gen 39 and Dt 33. After this introduction, Psalm 2 describes a three way conversation between the Father, His Son and a na…

In the Parable of the Weeds the common assumption is that weeds represent persecution of the faithful within the church. While that is surely part of it, perhaps more insidious are weeds that bring with them ideas that interfere with character development of the faithful. The resulting lack of virtue undermines the liberty that God wants us to have…

After the people of Gibeah murdered the Levite's concubine, he sent evidence to all of the tribes asking that that evil be removed. The rest of the tribes asked Benjamin to deliver up the men of Gibeah. When they refused, the resulting civil war nearly eradicated Benjamin from Israel.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

Naomi instructs Ruth on how to claim the right of redemption from Boaz, her close relative. The resulting marriage brings together the descendants of Terah. It also illustrates how Christ is able to redeem all of humanity.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

In the Roman Empire during the life of Christ and the ministry of the apostles, the gospel would have been understood as the announcement of a new king. That understanding was the source of conflict with the Pharisees and with the secular authorities. The modern church, having lost that understanding of the word has allowed itself to be taken out o…

After the death of Samson, the tribe of Dan was unable to hold the territory allotted to them by Joshua and so migrated to the north. They picked up an idolatrous Levite in the process. In the next vignette, a reprise of the Sodom story, a Levite and his concubine are abused while staying the night in Gibeah. This sets up the Benjaminite Civil War.…

Naomi, her husband and two sons, move to Moab during a famine in their home town of Bethlehem. Naomi's two sons marry Moabite women. Over time her husband and two sons all perish leaving her and her daughters-in-law as widows. Naomi decides to return home and tells the other two to return to their families. Ruth refuses and stays with Naomi as she …

Numbers 10 represents the high point of the wilderness generation. The tabernacle is finished and they have set out for the Promised Land. It all starts to fall apart in Numbers 11 with the result that that generation dies in the wilderness. Similarly, in Matthew 13 Y'shua switches from plain speech to cryptic parables indicating that he is done tr…

Samson continues to ravage the Philistines and so enable the tribe of Dan to hold the territory allotted to them by Joshua. The Philistines finally discover the source of his great strength and manage to bind Samson - to their ultimate destruction.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

After giving advice on how to create and maintain a healthy, caring community, Paul concludes the letter with instructions for remaining personally effective in the great spiritual battle. In this, he draws on Isaiah and the Psalms to explain what each piece of the believer's equipment is to accomplish.…

On Shavuot God has twice appeared in dramatic fashion to give His people tools by which to live and to expand His Kingdom. The first occasion at Sinai, He gave us the Torah. The second time in the Upper Room, He gave His Spirit to comfort and guide us. These are two tremendous gifts to people whom He loves.…

From the tribe of Dan, Samson was born to a previously barren woman. His conception was announced by a divine messenger and his manner of life was unique. He was sent by God to deliver Israel from the Philistines.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

In contemporary American usage, 'love' is heavily bound up with emotion and romance. Not so in the Torah or in Paul. The command to, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' might be usefully rendered, 'Care as much about your neighbor's welfare as you do about your own.' Read in that light, Ephesians 5 becomes commentary on the Torah's instruction to lov…

It is important that the census in the wilderness emphasizes that people are to be counted by name. This reinforces that God deals with people as individuals and not as interchangeable units. In addition to the theological implications, this has practical political implications. All of the various 'ism' theories of human governance treat people in …

The Ammonites revive a 300 year old land dispute with Israel and invade to enforce their claims. Israel persuades Jephthah to take command and drive them out. In that process, Jephthah makes an unwise vow, the result of which is that he had no descendants.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

Paul emphasizes unity in the community. Christ gave gifts to men that those having the gifts might use them to build a strong community around the knowledge of Christ and His Kingdom. To be healthy, the members of that community must care for one another.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

As God has been driven from the public square, people have lost an awareness of both His goodness and His justice. That void is filled with covetousness, bitterness, anger and resentment. We can see this played out in all of our institutions, but especially in the courts. To quote Jeremiah, "No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; t…

After the death of Gideon, Abimelech, one of his sons by a concubine, conspired to murder the rest of his brothers in order to become king. His sole surviving brother gave an eloquent parable about a bramble bush becoming ruler over the trees. It is timeless and very much applicable to today.Jon Behrens tarafından oluşturuldu

In several of his letters Paul refers to mysteries. In all cases they allude to the same thing; that gentiles are full members of the Kingdom of God and are fellow heirs. It is the case that if the spiritual rulers and authorities had realized that would happen, they never would have allowed the Crucifixion.…

In The Torah, God tells Israel that both the land and the Israelite people belong to Him. He specifies that there are to be several economic resets over a 50 year period. Slaves must be freed and debts cancelled every seven years and land must revert to its original owner at 50 years. In this way God assures the maximum possible economic freedom wh…