Send the Arc from Here

“Who is able to stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?”                                                                                             1 Samuel 6:20 NLT One of the great values of a liberal arts education is that it teaches you to ask the right questions. If you ask howContinue reading “Send the Arc from Here”

This Holy God

“Who is able to stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?”                                                                                             1 Samuel 6:20 NLT The events preceding this cry are important to understanding it. Briefly, the Israelites had tried to use the covenant box (“Ark” in 1611 English)Continue reading “This Holy God”

What is Truth?

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.                                                                                                                                John 18:38 NLT There is a terrible irony in Pilate’s well-known question. Jesus had said that those who were “of the truth” recognized that what he said was true. That,Continue reading “What is Truth?”

The Lord Will Bless Me

“I know the LORD will bless me now,” Micah said, “because I have a Levite serving as my priest.” Judges 17:13 NLT It is hard to keep your jaw from dropping as you read Judges 17. The behavior of the people in the chapter is simply stunning. They live as though they have never heardContinue reading “The Lord Will Bless Me”

They Did Not Consult the Lord 3

For the LORD gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’” But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the LORD: ‘BringContinue reading “They Did Not Consult the Lord 3”

They Did Not Consult the Lord 2

So our elders and all our people instructed us, ‘Take supplies for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and tell them,’ “We are your servants; please make a treaty with us.’” This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it isContinue reading “They Did Not Consult the Lord 2”

They Did Not Consult the Lord 1

Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”                                                             Genesis 15:5 NLT Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. SoContinue reading “They Did Not Consult the Lord 1”

Idolatrous Memory

 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River. Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean? Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’                      Joshua 4:20-22 NLT TheContinue reading “Idolatrous Memory”