September 2019
Traveling Companions
Hermeneutics is a big seldom-used word meaning the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible.) In other words, it’s the science of how to study the Bible. One hermeneutical principle that is sometimes very helpful in guiding Bible students in understanding any given topic is the principle of first mention. The […]
The Prayer of Faith
To me one of the most fascinating things about the created order that God set up in the Garden of Eden was that Adam and Eve needed to eat at all. To my mind perfection would be marked by a complete absence of need. However, even in the perfection of the garden they got hungry […]
Do This In Remembrance of Me
On the night Jesus was betrayed he instituted the sacrament of communion saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Communion is, in part, a call to remember, but memory can be a tricky thing for the Christian. Our memory is sometimes our friend, but other times it accuses us and fills us with shame. Our […]
August 2019
A Man Named Fool
Sarah and I love befriending other couples, and one of the first questions I like to ask as I am getting to know another couple is, “How did you two first meet?” I have asked that question hundreds of times over the years, and the responses have run the gamut from the fairly pedestrian like […]
The Temptation of David
After the events of chapter 23, that we studied last week, King Saul, along with three-thousand of his best men, pursued David into the oasis of En-Gedi. They were hot on the trail of Israel’s most wanted fugitive when a very human thing happened. Saul had to go to the bathroom so the armed troupe […]
July 2019
But David’s Men Said
Although not yet recognized as King within Israel, and although he is innocent of a grasping desire to usurp Saul’s throne, in chapter 23 of 1st Samuel we will see that David’s shepherd heart toward Israel forces him to begin acting the part of a King by protecting the people of an Israelite town called […]
Depart and Go
In the Bible, Adullam is first mentioned among the cities conquered by Joshua during his conquest of the promised land. It is a site known to modern archaeologists as well. Even today the ruins of ancient fortifications can be found there atop a mounded hill and the nearby cliff faces are dotted with caves whose […]
June 2019
Fear and Lies
Do the ends justify the means? In his book, “Pioneer Priests of North America,” historian Francis Parkman tells the tale of a group of missionaries in the late 1600’s who were having a very difficult time trying to win converts from among the Huron people of Canada. The indigenous people were not interested in anything […]
Jonathan: Traitor or Loyalist?
Several Sundays ago we studied the first five verses of 1 Samuel 18 in which we witnessed the birth of that famous friendship between David and Jonathan. This friendship had its beginnings in those happy days following the killing of Goliath. Everybody was lining up to pat David on the back then! However, often times […]
The Already But Not Yet King
The book of 1st Samuel is dominated by three human personalities, Samuel, Saul and David, but oddly, the 19th chapter is the only place in the entire book where all three men are found together in the same place at the same time. The 19th chapter of 1st Samuel is not only an exciting portion […]