Familiarity Breeds Unbelief

‘They said, ‘Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven?’ ~ John 6:42 How can God become man? How can God have a Son? How can God be Sovereign yet give us free-will? How can God be just yet …

Urim and Thummim: Right Decisions and Judgements

‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord’ ~ Proverbs 16:33 One of the priestly garments God instructed to be made was the breastpiece. He says, ‘Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions’ (Exodus 28:15). The breastpiece was a double-folded linen with ‘four rows of precious stone on it’ …

Sharing in the Sins of Others

‘But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me’ ~ Deuteronomy 3:26 One of the things Moses recalls about Israel’s exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, and their wanderings in the desert was how he himself suffered because of the people’s rebellion and sin. Like a constant …

The Loving God

‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ ~ Malachi 1:2 The phrase ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:16) has been rightly used but wrongly upheld. Its full effect does not resonate with its hearers because many do not appropriate it to themselves. John who made this statement …

The Metamorphosis of Moses

Moses was an ordinary man, but when he met God, he became extraordinary. While living his ordinary life, God met him during an ordinary day while he was doing an ordinary activity, ‘tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian’ (Exodus 3:1). But this one ordinary day was about to be extraordinary, …

Heaping Sin Upon Sin

‘Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more’ ~ Amos 4:4 This is God urging Israel to keep up with their sins for ‘they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil heart. They went backward and not forward’ (Jeremiah 7:24). Granted, ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of …

Considerations from Creation

The expanse in the sky and their lights, the sea, vegetation, birds of the air, fish in the sea, animals and all creatures that move in the water and along the ground were created by God before humankind. ‘God is not a God of disorder’ (1 Corinthians 14:33) and so He ‘made the earth by …

God’s Caution to the Complacent

‘Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and you who feel secure on Mount Samaria’ ~ Amos 6:1 A quick look at the definition of complacent describes one who is uncritically satisfied with oneself or their achievements. The complacent are apathetic and smug with regard to an apparent need or problem. When the Israelites …

The Battle is the Lord’s

When battle rages, it is hard to keep still. The battle fronts are action-packed, and being still makes one a liable target- or so we think. However, when one stands grounded, when one is still, it is difficult to be pushed and shoved compared to when one is in motion. When ‘the Israelites looked up, …

The Record Keeping God

God loves writing down stuff, especially His Word. It is not because He can forget, but because we tend to forget. God tells Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction’ (Exodus …