Last Sunday we saw the Israelites break camp in order to head to the Jordan and then to cross over into the land God had promised all those long centuries before. I pointed out that they were not merely leaving behind their camp at Shittim; they were leaving behind their unbelief and their apostasy and…

No one likes the time change. Well, I should say no one likes the Spring time change when we have to “spring forward”—and lose an hour of sleep. I think everyone likes the Fall time change when we “fall back” and gain an hour. Either way, we all know the struggle that comes from having…

On Sunday I plan to explore the idea of ḥerem—variously translated as “devoted to destruction” (ESV), “completely destroyed” (NIV), “utterly destroyed” (KJV), and “annihilated” (NET Bible). Robert Young’s “Young’s Literal Translation” from the late 1800s captures the idea perhaps most closely: “devoted”. It has the idea of putting something under a ban. An object or…

I was recently sent an article and asked to comment on it. The conclusion and therefore central thrust of the article was this: we must help our nation “by standing against overreaching government bureaucrats”. As support for this the author cited Paul’s insistence on his rights as a citizen of Rome in Acts 22. Is…

Life happens suddenly, even when we expect it to happen. Whether it’s the death of a loved one after a long battle with cancer, or the death of a loved one after an unexpected heart attack, or the premature birth of your child, or it’s your own on-going struggles with employment, or a sudden operation…