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July 9, 2020
Throughout the Bible, the Promised Land of Israel, Jerusalem, is described as a land flowing with milk and honey. In many ways, that was symbolic for prosperity and joy. But was it also literal? Just what did the Promised Land mean for the people of God, and why did they have such a hard time getting there - and staying there?
June 1, 2020
We have an infinite God who goes by many names. And these names, scattered throughout Scripture, often have a different meaning, showing us another facet of this wonderful creator, healer, and provider.
During times of sickness, we may call upon God using his name that is tied to healing, âJehovah Rapha.â
The Name: The Hebrew word rophe or rapha means "heal, "cure," "restore," or "make whole." Shortly after his people left Egypt for the Promised Land, God revealed himself as Yahweh Rophe, "the LORD who heals." The Hebrew Scriptures indicate that God is the source of all healing. As you pray to Yahweh Rophe, ask him to search your heart. Take time to let him show you what it contains. If he uncovers any sin, ask for his forgiveness and then pray for healing. The New Testament reveals Jesus as the Great Physician, the healer of body and soul, whose miracles point to the kingdom of God.*
Key Scripture: If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statues, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you. (Exodus 15:26 NKJV)
Although God is attentive to our prayers, we may pray using different names as a reminder to ourselves about Godâs power, his wonder, his strength, his provisions, and many other divine quantities.
God also reveals a part of himself via a name. We can learn something new about him every time we discover a new name in the Bible. Names had a whole other type of weight in the Old and New Testament. It wasnât just something one slapped on a birth certificate. Names could determine oneâs telos (purpose), life trajectory, or oneâs family lineage. Weâll dive into the meaning of the words Jehovah Rapha and what they mean for us today.
Photo Credit: ©Sparrowstock, excerpt provided by Ann Spangler, Praying the Names of God
May 29, 2020
It's one of the biggest questions that Christians can face, and as such there are generations of arguments, research and books on the topic. When someone becomes a Christian, are they set for life - no matter what? And if so, what are we to do with people who leave or fade out of the faith?
May 25, 2020
In times of great stress and anxiety, many of us experience nightmares, and can wonder just what is going on. Is there a deeper meaning to these bad dreams, or is it just our body's natural response to stress? Let's take a look at Scripture and some other people in the Bible who had nightmares.
May 12, 2020
Most of the prophets in the Bible lived prior or during to two catastrophic events that shook the ancient Hebraic world. The first was when the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. Prophets who spoke to those people included Hosea and Amos. The second event that almost undid the fabric of the Jewish nation happened when the Babylonians ransacked the Southern Kingdom and took a great portion of its inhabitants into captivity. Prophets who witnessed this included Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
But what about after all the events? The Israelites returned from their 70-year captivity in Babylonian in the 500s BC. We donât have too many accounts in the Bible past those dates. The biblical narrative, in fact, goes silent after Malachi writes his book in the 400 BC range, according to the Zondervan NIV Study Bible.
Nevertheless, we do have one prophet who returns from the Babylonian captivity and has his own book amongst the minor prophets: Haggai. A contemporary of Nehemiah, Haggai helped the Israelites during the rebuilding process, despite opposition from foreign enemies.
This article will dive into the person of Haggai, what his main message to the Israelite people was, and why he matters to us today.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White
April 14, 2020
It is easy to assume that the Bible doesn't have the answer for every modern problem. However, the people in the Bible experienced similar trials and temptations as us, and looking to them will give us encouragement and strength in tough times. Take the coronavirus pandemic for example. As we look forward to the end of this disaster, we can draw strength from the prophet Nehemiah, who helped rebuild Jerusalem after a disaster. His choices and faith will guide us as we rebuild our virus-ravaged modern world.
March 29, 2020
Although many scholars have debated the authorship of various books of the Bible, Hebrews is the only one that does not have a majority rule as to who wrote it. Conjectures as to the author have ranged from the Apostle Paul, who wrote at least thirteen books in the New Testament, to Priscilla, a friend of Paulâs who accompanied him during part of his ministry.
Some may read the book of Hebrews with some skepticism. After all, if we do not know who penned the book, how can we trust that itâs scripturally sound?
Although scholars have not reached a unanimous, or near-unanimous, conclusion about who authored the book of Hebrews, this article will endeavor to explore some of the possible writers who contributed to this book. This article will also discuss the context of Hebrews, and why the church decided to include the book in the Scriptural canon, even with the author being an unknown factor.
Photo credit: ©Sparrowstock
March 25, 2020
Chances are, at one point in our lives, we had an obsession with these giant creatures, and if we didnât, our kids likely enjoyed learning about dinosaurs during some period of their lives. But what does the Bible say about dinosaurs?
Are they mentioned anywhere throughout Scripture, or is the Bible silent on these fossils we hadnât uncovered until the 1800s? In this article, weâll dive into if and where we might find dinosaurs in the Bible, what we know about them scientifically, and if they appeared in the Garden of Eden or Noah's Ark.
The Bible does not mention dinosaurs by name. However, several passages could be interpreted to refer to them.
One such passage is Genesis 1:24, which says: "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kindsâlivestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.'" This verse could be interpreted to include dinosaurs, as they were living creatures that roamed the earth during the Mesozoic Era.
Another passage is in Job 40, which describes a creature called Behemoth. Behemoth is described as being a massive creature with a powerful tail and a thick hide. Some people believe that Behemoth could be a dinosaur, such as a Sauropod or Ankylosaur.
Finally, several passages in the Psalms mention "dragons." Dragons are often depicted as large, reptilian creatures that breathe fire. Some people believe that dragons could be dinosaurs, such as Pterosaurs or dinosaurs that have been mythologized over time.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Divaneth-Dias
March 10, 2020
For those of us who attended Sunday school as kids, we may have heard a story about Naaman. This man, who had leprosy, washed himself in the Jordan river seven times, according to what Elisha the prophet instructed him to do, and he found healing (2 Kings 5).
But Sunday school didnât often cover the historical context of people such as Naaman. Nor did we often explore the concepts of humility, salvation, and how the story of Naaman ties into our understanding of the Gospel.
Weâll dive into all of these as we uncover the personhood of a proud Syrian man who came to the prophet Elisha for healing.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/AaronAmat
March 6, 2020
Although King David wrote the majority of the book of Psalms, readers may have encountered passages in the 150-chapter book that said, âA maskil of the sons of Korahâ (Psalm 42), or âA Psalm of the Sons of Korahâ (Psalm 84). (A maskil denotes a specific type of musical performance to accompany the Psalm).
Many Bible readers may not be familiar with the personhood of Korah or his sons who contributed to this book, found in the middle of the Bible. Who was Korah, why did his sons write portions of the Psalms, when did they write their contributions to the Bible, and what can we learn from all of these men?
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/CaseyHillPhoto
March 4, 2020
Many of us may not recognize the name âAsaâ as a significant Biblical character. However, King Asa (from the kingdom of Judah) had a great ruling streak until the very latter years of his life.
For those unfamiliar with Israelâs history, after the time of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel split into two factions: the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The Northern Kingdom produced all evil rulers. Not one of them followed the paths of righteousness.
Although the Southern kingdom had its share of terrible kings, which ultimately led to its downfall and captivity in Babylon (Daniel 1), a number of godly leaders found their way throughout the Southern Kingdomâs history.
Asa was among these, for most of his life.
Son of the evil King Abijah (1 Kings 15), Asa undid many of the reforms of his father and evil grandmother Maakah. Nevertheless, Asa had a number of faults that cut his reign short after roughly three decades.
Letâs learn what happened in Asaâs life, and explore how to avoid some of his mistakes in our everyday lives.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Maudib
February 25, 2020
It may seem odd to spend an article discussing the women who followed Jesus during his ministry. However, readers must keep in mind ancient texts seldom spent a great deal of time mentioning females. When they did, they often did so in derogatory terms:
In a court of law, a women’s testimony would not have held up back then, and so the women first witnessing the resurrection would have made the story far less credible to the contemporary of that time.
Ancient views of women aside, the Gospels appear to spend a great deal of time on women, opposed to their textual counterparts. Who were these women who followed Jesus? What can we know about them individually? And what can we learn from them?
Photo Credit: GettyImages©/mrkornflakes
February 21, 2020
Pontius Pilate's sentence is a crucial part of the Easter story. Despite finding Jesus guiltless, Pilate still allows him to be killed. However, after washing his hands of the whole situation, Pilate mostly disappears from Gospel record. Who exactly was this Roman official? And more importantly, how did he rationalize killing Jesus?
February 12, 2020
Although many churches recognize the season of Lent and may practice their own traditions during this period of time entering Good Friday and subsequently Easter, not all of them have a specific tradition regarding Ash Wednesday and Lent fasting. The idea of abstaining from certain worldly pleasures to focus on the meaning of the holiday, has valuable meaning regardless of denomination affiliation.
More prominent in denominations such as the Lutheran church and the Catholic church, we might see the commemoration of Ash Wednesday through a pastor or priest marking an ash cross on the foreheads of those in the congregation or parish, to symbolize repentance and reconciliation.
Letâs look at what is involved during Ash Wednesday, what the fasting rules are during Lent, and how we can prepare our hearts for this Lent season.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Uladzimir Zuyeu