'Old Testament' Tagged Posts
WHERE WILL IT ALL END?
In these troubling times, as in many times past, we may find ourselves wondering: “Where will it all end?” St. Paul famously said this: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 EHV). It is doubtful that you and I would believe these words if God Himself had not caused them to be written down in the Bible. As the years…
TIMELESS TRUTH
In the verses before us today, Jesus says: “If you remain in My word, you are really My disciples. You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 EHV). This includes the truth of the Holy Trinity. For a lot of folks the name Athanasius may not ring a bell. But we Christians owe the man a great deal. In the early centuries of the Church, a fellow named Arius, along with others,…
“MY SOUL WAITS FOR THE LORD”
We spend our lives waiting for things big and little. We wait for our first day of school, for our first two-wheeled bike, for our first date, for our first job, for our driver’s license, for our life’s partner, for our first child, for grandchildren and for retirement. The danger, of course, is that we spend our lives so anxious about tomorrow that we lose all appreciation for today. The ungrudging goodness of God is something to be experienced every…
WATERS IN THE WILDERNESS
The prophet Isaiah pictured the gospel comfort of the coming Savior this way: “Waters will flow in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.” It was a picture God’s Old Testament people could appreciate. Delivered from bondage in Egypt, they had marched forth through the wilderness toward the land of promise. On their journey to the Horeb mountain range, the hills got higher. The valleys got deeper. The rocks got bigger. The water got scarcer. The children of Israel…
LOOKING TO THE CURSED FOR A CURE
There is a knock on the door one night. It is Nicodemus. He wants to talk to Jesus. Privately. As a Jewish leader he doubtless worries about guilt by association with this new Teacher on the scene who is working wonders. Amid the soaring truths about a new birth and God’s plan of salvation, Jesus points the old scholar back to the Old Testament: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must…
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE WISE MEN
Isaiah foretold it. “Nations will walk to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3 EHV). The first example of this, as we edge toward the Epiphany season, is found not in the Gospel of Luke from which our Christmas themes are taken this year. Rather, it is in the Gospel of Matthew that we learn about the Wise Men. The Wise Men arrive in Jerusalem asking: “Where is He who has been born King of…
LESSONS FROM THE WILDERNESS
God was no miser to His Old Testament people. He drenched all of them with grace, an undeserved love that foreshadowed the word and sacraments in which He wraps you and me today. The pillar of cloud and fire went before them like unto Him who said: “I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” They all passed through the Red Sea and emerged safely…
“LOOK! YOUR KING IS COMING!”
We break from our Sunday morning sermon series on Exodus to ponder the fulfillment of what the prophet Zechariah foretold: “Look! Your King is coming.” Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the applause of the crowds is the starting pistol for what we have come to call Holy Week. The “Hosannas!” of the crowds are soon followed by the cries of “Crucify Him!” only days later. “Your King is coming!” is the theme of the entire Old Testament…
WHAT’S WITH ALL THIS “40” STUFF?
Did you ever notice how the number “40” shows up in the Bible history lessons we learned when we were young? 40 days and 40 nights of rain ushered in the worldwide flood of Noah’s day. Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai receiving the law. He spent an additional 40 days and 40 nights praying for the rebellious children of Israel after they had thrown God over for a golden calf. Israel wandered for 40 years…
GOD’S SECRET SERVICE
On Jacob’s homeward march to the land of Canaan, the Bible tells us that “the angels of God met him.” “Angels” are still a trendy subject in the tabloids, magazines, bookstores and television. A number of years ago, TV favorites included Highway To Heaven and Touched By An Angel. In the theaters, Christopher Lloyd helped win ball games as an angel in Angels In The Outfield. A holiday favorite from years ago was It’s A Wonderful Life. The underlying idea…
“THE BALAAM SYNDROME”
As the calendar year winds down and Advent ushers in a new church year, our thoughts focus on the future. The Scriptures clearly tell us what awaits those who trust in Jesus and those who don’t. When it comes to the future, one writer describes what he calls “the Balaam syndrome.” You can read about the sorcerer, Balaam, in the Old Testament book of Numbers (chapters 22-25). Hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel on its march to…
LESSONS FROM THE WILDERNESS
God was no miser to His Old Testament people. He drenched all of them with grace, an undeserved love that foreshadowed the word and sacraments in which He wraps you and me today. The pillar of cloud and fire went before them like unto Him who said: “I am the Light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” They all passed through the Red Sea and…