A Roadmap for the Song
The Song of Songs has been subjected to more interpretative attempts than almost any other book in the Old Testament.
Whether or not Solomon wrote the Song (and I am personally convinced that he is the author), we can be sure that the Song of Songs is set in the context of God’s covenant with David. In fact, the very name of the chief character of the Song is “the Beloved,” which, in Hebrew, is... Continue Reading
Sticking Your Tongue Out at Suffering
Paul's attitude towards death was a powerful form of proclamation.
When Paul sticks his tongue out at death, “most of the brothers” suddenly realize that death isn’t so big and bad after all. The worst (as it were) that death can actually do is usher them into the bliss of life forever with God. Suddenly Paul’s Christian peers feel able to stick their own tongues... Continue Reading
The Good We Can’t Let Go
How to Guard Against Subtle Sins
When we enjoy God’s gifts as he created us to, they will not compete with Christ for our affections; they will take us in hand and, like a godly friend, say, “Let us go to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). God made us to wrap our arms around a spouse, or fill our... Continue Reading
Take the Obvious Step
We should direct our prayer and planning toward the clear application.
In an effort to seem original or deep, our chase for applications can dodge the undeniable thrust of a passage of Scripture. We approach the gold mine with a shovel and end up buried under a pile of nuance. It’s worth re-orienting ourselves. Peter has urged us to consider two directions (inward and outward) as well as three spheres of... Continue Reading
A Neck Problem
Read God’s prescription for stiff neck in James 4:7-10.
Being stiff-necked makes for a bad patient, a refusal to listen to the doctor. What is the treatment? Stiff neck cannot be cured in this life, but it can be managed under the care of the Holy Spirit. The primary treatment is a regimen of humility. Humility counters the malignancy of pride that is the... Continue Reading
Christian Meditation
Meditation is our wisdom as we draw closer and closer to our Lord.
The believers who grow in grace and become those who have clean and pure consciences and are pure and holy before the Lord. They have attained this by the grace of God as they cooperated with Him by meditating on His Word and obeying Him in their walk by faith. We have seen the purpose... Continue Reading
An MIT Professor Meets the Author of All Knowledge
I used to think religious people were ignoramuses. Then I got smart and took a chance on God.
At the time, I babysat to earn money. One of my favorite families was a young couple; both the husband (a doctor) and the wife were really sharp. One night, after paying me, they invited me to church. I was stunned—people this smart actually went to church? As early as grade school, when I... Continue Reading
Let Go of the Life You Wanted
There is more to every Christian’s story than can be experienced now.
What if you look back, like my friend, and all you see is a graveyard of buried dreams, an egg that never hatched, great things that never came, years that passed as a sigh? What do you do when the life that should have been finally escapes the rearview mirror? “I have nothing to... Continue Reading
Context Matters: This is the Day the Lord has Made
There was a feast on, but these people couldn’t even recognize the one they were supposedly celebrating.
This day—the day of salvation, the day of praise and thanksgiving for rescuing them through their rejected king, the day of lavish feasting—is the day Yahweh made (Ps 118:24). They have much reason to rejoice and be glad, for their God has had the last laugh against their enemies. Perhaps you’ve heard that this... Continue Reading
Why Should I Pray?
God’s people have been called to prayer from the beginning.
In Eden, the Lord walked with and talked to His image bearers. But after they followed Satan’s lies and rebelled against Him, they hid when the Lord showed up. Prayer was, in the most radical way, hindered.mBut God made a promise of grace after He announced judgment on the devil, Adam, and Eve. Our... Continue Reading