Category: Ephesians
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A Kingdom that Cannot Be Shaken
Daniel chapters 2 and 7 both relate dreams that cover the same progression of kingdoms from different perspectives, and both serve to contrast the succession of fleeting manifestations of the City of Man with the solid, eternal City of God. In chapter 2, Daniel interprets a dream that troubled Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The […]
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Covenant King
2 Samuel 7 is a passage we hear frequently. It is an important passage because it is God’s establishment of His covenant with David. The chapter is divided into two sections. The first section starts with the king sitting in his house and goes through the vision that God gives to Nathan the prophet. Yahweh […]
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Dry Bones
Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet of God during the Babylonian exile, when Judah was cast out of the land and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. In chapter six, Ezekiel was told to prophecy to Israel, “Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and […]
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Suitable Helper
The solitude of man is the first thing God evaluates and declares not good. But, as with all His judgments, it is not merely a proclamation; He works in His judgment to bring a change. God divided the man to bring him a helper, to form culture and community. In one sense, there was not […]
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Kingdom Church
Deuteronomy 5 is a restatement of the Ten Words, or Ten Commandments, given to the people of Israel as they were preparing to enter the promised land. Chapters 6-26 are an expansion and commentary on each of the Ten Words. Chapter 7 is part of the section dealing with the first Word, “I am Yahweh […]
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Kingdom of Priests
In Exodus 19, the people of Israel have been brought to Sinai, the mountain of God. They have already been rescued from the death and slavery of Egypt. Now, after they have seen the great salvation of God in the overthrow of their enemies, they are being prepared to receive the law. God tells them […]
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The Implanted Word
Jesus points to the shema‘, the Hear, O Israel, as the greatest commandment, “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And the second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” All the rest of the Law and Prophets is an expansion […]
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Filled with the Infinite
It is not a rare thing in the Old Testament that the surrounding nations are included as participants in the blessings and worship of Yahweh. Even in the promises to Abraham, God says that in him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This promise is not just for the time after the […]
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Song of Songs
The Song of Songs is both a mystery and a beauty. It is elusive, dancing lightly from image to image, and as such is difficult to get a solid hold of in any sort of narrative-historical or allegorical way. Even so, it has been counted by Jews and Christians throughout history as the height of […]
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The Trinity Pervades Reality
We see the distinct actions of each Person of the Trinity at work in creation. God the Father, the initiator, is the fountain and wellspring of all things. God the Son, the Word, is the wisdom, counsel, and order of all things. God the Spirit hovers or broods over His creation, bringing the environment together […]