Category: NT
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The King and His Kingdom
God’s covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 is part of a larger Exodus pattern in David’s life. In the Exodus, Moses and Israel escaped from Pharaoh and came to a wilderness place. They were attacked by Amalekites, but they defeated them. Jethro, the Gentile priest blessed them and then the covenant was established and instructions…
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Light and glory
Isaiah wrote around the time of the collapse and captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel, but his dealings were with the kings of the south. He warned against the coming invasion of Assyria and the ultimate fall, exile, and restoration of a reunited Israel. In the beginning of chapter 60, he casts the restoration…
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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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The Heart with the Treasure
It’s easy to see the law as harsh and oppressive. Martin Luther counted it as an enemy sided with the flesh and the devil, set against us to destroy us. It’s understandable. We are sinners. We have broken the law. We carry guilt with us. So, when we read things like, if you turn away…
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From Nature to Culture
God established a pattern and rhythm for His creation from the very beginning. The earth began formless, empty, and dark but the heavens* served as a pattern after which man was to continue to shape and fill and light the earth. God established the rhythm of the day, of evening and morning, darkness and light…
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Triumph of the King
Paul contends that through the cross, Christ disarmed and overcame all rulers and authorities, the principalities and powers of the world. This isn’t limited to demonic or evil human forces. He triumphed over the state, the family, the tribe and clan and nation so that he can say “all authority in heaven and on earth…
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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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Salvation Before Law
In Deuteronomy 6, God says, “these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” God is establishing…
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Jews and God-fearers
The structure of the people of Israel – the careful arrangement of the camp, the clear delineation of the land among the tribes, the laws of uncleanness, food restrictions, and circumcision – all serve to set Israel apart as a priestly nation. The Jews were not exclusively the people of God; there were still Noahic…
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At War Within You
David’s sin with Bathsheba is a prime example of the interconnectedness of whole body of the law. Though David had his own wives, he coveted another woman. He laid his hand on that which was forbidden and took her for himself, knowingly stealing another man’s wife. Of course, this is also adultery, and it leads…