I don’t normally like to ask hypothetical ‘what ifs.’ They can lead to most unhelpful conclusions. But reading of the last two days of King Saul’s life it struck me how different the outcome could have been. By that point, Saul’s fatalistic outlook on life had driven him partly mad. He knew he had disobeyed […]
Following Jesus through the changing circumstances of life is an art, not a science. In science, there are rules and equations. If we repeat the steps we have taken in the past, we will get the same results. The art of following Jesus requires us to adjust to His every move. What He had us […]
If you ever read Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey, you will soon come across a drink offering. The ground is almost soggy with them! The act of pouring wine and other liquids on the ground in honor of the gods was common in Greek, Roman, and other Middle Eastern cultures. The Bible also mentions the drink […]
My idea of paradise is a place where climate and soils are ideal for plants and animals to thrive. The temperature hardly fluctuates from seventy-eight degrees. The sun shines with only a few cotton ball clouds to interrupt it with their welcome shadows. It rains gently at night, and by morning, the ground is dry. […]
When David killed Goliath in the name of God, everybody in Israel celebrated. But they forgot the facts of life: giants have babies too. Toward the end of David’s reign, when David was weary from yet another Philistine uprising, the giant problem almost destroyed David. One of Goliath’s big kids set out to assassinate him. […]
In the days before dogs had special diets, went on family vacations, and even retired, no one wanted to be called a dog, let alone a dead dog. Yet that was how Mephibosheth referred to himself. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul. His story is a study in damaged self-esteem […]
Why is it so hard to speak the truth in love? It surely has to do with the fact that everyone tends to perceive truth and love differently. Unless we have a standard for determining what is true and what is loving, we will struggle to understand each other’s motives. Of course, we are also […]
Deception spreads like a disease; the deceived become deceivers of others. An incident in the relationship between King David and Absalom his son illustrates that point. It also provides a warning about how Satan ambushes us as we approach God. David and Absalom had a difficult relationship. Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon in revenge […]
Temper tantrums are a childish way to get attention, but Absalom was frustrated. Five years earlier, Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon whose uncontrolled lust led him to rape their sister Tamar. After prolonged estrangement from his father, King David, Absalom wanted to talk. Absalom tried to recruit Joab as a mediator, but Joab would […]
King David had a large, dysfunctional family. One of the stories has enough material to fill several episodes of a bad soap opera. It contains two lessons: the first about lust; the second deals with that nagging doubt about whether God listens to us or not. David’s son Amnon nurtured a lustful passion for his […]