Acts 2: the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost
What happened in on Pentecost in Acts 2?
Any knowledgeable Christian knows that early believers spilled onto the street speaking in tongues. Peter preached to the crowd that gathered, and 3,000 people believed and received baptism.
In other words, Acts 2 described the birthday of the church, but let’s not pass too quickly over the opening verses of the chapter. The first four verses describe five important events.
They were all together in one place
Acts 2:1 says they were all together in one place. Who are “they”?
Ten days separate the Ascension from Pentecost, ten days that saw some important decisions.… Read the rest
Gospel: what does the concept mean?
If you hang around churches or read much Christian literature, you will notice some important words. You might not often find clear statements of what they mean. Consider, for example, “gospel.”
It translates the Greek word evangelion, which means good news. In Scripture, it appears nearly a hundred times and means specifically good news regarding Jesus Christ.
Many passages in the New Testament refer to preaching the gospel, but the authors usually assume readers will understand what it means. Paul usually uses it in epistles to churches he founded, with the meaning of the message he preached in person.
Fortunately, he provides some more extended explanations.… Read the rest
From Gilgal to Bokim: a squandered opportunity to walk by faith
Judges 2 opens with a statement that the angel of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bokim. Throughout the book of Joshua, Gilgal served as Israel’s headquarters, the location of the tent of meeting. Think of it! God had to follow his people to a place of woe because they no longer followed him.
The story of Judges represents a recurring theme of the apparent victory of sin and rebellion that made it necessary for Jesus to come and die.
… Read the restCelebrating the birth of Jeconiah’s seed, Jesus Christ
Who is Jeconiah? We find him in the first chapter of Matthew:
And Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, — Matthew 1:11-12 BSB
So he’s in Jesus’ genealogy, but so are a lot of other people known only by being in genealogical lists. Let’s look further.
… Read the rest“As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off. In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.
Isaiah 40: one prophecy with three fulfillments
Isaiah 40:1-11 may be one of the best-known passages among all the Old Testament prophets. As anyone who knows Handel’s Messiah will immediately recognize, the text for several movements in the first part come from the first eleven verses:
- Isaiah 40:1-4, the first tenor recitative and aria, “Comfort ye my people” and “Every valley shall be exalted”
- Isaiah 40:5, the first chorus, “And the glory of the Lord”
- Isaiah 40:9, part of the first alto aria (with chorus), “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion”
- Isaiah 40:11, the second alto aria, “He shall feed his flock”
We associate these verses with the Christmas story because John the Baptist claimed to be the “voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,” words quoted in the tenor recitative.… Read the rest
Joab: David’s military commander, man of contradictions
We’re comfortable with heroes and villains. We can cheer the one, scorn the other, and then get on with our lives. Most of us don’t rise to such heights or sink to such depths, however. Maybe that’s why the Bible says so much about Joab. Maybe that’s why a lot of Bible readers don’t pay much attention to him.
Who was Joab? He was David’s nephew and served as his army commander. He was also a bundle of contradictions: intensely loyal to David but sometimes disobedient, brave but not at the very end of his life, violent yet capable of mercy, utterly self-centered but pious.… Read the rest
Ask for the ancient paths, the good way
Highway construction is big business in this country. I love it when a new stretch of highway makes it easier to get where I’m going, and sometimes, I’ll drive on a new road just to see where it goes, whether I’ll ever use it or not. Sometimes, new construction completely obliterates an old road. The Bible says to ask for the ancient paths. What does it mean for the church today?
… Read the restThus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
Discontent, rebellion, and the grace of God
God led his chosen but stubborn people from Sinai to the cusp of the Promised Land, and then they believed a report that the people of the land were too strong. So they refused to go in. Months of discontent gave way to rebellion. They chose leaders to replace Moses and vowed to go back to Egypt. God’s people can be slow learners. Have you ever noticed that?
In Numbers 14, they heard the spies’ report and refused to enter the promised land. They mourned that they hadn’t died in the wilderness. God told them they’d have their way: everyone over 20 would die in the wilderness over the next 40 years, but their children would conquer the Promised Land.… Read the rest
God’s grace towards the sins of the patriarchs
God introduced himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These three names appear together throughout the books of Moses, later in the Old Testament, and nine times in the New Testament. Along with Jacob’s sons, they are the patriarchs who received the Abrahamic covenant. That covenant, more than the other Old Testament covenants, is a covenant of grace.
It is easy to regard major characters in the Bible as either heroes or villains. The patriarchs were neither. They were great men of faith in their own ways, but we see God’s grace most clearly when we look at it against the backdrop of their persistent sin.… Read the rest
The leaven of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus warned the disciples of leaven. Each passage is a little different, indicating that Jesus issued the warning more than once. Each passage warns of the leaven of the Pharisees. Matthew adds the Sadducees and Mark adds Herod. What were the disciples supposed to learn from the warnings? And what do they mean to us today, when the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod are all ancient history?
… Read the rest