Like the narrator of a great tragedy, Isaiah opens his prophetic writings with sweeping vistas of a nation in decline. For five chapters, the prophet paints the picture of a nation visibly prosperous but inwardly rotten; outwardly pious but internally…
The prophets had a significant task: to call people back to the pure worship of Yahweh. Their culture, like all human cultures, were filled with false views of God. In order to understand the prophets, it is helpful to understand…
A few notes that I’ve gathered for myself on how to be interesting when teaching or presenting on a topic: (1) Luther said that every preacher should preach as though to a 12-year-old milkmaid sitting in the audience. This is…
It was an age of impending doom. From the throne-rooms of kings to the smoking huts of commoners, men whispered of a rising power in the east, a nation that was fast becoming the most powerful empire on earth. They…
Have you ever been amazed, even stunned, at what the Bible says? I recently had this experience. It was a verse that struck me as so unique, so unexpected, that I had to reread it to be sure that I…
Enjoy this excerpt from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: “…But things may be desperate: ‘All things seem against us, to drive us to despair.’ Let us then be prepared for that. Yes, but we must go further. While all this is happening…
Enrobed in scarlet, with a reddish tone,The DEVIL once was easily made known – Infernal monster of the lowest parts,And greatest master of the blackest arts! Then men could see him with his teeth and claws,And mouth, that dripped of rage,…
When I was a child, I remember how I felt disconnected from history. Even then, I loved the subject: I was fascinated by ancient times and faraway places. Still, I couldn’t get past the feeling that I was disconnected from…
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45a) In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains what it…
Romans resembles a mountain range. The intrepid reader must work to summit its heights but is rewarded with breathtaking vistas of the glory of God. After a steep ascent through eight chapters, the reader attains the first—highest—peak. Three more chapters of rocky terrain separate him from the second at the end of chapter eleven. Worn out but exultant, the traveler is led gently downward through five more chapters of alpine meadows—verdant with application. It is on this path we now travel.
