After the win over Goliath, David went on to show himself a true fighting man. He apparently fought without fear, believing with all his heart that he was in the right and that God would …
The Book of Samuel #7
One of the truly great ironies of the Bible followed on the heels of the failure of Israel’s first king: Saul, the son of Kish. From the moment of Saul’s rejection by God and the …
The Book of Samuel #6
The first king of Israel was exactly what the people envisioned for a king—tall, handsome, athletic. And God gave him the gifts he would need as king. He had a chance to become great and …
The Book of Samuel #5
The decision by Israel to change their government from a theocracy to a monarchy was a disastrous decision. It was surely not God’s will for them, because they had lived in freedom for so long. …
Biblical Economics
What would a Biblical economic system look like? Some people worry that Christians would like to turn the good, old USA into a theocracy. They worry without a cause. It will never happen—not even close. …
The Book of Samuel #4
Freedom is a terrible burden to bear, and it is a sad fact of life that men are all too willing to lay down that burden in the name of security or some other combination …
The Book of Samuel #3
If you saw the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, you will have been introduced to the idea that the Ark of God is a source of great power. Power that could be used, theoretically, …
The Book of Samuel #2
There aren’t very many things you can do that are worse than making people dread the worship of God. I know, you can kill people, you can maim them, you can cut off their heads. …
The Book of Samuel #1
It has been said repeatedly that those who cannot learn the lesson of history are condemned to repeat it. I can only conclude that not many people believe that statement, because so few have any …
Israel & the Covenant #2
If you are a Christian, and a thoughtful person, somewhere along the way, you have probably wondered about the relationship of the Jewish people to God. You know that there is no salvation in any …
Leadership in Crisis
By now, everyone realizes that we have a leadership crisis, not only in our country, but in the world at large. I wonder how we got to this place? Where does leadership come from and, …
Israel & the Covenant #1
Jews and Christians have been conflicted about one another for a very long time. After all, they worship the same God, and the Jewish Bible forms the largest part of the Christian Bible. But the …
The Anger of God
Does God get angry? We know he does—everyone has heard about the wrath of God—but, you know, I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people don’t see what God has to be …
Knowing God #8
Would you agree that Jesus was a good man? I doubt that we could find anyone who would argue to the contrary. Would you then agree that Jesus was a righteous man? I am reasonably …
Knowing God #7
If you sit down to read the Old Testament, you’re very likely to come across some events that are profoundly disturbing. There are instances where God commands Israel to wipe out whole cities—men, women, children, …
Knowing God #6
We know from God’s own testimony that it possible, not only to know God, but to understand him. But to really know and understand God at a personal level, one has to know Jesus. On …
Knowing God #5
When you have a limited time to tell someone about God, what are the important things for a person to know? For a person who knows nothing about God, I would be hard-pressed to start …
Real Worship
The worship of God is not as easy as some might think. It is easy enough to pretend to worship. All the forms are well known: raised hands, bowed head, bent knees. The jargon of …
Knowing God #4
Speaking to the young prophet named Jeremiah, God had this to say about himself: But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises …
Knowing God #3
Have you ever heard of the Wicked Bible? No, I am not making a joke. Back in the very earliest days of printing with movable type, someone made a mistake in setting the words of …