Biblical Last Words: David Exults. David’s life has been well-chronicled in Scripture. David the shepherd boy, the giant-killer, the heroic warrior, the anointed king who has to run for his life, the enthroned king who enjoyed the golden years of the nation of Israel, the faithful ruler who relished God’s favor through his forty-year reign despite …
Biblical Last Words: Samson Prays. “Then Samson called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord God remember me I pray you, and strengthen me, I pray you, only this once, O God. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes!” And Samson cried, ‘Let me die with the …
Goofy Dad Stories (13): Skinned Face. My senior year at Wheaton College. Basketball season. Freezing temperatures on the morning of a game that night. I was running late to class. It was really cold, and there was ice on all the sidewalks. I had forgotten to wear my gloves, so as I ran I put my …
Biblical Last Words: Joshua Challenges. “‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel!’ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day.” (Joshua 24:23-25). Joshua died after he had sent the people away thinking about their commitment to Yahweh. Joshua, the “servant of the …
Biblical Last Words: Moses Blesses. “How blessed you are, O Israel! Who else is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall march on their high places! (Deuteronomy 33:29). Much like Jacob in his dying moments, Moses …
Biblical Last Words: Joseph Promises. “And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Soon I am going to die; and God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you to the land He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… God will visit you, and …
Biblical Last Words: Jacob Worships. “It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.” (Hebrews 11:21). It’s easy to picture this poignant scene as Jacob was close to death. He gathered all his sons around him, and wanted to …
Goofy Dad Stories (12): Stumped By Glass. A few years ago, the staff at Reality Ministries was invited to a beautifully restored old warehouse in downtown warehouse for a staff workshop. Red brick everywhere. Exposed wood beams. The interior decoration was stylish and creative, with lots of glass and exposed brick and rustic wood beams everywhere. …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (7): Daniel Around 600 BC, Nebuchadnezzar and his huge Babylonian army laid siege to Jerusalem. They surrounded the capital city of Judah and had a stranglehold on everything in Jerusalem… no food, no transportation, no military help. God’s punishment to His Chosen People for their unfaithfulness was to have …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (6): Elijah and Isaiah. The mysterious Angel of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible would appear numerous times from out of nowhere and in unexpected settings. This unique Angel would appear as a divine visitor to Abraham, a welcome comfort to Hagar, and a wrestling opponent to Jacob. This heavenly …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (5): Judges. The Angel of Yahweh, that mysterious heavenly Messenger that appears and then disappears in many stories in the Hebrew Bible, has long been considered by many scholars to be none other than Jesus Christ. Early Church theologians, and many others since then, have recognized that this unique …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (4): Balaam and Joshua. In the Orthodox tradition, and in cases of numerous other Biblical scholars as well, when God appeared in visible form as a man in the Hebrew Bible, that Man was the eternal Jesus Christ. And when the Angel of the Lord, the Angel of Yahweh, …