A deep sense of grief permeates Ezekiel’s account of the temple’s destruction. The loss felt by the Lord is poignantly expressed when He says, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain” (Ezek. 9:7). Defile the temple? Defile the place chosen out of all creation as a dwelling for God? Why should the…
Category: Old Testament
My Sister, My Bride
The following are lyrics to a song the Lord gave me a few years ago. (Listen to the song here). The words are based on Song of Songs 4:8-5:1. At the time of their writing, Solomon was poetically praising his lover. In the Spirit, we can hear Jesus singing a love song to His bride,…
A Single Stone
David used only one stone to defeat Goliath and the entire Philistine army (1 Sam. 17:49, 50). One stone set right the many blasphemies Goliath shouted at God’s people day after day (1 Sam. 17:16, 23). One stone redeemed the disobedience of every Israelite soldier who did nothing to resist Goliath. One stone was all…
Our Affection for Rubble
“Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king” (1 Sam. 15:23). Israel asked for a king and rejected the Lord as King (1 Sam. 8: 7). God gave them what they asked for. Saul embodied their rejection of the Lord as King. He too (though he denied…
A Boy, His Dad, the Rescue Bots, and Psalm 63
Photo of the TBS Westminster Reference Bible My three year old son is my buddy. When I’m home it’s cars, Rescue Bots, wrestling, you name it. He never wants to stop playing. One of the many blessings in my life is that I am home for lunch every day. My office is that close. As…
Take Me Away with You
http://services.flikie.com/view/v3/android/wallpapers/33571230 Below are lyrics to a song the Lord gave me. You can listen to it here. The words come from Song of Songs 1:2-4. The song is about the Lord drawing us into a relationship with Him “in His chambers.” In His chambers there is only Him, His love, the kisses of His mouth….
Wonderful Things in Your Law (Part 6)
Please read parts 1-5 before continuing… Scripture gives us a choice: keep the law or live by the us in Christ/Christ in us relationship. The former is the old covenant, the latter the new covenant. “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon…
Wonderful Things in Your Law (Part 5)
Please read parts 1-4 before continuing…. In the first post of this series, we said the purpose of the law is to reveal Christ—Him who is Wonderful—and not just moral or religious practice. The examples given in the preceding post illustrate both of these points. They show that the law finds its fulfillment in the…
Wonderful Things in Your Law (Part 4)
Photo taken at the Glendive Dinosaur & Fossil Museum Please read parts 1-3 before continuing The Ceremonial/Ritual Law Thus far, we have seen that the law is fulfilled as we live in Christ and He lives in us. To deepen our appreciation of this point, let’s consider some specific laws, starting with those in the…
Wonderful Things in Your Law (Part 3)
Please read Part 1 and Part 2 before continuing… Appearances, Appearances We have been saying that the law is fulfilled by two aspects of our relationship with God—us in Christ and Christ in us. Yet these manifest differently, and have different appearances, outwardly speaking. This contributes to our collective confusion about the place of the…
The Voice of One 