Posts by Admin
Ezra/Nehemiah – A People Apart
Ezra was a priestly scribe of some import in the Jewish community in exile who was moved to bring his people back to the law. He comes to Israel in the seventh year in the reign of Artaxerxes I, 60 years after the completion of the temple. The Persian empire makes special provisions for the…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Outside Interference
Zec 4:6-10 tells Zerubbabel that he will restore the temple, but by God’s power, not by his own. The people of the lands around Israel attempted to frustrate or co-opt this building of the temple for the with their own worship. This harassment would go on in some form for around 70 years. Playing on…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Temple Sacrifice
Paramount importance was placed on creating an altar to God, as Moses had commanded of the original altar. This is appropriate, since sacrifice is the Old Testament way that sinful men can approach a holy God. These sacrifices are ways that men would pray that God would remember the covenant. Download MP3 (34:42; 19 MB)
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Census
The book of Ezra continues with the story of the people separated (or set aside) for God, starting with a census. Some were not able to prove their lineage, and were given a separate designation. Professed priests who fell into this category were excluded as unclean until the Urim and Thummim could be consulted. These…
Read MoreEzra/Nehemiah – Introduction
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah mark the greatest reform of God’s people in the Old Testament. God gave the law to Moses, a temple and kingdom to the Israelites, and prophets to proclaim that the people would be carried into captivity if they were not faithful. The people remained lukewarm, and were carried off…
Read MoreIncarnation – Humility
Central to the incarnation is the fact that it is a great act of humbling God’s self. The God of the universe exists outside of time and space, and knows the incarnation, the passion, and even the fall of Adam before creation. It is humbling in the extreme to know that we were created even…
Read MoreIncarnation – Fully God, Fully Man, Fully Aware
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, united in something called a hypostatic union. Some have called into doubt just how much He knew about His divinity at different points in His life on Earth, but it is clear that Jesus knew from earliest times that He is God. He knew that He should…
Read MoreIncarnation – The Order of Melchizedek
Melchizedek is an impressive priest. He blesses Abraham, which implies that even father Abraham is inferior to him. This is an order that would be described as hieros, rather than the usual term used in the New Testament, presbuteros, and coms not by descent from Levi, but is an order that allows sacrifice to be…
Read MoreIncarnation – Holiness
All of the Bible leads to the conclusion that God will come to be with us, but sin separates us from God. Sometimes we are tempted to downplay our sin, but that downplays God’s holiness. We see God’s holiness overpower many people in the Bible. We also see that the Messiah is prophesied to have…
Read MoreIncarnation – More on Hope
We can be confident that God will save us if we call on His name, but salvation is a process, and is not a magical proclamation that assures us Heaven no matter how wicked we are in this life. We must rejoice in our hope and in our sufferings, and know that to the extent…
Read More