Understanding Numbers

The last couple of weeks, we have been reading the book of Numbers, which is one of the Old Testament books that people are prone to skipping or skimming because it is not readily understood. Because of that, I thought a chart of the book might be helpful to comprehending the contents and flow of […]

Your motive matters

Almost three decades ago, when I was a first or second-year seminary student, a retired pastor in our congregation pulled me to the side in the foyer one Sunday morning. “I have a question for you,” he said. And pointing his finger somewhat aggressively towards me, he asked, “why do you do what you do?” […]

Reading the Pentateuch

This year our church is following an Old Testament reading plan — reading through the entire Old Testament chronologically, along with two of the Gospels. So these first months of the year, we are in the first five books of the Old Testament — the Pentateuch. For many books of the Bible, I have put […]

What does it mean when the Bible repeats itself?

Frequently the Biblical writers will use repetition of words and phrases as a means of emphasis. For instance, the word “believe” appears in John’s gospel 100 times — an obvious means of reinforcing not only the importance of belief in Christ, but also of the key verse in the book — “but these have been […]

Reading Numbers

The book of Numbers, while often regarded among the less “interesting” books in Scripture to read, is an important book for it is the book of testing for the nation of Israel. And through the testing, the nation discovers that God is faithful to His promises and His people. In addition, the holiness of God […]

Are you satisfied with your inheritance?

With all the talk about the economy in recent days, many people’s minds are firmly on what they may or may not have in the future. Dwindling retirement accounts and diminishing potential inheritance bequests have stimulated no small amount of angst among many in our culture. Which makes you wonder what the Levites thought when […]