Category Archives: Biblical Studies

From Patience to Praise

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Psalm 40:1-3 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Like David, we often find ourselves in a “horrible pit”.  Sometimes it is a pit that we have dug ourselves.  Other times, the pit is dug for us and we’re pushed in!  Regardless, it is a terrible feeling to be stuck and unable to get out of the “holes” we find ourselves in.  Continue reading →

Doing What’s Right in the Eyes of God

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Often it seems as though few in our culture know right from wrong anymore.  I’m not speaking of knowing what is legal, but rather abiding by an absolute moral code, specifically the Bible.

When the United States was founded, the Bible was revered, church-going was normative, and nearly all of the people (including the vast majority of the founders) were Christian.  It is no wonder that many of our founding documents contain principles from the Scriptures.  Even those who would debate these facts would have to admit that the founding generation would be shocked at some of the behavior that is tolerated today.  To them, most of us would be rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.  We’re not totally devoid of our morals, but we are far from where we should be.  Without a moral code, a people will drift aimlessly as the Jews did in the book of Judges.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Continue reading →

What Do You Expect When You Pray?

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Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.  6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.  7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

In Acts 12, we find an incredible testament to the power of prayer.  Peter was in jail and the church prayed for him unceasingly.  God sends an angel to release Peter.  But that’s not the end of the story.  What is really interesting is the reaction of the Christians who were praying for Peter’s release. Continue reading →

The Kind of People You Want on Your Side

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When I was a kid, we would often play games where we would have to pick teams.  We would elect two captains who would begin to take turns picking who they wanted on their team.  The picking was often strategic.  For example, the captain not only wanted good players, he also wanted team members who would be loyal to the team and would follow his leadership. Who would you want on your side?

When Saul was king of Israel and after he had rebelled, God told Samuel to anoint David to be king.  Saul, being who he was, continued in his rebellion and tried on a number of occasions to kill David.  David stays on the run during this time and gathers an army of followers.  These men help him evade capture and also fight the enemies of Israel.  The ultimate goal, however, was to turn the kingdom over to David as God desired.

1 Chronicles 12:23 And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD. Continue reading →

He Made the Stars Also

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Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

This one verse may contain the most understated fact in all the Bible.  After stating that God created a greater light to rule the day (the Sun) and a lesser light to rule the night (the Moon), it states that God “made the stars also”.  That is the first and only time stars are mentioned in the creation narrative. When one considers that mankind has attempted to count and catalog the stars down through history and at this point has numbered over 945,000,000 stars1, this statement seems to minimize the incredible magnitude of the accomplishment. Continue reading →