Tag: righteousness
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Text Driven Tuesday: Ephesians 1
The Apostle, Paul, wrote Ephesians from prison in AD 60-62 to the saints. While the letter certainly made it to Ephesus, it may have simply been written “to the saints,” because “at Ephesus” is missing from three important early manuscripts. The tone of Ephesians is more generic than Paul’s other letters. The letter is about…
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Ephesians 1; Text Driven Tuesday
The Apostle, Paul, wrote Ephesians from prison in AD 60-62 to the saints. While the letter certainly made it to Ephesus, it may have simply been written “to the saints,” because “at Ephesus” is missing from three important early manuscripts. The tone of Ephesians is more generic than Paul’s other letters. The letter is about…
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Redemption From Religious Burdens: Considering the Gospel of Freedom Against Strange Doctrine in 1 Timothy
We have seen the character qualities we should all strive for in life and ministry. If we are to summarize all the qualifications into one word, I think it should be selflessness. We don’t want to be the types of people who gain for ourselves, whether that be monetarily, positionally, or emotionally. That’s why we…
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Being Made Complete- Exodus 25:32-40
God instructs Israel to craft a menorah for the Tabernacle. It and all of its utensils are to be made from a talent of gold. Menorahs have six branches with seven lamps. Both six and seven are important symbolic numbers in the world since the creation of humankind. People were created on the sixth day…
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Second Commandment Violations- Exodus 25:10-22
God instructs Moses to instruct Israel to build an Ark which will carry the tablets of the Law and serve as God’s mercy seat—the seat from which He will instruct Moses during the years they use the Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant represents the presence of God before the people so that the people…
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Giving- Exodus 25:1-9
God instructs Israel to donate materials to build a tabernacle according to His specifications. He gives His people a list of materials: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, oil, spices, onyx stones, and setting stones.Instead of requiring a tax on the…
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Love the Law and Celebrate Good Things
God has given Israel some laws that will prosper them as a society and promote justice within their borders. The people agree to keep these laws. There is a ceremony to consecrate the people of Israel and make the laws official for them—a sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood as if to say, “If we…
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Idol Worship and Snares- Exodus 23:20-33
In the context of this Law, which was given for the good of Israel—that the people would live long and prosper—God promises to drive out the people groups that do not worship Him from the land. Their ways are bad for people. But, God’s Law will effectively prevent sickness, miscarriages, barrenness, and premature death. God’s…
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Celebration- Exodus 23:14-19
God writes into His Law that Israel is to celebrate three national feasts each year—the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of the Harvest (Weeks or Booths), and the Feast of Ingathering (Pentecost). The fact that these are feasts, insinuates that the people not only sacrificed to the Lord, but ate of the sacrifices.…
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Bearing False Witness and Loving Justice- Exodus 23:1-9
This set of laws promotes truth in society. The people were not to bear false witness, neither favoring the poor nor rich nor taking bribes. They were not to make false charges against others or misrepresent them. What is God’s goal? He desires to teach His people what it means to be just. We treat…