For what does a man have from all his toil and from his heart’s care that he toils under the sun? For all his days are pain, and worry is his business. Ecclesiastes 2:23 Robert Alter Heart’s care – Let’s cover the technical issues first. One of the reasons scholars believe Ecclesiastes was written after…
The words of Koheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem Ecclesiastes 1:1 JPS Koheleth – What do you know about the book of Ecclesiastes? Did you assume it was written by Solomon (son of David)? Do you know why it is so gloomy? Did you know that the insertion of a positive ending is probably…
But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why am I in this condition?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. Genesis 25:22 NASB Why am I? – What happens to us before we are born? We usually believe that gestation is the perfect world of complete need satisfaction. Helpless, that’s true, but…
to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 NASB Christ in you – “Jesus lives in me,” she said, thinking that “Christ in you” meant a spiritual/physical union with the Messiah. What she didn’t understand is that…
Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; Matthew 25:41 NASB Eternal fire – Matthew 25 is essentially a collection of parables about the Kingdom. The foolish virgins, money given to servants, and the separation…
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NASB Rulers – Spiritual warfare. That’s how most people interpret Paul’s enigmatic statement. Our fight is with the Devil and all his minions in this world and in heaven. …
Let’s take a break. We’ve been thinking very hard. Here is one of the ceilings of Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. Built hundreds of years ago, you have to wonder, first, how in the world they did this, and second, why is there no one who can do this today? Times change, not always…
“For from ancient generations Moses has those who preach him in every city, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” Acts 15:21 NASB Moses – Typical Christian exegesis of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 concentrates on the requirements (or lack thereof) for Gentile believers. But this fixation on what Gentiles must believe and…
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. Matthew 6:33 NASB Kingdom – What does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God? The answer might surprise you because it depends on a shift in paradigms that occurred more than two millennia ago. In the early days of Hellenism,…
I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 NASB Faith – When I was a child my family attended a local Protestant church. At age twelve, I was enrolled in a membership class where twelve-year-olds learned…
