Category Archives: Theology

Ungraven Images (Exodus 19-20)

The form we have here comes from the kingdom of the Hittites and the so-called suzerainty treaties that conquered nations were required to sign. But there is a difference: God did not conquer Israel and force them into a treaty. Rather, he rescued them and offered them the choice to be his people. Continue reading

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Christians: Navigating the Approval Process

That symbol gives merchants and consumers confidence in the product they are selling and buying. God wants his people to have confidence in him and in his work in them. And he wants their friends, neighbors, and co-workers to be able to trust them. Continue reading

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The Passover: He Delivers (Exodus 12)

He did everything God told him to do … and things got worse! Much worse. And what’s more, the Hebrews blamed him (which is just what Pharaoh intended)! In frustration, Moses lashed out at God. He said (5:22), “Why did you [even] send me? . . . you haven’t rescued your people at all.” Continue reading

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Jesus and His Enemies

They were not afraid of him because he commanded armies (though they should have been—see Matthew 26:53). They feared him because he spoke the truth, and that truth threatened their control. Continue reading

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Laughter Will Not Die (Genesis 22)

And now we come to chapter 22 where God’s Plan-Only, which was entirely dependent on a boy named Laughter, was put at risk. And it was God who put it there. Continue reading

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When Jesus Blew the Apostles’ Minds (John 4)

As she lowered her container into the well, she would have kept an eye on him. You can’t trust a Jew, she would be thinking. Continue reading

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The Call of Abraham (Genesis 12)

Abram is the beginning of the cure because he is the beginning of a line … The long line runs through a young woman – hardly more than a child – named Mary. Then the line becomes a point: a point of contention for some; a point of no return for others; but the point of it all for us who believe. Continue reading

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When Adam Jumped into an Abyss (Genesis 3)

…part of the story is left out. It is not just from stone to iron, but from stone-headed axe to iron-tipped spear, from iron-tipped spear to lead bullet, from lead bullet to thermonuclear warhead. We jump, but we usually land further down, not further up. Continue reading

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The Dull Point of the Apostolic Band

He was probably the apostle who said, “I don’t get it,” after a joke’s punchline had been delivered and St. Peter was laughing his head off. What could a guy like that bring to the apostolic band? What was he even doing there? Continue reading

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In the Beginning

Every human composition is but a “Variation on a Theme by God.” He made birds and streams sing, waves and waterfalls crash. The wind croons; the oceans roar; the leaves on a billion trees dance, and all creation keep time to the music. Continue reading

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