Reflections on the Bible, and Other Writings, from a Christian Perspective.
I am a strong proponent of protecting the family both physically and spiritually. As a husband, father, and man, I consider defending my family to be one of my most important duties. Because of this, when I first found Protecting Your Home From Spiritual Darkness, I was immediately interested in its subject matter.
We all look up to someone, especially when we are younger since so many are older and taller than us. There is more to it than that though. It may be that the one we are looking to is greater than ourselves. This concept is even affirmed in Psalm 123. However, it also goes a step further and adds a plea of mercy to the idea.
Over the last year I have read a number of books about the Amish and Mennonites. Thus far, I have found this one to be the most impressive. Surprisingly, it isn't just a book about the attire of a couple religious groups. It is also a history of changing attitudes about clothing.
Last year I shared a few Bible reading plans for the Old and New Testaments. Today I am releasing my first two plans that encompass all of Scripture. They are divided into 5 series of books, and each calls for one to read 5 chapters a day.
My last post pointed out that the priestly service was done during the day and night. While doing research for it I came upon a commentary that shed more light on that fact. MacLaren's Expositions describes how the temple was guarded and what would happen if someone was caught sleeping. His comments are what I want to reflect on today.
Is praising God becoming boring to you? Does it feel like it is just a mechanical action? I hope not! Please let me encourage you to keep those things from happening. Praise and worship should not be done just out of habit. If you need a good text to remind you of the importance of praise check out Psalm 134.
The beginning of Psalm 133 makes sense to many of us. It speaks of brothers living together in unity. On the other hand, the passage also describes things that may not be immediately understandable. For instance, what is with the oil running down Aaron's beard? What about the dew of Hermon?
I closed out last year with a study of the shortest psalm in the Bible. Today, I'm continuing our consideration of the Book of Psalms, and doing so based on length. Even though Psalm 131 is only 3 verses in length, there are some main ideas that immediately jump out at me. Two of these are not concerning myself with matters too wonderful for me, and the image of a weaned child with a mother.
We have just begun a new year, and there is much that I want to share and discuss on this blog in 2020. However, before doing so, I wish to take one last look at the material that was presented in 2019. The reason for this is to provide an index of sorts for future visitors.
Near the end of August, I shared some thoughts on The Two Ways of Psalm 1. Now that we are coming to the close of 2019, I think tonight is a good time to return to this Book of Wisdom. The text of Psalm 117 focuses on two major ideas. These are that Yahweh is worthy of praise, and He is kind and faithful. Let's take a look at each of these!
