Monthly Archives: February 2020

The Weight of Waiting

“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave toContinue reading “The Weight of Waiting”

Names and No Names

Bible readers have at times wrestled with anxious thoughts about the presence of so many unnamed people in the Bible. Why is Noah named but not his wife? Why doesn’t God give us the name of the Levite’s concubine? Who are the widows in the books of Kings? What is the name of the womanContinue reading “Names and No Names”

Naomi and the Shunammite Woman

It’s easy to forget the rest and relief of Ruth when you’re knee-deep in all of the violence and betrayal in the books of Samuel and Kings. Reading these books is like traveling through an immense desert, surviving spring to spring. And yet, 2 Kings offers us Ruth again, just when we need it. Or,Continue reading “Naomi and the Shunammite Woman”

Saul and the Lost Donkeys

Saul was never the king Israel needed, and the clues begin, quite powerfully, at the very moment he pops onto the scene. And the first piece of bad news is Saul’s father, Kish (1 Sam 9:1-2). Though some think that the name Kish means ‘bow’ or ‘power’, more convincing is evidence that the name comesContinue reading “Saul and the Lost Donkeys”

Women, Men, and the Principle of Proportion

When it comes to the Bible, bigger and more prominent is not always better. For example, it’s a mistake to think that because women don’t appear as often as men in the Old Testament, they are less important in God’s story of redemption. I heard a Biblical Studies scholar say disdainfully some years ago thatContinue reading “Women, Men, and the Principle of Proportion”

Naaman and Gehazi

The story of the servant girl and Naaman in 2 Kings 5 is particularly important to me. A few years ago, my mentor and friend Bill Dennison wrote a sermon* about this story when I was feeling altogether LOW. When I needed Bill in my life, God brought me Bill. And Bill taught me howContinue reading “Naaman and Gehazi”

On Earth as in Heaven

There’s a connection my brain is trying to make with the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer as a whole seems a concentration of all the things that are true, each line containing something infinitely profound. Taken together, these lines draw us close to the edge of something unfathomable and altogether spectacular. It’s too much for me.Continue reading “On Earth as in Heaven”

The Three Ascensions

The powerful prophet Elijah is a punchy character in God’s story, and I can’t stop thinking about him. In 2 Kings 1:8, King Ahaziah’s men describe him as “a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins”. Maybe I have a thing for hairy loners? Maybe I find Elijah so compelling because thisContinue reading “The Three Ascensions”

King and Queen of Vegetables

In 1 Kings 21, Ahab the anti-Christ sees Naboth’s vineyard and his wandering eye wants it (Prov 30:17). But Naboth won’t surrender his family’s land inheritance, and Ahab sulks, sullen and sour. This petulent king wants what another man has, but he doesn’t even know a good thing when he sees it. No, he wantsContinue reading “King and Queen of Vegetables”