Acts

The Word of the Lord came

In Genesis 1, the Triune God speaks the world into existence as His Spirit hovers over the surface of the waters. King David brings the Creation account into sharper focus, declaring, “by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host” (Ps. 33:6). I’ve written already about the breathContinue reading “The Word of the Lord came”

Until the Stars Appeared

In the book of Nehemiah, God’s people rebuild Jerusalem, City of God, after their exile to Babylon and then to Persia. But their enemies are watching in anger and will not leave them alone for long. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, regional governors under the king of Persia, are among the troublemakers. They mock the JewsContinue reading “Until the Stars Appeared”

Five or Six Times: The Death of Elisha

I have that feeling again, of being on the edge of something immensely profound. It’s hard to describe, like a lamp lit in the corner of my mind. Each encounter like this blows me back in my seat. I have to sit a minute and catch my mental breath. In 2 Kings 13, God recountsContinue reading “Five or Six Times: The Death of Elisha”

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”

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”

Troublers of Israel

I love the plain-spoken prophets, bold and blunt, unsettlers of powerful people. For instance, when King Ahab of Israel finally sees the prophet Elijah, that elusive truth-teller he’s been hunting high and low, he says, wearily, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” But of course Elijah isn’t the real troublemaker. It’s Ahab, and ElijahContinue reading “Troublers of Israel”

No Longer a Slave, More than a Slave

How can I say anything about 1 Kings, about the Temple of Solomon, without talking about slavery? How can I encounter slavery yet again in 2 Chronicles without eyeing up this bitter pill and figuring out what to do with it? Then Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were residing in theContinue reading “No Longer a Slave, More than a Slave”