Good afternoon fellow English majors OK, I am not an English major.  But this passage makes me ponder how God uses extreme statements to prove a point.   Blessings, Jeff The word hyperbole, from a Greek word meaning “excess,” is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis.  Hebrew had hyperbole before the Greeks came along with a word for it.  Four disasters, each so severe that Noah, Daniel and Job would only save themselves.  Reformation Study Bible note:"Noah, Daniel (not the prophet), and Job" would then designate non-Israelite figures from remote times known for their uprightness. They could not save the world in their own day and even together could not save the city of Jerusalem Ezekiel 14:14 The three most righteous men in OT history together would only save themselves.  Think back to the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham bargains with the angel of the Lord to preserve these two cities if a certain number of righteous men

Good evening friends, I Cor 15 is one of the chapters that make sense out of all the other events.  We really need to have our minds transformed by the truth of this chapter.  I hope this short devotional encourages you to spend time pondering what God breathed out for  Paul to tell us. Blessings, Jeff It is really hard to understand how the theory that Jesus really didn't die and therefore the resurrection didn't occur either got started.  Without the death and resurrection, Christianity cannot be true. You are probably tired of my references to Genesis 3:15 as the start of the plan of salvation.  But, I think that looking at 1 Cor 15 really affirms that the rest of scripture is a footnote that explains how the promise will be fulfilled.  The seed of women is to crush the serpents head.  If Jesus died but was not resurrected, death would have been victorious.  The serpent would have won.  When we see what Jesus actually did, it makes the intermediate steps along the way clear.

A few short thoughts about the challenges David had to address following becoming king of Judah but not of all Israel. The other day, David was mourning Saul and Jonathan.  Today, he is morning Abner, Saul's leading general.   Contrasts Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle.  Abner was murdered by Joab and his brother Abishai to avenge the death of their other brother Asahel. The Amalekite who claimed to have killed Saul was executed by David.  The brothers are cursed by David but not executed immediately.  However, David tells Solomon to have Joab executed when he become king. Mourning for Saul and Jonathan was purely personal.  Mourning for Abner has a political aspect.  David was in no way responsible for Saul's death.  However, Joab and his brothers are David's nephews.  Zeruiah is David's sister.  Typically "son of" implies the named person is the father.  However, here it is the mother.  David is interesting in uniting the kingdom and showing that he w

Trying to catch up a little.  Today is a day off from the grands. Observations: What do we learn about the Lord?  He knows what the people of Israel/Judah thought.   He brings what they fear (the sword) upon them. He gives them into the hands of foreigners and executes judgments on them He does these things so that they will know that he is the LORD. Applications: What do these things teach us about Israel/Judah?  Essentially the opposites of truth about God. They had forgotten that God knows the secrets of the heart to the point that their thoughts were demonstrated by acts (multiplying the slain in the streets).   They had forgotten to fear the Lord.  They were focused on assuring themselves that the Babylonians would not capture the city. They had forgotten that God is the judge of all the earth.  The political and military explanations for events were more important than the moral explanations. They had forgotten that God is the LORD.  Their entire history pointed to this fact, but

Good morning fellow soldiers of the cross, He we are marching into 2 Samuel.  Of course Samuel didn't write this history as he has died.  But the history of the first and second kings of Israel are center stage.  As I thought about the emotions in this passage, I encourage you not to skip over people's responses in scripture.  I hope these thought help in that way. Blessings, Jeff David's response to the news of Saul and Jonathan's deaths and defeat of Israel.  Here is the man who has known he was the next king for many years weeping and fasting over the death of his enemy.  In fact, in God's eyes he was the legitimate king since the day he was anointed by Samuel.  Essentially a king living in exile.   How does this event move toward the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15?  Why is it necessary to see David weeping over the death of the man who sought to kill him? Observations David's emotions appear to be real.  If you have ever seen a Middle Eastern funeral on TV, the

Good morning friends, Some thoughts on the city of God and the cities of man. Blessings, Jeff What is the difference between Jerusalem and every other great city?  It seems that everyone from a "great city" boasts about the city for its culture, sports, education,  architecture, etc. But only the Jews could boast that Jerusalem is the city of the Great King, the city of our God, the city that God will establish forever.  So the difference seems to be that other cities boast about what man has done while Jews boasted about the God who dwelled there. The occasion of this psalm is some great deliverance of Jerusalem from some foreign armies.  The author rightly gives credit to God.  However, eventually, there was a transfer of credit from God to the Jews themselves.  They started to see themselves as a great people because of Jerusalem, not because of the God who took up residence there or because of their obedience to God's law.  While the modern Israel is linked to the pas

Good evening friends, Writing from a cold and rainy Madison.  48F on May 27.  This is like March.  Another passage about the serious nature of idolatry.  We can't escape God's presence by doing things in secret.  God's presence is a great comfort to believers, but it is a terror to those who deceive themselves and others. Blessings, Jeff The image of jealousy. Refers back to Deuteronomy 4 and the expanded version of second commandment.  Every idol stirs up God's jealousy for His own name.  So "image of jealousy" isn't an image that looks like jealousy, but the idols of Judah that provoked God to jealousy. Ezekiel is physically in Babylon but he was "lifted up" by the Spirit and given visions of what was happening in Jerusalem.  Despite many people already going into exile, those still in Jerusalem refuse to change their ways. Great abominations that drive God from his sanctuary.  The vision of the "four living creatures" and  "whee

Good evening friends, Another long but calm day with the grands.  They were great for 5 1/2 hours.  Not so great the last 1/2 hour.  So just have a few short thoughts on this passage where Saul thinks he really needs to know what tomorrow holds. Blessings Jeff Like Jeroboam after him and Abram before him, Saul uses disguise and deception when going get tough.  The proof that the do not really understand the Lord. They may think of God as omniscient, but their acts show practical denial of this attribute of God.  Here is my premise: Temptation is abated by holding fast to the truth. James tells us we are tempted when we are lured and enticed by our own desires.  Here Saul was lured and enticed by his desire to know the future. When the legitimate God ordained methods do not give him answers, he went outside of God's revealed will.  Reflecting on God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, words and works should curb our desires and make us less susceptible to being lured and en

Good afternoon everyone, Because I am behind on my devotions, I want to mention that in 'real time" we are nearing the 3/4 point in the reading plan.  June 1 is the 9 month point.  So hang in there and finish strong. Blessings Jeff So how serious is the sin of idolatry when committed by God's chosen people?  Can't get much more graphic than this portion of the chapter.  All goes back to second commandment.  Then there is the thread of this commandment that shows up in various places to emphasize the prohibition.   This makes me think of Romans 7:7-8 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.  In Israel's case, Sin seized an opportunity through the commandme

Good evening friends, I found this to be a very challenging passage.  The last phrase is what go my attention originally back on 5.1.  Now 3 weeks later when I started to really ponder these words, I was convicted by how much I doubt that the form of this world is really passing away.  After all, it hasn't passed away after 2000 years.  Maybe it never will.  I think Paul is calling me to wake up. Blessings, Jeff For the present form of this world is passing away.  This is the reason for doing the opposite of what the current condition would suggest.  Those who mourn as if they were not mourning, those who rejoice as if they were not rejoicing.  This is a shocking to me. Questions: So who normally mourns?  People who have lost a loved one or suffered emotionally.  And who normally rejoices?  People who have just gotten married or had a child come to mind.   Are people just supposed to ignore the causes of mourning and rejoicing?  People could choose not to do the things that lead to

Trying to catch up a little. I think I have mentioned that in ancient Israel, people's names meant something.  Today's story of Nabal is a great example.  Nabal means fool.  So why would his parents give him that name?  Reminds me of Johnny Cash song "A boy named Sue".  Instead of "Now Jack eat your peas and carrots", it is "fool eat your peas and carrots."  Talk about emotional scars. We see the man who's name is fool acting foolishly.  But think about the situation from Nabal's perspective.    The last person to help David was Ahimelech the priest.  Saul executed him and all but one of his sons.  So from that perspective, it made all the sense in the world to reject David's request for provisions.  Yet, decisions in "no win situations" require discernment.  Is it better to throw in with the person God has chosen to the next king or the person God has rejected from being king?  The person who has slain ten thousands or the pe

Good afternoon friends. During men's Bible study on Saturday, we were looking at the three kings after Solomon . They were all bad kings.  All the gold shields that Solomon had made were taken away by Pharaoh Shishak.  Rehoboam made replacements out of bronze.  They shine like gold, but it is only a cheap imitation.  Made me think of how our grandsons are starting to learn the "permanence of things"  Just because they can't see something doesn't mean that it no longer exists.  The whole "peek-a-boo" game.  It is funny when infants do this.  It isn't funny when adults to this.  Thinking that nobody notices the cheap imitations.  I ponder if my relationship is real or a cheap imitation. Blessings Jeff The only time Ezekiel can speak is to say what the Lord has told him. God makes him mute until end of chapter 24.  How ironic is a mute prophet.   Reformed Study Bible note:  The length and nature of Ezekiel’s speechlessness is one of the most debated iss

Good morning brothers and sisters, A few thoughts on the final meeting of these two men.  Do you remember the last time you saw a close friend before their passing especially if it was unexpected.  I was in a men's  Bible study with a guy who lived in Salem.  Everybody else was from the Groton area and we made jokes about having to pack a lunch for the trip to Salem.  Anyway, we met at his house on a Wednesday evening on the topic of eternal security.  On Saturday afternoon, he died of a heart attack.  Now we drive by the road to his house every week on our way to church.  And I think of him. Blessings, Jeff The penny has dropped at least for Saul.  He knows that David will be king after him, so the one person who had brought him relief from the harmful spirit from the Lord is not banished.  Another step down the slope.   But Jonathan still thinks that although he is Saul's heir, he will survive and be second to David.  Unfortunately, the king's son either becomes king or i

Catching up In some ways, this is the flip side of yesterday's devotional.  Of course, the psalms were written before Lamentations.  So Jeremiah had the psalms available to him.  This psalm focuses on the fact that the Lord will never forsake His saints.  Jeremiah was asking for restoration, the psalmist was giving assurance that the saints will never be forsaken.  Isn't it a comfort to see that while these themes seem to be in conflict, we are able to trust Him to work them out for His glory and our good. The promise of not being forsaken applies only to His saints, to those who are righteous and take refuge in Him.  The plight of Judah during the exile was due to their refusal to take refuge in Him. The promise applies in times of trouble - the righteous are not exempt from times of trouble. His is our stronghold - we are not our stronghold, all the plans of man cannot provide safety.

Good evening friends, Writing after a 6 hour day with our grandsons.  Exhausted, but wouldn't change it for anything. Have you ever felt that God doesn't have a clue about the situation you are in?  This seems to be the case in the last chapter of Lamentations. Blessings Jeff The beginning of a list of the consequences of exile. I always find it interesting when an inspired writer reminds God of something.  In reality, all the things on the list are exactly what God intended Judah to experience when they went into exile.  So what do we make of this? Does prayer change God's knowledge of our circumstances? No.  Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that God knows what we need before we ask him.  Yet we are also told to ask for our daily bread.  I think the point is that our prayers remind us of our dependency on God.  Our prayers change us, not God.  In this case, as Jeremiah recounts the problems, we are reminded that all these things resulted from Judah's disobedie

Good morning fellow workers in Christ, While it is not a biblical statement, I think the idea "there, but for the grace of God, go I" comes to mind today.  We have nothing to boast about in our salvation because we had nothing to do with it.  God made us alive when we were dead in sin and trespasses.  I respond in faith because He regenerated me.  So when I see examples in scripture of people who are left in their sin and trespass, I can only thank God for saving me. Blessings, Jeff Downward slide accelerates.  Saul swears to Jonathan that David will not be killed (v6) and David is restored.  David wins a victory over Philistines (presumably more women singing about David and his 10,000s).  Harmful spirit comes upon Saul and he attempts to kill David. While David escapes, that night Saul sends men to capture him, but they are deceived by Michal. In the past, David's  music has mitigated the influence of the harmful spirit, but the Saul seems to be more and more susceptibl

Good morning fellow soldiers, While Lamentations is grouped with the prophetic books, it seems to have a lot of wisdom characteristics. It answers the "why do bad things happen to good people" question.  As I sit in a comfortable chair in a comfortable apartment in Madison, Wi Jeremiah's experience is beyond my understanding.  I have to wonder if being "in Christ" is a nice theological concept of a experiential reality. Blessings, Jeff Jeremiah pouring out his heart about his experience as God's prophet.  This is the location of "great is your faithfulness" in v21-27.  But this confidence is surrounded by the lament of a man who is not at all happy with God.  The first 20 verses are like these first 3.  He sees God's relentless affliction of the man who has been a faithful prophet. It is a solemn reminder that Jeremiah saw God's faithfulness most clearly in the midst of great anguish.  The "health and wealth" message closes its ey

My catch up devotional for today. Last devotion from Romans for this reading cycle. Here are v 8&9 with my comment or explanation  in parenthesis For I (Paul) tell you (Roman believers) that Christ became a servant to the circumcised (Jews of Paul's day) to show God's truthfulness (in two ways, First)  in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs (made millennia ago, not about the Promised Land, but about the Messiah) and (Second) in order that the Gentiles (today and in the future) might glorify God for his mercy. Devotional from earlier today was God's sovereignty over the specifics of Saul and David in a relative short period of time.  Here Paul is taking a much larger view of history to show God's truthfulness (He will do what He said He will do - things that only a sovereign God can do).  As a Gentile beneficiary of God's sovereignty, the only rational response is to glorify Him for His mercy.. Brothers and sisters, reflect on what Mel said in s

Good afternoon fellow sojourners Well here is another example of a passage selected on weeks ago (4.24) that I got around to writing today (5.16).  Sermon this morning was "know that you know".  I think this passage is a reminder at least to me that I say God is sovereign but don't always walk in a manner that proves that I believe it. Blessings Jeff Another step in the decline of Saul and the ascension of David.   Observations: All in the plan of God.  Samuel privately anoints David as king and then David is brought into the service of Saul to calm him when the harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.  David knew that he was the next king, yet he was submissive to God's timing.  Future kings of Israel and Judah won't be so passive and will resort to assassination.  Saul loved his successor greatly.  Because David's anointing was known only to his immediate family, Saul would not have known this about David at least at this point.  However, he does know tha

Good afternoon friends, Congratulations on finishing the second of the major prophets.  Almost 2 months.  I hope that you have a better appreciation for the prophetic office.  Remember, the Jesus is prophet, priest and king.  Completely fulfills all these offices. Blessings, Jeff Last day in Jeremiah.  This chapter was not written by Jeremiah as Chapter 51 ends with Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.  Ezra is believed to have written this chapter to document the fulfillment of what Jeremiah had prophesied.  Highlights the importance of the fulfillment of what a true prophet says.  It may not happen in the prophets lifetime, but if it never happens the prophet was not a true prophet.   The exile happened in stages.  I think that each stage allowed those left behind to have time to repent.  But the fact that the exile continued tells me that even given partial fulfillment, they refused to repent.  This is not to say that God was modifying His plan to accommodate continued rebellion.  He

Good evening friends, The Bible is full of stories showing how people react differently in difficult times.  Today we see Saul going off the rails for the first time.  We can contrast this with David's psalm Blessings Jeff The contrast between David's psalm that we looked at yesterday and Saul's impetuosity. Saul - "until I am avenged on my enemies" - all about him, Philistines are really the enemy of all the people of Israel and ultimately God.  He sees himself as the one who brings victory, not the Lord. "laid an oath on the people" unilateral binding of other's conscience.  The reality is that an army travels on its stomach was true then as it is today.  Expecting solders not to eat is never a good idea.  Jonathan understood that the time saved by not eating was not as valuable as having strength for the battle. "Cursed be the man who eats food this day"  Curse comes from moral failure, not from physical needs.  If we think back to Moses

Good morning friends, The activities of taking care of two 8 month olds is rather exhausting at times.  Even though we are only with them for 4 hours a day and they nap for some of that time, we are pretty tired at the end of our shift.  Everything else we do revolves around the hours spent with them.  As I thought about this psalm, I was struck by how the worship of God is to be all consuming.  Which makes me ponder why I find other things to be at the center of life. Blessings, Jeff Ascribe is one of those words that is not in common usage.   Webster says:  to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author : to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing Examples These poems are usually ascribed to Homer. They ascribe most of their success to good timing and good luck. She ascribes no importance to having a lot of money. Of course, David didn't write in English.  The Hebrew word is yâhaḇ; a primitive root; to give (whe

Hope you get a smile from this. This is a kind of off-beat devotion.  You may have noticed that there are a number of towns in Connecticut with biblical names.  One of the is Bozrah, Salem's next door neighbor. So why did people decide to name their town Bozrah?  Why celebrate the capital of Esau? CWSB definition - The mountainous capital city of Edom. The name means “fortress.” It was where the major caravan highways of Edom ran (Gen. 36:33) and where early kings of Edom reigned. It lay south, southeast of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). The prophets mention it in prophecies of judgment (Isa. 34:6; 63:1; Jer. 49:1, 13, 22; Amos 1:12). So I Googled it and here is what I found according to Wikipedia Bozrah is the name of a pastoral community mentioned several times in the Old Testament, sometimes with pleasing connotations, sometimes not. The town name may have resulted from the happy connotations connected with Micah chapter 2, verse 12: "I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I

Good morning fellow readers, A beautiful day in Madison.  I hope today's devotional helps to see the single story of the Bible. Blessings, Jeff Observations: How strange that the newly anointed king of Israel was out in the fields plowing with oxen?  He certainly wasn't doing the things that Samuel had said.  However, there was no precedent for Saul to follow.  Reminds me of the story that the Constitutional Convention purposefully left much of the duties of the President rather vague because everyone knew that George Washington would be the first and he would figure out what the President would actually do. The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him. Points to the difference between OT and NT operation of the Holy Spirit.  In OT, The Spirit enabled certain abilities for a specific function and period of time.  In the NT, the Holy Spirit permanently dwells in each and every believer for the work of sanctification.  I can understand why the Jews in Jerusalem at Pentecost would be co

Greetings, Some borrowed thoughts on this short chapter. A short chapter (7 verses) about judgment of the Philistines.  The obvious question is why is Jeremiah concerned about judgment of a heathen nation, a long term enemy of Israel/Judah?   Observations (with commentary assistance from Calvin) V 1 - this prophecy came to Jeremiah before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. V 2 - waters rising out of the north - a reference to  Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. Calvin - We must refer to history, and then we shall see what the design of the Holy Spirit was. When Pharaoh came to bring assistance to the Jews under Zedekiah, as we have already seen, he was soon compelled to return to Egypt, for the Chaldeans, having raised the siege, went against the Egyptians; for if they routed them, they knew that they could soon possess themselves of the whole of Judea. Haying then left the Jews for a time, they went against the Egyptians. Pharaoh, possessing no confidence in himself, as I have said, retreated; but he

Hello again, Writing this on 5/9 from Madison, Wi.  Hope you had a blessed Sabbath. Rhetorical questions are a great tool for showing emphasis.  Today's passage is an example where Paul asks a questions (What then shall we say), gives an answer (That the law is sin) and then launches into the true purpose of the law.  Hope these thoughts help. Blessings, Jeff I think I have mentioned that I have been listening to Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermons on Romans.  I highly recommend them.  If you are interested, RefNet (Ligonier) carries him Sundays at 6:30 AM and 7:00 PM or you can go to mljtrust.org.  The series ran for 13 years ('55 to '68) on Friday nights.  I can only imagine what it was like to actually hear him.  Any way, it is very hard to pull a passage out and think of it in devotional terms.  Everything is part of an argument.  Chapters 6 and 7 are both answers to objections that Paul knew people would have to what he said in Chapter 5.   So these 3 verses I focused on illust

Somewhat of a continuation of previous devotion.  Samuel delivered a stern warning to Israel which they chose to ignore.  Yesterday, Jeremiah delivered a stern warning to Judah which they chose to ignore.  To you see a pattern.  Let us learn from their mistakes. Blessings, Jeff Samuel warns Israel about how their king will treat them and ends with a promise that God will not hear them when they cry out to Him after these things come to pass.  Yesterday, we saw remnant of Judah accuse Jeremiah of lying.  Here is an earlier example of the same thing.  Samuel's prophecy about house of Eli had come true.  Proof that he was a true prophet.  Now he is telling them what will happen and they still choose to seek a king. Israel is developing the habit of arguing with what God says through the prophets.  A similar danger exists for NT believers.  We do not have prophets who foretell the future as a sign of their validity.  We have pastors and teachers who accurately preach what the Bible say

Good afternoon brothers and sisters, Had two long days taking care of our grandsons, so lost some ground.  Just more to catch up on. After all that Jeremiah had prophesied came true, the remnant left behind accuses him of lying when he reports that God forbids them from going to Egypt.  Imagine the mental gymnastics involved.  To see the dreadful prophecies come true and then think that he would lie about what God told him.  A stern warning not to argue with the word of God. Blessings Jeff "Lather, rinse, repeat" as the saying goes.  After all the promises to obey what Jeremiah reports to them, the rag-tag group of rebels show their true colors.  They even claim that it is Jeremiah's scribe who has set him against them.  They didn't go to Baruch for guidance, but now they think that he had influence over Jeremiah.  Several weeks ago, Jonathan sermon was about false faith.  This is an OT example of a group of people professing one thing but not actually possessing it. 

Still trying to catch up. What do we learn about Eli? He judged Israel for 40 years.  So he was part of the "Judges" era but also the "Kings" era.  So a time of transition. He was a priest but also a judge. He was 98 when he died so he was 58 when became a judge.  Not the typical judge as most were younger men and were military leaders. He was "blind, old and heavy" but still sat at the gate of Shiloh.  Not exactly an confidence building personality. His heart trembled for the Ark - so it is possible that he didn't approve of sending the Ark as a "good luck charm".   It isn't the death of his sons that causes him to fall over, but the news of the capture of the Ark. All this was a substantial fulfillment of what the Lord had revealed to Samuel. 3:13.  There is at least on male survivor (Ichabod) but the line is eventually terminated at beginning of Solomon's reign.   I think that this fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy which validat

Hello again, dear friends, Enjoying a "day off" from helping out with our grandsons.  They went for an expedition to a state park with their parents.  This is probably calm before the storm as our son starts 4th year vet program on Monday and will be out of the house 5 days a week at least.   I hope today's devotional helps in seeing how meditation on the psalms gets very personal. Blessings, Jeff One of the things I like to do with the Psalms is make them into questions.   V3 - Have I known the Lord's trying, testing and visitation?  If not, why not?  David did not have the Holy Spirit in the same way that Christians do.  If he was aware of the Lord's presence in trials, testing and visitation, certainly I should be aware of the Holy Spirit probing my thoughts, emotions and deeds.  God tells me that His will is to present me holy and blameless before Him.  Am I growing in holiness?  If not, the problem is not with God but me.  Can I say that he would find nothing

Got this out of order.  Thought I had posted it.  Thoughts about how Jeremiah and the line of David were preserved during the Exile to Babylon. Blessings Jeff The Chaldeans treat Jeremiah better than the Jewish leadership had treated him.  The same Chaldeans who had just slaughtered Zedekiah's sons and the nobles of Judah, show respect to Jeremiah and allow him to stay in the land.  It is hard to explain this without the intervention of God.  The messianic line does not go through Jeremiah or Zedekiah  but the Davidic line is whittled down to bare minimum.  But that is what makes it so amazing. With many sons or few sons, the line is ultimately through one son.  God's plans are beyond man's ways. We want many ways to God, but He provides only one.

 Good evening friends, Here we are in the beginning of the kings of Israel.  But the office of priest and prophet are important threads to follow in this portion of Israel's history.  So just a few thoughts on the priesthood. Blessings, Jeff Yesterday, we thought about the continuity of the messianic line of David through the Exile in the time of Jeremiah.  Today's passage relates to the continuity of the Aaronic line of high priests.  Eli was a descendant of Aaron through Ithamar and high priest and judge of Israel when Samuel entered service as a child.  The high priesthood survives because it is not a single line.  But there were faithful and unfaithful men in the descendants of Aaron.  Jesus becomes our great high priest, not because of physical descent from Aaron, but because of how He made the perfect sacrifice of His own blood on the cross.  The failings of the high priests point us to the reality of the need for a perfect high priest.  Just as the failings in the line o

Dear Friends, Writing this from our home away from home in Madison Wi.  We have been learning the ropes of taking care of soon to be 8 month old grandsons.  After the peaceful drive on 95 and then Chicago, we were a bit frazzled.  So concept of a place of rest has a special appeal at this point. Blessings Jeff  mānôaḥ: A masculine noun designating a rest, resting place. Israel, figuratively, could find no resting place for the soles of her feet (Deut. 28:65; Lam. 1:3). A resting place was or rest was a time or place of security (Ruth 3:1). It is used of rest for the soul because of the Lord’s mercies and blessings (Ps. 116:7). It points to a location where something settles down and remains there or the cessation of work in order to refresh oneself. The dove found no resting place for herself (Gen. 8:9). Finding a place of rest.  From looking at Strong's dictionary, Hebrew had a verb (nuah = to rest) and this noun, A resting place.  Naomi has been wandering or sojourning most of