Good morning fellow Bible scholars, Have you ever been in a situation where people use a lot of jargon that has meaning to them but not to an outsider.  Sometimes Christians can do this.  We look at our Bible and assume that it has always had the appearance that it has today.  When I first selected these verses, I thought I understood what "this is the lament" referred to.  But when trying to figure it out, I saw that the word grouping implied something that wasn't there.  Hope these thoughts are helpful. Blessings, Jeff This is a case where the grouping of verses can be misleading.  In the English Standard Version 16-19 appear as a paragraph.  Applying standard literary method, this would make 17-19 the lament that is to be chanted. However, when I looked at ESV study bible notes, v16 refers to the previous verses and 17-32 are the seventh and final oracle against Egypt. This made me think that some thoughts about my limited knowledge of Bible transla...

Dear faithful readers, As we come into the home stretch of our trip through the Word, we start to see the completion of the one of  four strands of our reading. (once through OT, Psalms, Proverbs and NT twice).  We are 80% through OT histories and have just reached the high point of national prominence.  It is all down hill from here. So here are some thoughts about the end of David's reign. Blessings, Jeff We have reached the end of Samuel, the history of transition from judges to kings.  And it ends with David, the best purely human king Israel ever has, doing what seems right in his own eyes and bringing judgment on himself and the nation.  I think this is a good point to reflect on this period in Israel's history. The desire to have a king so that they would be like all the other nations (1 Sam 8:4) turns out not to be the solution to all their problems.  While there have been many great victories over their enemies, there have also been defeats and ser...

Good morning friends, I think I have mentioned that time can be a rather fluid concept in prophetic writings.  The Day of the Lord has numerous implications.  But when it comes to a specific date, the prophet can use very specific words.  So here are some thoughts about dates in ancient times. Blessings, Jeff  I am fascinated with the specific date method used by prophets.  Unlike today, every nation had its own dating system generally related to the reign of kings or other major events.  The Chinese still have their dating method, but the BC/AD standard puts everybody on the same scale.  Reformation Study Bible notes put this as April 587 BC. Here is the RSB note on Ez 1:1 thirtieth year. July, 593 B.C. The book appears to have a double superscription, one in the first person (v. 1) and the other in the third (vv. 2-3). The dates in the Book of Ezekiel are normally calculated from the year of the captivity of Jehoiachin (cf. 40:1). But the first date ...

Dear Friends, I think this is a continuation of the devotion from earlier today.  Israel hung their significance on David not on God.  This psalm highlights this theme.  Telling the coming generation is not about human history, but about what God has done and consequences for disobedience. Blessings, Jeff "Tell the coming generation" is the theme of this psalm.  First 16 verses are on all that God did for Israel up through the Exodus. Verses 17 - 72 are about how "they still sinned more against him" and the consequences. So telling the next generation involves not only what God has done but the consequences of disobedience. If ancient Israel needed to remind coming generations of the relatively recent past, how much more does the church need to do this.  While there are some events in our history that are indicative of divine intervention, there is nothing like the provision of manna, the cloud and pillar of fire in the wilderness or provision of water in the wi...

Good morning friends, Context from June '21 - We resume our 4 hour days with the grandsons today and we have a month left in this stay.  Time has really gone by quickly.  So it is fitting that this passage that I chose back on 5/26/21 is what I am writing on today 6/15/21.  One of the challenges as my generation begins to pass from the scene is to make sure that the church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.  It cannot be built on the efforts of individuals. Blessings, Jeff The end of David's warrior days.  The folly of placing national identity in one person.  Ultimately, that person is going to loose the qualities  that made him a leader.  Here, David is no longer able to adequately defend himself.  Israel has placed so much trust in David that his death in battle would be worse than the army's defeat. History is full of similar stories.  Yet nations continue to place undue confiden...

Good afternoon friends, So this passage is another one of those "why is God judging a heathen nation" situations.  The Bible is the story of salvation, but these seemingly unrelated events are intended to help us understand God's plan. Blessings, Jeff  Part of the lament for Tyre - the prosperous heathen city-state.  There are many examples of warnings against individuals being jealous of wealthy neighbors who are wicked and carry out evil devices.  The same holds true for nation of Israel.  Looking all the way back to Israel's demand for a king so that they could be like all the other nations around them.  The assumption that a certain political order was what brings blessing, wealth and stability.  Based on their history, Israel should have known it was the Lord who provided these things and that it would be better to stay with the order that He provided.  Tyre was a close neighbor whose prosperity tempted Israel to abandon God and adopt these f...

Dear bond slaves of Christ, I am so thankful for stories such as this that give us examples of relationships based on grace.  And at the same time, that actions and words must be in alignment.  Reminded of Jesus warning that not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. Blessings, Jeff The rest of the story. Mephibosheth is exonerated not so much because of his words but his actions.  While Absalom was in power, Mephibosheth did not seek to gain his favor.  The signs of mourning for David must have been an offense to Absalom.  If he had defeated David, Mephibosheth would probably have paid the price for loyalty to David. Mephibosheth response to grace.   He recognizes that he has not rights before the king.  House of Saul was doomed to death but you set your servant among those who eat at your table.  A picture of the blessings of Christ.  Condemned sinners are made pure by the blood of the Lamb and are invited to th...