“How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?” (Exodus 10:3) Pharoah is the quintessential proud man, i.e., his prefect type and image. With the very mention of his name, our minds immediately recall his arrogant response to Moses’ initial appeal to let God’s people go: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” Pharoah, as an abusive, oppressive despot with almost unlimited power and authority, who had become intoxicated with the “worship” of his subjects, me

“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.”  (Proverbs 4:4-6) The book of Proverbs explores what it means to truly live well in God’s world, offering practical advice for readers of all ages. Chapter 4 is a fatherly exhortation from Solomon, urging

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”  (Job 19:25, 26) When the faith of a child of God is desperately tried it falls upon the truth and justice of God. Saints, when in dark times have been led to great discoveries of comfort. Here Job found an argument for his own comfort. If he should die under slander from his accusers, he was certain

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”  (II Corinthians 12:10) The Corinthian church is currently directionless. They were fighting with each other, as well as with the apostle who had planted the church. Paul wrote this deeply personal and emotional letter to reaffirm their relationship. This epistle followed a particularly painful visit and a severe le

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”  (Philippians 1:12-14) Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi sometime between AD 60 and 62, during his first Roman impriso

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children...” (Ephesians 1:5) “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”  (Romans 8:15) The evangelical doctrine of adoption, which coincides with justification at one point, and with regeneration at another is, in a sense, the crown and glory of God’s redemptive plan. The admission of fallen, sinful men through the grace of   adoption

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”  (Gal. 4:4, 5) “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”  (Eph. 1:5) The word “adoption”  comes from a root, which means, “the placing of a son.” It came to mean what it still means with us, namely, the transfer from one family to another, a

“Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.”  (Song of Solomon 8:14) The Song of Songs describes the love of Jesus Christ to His people, and it ends with an intense desire on the part of the Church that the Lord Jesus should come back to her. The last word of the bride to her beloved one is “Speed your return, make haste and come back.”  Is it not striking that as the last verse in this Book of Love sounds this note, so

“Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.” (Jeremiah 15:19) The discussion between Jeremiah and the Lord in Chapter 15 occurs during the inevitable decline of Judah, before the Babylonian exile. If you remember, we previously discussed how this punishment served as the conseq

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die...”  (I Kings 19:4) It is sometimes difficult to understand the state of dejection in which we might find good men, especially such as have been so mightily used of God as Elijah. This is largely due to the way in which we have been trained to think of our heroes. They always have the answers, and they are never afraid. We see El

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) Solomon reigned for 40 years, from 1015-975 B.C., and this period spanned his 4th-11th years as King. He was the son of David and the 3rd king of God’s people in the Promised Land and had gathered all the people of Israel for the Temple’s dedi

“And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.”  (II Kings 3:16, 17) King Jehoram of Israel had solicited the help of Judah’s good king, Jehoshaphat, in going to battle against the Moabites. Since the route they chose was through the wilderness Edom, the Edomites also joined f

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) Hebrews was an epistle written to Jewish followers of Jesus, penned sometime before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. As with the precise date of writing, the author is also unknown. The writing includes a lot of Pauline language, so many think it is from the Apostle Paul, but I disagree because in Paul’s writings, he usually identifies himself. Because the writ

“…and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.”  (Mark 8:22) We do not deny the free agency of man, as we have sometimes been accused. Man freely does what he does. However, only one Man possesses absolute free agency. Jesus Christ, being one with His Father, does what He wills as He wills in all things. This freedom of will and action is clearly seen in His public life and ministry. His free agency is seen in the great variety of His mighty work. Thoug

“Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” (John 7:37) The occasion of this invitation  was the Feast of Tabernacles; the third of three main feasts that the faithful of Israel celebrated annually. The Passover was held in the Spring, our month of April; Pentecost was fifty days after Passover, our June; and lastly the Feast of Tabernacles was in the fall, our October. This feast was held

“Now therefore, give me this mountain...”  (Joshua 14:12) Caleb is a truly wonderful example of strong, unwavering faith. His was no “flash in the pan” faith. At the age of forty, he was one of twelve men chosen by Moses to go in and spy out the land of promise. He and Joshua returned with a good report, but ten of the twelve came back with a negative report. All twelve agreed that it was a land greatly to be desired, but only Caleb and Joshua believed that it could be taken

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  (James 4:4) The book of James is a New Testament letter by James. He wasn’t one of the twelve Apostles, instead he was one of Jesus' half-brothers, a child of Joseph and Mary (Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19). He served as leader of the Jerusalem church and penned this letter around AD 45-49 to Jewish Christians scatte

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:15-17) The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to Christians living in the small city of Colossae around A.D. 62 while im

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11) What does the Apostle mean when he, speaking to believers, says “…now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” ? Was not our salvation a reality the moment we believed. Is it not true that…                         “The moment a sinner believes,                         And trusts in his crucified God;