A king needs a kingdom. Every child reading fairy tales understands this. The ancient Hebrews grasped it as well. Examining their history–as it unfolds from the Patriarchs, through the Exodus, the settlement of Canaan, the period of the Judges and finally the creation of a monarchy– is a study in kings, prophets and forms of […]
A Trickster or Following the Lord’s Directive? (Founding Mothers – Part 2)
Rebekah’s reputation as a trickster who got her youngest son (Jacob) to pose as the older (Esau) in order to steal his birthright, deserves to be considered in new light. What if she did the Bible’s biggest bait-and-switch because she was following the Lord’s directive? Recall that we left Rebekah (in the last blog) when […]
A Prayer to Heal Vicious Nationalism
A deeper study of the Psalms is helping me understand why this ancient poetry has continued to be treasured and how they apply to the most challenging contemporary struggles. This came to thought when the Charlie Hebdo killings occurred and the West responded with increasing concern about the jihadist form of Islam. Could the Psalms […]
Israel’s Founding Mothers: Rebekah (Part I)
Years ago I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast where an intriguing book lay on the bedside table: “Founding Mothers”. When I saw it was by one of my favorite radio commentators, Cokie Roberts of NPR, I plunged in and wasn’t disappointed. What a marvelous concept: telling the too-often forgotten stories of these passionate and […]
Why The Sower and the Seed Parable Deserves Close Attention
As you study Jesus’ parables’, it becomes obvious quickly how important the Sower and the Seed story is, one of the few to appear in all three synoptic Gospels. (John’s Gospel doesn’t contain any parables.) But even more noticeable is that the Sower and the Seed story leads the rest, in Matthew (Matt. 13:3-17), Mark […]
