If someone were to think of the Psalms ‘only’ as hymns of praise, often set to music, they’d be missing why they’ve been so central to the worship of God throughout both Jewish and Christian history. In addition to the beauty of their poetry and musicality, the Psalter is the only Biblical book in which […]
Archive | Old Testament
Jonah: How Big is our Love and other Lessons for Today
In this third and final blog on Jonah and love, we explore how to bring the text forward, building on last week’s focus on the world BEHIND the text. This is the linchpin of Bible Study, the ‘so what’ question? “So what does this have to do with life today?” If we don’t apply the text, […]
Jonah: An Ancient Archie Bunker?!
Last week’s blog in this three part series was the world OF the text. Now is part two: the world BEHIND the text (concerns, circumstances and experiences of individuals). One way to initially unpack a Biblical text is to find out when it was written– providing often-significant context for why this story, told at this […]
Jonah’s Enemies: Narrowness & Nationalism
Jonah is one of those Biblical books that can make me squirm. More than the ‘whale of a tale’ of childhood Bible stories, this parable offers food for thought sometimes tough to digest, not unlike the whale who couldn’t quite swallow this Avoider. Jonah makes us look closer at hints of self-absorption that make me want to […]
Ezra: Prayer in Leadership
A favorite definition of leadership (after I worked in the field many years) is ‘one who follows in advance of others, the leadership of God.’ While Moses, Elijah, Paul and others embody this definition, lesser-known figures like Ezra merit a closer look. Described as ‘a priest and teacher of the law of the God of […]
