In last week’s, bulletin we continued our study of the Judges of Israel, discussing Deborah. This week, as a supplement to that, we will not be moving on to the next Judge, but we will look further into a man that we referenced last time, Barak. Barak is a curious case, but that is not because of what is said of him in the original account of Judges chapters four and five. It is because of what the Holy Spirit reveals in Hebrews 11:32-33. Within a discussion of men and women of great faith in the Old Testament, God speaks […]

We left off last week discussing the beginning of Ehud’s leadership as Judge of Israel. After Ehud was Shamgar, of whom we know very little, mostly from Judges 3:31, which references how he slayed 600 men of the Philistines with only an ox goad, thus delivering Israel from that oppression. Following him, another judge of Israel is discussed in chapters 4-5. The setting is oppression, yet again, for Israel; this time it was twenty years of harsh oppression at the hand of Jabin king of Canaan. At that time, Deborah, a prophetess, was judging Israel. The account of her helping […]

Today we will continue our discussion of the Judges of Israel. Last week we looked at the first judge, Othniel (Judges 3:11), who kept the people on the straight and narrow for forty years. Once Othniel died, the children of Israel returned to their idolatrous ways (3:12). As an act of reformation by God, He disciplined them, bringing Eglon the king of Moab against them. Eglon allied with the nations of Ammon and Amalek to go to war against Israel. Israel lost the war and the people became servants of Eglon and the Moabites. For eighteen years Israel lived under […]

I received a question concerning what the Bible says about celebrating holidays like Easter and Christmas, where Christ’s life is celebrated or acknowledged in some way. I think this is a very good subject for all followers of Christ to give diligent consideration to, as our society is infatuated with acknowledging Jesus on these holidays by attending a special church service. But it’s important to note that every conceivable religious holiday has no roots in the new testament church. The word of God gives no specific instructions for observing Easter or Christmas, though it is inferred to not participate in […]

The word “Hell” is used today usually with no mind to its meaning. It is a word so ingrained into our society and language that its definition goes without saying. And yet, there are many misunderstandings present today concerning this dreadful place. So, a closer look at Hell from a biblical perspective is in order. Even though the word “Hell” is found 14 times in the Bible (ESV), the word, by itself, fails to explain the original idea of this place. The English word “Hell” is from the Indo-European word “helan” which means “to cover or hide”. Thus, the word […]

I received the following question in the Question Box: How is the intercession of the Holy Spirit different from the intercession of Christ (especially with reference to prayer)? Let’s discuss these two intercessors separately, then we will see draw conclusions on how they are different and whether this affects our prayers or not. The Intercession of the Holy Spirit Found in Romans 8:26, the intercession of the Spirit is described this way: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for […]

To this day, the cause of the Ice Age is one of the greatest puzzles for modern scientists, the mystery is second only to what caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Scientists hold a wide variety of theories as to what happened, but there can be no consensus because each theory carries some contradictions to the actual story being told by the ice sheets that are left over today. There is, however, one event that can offer an uncontradictory explanation of the cause of the ice age: the worldwide flood. The information from God in the bible concerning the great flood […]

I received this question from the question box in the foyer: “Is there room for man’s traditions in the church?” This is an important question to consider, and although I don’t know the context that spurred this question, I will answer this from the angle that I see things and hopefully, it will cover the inquirer’s perspective on their question. Is there room for traditions in the church? The short answer can neither be yes nor no, for many variables and conditions should be considered for every tradition kept by any local church. First, every local church follows traditions; there […]

The final chapter of Nehemiah is nothing short of extraordinary. It powerfully records the bold characteristics of the man Nehemiah as his anger is inflamed when he surveys four situations the Jews had fallen into since he had been away from them. In this article, we will focus on only the first problem that Nehemiah comes across, and we will consider applications for our own lives. As Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem in chapter thirteen, the first issue he sees is one that is quite astounding. A man named Tobiah had actually set up house and was living inside the house […]