The Chariot of Israel

“My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!”
Elisha shouted this out in 2 Kings 2: 12 when Elijah was being taken up in the fiery chariot.  The question that ought to come up in our minds, though it often doesn’t, is “How did he know what this was?”
Is there another reference to [...]

Read Full Post »

Not Just Filler

So part of how I’m going about my Genesis study is just asking “What is this here for?” Sometimes the answer is obvious. Sometimes it is not.
A good example is the space between Abraham’s test of faith with Isaac and the Jacob and Esau stories. There is a whole chapter dedicated to [...]

Read Full Post »

Circumcision and the Holy War

Circumcision is a prelude to the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 17), as the circumcision of Moses’ son is a prelude to the destruction of Egypt (Exodus 4:24-26). The Israelites took unleavened bread with them out of Egypt and went to The Mountain; Lot also took unleavened bread (Genesis 19:3), but did not go to The [...]

Read Full Post »

Sarah and Hagar

In Galatians 4, Paul applies the characters of Sarah and Hagar to his current day. The Jews are now Hagar, and the Christians are Sarah:
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a [...]

Read Full Post »

My Sister My Bride

Song of Solomon 4: 9- 12
You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my bride;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
How fair is your love,
My sister, my bride!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
Your lips, O my bride,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey [...]

Read Full Post »

Echoes of Eden

Ezekiel 28 is a fascinating chapter, as it combines Eden imagery with temple imagery, all within the apocalyptic context:
“ You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The [...]

Read Full Post »

Garden and Gold

Genesis 2: 8-15
The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the [...]

Read Full Post »

Details

An old story has it that a Puritan was once asked “Why are you so precise?” He answered “Because I serve a precise God.”
This is a great statement really, though often times we are precise in all the wrong places (lapsarianism) and miss those areas in need of careful attention. The opening chapter [...]

Read Full Post »

Eucharistic Vision

The firmament-sea separates heaven from earth, just as the temple veil separated the holy of holies from the holy place. God’s throne is in this inner sanctuary, of which the earthly temple was but a copy, and Jesus Christ has taken his seat upon this throne after his ascension into the heavens. You [...]

Read Full Post »

Trojan Horse

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah [...]

Read Full Post »