The temple built by Solomon lasted about three hundred and fifty years and then was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, in divine judgment. Seventy years later, the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon dedicated a second temple, much smaller than the one Solomon built, and the sacrificial system was restored, as predicted…
Ecclesiastes 7:1 begins, “A good name is better than precious ointment…” The wise Preacher states that a good name is better than costly cleansers or perfumes for the body. What, though, does he mean by a good name? While I would like to think we gave our children good names — names that just roll…
A congregation is never stronger than when it’s united and never weaker than when it’s divided. Jesus talks about this principle in Matthew 12:25, not in the context of an individual congregation, but it’s certainly true of congregations. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself…
The third question we encounter in the Bible comes from the lips of God: “Why are you angry?” (Genesis 4:6). It was addressed to Cain, and it concerned his response to God’s rejection of his offering. God had rejected it, and Cain should have repented of it. But he didn’t. Instead he got angry. Anger…
Editor’s Note: In June 2015, Rick Greenwood, one of the elders in Martinsville, IN, lost his son Ryan to cancer. The disease struck Ryan swiftly, and he died in a matter of weeks following the diagnosis. As a part of his grieving, Rick put finger to keyboard, delivered this lesson at Martinsville, and adapted it…
Because the values of societies either differ one from another or change over time, it seems that some parts of the Bible carry more relevance to some generations. For example, Ecclesiastes is particularly well suited to identify the consequences of humanistic or atheistic thought in a post-modern world. John’s gospel account bears greater weight in…
“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him….
The parable of the unjust steward is among the most thought provoking of all the parables of Jesus. The steward, who was soon to lose his position due to either incompetence or negligence or both, negotiates with his master’s debtors, settling with them for pennies on the dollar. He does so to win favor for…
Aesop told a story of a lion startled by a mouse. The lion slapped a paw over the mouse and was about to lick it up when the mouse pleaded for her life, promising that someday she would repay the kindness. The lion was amused by the idea of the little mouse ever helping him…
I was recently asked a question that I found to be very interesting: “What does the Bible say about Doctors?” which really was directed to a more pointed question, “Is it okay to use doctors, or should God alone be trusted to fix us when our physical bodies fail?” This is a fair question that…