Every Bible Author’s Favorite Words
Mark’s favorite word is “immediately.” What’s everyone else’s?
versenotes
Four Gospels, Five Great Commissions
The first five books of the New Testament all record Great Commissions, so why do we always focus on Matthew?
The Second-Wisest Man in the Bible
Searching the Bible to find the author of Psalm 89.
Two New Ways To Read Psalm 136
Looking at familiar Scripture in new ways can help us see what it’s all about. Psalm 136 is famously repetitive, but don’t let “repetitive” become “boring.”
Moses’s Missing Math
The Israelites were famously bad at math, but here’s an instance where they relied on a technique that wouldn’t even be invented for another 3,000 years.
What If Malachi Was Wrong?
Malachi 4:5 seems impossible, or at best a contradiction. What happens when Jesus’s disciples finally get up the courage to ask about it?
9 Spectacular Place Name Puns in Micah 1
Who doesn’t love Hebrew puns foretelling destruction?
41 Miracles You Didn’t Know Existed
Hidden glory in “the boring part” of Numbers 33.
Motl, Tzeitl, and Moses
Learning about Mosaic law from Fiddler on the Roof.
The Seventh Sunday of Advent
Jesus tells us how to avoid losing the preparation of Advent and the hope of Christmas in the messiness of January. And February. And March…
Like Lightning From Heaven
You’re part of the invasion force of Heaven, and every work you do for the Kingdom of God is part of the assured fall of Satan at the word of Jesus.
Praise the Name
Sometimes I forget that God has a name. This psalmist is happy to remind me, over and over again.
It Happened In the Spring
Why does the author of Chronicles leave out the story of David and Bathsheba? That seems like a major oversight.
Raise Sounds of Joy
The mountaintop is waiting.
She Was Not Hidden
A lived example of Jesus’s proclamation about not hiding a lamp—or a woman—under a basket.
Being Renewed In Knowledge
Matching the cycle of forgiveness with the cycle of sanctification.
Take Care Then How You Hear
The economy of God is not based on fairness, but on gifts and obedience.
The Duty of Watching
Bringing the men who guard the gates of the tabernacle into the modern church.
It Is In Vain That You Rise Up Early
When the psalms appear to disagree with Jesus’s lifestyle, we need to take a second look.
Bear Fruit With Patience
What do Pulp Fiction and J.G. Wentworth have to do with the parable of the sower?
She Loved Much
Exploring the relationship of sin, repentance, and forgiveness with the help of a Pharisee and a prostitute.
All the People Heard This
How do we make sure we encounter God in the Bible, and not just a mirror of ourselves?
About Three Months
Three months? Mary stayed with Elizabeth for a long time! Think with me for a few minutes about that visit.
The Boy Jesus
How did Luke hear the story of Jesus staying behind in the Temple as a little boy?
Nothing Left Over
Paul reaches back into history and into Scripture to write an old law in a new way for the Corinthians.