Text: Psalm 128:1-6The beginning of this psalm is entitled “a psalm of ascents”, which means “up”.When the people of Israel were going UP the hill to Jerusalem (Mount Zion) for one of the annual holidays, this psalm is one of the songs the people sang. The words are reminiscent of the covenant promises in Deuteronomy[…]
Text: Psalm 104:1-35When Adam sinned and received the curse from Yahweh, to an extent the land and animals became our enemies (e.g., Gen.3:17; Exod.23:29; Lev.26:19). Inorder for man to do his work, God graciously kept the wild animals away duringthe day so that man can labor from morning to evening. Humanity is protected by the[…]
Text: Nehemiah 6:1-14The enemies of the true worship of Yahweh understood that Nehemiah was a strong leader, he was going to complete the wall, remove all the bad things from the Temple, etc. So, they made a plot to kill him. They sent Shemaiah (a spy for the enemy) to ill advise Nehemiah to hide[…]
Text: 1 Kings 7:1-14The Temple that Solomon is building is for the worship of Yahweh. This Temple will replace the Tabernacle, the beautiful tent, and its furnishings, that Israel carried around for about four hundred years. But now Israel is settled in the land and Yahweh has chosen Jerusalem as the capital city (Deut.12). The[…]
Text: Deuteronomy 26:1-10In this passage, Moses is instructing the people to give the first portion of their harvests to Yahweh. By that instruction the people are reminded that they were once slaves in Egypt, and they were treated harshly. Yahweh heard their groanings; He brought them out with a mighty hand, even destroying Egypt.Therefore, the[…]
Text: Deuteronomy 5:1-16When Yahweh gave Israel their new homeland, it was expected that they would have servants and slaves. Some were poor Israelites and some were from defeated nations. Slaves had no rights, so we might think that they should not be permitted to rest on the Sabbath day. But that is not what God[…]
Text: Deuteronomy 4:1-31The book of Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of Moses, which are called the Pentateuch, the foundation for all of Scripture. Deuteronomy is written just before Moses died; just before Israel entered the Promised Land. Part of this “sermon” is a warning to the people. If they fail to serve[…]
Text: Deuteronomy 4:1-31The book of Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of Moses, which are called the Pentateuch, the foundation for all of Scripture. Deuteronomy is written just before Moses died; just before Israel entered the Promised Land. Part of this “sermon” is a warning to the people. If they fail to serve[…]
Text: Exodus 31:13-18Again, we read a passage about work and the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not a small issue, as we see from the penalty for dishonoring the Sabbath (v.14).It is a strict requirement because Israel was an image of the eternal Kingdom of God, where perfect righteousness reigns. The Sabbath is a sign because[…]
Exodus 31:1-12While Israel was at Mt. Sinai, God gave instructions for constructing the Tabernacle, the place of worship. Everyone is a sinner and deserves the death penalty. But God graciously provided for His people the way of deliverance – an animal would serve as a substitute, dying instead of the person. The Tabernacle was a[…]