Today I’m writing about the funny, interesting, and powerful story of Elijah for eighth graders. And just now—just now, after 25 years of being a Bible reader—I realized what the King James translators meant when they have Elijah say, “How long halt ye between two...
Exegesis
Dempster on Samson
A perceptive observation from a book full of such insights into the Old Testament: Stephen Dempster: The structure of Judges shows that Israel gradually descends into a moral and political quagmire, and this is mirrored in the sequence of judges themselves, most of...
Greenville-Area BibleWorks Seminar
I will be putting on an area-wide BibleWorks seminar at Morningside Baptist Church. There will be two sessions: Beginner-Intermediate (Feb 11, 9:30 am–12:00 pm) Gain a solid understanding of how to use BibleWorks in real-life exegesis and sermon prep. I assume you...
Truth and Beauty
Derek Kidner is a commentator who writes not just insightfully but beautifully. Don't miss his commentaries on Genesis, Psalms (vol. 1 and vol. 2), Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. They are gifts to the church. I'm not familiar with Stephen Motyer (a relation to J. Alec, I...
Context, Context, Context!
Oops! Check out my review of this unfortunate Christian tchotchke! Update: There’s more!
“God’s Purpose According to Election”
“Be not highminded, but fear” (Rom 11:20 KJV). That’s the verse I think of as I anticipate posting the following little thought that came to me as I studied Genesis for Bible Truths B, the 8th grade Bible textbook I’m now rewriting: If you think about it, God could...
Genesis 15 and 17
Do Genesis 15 and 17 constitute two related but distinct Abrahamic covenants? Yes Paul R. Williamson, in his very helpful and thorough NSBT volume Sealed with an Oath argues that Genesis 15 and 17 constitute separate (though obviously related) covenants. Here are his...
QCNT
If you aren't meticulous in your note-taking, always using quotation marks and saving your full citation, you might accidentally do this: One of the distinguishing marks of the child of God is love, a love that originates in God, displays itself in actions of...
Another KJV Verse That Is Difficult to Understand
"I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily" (1 Cor 15:31). What does that mean? "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ"? What? That doesn't make any sense to me, and I happen to speak very well English! Add it to the...
Ceslas Spicq on Luke 6:34
In the last few chapters of my dissertation I am planning on using Ceslas Spicq, a Catholic scholar of the 20th century, as somewhat of a whipping boy. No doubt he was much smarter than I and much more widely read (in both senses!), but there are some significant...