Building on the Foundation

  When God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He didn’t take them straight to the Promised Land. They weren’t ready. So first He brought them through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai and gave them His laws. He charged them, saying, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:5-6). There at Mt. Sinai, God and Israel entered into a covenant. The Israelites said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient” (Ex. 24:7). But Israel still wasn’t yet ready to enter the Promised Land. God knew His people needed more preparation, more instruction, and more testing to see if they truly would walk in His ways and obey His commandments. The journey to the Promised Land wasn’t over; it was just beginning. Though the Israelite s ’ subsequent rebellions would prolong the journey many years lo...

It's been a hot minute since I visited the Psalms, but other projects have consumed my time and attention, from the three-part study on the clean and unclean laws to my upcoming history and study of feminism and communism. There's only so much time to study and write, so some projects get more attention than others. I'm quite excited about the upcoming post about feminism, and I learned a lot while doing the research for it and writing it, so I think it will at least be thought-provoking and hopefully educational. Stay tuned for that one. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Psalm 6! Slash! The blood gushed out of the gaping gash in the neck of the massive bull and gurgled as it splashed sparkling red into the golden bowl. The giant bull's head slumped to the ground and the priest rose to his feet. He turned toward the door of the tent, took a deep breath, and prepared to enter, a thick rope dragging along behind him.  Atonement for sin used to be quite a compl...

  Can you imagine a world with no war and no crime? No murder, no stealing, and no kidnapping? No drugs or drunkenness? No cancer, no heart disease, no Alzheimer’s? Imagine a world with no adultery, no domestic violence, and no broken homes. Imagine a world with no lying, thieving politicians and no crooked cops or judges. Imagine a world “in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13). Well, I’ve got good news: this world exists, and we will all one day see it! Not everyone will ultimately live in it — more on that later — but everyone will have a chance. This wonderful world, of course, is the Kingdom of God. This is the heart of the gospel. When Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh, we read that He “came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15). This was the purpose of His ministry: “But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to th...