Chapter 18 deals with the sanctity of sex. The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel: I am the Lord your God (vv. 1-2)! So don’t follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you (v. 3). I am the Lord your God, and you must obey …
Chapters 17-20 reveal a legal code of conduct for the people of Israel, touching on many areas of their public life. These four chapters deal with four special areas of life that must be respected and kept holy: (1) The sanctity of life (Chap. 17), (2) the sanctity of sex (Chap. …
The psalmist continues to praise the Lord for all His creation. The ocean is alive with creatures great and small (v. 24). Water is a predominant theme in this psalm (vv. 25-26). In the sea the ships move freely, but for the whale the sea is his playground. The whale is portrayed as nothing more …
The Spirit of the Lord came on the Levite Jahaziel, after Jehoshaphat’s moving prayer, and he speaks to the congregation (v. 14). He tells them twice to not be afraid and that the battle was not their’s but God’s (vv. 15-17). Then Jehoshaphat and all Judah and the inhabitants …
After the flood there were only eight people alive in the world: Noah and his family. God told them the things they were to do, and He makes a covenant with Noah here in chapter 9: (1) He told Noah to be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth again with people (vv. 1, 7), just …
Almost immediately after receiving Gabriel’s message, Mary`prepared to visit her cousin Elisabeth who lived some sixty or more miles south of Nazareth in the Judean hill country (vv. 39-41). As she rushed off to visit her relative, she must have wondered if the events of the la …
The person who has discipline in his life is an example of one who has a meaningful life whereas those who refuse to learn from discipline cause others to stumble. A person’s conduct affects not only himself but others as well, either favorably or unfavorably (v. 17). It is …
Paul answers one of the most controversial subjects that the Corinthians had asked in their letter. “Is it a sin for Christians to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols?” The basic principle involved is, “What is the proper Christian attitude toward things that are harmless in themselves but have …
Jehoiachin (who was only 23 years old) followed his father Jehoiakim to the throne (v. 24). After a three-month reign Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and he and his mother Nehushta (the widow of King Jehoikim (2 Kings 24:8) was deported to Babylon where they both …
The actual dividing of Canaan, “the promised land” gets underway. This was the long-awaited hour. This was the goal which Israel had so long been pressing for. The land was to be divided now, according to Moses’ instructions, even though there remained yet “very much land to be …