Choice

Jesus Begins to Pick His Staff - Mark 1:9 – 1:20 (commentary)

One day as John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing, Jesus appeared on the banks of the Jordan River and requested to be baptized. His baptism was not a testimony that He had been cleansed from sin (for He was sinless). He was merely identifying with sinners like you and me a …

Jesus Chooses Matthew as a Disciple - Mark 2:13 – 2:17 (commentary)

The scene now shifts to the seaside (v. 13). Jesus chooses one man, Matthew to join Him as a disciple (v. 14). He was employed by the Roman government as a tax-gatherer which was a lucrative position. Tax collectors were renowned for dishonesty and extortion. They were detested t …

A Choice Must be Made - Joshua 24:1 – 24:18 (commentary)

Joshua summoned a second great assembly at Shechem to confirm Israel’s covenant relationship with God. Shechem was a few miles northwest of Shiloh (v. 1). This was where God first promised Canaan to Abraham (Gen. 12:6-7), where Jacob built an altar and buried his family’s idols ...

Samson Falls in Love - Judges 14:1 – 14:7 (commentary)

Timnah was located about 4 miles southwest of Zorah which was only about an hour’s walk. It was here that Samson met the first of his lovers and he didn’t seem to be concerned that she was a Philistine (v. 1). He knew the laws of separation God had given to the people, but he chose to ignore

Declaration of Blessings And Curses - Deuteronomy 11:16 – 11:32 (commentary)

Moses gives Israel an exhortation to obey God’s commands because success and longevity in the land depends on it (vv. 16-25). The problem wasn’t with God or the land; it was in the hearts of the people (v. 16). Israel had been told to keep God’s statutes, judgements, and commandments...

Choice Between Good And Evil - Genesis 2:10 – 2:17 (commentary)

An exact identification of the garden of Eden is impossible. However, it is generally agreed by Bible historians that the oldest known civilization centered in and around the region of Mesopotamia. This means that the garden was probably in the area of what we know to …

Jerusalem - God’s Chosen Place of Worship - I Chronicles 8:1 – 8:40 (commentary)

The writer drew a distinction between those people who lived in Jerusalem and those who lived in Gibeon. There were Benjamites who lived in Jerusalem and others who lived in Gibeon. Gibeon was where the central sanctuary stood during most of Saul’s reign and from then until Solomon ...