19–25 August 2018. Ruth 1 (click to read). Ruth is one of the shortest books in the Bible, but also one of the most beautiful. It’s so moving because at each step of the story we see the profound importance of kindness, compassion, and love. In chapter 1 we see this at two different levels. […]
13–19 May 2018. Deuteronomy 28 (click to read). For a long time in ancient Israel, the text of Deuteronomy 28 was lost. 2 Kings 22 tells us that when it was rediscovered and read to King Josiah, the text was so shocking the king tore his clothes in despair. Even though this text doesn’t apply […]
6–12 May 2018. Deuteronomy 17–18 (click to read). Our lives are full of temptations. Some of us are tempted by popularity, by possessions and money, by power, or countless other things. It doesn’t matter whether we are great or small, pastors or lay people, men or women or children, we all struggle with temptations. That’s […]
29 April – 5 May 2018. Deuteronomy 5–6 (click to read). Which is the most important law in the Bible? If we had to answer that question, I think many people would choose one of the so-called Ten Commandments. Most people know those commandments very well, and we even find them written out twice in […]
9–15 April 2017. Acts 8:26–40 (click to read). Today’s text starts with a strange command from an angel of the Lord who tells Philip to walk out into the desert. What a strange thing to do! But Philip listens, and when he gets out there, he finds a strange person: an Ethiopian. In the Bible […]
13–19 November 2016. Ezekiel 17–18 (click to read). When we Christians read the Old Testament, sometimes we get the feeling that God is so frightening. Whereas Jesus spreads the good news of God’s love and amazing grace, the Old Testament seems to talk so much about God’s anger, judgement, and the way he punishes Israel. […]
25 September – 1 October 2016. Nehemiah 11–13 (click to read). Here at the end of the book of Nehemiah we are confronted with two problems. The first is that we have to read through all these genealogies, these long, long lists of names! But the second problem is much more serious, and is connected […]
17–23 July 2016. 1 Kings 9–10 (click to read). In the book of Kings, one of the morals that the writers want to teach us is that sin always has it’s price. Sooner or later, God’s punishment catches up with people. That’s what happened to Saul and David, and that’s what’s coming for Solomon too. On the […]
5–11 June 2016. Ruth 3–4 (click to read). Anyone who has lived in a different country knows how hard it is to be a foreigner. We often get pushed away or treated badly just because we’re different. Sadly, the ancient Israelites often treated foreigners in shocking ways: oppressing and rejecting them, even murdering foreign women, children and […]
Bonus April 2016 Text. Deuteronomy 28 (click here to read). Deuteronomy 28 is such a frightening text! Moses’s death is coming, and he wants to make sure that after he is gone the people never forget to obey God. So he stands before them and gives them a choice: do good and be blessed, or […]