Some background might be in order before we start 1 Timothy. Up to this point, Paul’s letters have been directed at specific churches. Beginning now with 1 Timothy, Paul’s letters are now directed at individuals. There are two letters to Timothy, a letter to Titus, and one to Philemon. Like Paul, Timothy and Titus were…
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Well, the man whom two books of the Old Testament are named after had died, and his passing was dealt with in less than one full verse. Samuel is gone, and notably the entire nation came together to mourn him. To the very end, he had the respect of the people. They knew he was…
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I’m pretty sure that if Bildad was my friend, that friendship would’ve ended with this speech of his. He starts off by saying, in essence, “Are you through yet? You are talking nonsense.” Granted, I’m not in Job’s position right now, but I was, to a lesser extent a couple years ago. I’ll get to…
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Paul was telling the church at Thessalonica that they shouldn’t panic when people come around saying that Jesus had already returned. Yes, Jesus is coming back, to be sure. And it will be a very good thing when He does, but there are some things that must happen before that takes place. And then Paul…
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In chapter 23, we saw the Saul was still after David, and he almost had him, but God intervened with the report of the Philistines attacking the land. And then in chapter 24, we saw that David had the perfect opportunity to take Saul out, but David spared Saul’s life because Saul was God anointed…
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Oh my goodness. Job’s despair is palpable in these two chapters, isn’t it? His physical pain is unbearable, but that’s only part of the pain he is suffering. His spirit is broken, too. He had to sit and listen as his so-called friend said that he must have done something to deserve the calamities that…
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Most of us who are serious about Bible study know that reading from more that one translation is a good thing, especially if we’re going to be teaching or preaching. Today’s reading is an excellent example of why this is a good idea. The translation we’re using this week is the Good News Translation. Chapter…
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Did you notice what happened with the Doeg situation? David is running from Saul, and he goes to the priest Ahimilech, because this is where the Tabernacle now is, since Shiloh has been deserted. David wants to get a word from God. Ahimilech asks David why he’s there, and David lies to him. He tells…
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Don’t you just love it when someone starts a conversation with you by saying, “Can I say something to you without you getting mad?” You know it’s going to be one of those conversations. That’s how Eliphaz, one of three friends that came to visit Job, began his discourse. That’s just how I would want…
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Just a short background on 1 Thessalonians before I share a few of my thoughts from today’s reading: It is thought by many scholars that this is the oldest of Paul’s letters (or epistles) to the churches. Thessalonica was the major city in Macedonia when Paul wrote to the church there. The church had as…
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