From around 610BC, Nebuchadnezzar began the invasion and destruction of the ancient kingdom of Judah. What had begun as a theocracy moved through various stages of its sometimes glorious history until finally, after over eight centuries of living in their promised land Zedekiah, the last mon…
Babylonian Captivity – The Ecclesia In Exile (1) Read More »
The Word of God does not waste words on unimportant information. With this in mind, we need to ask ourselves, why is Genesis 23, containing 20 verses, inserted into the divine record? The chapter is the only record in Scripture which details a woman’s death. The chapter introduces us to th…
The Years of the Life of Sarah Read More »
Where did Saul go wrong? A good starting place is the divine criteria for successful kingship in the law in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Saul’s failure is not immediately obvious from the prohibitions there. Saul was chosen by the Lord and was not a foreigner. He did not multiply horses as mentio…
12th Song: 8:8-14
Love’s Labour in the Millennium
In this final song we are introduced to the “little sister”. She takes the attention of the groom and the bride, who show great concern for her development and welfare. In reviewing the deve…
Song of Solomon (Part 13) Read More »
The story of Saul—of his elevation to the kingship followed by his long, slow demise—occupies some 25 chapters of 1 and 2 Samuel. Few people in the Bible have their life recounted in more detail. It has been observed that the disproportionate amount of space devoted to Saul in Scripture …
11th Song: 8:5-7
The Joy and Communion of the Marriage
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We left the bride earnestly desiring the groom to accompany her to visit the fields and the villages to inspect the new growth. She concluded the song by reminding the daughters of Jerusa…
Song of Solomon (Part 12) Read More »
10th Song: 7:10 – 8:4
The Bride’s Deep Longing and Ardent Desire for the Groom’s Return
This song expresses the words of the bride only. She commences with words which describe, with prophetic foresight, the undivided unity between Christ a…
Song of Solomon (Part 11) Read More »
The climax of the book of Job occurs over the space of six chapters (38–42) amidst what must have been a most dramatic scene.
The voice of Yahweh booms out over the noise of the whirlwind to Job. “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” Elihu is right—Job w…
Job – The Beloved Servant of Yahweh (3) Read More »
9th Song: 7:1-9
The Glowing Beauty of The Bride
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The setting for this song, as with the eighth song, is within the garden. The marriage of the Lamb has taken place, Yahweh’s enemies have been destroyed, a victory has been wrought, a dance has …
Song of Solomon (Part 10) Read More »
Throughout the debate phase of the book, Job achieves victory over the friends and develops in faith, but a problem is also highlighted. Initially, Job had believed, like his friends, in exact retribution (4:3-4; 31:23) and on this basis he accused God of injustice and being impossible to understand…
Job – The Beloved Servant of Yahweh (2) Read More »
