Captivity Remains an Option
Deuteronomy 30:3 “Then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity.…” Observation: All through Deuteronomy 29 I see a familiar pattern. God reminds people of His marvelous deliverance in bringing them out of Egypt with amazing signs and wonders. But deliverance...
Barabbas’s Shadow
Mark 15:15 “…Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified.” Observation: It was Passover, but one unlike any other. The chief priests, elders and scribes bound Jesus and delivered Him to Pilate, demanding his...
Million Dollar Lottery
Deuteronomy 18:2 “And they shall have no inheritance among their countrymen; the Lord is their portion.” Observation: The “they” in this verse refers to the Levitical priests. Verse 1 says that the priestly tribe of Levi was to have no “portion or inheritance”; they...
What’s So Bad About Blemishes?
Deuteronomy 17:1 “…for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God.” Observation: Moses has been addressing the Hebrews, giving them God’s guidance before they advance into the Promised Land, and in this verse he addresses qualifications for the sacrifice. The...
Yesterday’s Fire
2 Chronicles 26:15b “…his fame spread afar for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.” Observation: Uzziah was one of Israel’s very good kings. Just a lad of 16 when he ascended the throne, this chapter tells the story of his 52-year reign. He was faithful to...
Gasp!
Deuteronomy 14:29b “…in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands which you may do.” Observation: This ends the 14th chapter of Deuteronomy, a large part of which is devoted to commands regarding tithing. God expected two tithes from...
Expiration Date
Deuteronomy 1:6, 8 “…you have stayed long enough at this mountain...go in and possess the land….” Observation: Verse 2 says that it is an eleven-day journey from Horeb, where the Israelites were camped, to Kadesh-Barnea. Kadesh-Barnea was the place where the Hebrews...
Buying Immortality
Psalm 49: 12, 20 “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.” Observation: This verse is presented twice in Psalm 49. In both places it references those who are rich in the things of this world: “Their inner thought is that their...
A Prenatal Pattern
Luke 1:29 “But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.” Observation: In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy with John, the angel Gabriel made another prenatal appearance, this time to her...
The Nub
Deuteronomy 8:5 “Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.” Observation: Forty years have passed since the Hebrews began their odyssey through the wilderness. Instigated by their intransigence...
