Category: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: Ezekiel 9:9

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“Then he said to me, ‘The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great.  The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice.  For they say, “The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.”‘”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Ezekiel was prophesying during a hard season in the life of the people of Israel.  The good and faithful King Josiah had instituted incredible moral and spiritual reforms among the people.  But after his death, the people went right back to the paganism they had pursued before him.  This proved to be the final straw.  God sent Babylon to enact His judgment against the people. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Titus 2:7-8

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“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

There are calls to Christ-like behavior all over the New Testament.  We see them in all kinds of different contexts.  And most of them seem to offer little more reason for this aim than that it is right and honoring of God.  Sometimes they focus on the benefit such behavior will bring to us.  But there are times I’ve been left wondering: What else is there?  Is there a reason to put so much effort and energy into this beyond the fact that it is right? Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 2 Timothy 4:3-4

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“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

We live in this day now.  The power and influence of the church has been steadily eroding in the West for more than a generation.  A good argument can be made that this has been a progression that started back in the 19th century and has continued apace with only a few interruptions since. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Jeremiah 43:2

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“Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are telling a lie.  The Lord our God did not send you to say, “Do not go to Egypt to live there…”‘”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

The people of Israel who hadn’t been taken off to Babylon as captives or killed in the process were scared.  The options before them didn’t seem good at all.  Some of their leaders had murdered the governor the Babylonians had put in place to rule over them.  They feared retribution was coming and would be painful when it arrived.  The various nations around them not only didn’t want to help, but were actively antagonistic toward them.  The only option that seemed to make sense was to head to Egypt in hopes that by coming as refugees from their mutual enemies in Babylon, they would be received graciously and not as a hostile force. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Timothy 5:4

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“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

What follows here is Paul offering Timothy some advice on how to establish and create guidelines for a program of caring for widows in his church.  There is much to comment on here, but let’s settle now for a few observations on some themes. Read the rest…