Digging in Deeper – Page 155

Digging in Deeper: 2 Kings 6:17

April 27, 2018April 23, 2018Leave a comment

“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

There are two ways to understand what’s going on here (assuming on the credibility of the text). The first is that Elisha was delusional and somehow brought this poor servant into his delusions. That would not only be a pretty disappointing interpretation, it doesn’t fit the context of the story itself or the broader context of Elisha’s life and ministry very well. The second understanding is that every word here is true and happened just exactly like the text says. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Joshua 3:8

April 25, 2018April 23, 2018Leave a comment

“And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This has always struck me as one of the more remarkable stories in the Exodus narrative. Here were Joshua and the people of Israel ready once again to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. The bounty of God’s provision and promise lay ahead of them. The only thing that stands in their way is the Jordan River. But, this should present no real trouble to them. After all, God had already parted a whole sea for them. What threat does a river pose? Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Genesis 19:26

April 20, 2018April 17, 2018Leave a comment

“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This has always seemed like such an odd punishment to me. What would this have been like? Was it instant? Did she gradually start to transform from the feet up or the head down? Is there any kind of a natural explanation for this or was it entirely miraculous? Was Lot aware of it at first? Or, did he go on for some distance before realizing he couldn’t hear her trying to keep up any longer? If only they had smart phones back then! We could have gotten the whole thing on video. Imagine how many hits that would have received as a YouTube post… Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Isaiah 30:26

April 18, 2018April 17, 2018Leave a comment

“Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you experienced the “blow” of the Lord? Israel was a stubborn group. They had the Law from Moses and an overwhelming amount of evidence to support the wisdom of following that particular path as the only way to life and flourishing, but still, they constantly looked at the nations around them with envy in their hearts. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Romans 6:20, 22

April 13, 2018April 10, 2018Leave a comment

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. . . .But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is one of the more confusing arguments Paul makes over the course of his letter to the church in Rome. First, he says Christians were slaves of sin before being saved, then, he says that Christians, once they have been saved and set free from sin, are slaves of God. So we are saved from slavery only to enter into another kind of slavery? What gives? Why not just stay where we were at first? Read the rest…