Tamar | Women in Jesus’ Genealogy
We find the story of Tamar in Genesis 38. As the chapter opens, Jacob’s son Judah has married a Canaanite woman named Bath-shua, with whom he had three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah. Er, the oldest son, married a Canaanite woman named Tamar, but he died before they had any children. Genesis 38:7 explains, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.” The exact nature of his wickedness is not given.
Defending the Historical Accuracy of the Bible
For many Christians, the Bible is primarily understood through the lens of faith. As a result, it can be difficult to know exactly how to respond when a non-believing friend or acquaintance asks questions about the historical accuracy of the Bible. Responding with something like “reading the Bible strengthens my faith and increases my belief,…
Jesus’ Genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel
Okay, here’s a pretty random thought that’s not connected to anything I’ve written lately, but I’ve had it on my list of potential articles for several months. The question comes from Matthew 1:17: “So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and…
Commonly Misunderstood Verses About Jesus
What are the commonly misunderstood verses about Jesus? Some Bible verses are not as easy to understand as others. Peter once said of the apostle Paul, “His letters contain some things that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3.16). The difficulty of understanding some verses is illustrated in the Ethiopian eunuch who was reading from…
No Second Chance After Death
Some people believe sinners will have a second chance to become saved after they die. In some cases, they misinterpret a particular Bible verse they think supports this idea. In other cases, they assume that God’s love will compel Him to provide another chance. Is there a second chance after death? Such a view contradicts…
Heaven for Infants and Young Children Who Die – Part 2
[Ed. Note: In Part 1 we considered: The Universal Need for Salvation; When Do Children Become “Responsible”?; God’s Purpose in Salvation ; No Infants Mentioned in Hell; Jesus and Little Children. We now continue.] The Attributes of God The attributes of God certainly relate to the issue of heaven for those who cannot believe.[1] For example,…
Heaven for Infants and Young Children Who Die – Part 1
There is perhaps nothing more difficult in the world than for a parent to bury a child. How heart-wrenching it is for a mother and father to watch as the casket containing their beloved son or daughter is lowered into the ground. Understandably, an issue of great concern to Christian parents relates to the eternal…
Were the Days of Creation 24 Hours Long? The Significance of Evening and Morning
“And there was evening, and there was morning, ______ day.” As you may recall from a previous article, this is one of the four phrases Moses uses to structure Genesis 1. This particular one is how Moses concludes each creation workday (days 1-6, see Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Since it plays a…
Yahweh Rohi – The Lord is My Shepherd
“The LORD is my shepherd [Yahweh Rohi]. I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1) Philip Keller gives us a beautiful description of what the shepherd means to the sheep. He explains, “[David] knew from firsthand experience that the lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it. Some men were…
Were the Days of Creation 24 Hours Long? Moses’ Unique Construction for Numbering the Days
In Genesis 1, Moses numbers the days of creation using a unique construction. In fact, he presents them in a way that is different from all other numbered sequences in the entire Old Testament. This should get our attention! Moses is clearing wanting to alert us to the fact that he is up to something…
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