The 10 Commandments E2 — Why does God give commands and why is it so hard for humans to follow them? Before digging into the 10 Commandments line by line, we’ll first trace the theme of God’s commands in the Genesis scroll. The first two times God issues commands are on pages one ...Show more
What Makes the 10 Commandments Special?
The 10 Commandments E1 — What comes to mind when you hear “Thou shalt not”? Probably the 10 Commandments! Even if you know very little about the Bible, you’re probably familiar with “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal,” “Honor your father and mother,” and many others. Th ...Show more
Jesus as the Psalm 2 Royal Son of God
Psalms 1 & 2 E4 — The New Testament authors make both subtle and direct claims to Jesus’ divinity, almost exclusively by referencing Israel’s Scriptures. In Psalm 2, one of the most quoted passages from the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh responds to the conspiring, violent nations by insta ...Show more
Two Psalms That Sum Up the Hebrew Bible
Psalms 1 & 2 E3 — So far in this short series, we’ve looked individually at Psalm 1 and Psalm 2. Now we’ll look at them side by side. The art of meditating on Scripture involves appreciating every single paragraph, poem, and story, but then also considering what comes before and ...Show more
Yahweh’s Response to Corrupt Kings in Psalm 2
Psalms 1 & 2 E2 — Psalm 2 presents a crisis perpetuated by a long line of corrupt empires in the ancient Near East. Every one of these empires makes a practice of conquering, murdering, raping, and pillaging across the known world, while ancient Israel is just one small nation co ...Show more