SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 Exodus 22:28 You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. There is another interesting interpretation of this instruction is related thematically to what we discussed yesterday. There are commentators who feel that the word elohim could be understood as “gods” (which is technically true), meaning that God’s people are […]
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 Exodus 22:28 You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. There are varying ways in which to interpret this verse due to the fact that the Hebrew word translated as “God” is elohim. In fact, there are some translations that render that word as “judges” rather than God, which […]
SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 Exodus 22:22-23 “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry.” No one among God’s people are to be neglected or abused, especially those who have suffered loss and are left vulnerable. In this particular case, […]
In Genesis, the serpent was used in the temptation process. After man sinned, God placed a curse on the serpent by saying, “Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” (Gen. 3:14). The implication is that the serpent was once able to travel and move using a method other than crawling on its belly. Researchers in Israel made an amazing discov- ery several years ago, which reveals that serpents may have originally had legs.
About a quarter of a century ago, several unusual fossils were discovered in a stone quarry at Ein Yabrud near Ramallah, which is in the West Bank area of Israel. These ancient fossils were serpents with two small hind legs. There were three well-preserved snake fossils, and they were considered evidence of the most primitive snakes ever found. This discovery added credence to the verse in Genesis 3:14, implying that before the serpent was cursed it could communicate and travel in a manner other than crawling. Amazingly, these fossils of serpents with legs were found in Israel not far from Jerusalem, again showing a parallel with the biblical narrative.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 Exodus 22:21 You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. As I shared yesterday, the Bible is adamant that God’s people should not oppress or mistreat those who are strangers among us. We should treat all people in the way that God wants […]
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 Exodus 22:21 You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Some of you might find it interesting to learn that the term “barbarian” was coined by Greeks for all non-Greeks; in other words, they tended to look down their noses as foreigners. On […]
SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 Exodus 22:18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” This particular command is intriguing to me for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it played an integral role in early American history. It was the basis for the execution of many who were accused of practicing witchcraft in […]
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 Exodus 22:2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. At first glance, it is clear that God validates a person’s right to defend himself and his property to the point that, in certain situations, another’s life may be taken. […]
SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 Exodus 22:1 If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. The Scripture is adamant about how one is to treat their fellow man and, in conjunction with this, how to treat their […]
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 Exodus 21:33-34 “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner.” Here again we have some verses that might seem […]
