There’s an old Jewish adage that says something like this: “The truly penitent come nearer unto God than even those who have never stumbled or fallen into sin.” That’s a profound statement when you consider what it’s saying. And while it’s true that we don’t find this particular wording in the Scripture, perhaps we can […]
It was on this day in 456 B. C. that Ezra gathered all of the assembled inhabitants of Jerusalem and urged them to purge the community of all foreign elements, including putting away their pagan wives. It’s recorded for us in Ezra 10:9-11: “It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and […]
On the eve of His crucifixion, knowing that Judas was on his way with soldiers to lead Him away to His execution, Jesus said: “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love […]
In the advertising world, every great marketing campaign is designed to draw attention to a particular label. It is done with the intention to persuade people to buy a particular product. When you go to a store and look at a particular label if you recognize the name on the product you might decide to […]
Sometimes we have trouble with the concepts of faith and works. It’s so important to know that works don’t save us, but works follow all genuine salvations. Galatians and James use Abraham to illustrate the works-faith contrast: Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Those who rely on faith are blessed […]
It was on this day in 1947 that the UN voted to partition Palestine creating what was then called Trans-Jordan and what would become the modern state of Israel. The very next day, Arab terrorist campaigns were released against Jewish inhabitants living in the land. Nevertheless, this division led to a series of events that […]
All of us have relationships; some of them close, some of them not so close. Over the years, some of these relationships can grow stronger but some can become distant, some strained and, in some cases, can dissolve entirely. Sometimes it’s hard to discern if there is proper justification for these waning relationships. There can […]
It was on this day in 167 B. C. that an altar dedicated to Zeus Olympus was set up by Athenus the Syrian, the man in charge of public worship. This particular action led to the conflict that would result in the Feast of Dedication, known as Hanukkah. How did it come to be that […]
Today is traditionally considered to be the birthday of Jacob’s oldest son, Reuben. In Scripture, a lot of emphases are placed on the supremacy of firstborns, but a lot of times what we see in firstborns is not so flattering. They’re not always exposed to us in the best light. At the end of his […]
It was on this day in 1913 that schools opened up in the Holy Land using Hebrew as the official language of instruction. This was after an ongoing struggle to determine what language should be used. This is fascinating considering that, up until that point in time, Hebrew was more or less a language only […]
