INTRODUCTION Early on, Isaiah sang a song of lament for Yahweh’s fruitless vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7). As the “little apocalypse” ends, Isaiah records Yahweh’s song about His perpetual care for that same vineyard (27:2-6). THE TEXT “In that day the LORD with His severe . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 26:9: With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Jesus said, . . . . Continue Reading »
“There’s a sea in front and an army behind,” Israel cries out at the Red Sea. The Lord tells them to go straight ahead, as He cuts a road through the sea. “There are giants in the land,” Israel says. The Lord leads and tells them to watch the fortresses fall. “I . . . . Continue Reading »
In his encyclopedic and highly intelligent The Christian West and Its Singers: The First Thousand Years , Christopher Page details how the “soundscape” of Christendom expanded through the establishment of hospitals, many of which were supplied with service books that included notation . . . . Continue Reading »
Henri Lefebvre was a firm believer in the Marxist dictum that “the criticism of religion is the premise of all criticism,” though he dissented from Marx’s prior claim that the criticism of religion is essentially complete. He includes a vicious, sarcastic diatribe against the . . . . Continue Reading »
When Yahweh chastens, Israel is helpless. She can only seek the Lord, whisper a desperate prayer, lot her doors and hide in her room (Isaiah 26:16, 20-21). She writhes like a pregnant woman, but instead of bearing a child she gives birth only to wind (Heb. ruach ; 26:18). Nothing that Israel can . . . . Continue Reading »
My friend, Ralph Smith, has published several excellent books on the Trinity ( Paradox and Truth: Rethinking Van Til on the Trinity ; Eternal Covenant: How the Trinity Reshapes Covenant Theology ; and Trinity & Reality: An Introduction to the Christian Faith ), and most recently has written a . . . . Continue Reading »
Nehemiah ends the first chapter of his memoir with the statement “Now I was cupbearer to the king” (Nehemiah 1:11). What position is this? The next verses indicate that he actually served wine to the king (2:1). As that scene progresses, Nehemiah acts with a boldness that suggests his . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh describes only a handful of people as “My servant” - Abraham, Moses, and David. In 1-2 Kings, the title is almost exclusively reserved for David, and in almost every case the title is used in places where the Lord is reminding a king that His care for Israel is because of David . . . . Continue Reading »
I have been charged with deviating from Reformed orthodoxy for claiming that, strictly speaking, what is imputed to us in justification is the verdict that the Father pronounced in raising His Son from the dead. This verdict assumes that Jesus obeyed the law completely and died in obedience to His . . . . Continue Reading »
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