When the people of Israel were at Sinai, God told Moses to set boundaries around the mountain. This was the place where God would meet the people, where they would hear him and receive his word. Yet, for all but Moses, it was to be at a distance. One day, people were bringing their kids… Continue reading The true and better Sinai
Posts
Are you washed in the blood?
Imagine if you had been stood amongst the people as Moses spoke and then demonstrated the covenant by sprinkling or showering you with blood from the sacrifices. We tend to be queasy about blood, ancient people were less so. The blood was significant and significant because it was not just something happening in the distance… Continue reading Are you washed in the blood?
Holiness as blessing and challenge
God’s holiness is a great theme in the Sinai passages. We see this in the way that the Law tells his people how to live in his holy presence and in the conditions that are set. There is a delineation between who can approach YHWH and who cannot. Some of the people can come so… Continue reading Holiness as blessing and challenge
Romans 5:6-11
“For yet Christ…” The syntax in Greek frontloads the identity of Christ. He came whilst we were still weak, whilst sin still had a hold and we were helpless. We could not do anything to save ourselves. He died for those who are ungodly, lacking righteousness (v6). This is the surprising factor. Paul observes that… Continue reading Romans 5:6-11
The Law
Sinai It’s two months after the Israelites have left Egypt when the arrive at Sinai. The people camp around the mountain and Moses climbs up to appear before YHWH (Exodus 19:1-3a). God speaks to Moses and gives instructions to the people. The context is that they have seen what God did to the Egyptians, punishing… Continue reading The Law
Uncertain days: How do we as Christians respond to Starmer’s fall from power?
As Sir Keir Starmer prepares to leave office, potentially as soon as next month, much is being made about the fact that we are about to move onto the 7th prime minister since Brexit. I think that this particular number may overstate things, Cameron left pretty much straight after the referendum having served a credible… Continue reading Uncertain days: How do we as Christians respond to Starmer’s fall from power?
How can I be made clean?
I recently picked up on the Biblical theme of uncleanness whilst looking at Mark 5. We’ve seen that uncleanness is different from sin though actively becoming unclean may be a sin. We’ve also seen how the concept and category help us to think about people today that may be classed as unclean. I want to… Continue reading How can I be made clean?
All Change: The Makerfield By-election and Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation
I was planning to share some thoughts following on from the Makerfield by-election today. However, I’ve been overtaken by events. This morning it was no surprise to hear that Keir Starmer is resigning as prime minister. So, I’ll move on to some thoughts about the future shortly but first I am going to still share… Continue reading All Change: The Makerfield By-election and Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation
The bitterness of Naomi
I found this article by Steve Kneale very thought provoking. Steve picks up on two things which we can miss. First, I think we can so sanitise Bible accounts (it’s true of the life of Abraham and the account of Esther too), in order to make them fit for Sunday School and so we iron… Continue reading The bitterness of Naomi
Who is God faithful to?
We often sing songs about how God is faithful. I wonder what we have in mind as we sing those songs, or when we repeat the line “you’re never gonna let me down.”? It’s tempting to think primarily in those terms, that God is faithful and so we can trust him with our dreams, aspirations… Continue reading Who is God faithful to?
