Tag: Biblical Studies

A letter arrives

I remember when I was at University, I used to love looking forward to getting letters from my parents and my grandma. Similarly, when my mum and dad were first in China, mum was a phenomenal correspondent and each week she’d write to tell me about her adventures. The art of letter writing has died… Continue reading A letter arrives

Opening Credits

This week we look at 1 Chronicles 11-12 Anointed (11:1-3) Jerusalem (11: 4-10) Jerusalem is in Benjamin, whereas Hebron = a city of Judah.  Jerusalem is a crucial symbol of David uniting the kingdom and replacing Saul’s dynasty Mighty Men (11:10-47) Early followers of David The inner circle – the three and the thirty Note… Continue reading Opening Credits

Introducing Galatians

Our church are about to embark on a teaching series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Here are some introductory notes. When was the book written? Nowadays it is usually viewed as an early letter, if not the earliest of Paul’s letters. Some reformers including Luther considered it to have been written later though, seeing… Continue reading Introducing Galatians

Death of a king

“Saul’s suicide is an appropriate gesture: he is the troubler of his own house.”[2] But also “It was in his total behaviour, not in isolated individual acts, that Saul showed himself to be unfaithful, and it was for the lack of faith that Yahweh rejected him and turned the kingdom over to David, the son… Continue reading Death of a king

Reading the Psalms: Digging into the detail

In my last article I talked about how we read the Psalms by reading them in context but just like with any other book of the Bible, we also have to step in to the detailed exegesis.  Here are some further hints to help us with our Psalm reading. First, if you want to read… Continue reading Reading the Psalms: Digging into the detail

Roots and Branches

Here’s the next part of “What Matters” – a teaching series on 1 and 2 Chronicles The narrative seems bare.  We cover the equivalent of most of Genesis in 1 chapter.  However, it may tell more than we first spot. Notice that significant attention is given to Judah and particularly on David’s line (ch3). Ch4:9-10,… Continue reading Roots and Branches

Why look at Chronicles?

Here is the first in our series on 1 and 2 Chronicles. There’s a video to watch or podcast to listen to with outline notes to accompany below. There’s also some discussions for personal reflection and discussion below too. We associate “Chronicles” with the writing of an alternative history.  Perhaps an alternative version of events… Continue reading Why look at Chronicles?

Arise and Shine

I’ve now put together all of the teaching and devotional material we’ve been covering in Isaiah in one place. You can read it here. This should be a useful training resource for those of you making use of Faithroots resources for equipping for urban ministry. Part 1 offers an overview to the book, setting it… Continue reading Arise and Shine

Eschatology and Isaiah

Isaiah frequently employs imagery that looks back to Eden to envisage an ideal world where there is peace and harmony not just between humans but also between creatures.  A classic and well known example of this would be 11:6-9 where famously, lions, wolves, leopards, lambs and calves can live side by side and small children… Continue reading Eschatology and Isaiah