One of the things we should notice in Genesis (and the whole of Scripture), is the importance of land. Man has a unique relationship with the earth. He alone is said to come from it (2:7). That being true, we shouldn’t be surprised that land often symbolizes man’s relationship with his Creator. When man isContinue reading “Land, Man, and Glory”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Why did Moses leave Egypt?
But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. (Stephen in Acts 7:27-29) The man said, “WhoContinue reading “Why did Moses leave Egypt?”
Two Markers to Remember
There are a couple of boundary markers we need to keep in our line of sight as we make our way through the Scripture and it makes its way through us. The first is that we can come within understanding distance of Scripture. Whether it’s John 5 or Jeremiah 25, we need to approach theContinue reading “Two Markers to Remember”
Big Stories and Little Stories
There are big stories and little stories. The little stories are about us. They are about where we were born, the family we grew up in, and other significant events in our life. They are rich, wonderful and engaging—but they are also profoundly lacking. Why? Because they have a beginning and an end. We areContinue reading “Big Stories and Little Stories”
For Freedom (1)
Freedom is a word that has been appropriated over the years for every imaginable cause and issue—from noble pursuits such as the deliverance of people from injustice and oppression, to not-so-noble causes like recreational drug use, abuse of natural resources, aborting the unborn and selling the body parts. It should be clear that not everythingContinue reading “For Freedom (1)”
Dealing with the Detested
They detested the manna. That’s what Israel told God in Numbers 21:5. You remember they had been given the food in response to their grumbling (Exodus 16). After a while, they became bored with the blessing (Numbers 11), and then they reached the point of detesting it. As with all ungrateful people, they didn’t realizeContinue reading “Dealing with the Detested”
Alive but not Liberated
It’s possible to be alive without being liberated. Under the old covenant, someone who had committed manslaughter could flee to one of the six cities of refuge in Israel (Numbers 35). There their case would be adjudicated by an assembly to determine whether the killing had been premeditated or accidental. If the death was determinedContinue reading “Alive but not Liberated”
Bored with their Blessings
The first ten chapters of Numbers present a placid picture of Israel in the wilderness under the guidance of Yahweh. After going off the rails in the golden calf incident, the nation settled down and built the tabernacle (Exodus 35-40), conducted a census (Numbers 1), organized their camp around the tabernacle (chapter 2), performed dutiesContinue reading “Bored with their Blessings”
Counting on God
A name like Numbers scares a lot of people off. To them, it is suggestive of repetitive lists, irrelevant facts, and boring details. That’s too bad, because the book of Numbers, though not without its challenges, is as enriching as it is enlightening. Numbers is a critical part of the Pentateuch narrative. It picks up the storyContinue reading “Counting on God”
Falling Forward
The story in Numbers 13-14 looms over the biblical witness like a dark storm cloud. Its presence is especially felt in the Pentateuch, where it empties its rain and washes away a generation of people. It is a mountain top moment for Israel—essentially everything before had led to the men spying out the land, andContinue reading “Falling Forward”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 