As we continue through Isaiah, we come to another passage of hope in 4:2-6. There is some debate about just what the nature of the hope described here is. Those who work hard to deny the presence of the Messiah in the Old Testament may have an easier time with this one than with other… Read More »
Gunner ends the year with mature insight. I suggest you read “Some Things I Learned in 2008.” Worship Leader has nominations for the top Worship Songs/Albums of 2008. You might find something here that you like. What do you look for when you buy a Bible? I’ve always thought more about translation and exterior look… Read More »
From Bishop Epiphanius of Cyprus (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers; Cistercian Publications, pg. 58): "The acquisition of Christian books is necessary for those who can use them. For the mere sight of these books renders us less inclined to sin and incites us to believe more firmly in righteousness." (HT: A.D.) When possible, I… Read More »
I want to make two suggestions that will help you as you read and try to understand Isaiah. One is what you should do, and the other what you should not do. First, do NOT get bogged down in judgment passages. These are the majority of the material in the first 39 chapters. Since Isaiah… Read More »
So, judging from the media’s reporting, how many books do you suppose President Bush read the last three years? A half? Actually, he read the Bible cover to cover each year. Besides that, he has averaged 62 books each of the last three years. That’s impressive, especially for someone with a few other things to… Read More »
I know that there are book recommendations everywhere and there is only so much time. So I don’t recommend books too quickly. But a book that I was given for Christmas (and had finished by the next day) is one you might want to consider reading. Polishing God’s Monuments: Pillars of Hope for Punishing Times,… Read More »
In one sense, you can see the whole book of Isaiah as the weaving together of two threads. The first thread is judgment, and the second is hope. Judgment is decreed because God’s people are guilty. But God’s promises require that judgment is not alone. When the Lord blasted the Philistines, he didn’t say, “but… Read More »
While I had two other courses, and the third was about the “Latter Prophets” as a whole (16 books), I could in some ways characterize this as my Isaiah semester. This was not only because I wrote two major papers related to Isaiah in the Prophets class, but I also studied the use of Isaiah… Read More »
It will be helpful if I begin with a few comments. First, I did not go looking for what I am about to explain. I happened across it about a year ago. Accordingly and second, I have not thoroughly researched this subject and all the views for comets, planetary conjunctions, supernovas, etc. There may be… Read More »
I’ve had to keep my head pretty low this semester, and thus I haven’t been able to say much about my studies as I’ve been going. That is unfortunate, as I think it’s always better when it’s fresher, and, of course, much gets left behind when looking in retrospect. I thought what I might do… Read More »