The ancient practice of an elderly father pronouncing a blessing upon his children is vividly seen when Jacob’s children assembled before him in Genesis 49. He called his sons together to “….tell them what shall befall you in the last days” (verse 1). He revealed what lay ahead for them. The Divine record of Jewish history shows God gave Jacob such insight.…

Ezekiel prophesied to God’s people during a very tumultuous time.  Israel was falling to Babylon (most were already captive in that pagan land), as a consequence of turning away from God and delving into a life of sin.  The prophet was informing the Jews (often in vivid terms) of the reason for their exile and of the future that God had in…

Don’t you love it when the bad guy gets caught monologuing? He rambles on about his plan or how much he hates the hero, all the while giving up plot clues and time for the hero to escape. There are three times in the New Testament when enemies of the cause of Christ were caught monologuing. These events were very profound, and…

The football season is about to end. High school state champions for various size schools have been recognized. The colleges have crowned division champions and conference champions. This year there were 40 winners in the bowl games. Next week the national collegiate team will receive its trophy. Then, next month there will be the Super Bowl trophy.  The awarding of trophies and…

When the prophet Isaiah had the privilege of peering into the heavenly realm of the Almighty God and to see Him sitting on His throne and to see the activity of the heavenly beings around Him, the prophet was overwhelmed with awe at what he saw and heard.  The cry of those in the presence of Jehovah penetrated the ears and the…

You might be one of them, one of the many that take the opportunity of a new year to evaluate their health. This is not a bad idea but consider another point.  How is your teaching? Specifically, what you teach. Is it healthy? We have all heard or read about “sound doctrine.” The word hugiaino, translated “sound,” literally means healthy in the…