Key teachings, parables, and stories from the Bible that provide moral lessons and insights. Focuses on the narrative and instructional content of the Bible, and the historical and cultural backdrop.
Within the four Gospels in the Bible, we find Jesus referring to people known as the “scribes and Pharisees” repeatedly. This phrase actually doesn’t exist as many times as it seems; but in every case, it is used in a negative manner. Mostly, we see Jesus rebuking them, saying “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,” … Read more
The Bible is filled with practical knowledge, revelations from God, and abundant symbolism. The Jews weren’t alone in their affinity to find something symbolic in everything they saw; many ancient cultures were the same. Those ancient people looked for signs in nature and the world around them. While the Bible doesn’t encourage the “seeking of … Read more
Roughly one-third of the Bible is written in poetic form, making it more challenging to understand. Poetry, by its very nature, uses a lot of literary mechanisms which leave gaps that the reader has to fill in. Much attention must be paid to each and every detail in the poetry, in order to capture the … Read more
The story of Noah is one that has fascinated people through the centuries. It’s not that the story of the flood is unique, as it is far from that. Many, if not most, religions have a story of a flood, even a worldwide flood, lending credibility to the story in the Bible as well as … Read more
One of the least studied and least understood books of the Bible is the Song of Solomon. This poetic story is the Bible’s version of Romeo and Juliet, without them committing suicide. It is filled with wisdom about marriage, for those who can understand it. Unfortunately, being written in a poetic form, it is extremely … Read more
Pretty much any religion the world has ever known has some sort of priesthood. The Bible is no exception for this, as God created a priesthood to serve Him, when He rescued the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt. While this priesthood holds some similarities to the office of priests in other religions, … Read more
The 91st Psalm is a long-standing favorite of many people. The opening verse, talking about abiding under the shadow of God Himself, provides a wonderfully attractive picture of the ultimate security, there with God. Although this Psalm is adored by many, it is, in many ways, an enigma, because few take the time to study … Read more
The book of Genesis is one of the most fascinating books in the Bible. Not only is it filled with stories about great heroes of the faith, it contains the story of creation and those early generations of people, from Adam and Eve, through to Abraham’s great-grandchildren, who became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes … Read more
Jesus’ ministry, here on earth, was marked by many miracles. It was clear that He was intentionally showing God’s power to the people of the day and through the written Word of God, to us as well. This can be seen as a very clear and intentional message, supporting and proving that He was the … Read more
We here in America, and in other English-speaking countries are blessed in that we have so many versions of the Bible to choose from for our studies. There is no other language in the world which has as many translations of the Bible available to it. Some believe that these are actually totally different versions … Read more