The Heart of Confession

Read 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 About 160 AD Polycarp of Smyrna was finally arrested by the Roman government for being a Christian. At 83 years old Polycarp stood defiant before a Roman Proconsul that interrogated him regarding his beliefs, but since Polycarp would not recant, he was taken to the arena. They really wanted Polycarp to …

Get In or Get Out

Read Luke 13:1-5 Way back in High School there was one football coach that liked to channel Yogi Berra – the baseball coach that was famous for his various malapropisms (great word, right?). Our coach would stand at the door of the gym and tell everyone, “Get in or get out, one of the three.” …

The Dark Night of the Soul: A Brief Exegetical Examination of Job 28

For a brief time, the life of Job was touched with the type of despair that no man or woman ever wants to face. As a business man he witnessed the loss of all the material things that point to wealth and prosperity. As a parent he endured the devastating emotional upheaval the loss of …

Old Testament Wisdom Literature

            Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction is a collaborative work by Craig G. Bartholomew and Ryan P. O’Dowd printed in 2011, examining and discussing the genre of wisdom literature with specific concentration on Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. The work begins with a discussion of wisdom literature in the Ancient Near East and the …

Having Faith

Read Hebrew 11:1-6 When starting his discussion about the Heroes of Faith (in Heb. 11), the writer makes note of two men that expressed a special degree of faith in God: Able and Enoch. It was because of his faith that Able’s sacrifice was acceptable; it was because of his faith that Enoch was translated …

The Rains Came Down

Read Matthew 7:24-29 There is a theme running through the book of Proverbs – home. The primary thought revolves around the home since much of the daily life occurred there: cooking, farming, parenting, or the family business. This motif of the home is so important that in Proverbs 9 it becomes the allegorical symbol of …

Called With a Purpose

Read Matthew 4:18-22 When I was young my friends and I used to dig holes. It seemed to be the thing to do since digging holes has all the proper elements for a growing boy: loads of dirt to get in your hair, under your nails, and ground into your pants; worms are an ever …