Three things are too wonderful for me;Four I do not understand:The way of an eagle in the sky,The way of a serpent on a rock,The way of a ship on the high seas,And the way of a man with a virgin. Proverbs 30:18-9 ESV The text before us this morning is itself the embodiment of …
Continue reading The Way of a Man with a Virgin | Proverbs 30:18-19
Psalm 45 is a love song. But it may not be the kind of love song that we are expecting. One commentator writes: This psalm is a hymn celebrating a royal wedding. As its title says, it is a love song. The term translated "love" (Hb. yedidot) indicates deep personal attachment but is not in …
For most of history, poetry held a primary place in people's lives. In largely pre-literate cultures, bards functioned as the great entertainers and keepers of knowledge and story. Their performances at feasts were something like the first blockbusters, as they performed epic poems about heroic deeds that captured the history and identity of their people. …
When we think of the Reformation, justification by faith alone or the authority of Scripture alone are typically the first theological thoughts. And those were truly central to the movement. But one of the key Reformers, John Calvin, wrote a short treatise called The Necessity of Reforming the Church, where he makes a striking comment …
Continue reading Those Who Make Them Become Like Them | Psalm 15 & Psalm 115:4-8
Why is this chapter here? That is the big question that I have when coming to the book's final chapter. At first glance, it seems as though this chapter could have been placed anywhere else in Leviticus, which would have let the book end with chapter 26 as its climactic finish. But the LORD, in …
Leviticus 26 is, in many ways, the climax of the book. Indeed, it is the covenantal climax. Leviticus, of course, is a book of laws. Hopefully, throughout this study, we have seen how much depth and significance there is in these laws. For instance, God gave these laws to shape Israel as they draw near …
And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying… Every portion of the Bible is God-breathed, and all of it is profitable. We have seen that it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, and for correction. Paul then adds a final profitability: for training in righteousness. The word translated as training is paideia. Paideia …
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying… All of the Bible is God-breathed, and all of the Bible is profitable. Each portion of Scripture teaches us and reproves us, but God’s Word does not leave us in rebuke. It is also profitable for correction. God’s Word is the instrument of our loving Father for correcting …
Continue reading The Light, the Bread, & the Name | Leviticus 24
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying… All of Scripture is God-breathed and profitable. It is profitable for teaching, for proper doctrine. God’s Word is also profitable for reproof. While being reproved is never pleasant, it is necessary and for our good. David once prayed: “Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let …
Leviticus 21-22 are now before us, which brings us to a new section in the chiastic structure of Leviticus. Chapters 17-20 gave us laws of holiness following the Day of Atonement in chapter 16. These correspond to the laws of purity in chapters 11-15, which preceded the Day of Atonement. Before the purity laws, we …
Continue reading The Holiness of the Priests | Leviticus 21-22
B. C. Newton 