Parables on the Kingdom of God/Heaven

Steve Walton has made his slides from a recent talk he gave on the parables and the kingdom of god/Heaven available here as a free PDF.

The Beatitudes

Nijay Gupta has a good interview with Rebekah Eklund on the Beatitudes here. It sounds like her forthcoming book on the reception history of the Beatitudes will be helpful.

Skin Diseases in Leviticus 13

Albert Baumgarten has an interesting post here that focuses on why partial skin infections are apparently "unclean" and complete skin infections considered "clean" (Lev 13). Although the article is framed by that issue it also addresses the issue of skin diseases more generally.

Worship Fail

Recently while teaching through Zechariah 14, I was struck by the idea that worship is an expression of obedience and as such failure to worship has consequences. This can be seen in vv. 17-19. Here, failure to observe the Feast of Tabernacles leads to the withholding of God's blessings ("rain") and the reception of God's punishment ("plagues"). So, although care needs to be exercised here since this is an eschatological passage, a principle derived from this text suggests that we might fail to experience God's goodness because we fail to acknowledge God's greatness.

Latest Issue of THink

Tyndale House has just released a new and free issue of their journal THink. You can access it here.

 

Mail Ministry

 Gary Shogren has a good post here on how answering mail is also ministry. I agree wholeheartedly.

How Biblical Geography Shapes Our View of God’s Mission

When I first began studying the Bible, I was not very interested in the geographical elements in the text. But the more time I have spent in the Scriptures, the more I have come to appreciate how the geography is part of its story. So I was happy to see Kelsa Graybill explaining five ways that biblical geography shapes our view of God's mission here.

The Christian and Leviticus 18

I am very interested in how the issue of Mosaic Law relates to the Christian. So, I was happy to see Thomas Willoughby's article "Does Leviticus 18 Apply to New Testament Believers?" (here). Unfortunately, the question in the title is barely addressed and concludes with something like believers should be aware and concerned about issues of sexual ethics. I don't think that this conclusion is altogether insightful or helpful.

"Y'all" Is Biblical

Folks down here in Texas already know this but Ryan Martin explains why it is true here.

2 Samuel in the Photo Companion to the Bible Series

Todd Bolen and the folks at BiblePlaces have just released their newest volume in the Photo Companion to the Bible series.This volume focuses on 2 Samuel and provides a beaucoup of pictorial resources (2,900 photos!) arranged by chapter/verse in well-designed PowerPoint presentations. Check it out here. It is currently at the significantly discounted price of $39, a price that includes the option for immediate download, the DVD, and free shipping. If you are working in, or plan to work in, 2 Samuel, this resource really is one you should have. You might also want to check out the other available volumes here.

 

A Christological Shape to the Psalter?

Davy Ellison argues that we can see Christ in the shape or structure of the book of Psalms here. I am not a proponent of this kind of approach but it is still worth considering. 

Free Audio Book of the Month: The Pilgrim's Progress

Christianaudio.com's free audio book for the month of April  is John Bunyan's classic The Pilgrim's Progress. To read more about this resource and to get your free audio download in either MP3 or M4B formats go here.

Resources for Preaching Daniel

 Antony Billington has compiled some helpful links for resources related to preaching Daniel here.

Free eBook:The Nature Miracles of Jesus: Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects

Wipf and Stock is offering a free eBook copy of The Nature Miracles of Jesus: Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects by Graham Twelftree. The offer is only available until April 15. Here are the instructions to get your copy.

1. Click on this link
2. Click "ADD TO CART" on the eBook option
3. Use the code "EBOOKFREE"
4. Upon checkout completion, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions of how to download your free eBook

He Is Risen!

 

Ancient Inscriptions and the New Testament

D. Clint Burnett explains here why he thinks that it is important to read ancient inscriptions alongside the New Testament. I think he is correct but one needs to exercise great care in using since many inscriptions lack context and there can be a tendency of committing the parallelomania error.

Songs of Revelation

Bob Kauflin has a good post here on the songs in Revelation 4 and 5. He notes that they are songs of exuberance, explanation, encouragement, and expectation.

Free Logos Books for April: The Universal Story: Genesis 1–11 and Thoughts in Solituade

The free Logos books for the month for April are The Universal Story: Genesis 1–11 (Transformative Word) by Dru Johnson and Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton. You can also purchase the following nine volumes at greatly reduced prices.

Faith Amid the Ruins: The Book of Habakkuk (Transformative Word)by Heath Thomas: $1.9

Singing in the Reign: The Psalms and the Liturgy of God’s Kingdom by Michael Barber: $1.99

Christ Above All: The Book of Hebrews (Transformative Word) by Adrio König: $2.99

Spurgeon Commentary: 1 John: $4.99

The Resurrection of the Messiah: A Narrative Commentary on the Resurrection Accounts in the Four Gospels by Farncis Moloney: $5.99

James Verse by Verse (Osborne New Testament Commentaries) by Grant Osbourne: $7.99

Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas (A Beginner’s Guide) by Randall Smith: $7.99

High Definition Commentary: Galatians by Steve Runge: $9.99

Faith Comes from What is Heard: An Introduction to Fundamental Theology by Lawrence Feingold: $11.99

Nehemiah: A Pastoral and Exegetical Commentary By T. J. Betts: $14.99

Amos, Jonah, & Micah: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (EEC) by Johanna Hoyy: $19.99

1–2 Timothy and Titus: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) by Andreas Köstenberger: $24.99

You can also register for a chance to win the 64-volume Lexham Press Commentaries. For all these offers, go to the Logos' Free Book of Month page here and here.

Why Didn’t the Israelites Circumcise in the Wilderness?

David Frankel attempts to answer the question here. I don't agree with Frankel's conclusion which requires a fair amount of redaction and depends on a view of the authorship of Torah that I do not hold but the discussion is interesting nonetheless.

Exercising Caution in Reading Archaeological News Reports

It was reported here that a Tyrian shekel was found in recent conservation work at the so-called Tower of David. According to the reports, "the ancient coin was found inside a box of artifacts originally excavated in the 1980s." But technically, as my numismatist friend Russell Atherton points out, it is not a Tyrian shekel but a coin of Demetrius (or Demetrios) II, with the portrait of Demetrius not Melqart. This would make it a tetradrachm rather than a shekel. The name "ΔHMHTPIOY" can be seen clearly on the reverse although the date is hard to make out (see the picture below from the article).

In sum, it is a nice coin, but not especially rare and not correctly attributed. This is one example why one needs to exercise care in reading news reports on archeological finds.

Preaching Obadiah

Clint Archer provides six reasons for doing so here.

Elijah, Elisha, John and Jesus in Luke–Acts

Steve Walton has made his slide presentation available for a recent talk that he gave on Elijah, Elisha, John and Jesus in Luke–Acts here.This was part of a two-day online seminar on the use of the Old Testament in the New.

Psalm 42 Links

I have been working on a commentary on the Psalms. I have decided to compile some helpful links that I discovered during my research. It includes a mix of exegetical and sermonic links. Here is what I have for Psalm 42 (in no particular order). Feel free to mention any that you find helpful in the comments section.

The Fathers on Psalm 42: https://pursuingveritas.com/2019/08/27/the-fathers-on-psalm-42

Literary analysis of Psalm 42: http://psalmsstudy.com/psalms-literary-analysis-by-chapter/literary-analysis-psalm-42-presence-god

Into the Word with Paul Carter: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/into-the-word/psalms-42-43

Analysis by C. J. Labuschagne: https://www.labuschagne.nl/ps042-43.pdf

William Barrick’s notes: https://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_042.pdf

John Piper, Spiritual Depression in the Psalms: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/spiritual-depression-in-the-psalms

New Testament Exegesis and Hermeneutics Bibliography

Nijay Gupta and Cody Matchett have produced a helpful New Testament exegesis and hermeneutics bibliography. You can check it out here.

Ezekiel's Prophecies Against Egypt

Safwat Marzouk does a pretty nice job working through Ezekiel's prophecies against Egypt here.