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The book of Kings (in 2 parts) recounts the history of Israel from the death of King David to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile. It records the reigns of dozens of kings ranging from tryannical apostates to pious reformers, and raises the question of what kind of king God is looking for, and how the covenant with his people can survive the accumulating sin of their kings. The standard they are measured with is that of David, ‘a man after God’s own heart’, and the list of kings then becomes a search for the true Son of David – a search than transcends the book itself, and is resolved only with the frequent cry of the gospels, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” |
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The book of Judges recalls the “dark ages” of Israelite history – a period after the great leadership of Moses and Joshua had passed, and before the founding of the kingship. It was a period of anarchy, characterised by invasion and oppression from without, and idolatry and feuding from within. God had instructed his people before entering the Promised Land that they were to completely drive out the Canaanite tribes, otherwise they would be tempted to idolatry. That is exactly what happened, however, and in response to their disobedience God allowed the Canaanites to remain as a “thorn and a snare” to his people – to oppress them and tempt them. However, as the Israelites cried out to God, just as they had done in Egypt, he had pity on them and sent “judges” to save them and lead them. Far from perfect themselves, these leaders exhibited both the power of God for salvation and the human limitations and failings that remind us they were only a shadow of God’s ultimate saviour to come. |
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Paul’s letter to the Ephesians contains an intense and precise summary of the greatest themes of the New Testament – God’s purposes for the world and the future, salvation by grace through faith, and the heavenly nature of the church. It is considered second only to Romans in terms of the broad sweep of its teaching. But it is hardly an ivory tower of dogmatics. Half the letter is dedicated to practical matters of godliness as the outworking of what God has done for us in the gospel. To study this letter is a meaty and challenging task, reinforcing the solid gospel foundations of the Christian life. |
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Corinth was a church in bad shape: with pride and factionalism, sex and immorality, full of know-it-alls and unwitting idolaters, with a shell of Christian spirituality masking worldly ways of thinking. The Apostle Paul was the spiritual father of the Corinthian church. He had heard the bad reports, and even received a letter from their own arrogant hands. So Paul wrote his own letter back, no holds barred, to rebuke their immorality, ridicule their factions, and re-establish the cross of Christ as the starting point and anchor of Christian wisdom and practise. |
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The mercy of God is a well-known theme in the Bible, and we can see God’s mercy at work in the Exodus and the Cross. But what exactly is mercy? Is it an action or an emotion? Or is it more like a character trait? And more importantly, what does mercy look like in the life of everyday Christians? |
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