Category: Bible (Page 59 of 395)

A good novel foreshadows things to come. The hero might meet a minor character early on who turns out to be the key to success in the end. Great authors weave important themes into their stories, starting with hints that lead to unseen results.

The Bible follows this concept as well. In the book of Job, considered by many to be the first section of the Scriptures put on paper (or papyrus), the main character foreshadows the theme of the Bible. As Job struggled with pain and suffering, he shared his feelings of estrangement from God:

He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

If only there was someone to mediate between us. Sound familiar? Job needed a liaison to help him communicate with God. Not quite the savior we find in Jesus, but the groundwork is laid. From the very beginning, just a few lines into the text, a man recognizes his alienation from God and calls for someone to bring us together.

You and I know where this foreshadowing leads. We don’t have to suffer like Job. The one who removed the rod from our backs, the Great Emancipator, the intercessor who allows us to speak to God without fear has been revealed. In a few days we will celebrate his birth. Today we call on Jesus, the mediator Job longed for.

Job 9 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Nick Fewings

I’m super grateful for whoever invented my favorite kitchen gadget—the air fryer. I reheated some leftover egg rolls the other day, and they crunched as if freshly delivered to my table. Of all the creators and developers who design products for our world, those air-fryer folks deserve a medal (and maybe even a Nobel prize).

Every bit of humankind’s creativity emerges through the hands of our Lord. The Apostle John wrote these lines of praise:

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

God made everything. On top of that, all we see around us, ourselves included, continues to exist because He allows it to be so. The Lord’s pleasure is the only reason we don’t explode into a billion molecules and disperse throughout the universe.

I take for granted modern conveniences I enjoy in areas like medicine, travel, and housing, developed by innovative people designed in the image of God. From his generous and sustaining hand I enjoy all good things, including hot and crispy egg rolls given a second life through the magic of my air fryer.

Revelation 4 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Diego PH

Thank you for reading and pondering my thoughts throughout this year. While I enjoy writing, blogging is only a small part of what I do on a daily basis.

In March I will travel to Italy for a set of outreaches featuring American professors, then in June my wife and I will lead a group on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain.

Last summer I finished a Doctor of Ministry degree, studying how to equip professors to tell their personal stories of faith in light of their academic discipline. I’ve now led several workshops along these lines, training dozens of professors.

Another hat I wear is that of a fund-raiser. As a Cru staff member I develop all the funds needed to cover our salary, health care, retirement benefits and ministry expenses— everything. A wonderful team of people undergirds our work. If you’d like to join them by making a contribution, you can do so at give.cru.org.

Thank you for your readership, and please stay in touch. I look forward sharing more as I travel through the Bible once again in 2025.

Dave

Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel

Once the Thanksgiving turkey disappears and the pumpkin pie plate is licked clean, my wife turns on the Christmas music. We listen to carols of all varieties deep into January. Not that I’m complaining, I also enjoy the music of this season.

Music was important to the ancient followers of Yahweh as well. David and Solomon wrote psalms and put them to music. Musicians performed at religious festivals and in the temple. But over years of falling away from God, which led to their eventual subjugation, the people of Israel and Judah lost their practice of praise.

When Zerubbabel and Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple, they reinstituted the role of the musicians: For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers.

The worship experience for many in Jerusalem was like Christmas without the carols. Imagine the joy of hearing the music of faith fill your ears for the first time.

Songs of praise and thanksgiving point us to the power, majesty and goodness of God. The musicians at our local churches follow in a long line of shepherds pointing us to the Lord. Thank them when you get the chance.

In the meantime, crank up volume. Give thought to the lyrics of your favorite carols. Let the hymn writers and musicians of the past lead you to an invigorated experience with our Savior.

Nehemiah 12 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Aaron Burden