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The Psalms in Christian Worship
This blog post is excerpted from Engaging the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer. The Psalter was ancient Israel’s hymnal, and it was the hymnal for Jesus and His...
Digging Deeper into Scripture: Genesis 9
Relief had finally come. God created Adam and Eve perfectly. But their wicked transgressions brought sin into the world, taking the Lord’s unblemished creation into destruction. Adam...
Worshiping Idols in the Book of Judges
This blog post is an excerpt from the Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 1: Introduction and Old Testament. By breaking the seemingly innocuous command to “make no covenant with the...
Praising God for His Law and Love in Psalms
Our reasons for praising God are innumerable, yet I often fail to find words that accurately express my praise. Thankfully, the Lord Himself provides words of praise in the Book of...
Haggai: A Return from Exile and Reverse Culture Shock
One of the most overlooked books in the Bible is that of the prophet Haggai. Still, this brief book holds a relatable experience to our current context this summer in the United...
Digging Deeper into Scripture: Mark 4
In Mark 4, Jesus and the disciples are on a boat in the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm arises. Crippled with fear, the disciples wake their sleeping Savior. Jesus takes this...
Renewal of the Covenant in Joshua
After God had graciously formed Jacob’s descendants into His covenant people and named them as His own, He provided them a choice for the future: “If you will … then I will … ”...
Cultivating a Life of Abiding in God’s Word
A defining characteristic of mature disciples of Christ is that they abide in God’s Word in a variety of ways throughout life. This simple statement was the key focus of my last blog...
How Peter References the Psalms in Acts
From Ascension to Trinity Sunday, the three-year lectionary treats us to four straight readings from the first two chapters of Acts. Before Jesus ascends into the heavens, He directs...
Digging Deeper into Scripture: Ezekiel 37
Incarnation and spiritual life bring unity to Ezekiel 37, Psalm 139, Acts 2, John 15, and John 16. In his description of the Valley of Dry Bones, Ezekiel writes, “And I will lay sinews...
The Covenant in Deuteronomy
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses preaches a series of sermons or discourses to the Israelites as they prepare to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Lane. Although each of...
Freedom from Sin in Zechariah 9
This blog post is excerpted from Concordia Commentary: Zechariah. Zechariah 9:12 begins with a command for the exiles to “return” to the stronghold of Zion (cf. 2:10–11 [ET...
Digging Deeper into Scripture: Jesus as the Good Shepherd
As Acts 4, Psalm 23, and 1 John interrelate, two predominant themes present themselves. Firstly, there is certain salvation in Jesus Christ, and in fact, only in Jesus Christ. Acts...
The Legislative Sections of Numbers
The Book of Numbers gets its name from the censuses in chapters 1 and 26. It recounts the travels and experiences of the people of Israel from Sinai to the borders of Canaan. Laws and...
Sacrifice, Atonement, and Holiness in Leviticus
Externally, Israel’s sacrifices have much in common with sacrifices all over the world, but Israel’s sacrifices are sacraments. From God’s side they belong to the realm of...
Using Daily Prayer and God's Word to Battle Anxiety
This is an adapted excerpt from Take Heart: God's Comfort for Anxious Thoughts by Lindsay Hausch. A daily rhythm of time in God’s Word and in prayer is a way to abide in God. As we do...
Teaching Jesus in the Old Testament: Exodus 12
The importance of the blood on the doorpost and lintel likely “passed over” the Israelites the night before the Lord freed them from centuries of slavery under Pharaoh. Being of...
Digging Deeper into Scripture: James 1
James, the brother of Jesus, is the author of this book. It is important to remember that James is related to Jesus by Mary, their mother, as Jesus is the Son of God, conceived by the...
1:50Donna Snow on Chosen: A Study of Esther
Think about your favorite action movie. There’s likely unexpected plot twists, surprises and drama that unfold on screen. This is also true about the book of Esther. As a young Jewish girl under the c
Exodus and God’s Law
This blog post is adapted from Lutheran Bible Companion, Volume 1: Introduction and Old Testament.