Fasting in the Old and New Testament
Our sermon this past week, from Isaiah 58, centered on a lengthy discussion of fasting—its purpose and nature. In many ways, it is an...
Isaiah 57 and a Vivid Metaphor
Our sermon text from this past week, Isaiah 57, opens by drawing upon a common metaphor for the covenant relationship found in both the Old...
The Scriptural Idea of Revival
Death is both a metaphor and a reality in the Scriptures. In Biblical Theology, Gerhardus Vos says that the physical dissolution of the...
“Come, everyone who thirsts!”: Water as a Metaphor in the Gospel of John
In a desert climate like ancient Judea and Galilee, one always had to be aware of water; where would your supply of water come from that...
A Brief History of Jerusalem
In our sermon text this week, Isaiah 52, the city of Jerusalem features prominently. Isaiah is making predictions about the restoration of...
The Dragons of the Deep: Rahab, Leviathan and Tanin
In Isaiah 51—the passage we examined in this week’s sermon—there is a brief mention of someone or something called “Rahab”:...
Understanding the Covenant of Redemption
In my sermon this past Sunday on Isaiah 50, I briefly mentioned a covenant that was made—not between God and man, but within the Trinity...
Tracing a Single Image through the Scriptures
For my post this week, I thought it would be interesting to tell the story of a single image as it recurs throughout the Bible. In the...
Suffering and Refinement
In his letter to the church at Colossae, the Apostle Paul says something that has often puzzled readers over the centuries: “Now I...