Monthly Archives: March 2020

An Instrument of God

Posted on March 31, 2020 by rjs5

We continue our walk through Isaiah with Ben Witherington III (Isaiah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics) as our guide. Today we focus on Isaiah 44:24-45:13, an oracle that names an historical figure, Cyrus, and calls him God’s anointed. … Continue reading →

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With Science and With Prayer

Posted on March 26, 2020 by rjs5

Francis Collins was interviewed on the Focus on the Family Broadcast last Thursday.  The whole is worth listening to, and the prayer near the end especially (25:20 in the video). If you wish to contact me directly you may do … Continue reading →

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A Text for Worshipers

Posted on March 24, 2020 by rjs5

Michael LeFebvre (The Liturgy of Creation) argues that the Pentateuch is a text for worshipers, not for historians. The difference is significant. A modern historian is charged with uncovering facts, who, what, when, where, how, and why.  A worshiper is … Continue reading →

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His Grace is Sufficient

Posted on March 19, 2020 by rjs5

As we all know by now, the current move to “social distancing” is designed to “flatten the curve.” While the problems will last longer, the human toll should be smaller. The number of critical cases will remain closer to the … Continue reading →

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Forward and Backward

Posted on March 17, 2020 by rjs5

These are interesting times. Last Monday and Tuesday I was out of town, part of a departmental review committee at another University. Wednesday, seeing the writing on the wall, I spent half of my class introducing my students to our … Continue reading →

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A Chosen Servant

Posted on March 10, 2020 by rjs5

We continue our walk through Isaiah with Ben Witherington III (Isaiah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics) as our guide. Today we focus on Isaiah 42, the first of the servant oracles – presented as lyric poetry or “songs.” … Continue reading →

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Samson – A Hero of the Faith?

Posted on March 5, 2020 by rjs5

Samson is mentioned in two places in Scripture. The first is the story of Samson in Judges 13-16. The only other mention is in Hebrews 12 among a list of other Old Testament characters. And what more shall I say? … Continue reading →

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God as Creator

Posted on March 3, 2020 by rjs5

Over the last two months I have listened to the book of Isaiah straight through several times on my morning commute. Although I have never really thought of Isaiah as containing a creation narrative, it is clear that this theme … Continue reading →

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