slightlypuzzled

"The Royal Law of Love"


If you step back at look at the structure of chapter two, it seems to fall into five parts, all inter-related. We must keep in mind that the over riding theme is the perseverance of faith under fire that was developed in the first chapter. In chapter two, it is the them of love and following the Royal law of Love that is developed here.
The first part of chapter two is contains the first four verses. It sets forth the practice, and outlines ...

"The Power of Love, Impartially"

In Ephesians 5 verse one we are commanded to 'Be imitators of God'. It is God who loves all men and wishes them to be saved. This being true, it is dishonoring God to show overweaning impartiality to anyone group of people at the expense of another. This was being practiced in the church among the people that James was instructing in his letter. At that time, there was no 'middle class', just poor of well off. The vast majority muddled along in ...

"The Pattern of Obedience"
"Continued form part 3.2"

In the last part we established a few things:
1. God worked with Moses fears and objections, but in the end He wanted Moses to obey Him, and follow what He told Moses to do.
2. This pattern of obedience is seen all throughout Scripture, with Saul's Kingship being a good example.
3. The book of Judges is the background that leads up to Saul becoming King of Israel.
4. If you read the third chapter, ...

"Obedience"

So, Moses and God are having a discussion on the mountain side, and Moses is really reluctant to do what God wants him to do.

Ex. 4: 13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

Pretty straight forward, huh? All along, Moses has been very reluctant to do what God wants him to do. His past is intruding, in my opinion. He remembers what happened last time he tried to help the Israelites, it was a dismal failure. They ...

"Famine and Death"

Ruth1: In the days when the judges ruled…

The line brings us full circle in Israel’s experience. They are now in the Promised Land, but they have no effective law ‘Every man did as he pleased’. The Israelites had rebelled against God for much of the ‘trip’ from Egypt to Canaan, and continued in their same stubborn ways. Famine and an escape to Moab seem to paint a sad, desperate picture; but hope is coming, and out of Moab of all places.
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