Darash Chai Experiment

The world is full of extremes and throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon explores the realm of the extremes. Wisdom and Foolishness. Righteousness and Wickedness. Rich and Poor. Life and Death. Even past and future are extremes. Extremes are all around us and it is all too easy to get stuck in these extremes to one degree or another. But there is a way of life that is revealed in this chapter. A way tha...

As we continue through Ecclesiastes we find Qoheleth continuing to discern the meaning of life from a materialistic viewpoint. What lasting meaning is there to be found in life when the human appetite is never truly satisfied.

James 3:5 – So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! Chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes features a unique set of verses in the book of Ecclesiastes. Throughout the book there is a lot of back and forth, pondering the greater questions, and seeking to discover the good in life. In chapter 5 though Qohelet gives a unique...

As Ecclesiastes continues, the author begins to delve into more diverse topics and ways of examining life. As he does, he touches on some issues that are hot in our current culture. As we examine these topics as described in Ecclesiastes and compare them to our culture, we can pierce the veil of the absolute futility of the things that the modern world tells us that we should focus on.

Ecclesiastes 3 opens with one of the most iconic passages and ideas in literature. An idea that is so foundational to our reality that many other authors over the ages have riffed off of this theme in their own works. We also find scattered throughout the Bible in various ways. What is so profound about the acknowledgment of seasons and how can this concept help us to find peace in our own lives?

As Solomon attempts to discern the purpose of life, he attempts to engage life in every way that he can think of. He seeks out every experience that men pursue to give meaning to their lives, and the first of these is the pursuit of things. Not just anything though, the finer things. Here at the end of his life, though, Solomon looks back on these things and he is able to draw a single preliminary...

The book of Ecclesiastes opens in a way that highlights the pointlessness of human endeavor. All things end and no experience truly satisfies because the experience fades and we find ourselves desiring or in need once again. In fact, Ecclesiastes might seem like an excuse to become nihilistic or a reason for depression. When we read this book with the conclusion in mind we find that what at first...

Ecclesiastes is the book of the Bible that gets the closest to a human philosophy of life. This book is so unlike any other book of the Bible that it needs an introduction. Simply jumping in without a firm grounding in the content of the book or its conclusion can lead to some incorrect or even devastating interpretations and applications. Before we dive into the pages of this book, we need to dis...

Making the kingdom of God a priority is the calling of all who believe. This way of living comes with many benefits as well as responsibilities. But what does it look like when it comes to the day to day living out of this kingdom? In this final episode of this series, we examine, what does it look like when you live for the kingdom on a practical level?

In the last episode it may have seemed as if all that we have to look forward to when we enter the kingdom of God is a never ending series of responsibilities to God and to others. This week we will change our focus and look at the benefits that are part of the kingdom centered life. God is not a slave master who simply takes without giving. He gives gifts to His people, and the gifts He gives are...

When enter into the Kingdom of God we enter in to a life of allegiance to the king of this kingdom. But allegiance is an idea that has lost any real meaning for a modern audience. What does allegiance mean? We have all pledged allegiance at one time to a flag or a cause. What does it mean to pledge our allegiance to the Kingdom of God?

The Three Year Cycle is done. Where to from here? Time for a little house cleaning and a few updates on the state of Darash Chai.

As the Torah comes to a close, Moses speaks his final words to the nation of Israel. In the manner of Jacob upon his death bed in Genesis 49, Jacob blessed his sons and here at the end of the life of Moses, blessings are once again spoken over each of the sons. Or is it? If we examine the text we find that one is missing. Added to this, so many of these blessings are confusing in their nature. Wha...

Deuteronomy 32 contains a song. A song that is unique in all of Scripture. It is a song that is to act as a witness against the people when they will eventually break the covenant, but it is a song that also speaks of the future of the world to an end that has not yet occurred in human experience. It is a song of judgment and justice, but also a song of hope. And within its words is an entire theo...

One thing that every Suzerain Vassal Treaty contained was a list of those who acted as witnesses to the ratification and terms of the covenant. Those who existed outside of the covenant, but who would look in and act as arbiters in matters of dispute. The witnesses to this covenant are not what we might think though. They are not human, nor are they divine in any way. In fact these witnesses are f...

The blessings and the curses of Deuteronomy take up quite some space in the text, and the discussion of these topics does not end when the explicit recounting of the various curses ends. Rather, the text then moves on to discuss two types of people who encounter these curses in their own lives. Both are part of the covenant. But one hears these curses and looks around himself and does not see them...

Every Suzerain Vassal Treaty of the historical record contains a section that outlines a series of blessings and curses that were to be enacted against the signatories of the treaty. Blessings for conformation to the treaty and curses for breaking the treaty. Here at the end of Deuteronomy, this treaty between the High King of heaven and the nation that he is forming under His leadership we encoun...

After several months diving deep into the Bible’s own expansion of the Ten Commandments, the text finally moves on to other topics. The Suzerain Vassal Treaty that is the book of Deuteronomy is once again brought into focus. This week with an exploration of how to give tribute and who to give your tribute to. But this idea of tribute is one that made sense in the ancient world of kings and s...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we finish with the tenth command. Do not envy. The only command that deals with...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the ninth command. Do not bear false witness. A command that is often a...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the seventh command. Do not commit adultery. Usually when we encounter...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the sixth Command. Do not Murder. This command seems pretty straightfor...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the fifth Command. Honor your Father and Mother. On the surface th...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the fourth Command. Guard the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath is a time that w...

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the third Command. Do not take the Name of God in vain. A command that...