Seeking the Gospel Truth

God led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt into the desert. He was taking the long route. This gave Him time to  prepare the Hebrews, to teach them laws, rules and proper worship  rituals in preparation for the Promised Land. See, the land of Canaan  was inhabited by pagans. The pagans did everything that God told the  Jews NOT to do in these chapters. God says that they...

The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is celebrated by Jews all over the  world in the fall of every year. Why? They are following the Mosaic Law  (laws given to Moses). They don’t acknowledge or believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah .  They don’t believe that He came and when He died on the cross 2000  years ago, He was our scapegoat AND the final sacrifice, taking ALL of &n...

God is Holy. And because God is Holy, He is  picky as to what can and cannot come before Him. Here in Leviticus, God  is laying down the rules on purification. People had to go through  rituals of bathing and waiting before they could be considered “clean”  rather than “unclean”. If you failed to do the things as God directed,  then you faced His judgement and death. Howev...

As we’re fast-tracking through Leviticus, we find in the next few  chapters further instructions from God to Moses and the priests. God  doesn’t want to leave any circumstance regarding sin and how to get atonement to doubt. So, the burnt, grain and peace offerings that we covered in the last post , is just the start, but not enough. These cover the “what ifs”. Let’s dig in… Keep reading...

We left Moses at the end of Exodus unable to enter the Tabernacle because God’s Presence was too Holy, too great. Besides  that, Moses, Aaron and the priests were unworthy. So, the next book in  the 5 Books of Moses, is Leviticus — or for the Levites — the priests.  It is God giving Moses specific instructions on the sacrifices and  offerings the people were to bring to the Tab...

Here we are at the end of Exodus. You’re probably thinking, “Yay! This  was boring!” Yeah, I know, but this is only the 2nd of the 5 Books of  Moses. Don’t worry, I’m going to skip over a lot of the repetitive and  dull passages, as I’m doing here. However, I do recommend that you read it all on your own . It is God’s Word and there are messages for us today. The app, Through The Wo...

We  left Moses up in Mt. Sinai talking with God, as God gave Him detailed  directions in how to build the Tabernacle, and even how the priests —  Aaron and his sons — should dress while working in it. Unfortunately,  the people were impatient. They got antsy. Furthermore, what happened  next is a critical lesson for us today. Let’s dig in… Keep reading in my blog where the...

God described to Moses how to build the tabernacle .  Next, He describes how the priests — Aaron and his sons — should be  clothed. The priestly garments are rather ornate, but each piece serves a  purpose or represents something. God goes into a lot of detail here, so  I’ll skip and summarize through it, and let you read the rest for  yourself. Let’s dig in…. Keep reading...

So Moses is still up on Mt. Sinai talking with God. God gave him the 10 Commandments along with directions on how to live justly. Now, God’s giving him very specific instructions — a blueprint — on how to build the Tabernacle — the first church or temple. It’s where the Israelites were to worship, bring sacrifices, and come near to the presence of God. I’m going to share bits and summarize here, b...

The Israelites reach Mt. Sinai — the mountain of  God. Here God gives them the 10 Commandments as well as a lot of other  rules they need to follow. However, keep in mind that God saved the  people first, then He presented the commandments and laws. The crucial  point here is… God’s salvation is not based on obedience! He is the God who saves before He commands. Let’s dig in…....

Teamwork — Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and to Mt. Sinai. He’s  old and tired. Out of nowhere come some distant cousins, the Amalekites,  to attack. Can Moses hold out? Let’s dig in… Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper and watch the special music video at the bottom…. Jesus said, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he i...

Every summer — it never fails — some stupid  hikers will go hiking on the toughest mountains in the Phoenix Valley,  in 100 degree heat, with not enough water. They get into trouble and  need to be rescued. Our local firefighters are trained specifically on  mountain rescues. We have a stupid driver law for drivers that cross  flooded roads and their vehicles go floating,...

Finally, the Jews are freed from slavery in Egypt !  However, as you keep reading through these Bible stories, you’ll see a  pattern emerging as to how God works. This is a great way to get to know  God. From Noah on down, even though all seemed lost, God’s plan was  accomplished — in HIS TIME. God kept and keeps His promises! Now, the Israelites are heading home, but not fast!...

Enough is enough! Moses was fed up with Pharaoh and Pharaoh was fed up with Moses and all the Hebrews. If it wasn’t for God hardening Pharaoh’s heart ,  I think he would have let the Israelites go 3 plagues ago. But after 9  plagues — think about it — one plague is bad enough, imagine 9! Some  areas of the world last year had to deal with not just the COVID-19  pandemic, but wi...

Paul’s epistle — or letter — to the church in Rome covers the  Gospel Truth of the Good News of the True Salvation of Jesus Christ. If you'd like to read along with my blog, click here... Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone Be the Glory!

The more I studied the Bible, the more I realized that every single book—from Genesis to Revelation—all point to Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah and the Savior of the World. In the Old Testament, Jesus is predicted. In the New Testament He is revealed, preached, explained and expected. You find Him everywhere because Jesus is the hero of the entire Bible . Discover how Jesus is found in the Boo...

When you read these chapters in Exodus, you have to wonder why  doesn’t God just do something quick and let the Israelites go? Well, God  had a purpose. He wanted to attack everything, including the fake gods  that the Egyptians worshiped and idolized. Let’s take a look at the  plagues… Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper…. Jesus said, “Anyone with ears...

How can slavery possibly get worse? Think supply  chain. In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic literally shut down the  world, it cut off the supply chain that delivers raw materials to  manufactures who then turn them into the products that we consume. Take  toilet paper. All of a sudden there was a high demand. The wholesalers  and distributors emptied their warehouses to s...

The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt by an evil pharaoh. The baby Moses  is saved from being killed in the genocide and raised by Pharaoh’s  daughter. He then gets into trouble and runs away. He marries a  Midianite woman and has a son. 40 years later, Moses encounters God in  the infamous Burning Bush. Let’s dig in…. Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper...

When we left our friends at the end of Genesis, the whole clan of Jacob was reunited and prospering in the fertile land of Goshen, near the  Nile delta, in Egypt. There were 70 of them. We pick up the story 400  years later and their situation changed drastically. Let’s dig in… Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper…. Jesus said, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen...

Joseph had an interesting, yet happy reunion with his brothers ,  but there is still a famine in all the land including Canaan where  Jacob/Israel is with all of the brothers’ wives and children. Joseph,  with Pharaoh’s approval, invites Jacob and clan to move to Egypt until  the famine is over. He gives them the land of Goshen which is in the  Nile river delta — a very fe...

The story of Joseph and his brothers is one of  the most popular Bible stories. It’s been a Broadway play and a movie.  But it’s more that just a good story. It holds a powerful lesson about  God’s will, His plan, as well as, trusting God no matter what. So far in our story. ..  God gives Joseph two dreams where his brothers are bowing down to him.  That was the last straw...

Now we come to the last great story in Genesis, the story of Joseph. Remember, Joseph was the first son born to Rachel ,  the wife that Jacob really loved. Hence, he became the favorite son.  Unfortunately, this caused extreme jealousy and envy among his half  brothers. Recall, too, that Judah is the ancestor of Jesus .  So, why this focus on Joseph? This next part is a critica...

The Bible is a holy book, however, it is also a history book. Given  that, there are both nice and not-so-nice stories in it. Chapter 34 is  rather dark, so I’ll summarize that one. You are welcome to read it for  yourself. I also recommend the lesson for Genesis 34 in the free Bible  app, ThroughTheWord . Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper and watch th...

It’s been over 20 years since Jacob fled from his father’s home in Canaan because his brother Esau wanted to kill him for stealing his birthright and blessing .  Jacob didn’t know what to expect. He was afraid. He was coming back  with wealth, but he was also vulnerable. He was traveling with his 4  wives and his 12 kids — some very young. So, he gets the bright idea to  send a...