In the beginning, God built a Garden where people could live at peace with God and each other and enjoy God’s protection and provision. There was no conflict, no hurt, no want. It was very good. (Genesis 1&2) Adam and Eve were created to be the “image of God”. They… Read More
The Bible isn’t a modern Western book. It’s an ancient Near Eastern book. And so there’s a lot of stuff in the Bible that goes over my head… • Why on earth did God order the Levites to kill 3,000 Israelites as punishment for SOME Israelites worshipping a golden cow?… Read More
Israel wanted a human king, like all the other nations. And she got what she wanted. Her first king, Saul, was succeeded by his son-in-law David. David’s reign is summarized in 2 Samuel 8:15… “David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.” After his… Read More
Biblical Hebrew is a word-poor language with only a few thousand words – most words having several meanings like diamonds with many facets. Today we’ll look at just one facet of “mishpat.” When you hear the word justice you probably think of the legal system: a courtroom, a judge presiding,… Read More
Adam and Eve (and their descendants) chose to order the world their own way instead of God’s. Scarcity and harm spread across creation until God flooded the earth. I would have quit on us at that point! But God is stubbornly merciful. After the floodwaters receded, God stuck with the… Read More
We’re continuing to build a biblical theology of justice together that will eventually lead us to Jesus and the part He has given us to play in doing justice. First, we talked about what it means for humans to be the “image of God” on earth. Then, we looked at… Read More
Shaun Groves