enemy ⁽⁴²⁾

1 Kings 10:23–24, Isaiah 60:1–6, Micah 4:1–5, Matthew 2:1–12, Revelation 21:22–24 (read online ⧉) People approaching another country’s king with respect, almost as a pilgrimage, was not uncommon. We read the passages and often are lacking the context that kingdoms would often send delegations to…

Lamentations 3:16–18, Zechariah 8:18–23, Nahum 1:15 (read online ⧉) In the United States, peace is often perceived as having plenty. Peace, as many of the saints who walked before us learned, is not found in the plenty. It is found in the lacking. This does…

2 Kings 6:18–24, Romans 12:3–8, Colossians 2:8–23 Service can take many forms. The story of Elisha and the Arameans is an interesting form of service. In this roundabout case, it was the service of peace. Elisha prayed for the blindness of the Arameans. Instead of…

Jeremiah 5:1–3, Mark 11:12–14, Mark 13:28 Bearing false witness is a known problem. Isn’t it? Maybe not. In Jeremiah, those that bore false witness refused discipline (no matter how loving and grace-filled). In fact, the implication is that they took their behavior and made it…

Amos 9:1–4, Amos 9:7–10 The open verses of Amos 9 are anything but comforting. It would seem that God is actively and minutely seeking the destruction of Israel. And it’s true, from a certain point of view. However, prophecy is a fickle thing, and the…