Samuel has taught Israel not to look to human appointed judges. His mother spoke of the Lord being the true hope of Israel, and of the king he will send. But the elders of Israel, along with the people, have
Motives for murder
Pilate tries to free Jesus by getting the crowd to ask for his release. But it goes horribly wrong and Pilate has Jesus killed to save himself trouble. How does it go wrong? Jerusalem’s leaders stir the crowd to turn
You ask too much!
Though his disciples know Jesus is God’s anointed king, they do not understand the implications. God’s kingdom is built by God’s power, not human strength. So Jesus must die, trusting his father to raise him. The disciples, however, cannot see
The Psalms – Number 1
This post is number 2 in a series of short pieces about the Psalms. Photo by Alabaster Co on Unsplash No to the bad gang; yes to the Lord Click here to read: Psalm 1 Have you been to a
Trust and respect
Philemon 7-10. Paul’s prayer was for his friend’s love to be applied more widely. Now he turns to what that means in practice: welcoming back his slave not with harsh anger but as a Christian brother. However, Paul doesn’t command
Do good to all
Philemon 4-6. After his greeting, Paul next mentions his prayers for the recipient. In his words we hear indications of the way he will write in the rest of the letter. He thanks God for his friend’s faith and the