The phrase “carnal knowledge” has a negative connotation, being a euphemism for sex. But literally it means knowledge of the flesh. The Bible always speaks of sex in terms of KNOWLEDGE. “Adam knew his wife, and she conceived a son,” for example. In our culture, people speak of sex as a happening, an event. ItContinue reading “CARNAL KNOWLEDGE: Sex is not an Action But a Knowing. Luke 1:34.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. Luke 1:6-7; Romans 8:18.
Consider the elderly parents of John the Baptist. They did not deserve to be barren: “They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commands of the Lord. And they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years” Luke 1:6-7. I watched a 40-minute videoContinue reading “BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. Luke 1:6-7; Romans 8:18.”
DIFFERENT GOSPELS FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES. Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-5.
What a contrast between Luke and John. One is all business, the other all poetry. One writes like a lawyer, lining up each piece of evidence in perfect order. The other takes a more creative approach, speaking in figurative language. “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration ofContinue reading “DIFFERENT GOSPELS FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES. Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-5.”
PARENTING IS SACRIFICE. Luke 1:38; 2:35.
God uses children to make us less selfish. Because what can yank you out of your self-absorption faster than a fussy baby or a screaming child? All parents make sacrifices for their children. But God calls some parents to unusual and difficult sacrifices. Mary was engaged when the angel Gabriel showed up and said, “Hail,Continue reading “PARENTING IS SACRIFICE. Luke 1:38; 2:35.”
WHAT’S THIS STAR BUSINESS? Matthew 2:2; Genesis 1:14.
Men from the East showed up asking for directions. “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen HIS STAR in the East and have come to worship Him?” Matthew 2:2. “His Star?” Jesus had a star? Did anyone else in the Bible have a star? What is going on?Continue reading “WHAT’S THIS STAR BUSINESS? Matthew 2:2; Genesis 1:14.”
JESUS’S PARENTS. Matthew 2:13-14, 19-20.
Mary had a job, right? A HUGE job! The angel told the virgin she would bear the Messiah. She raised Jesus. It strikes me as an exaggeration when people call her “the Mother of God,” but she certainly belongs in the Mom’s HALL OF FAME. Joseph played a smaller role. He obeyed and wed MaryContinue reading “JESUS’S PARENTS. Matthew 2:13-14, 19-20.”
A Miracle of Nocturnal Navigation. Matthew 2:9.
Can you explain the star of Bethlehem? I can’t. Do you give much thought to stars? The North Star (a cluster of three stars referred to as Polaris) is predictable: because the axis on which the Earth spins lines up almost perfectly with Polaris, the North Star (visible to those of us north of Earth’sContinue reading “A Miracle of Nocturnal Navigation. Matthew 2:9.”
Bondservant. Luke 1:38
How do you respond to bad news? To challenges? To setbacks? Do you know how young Mary responded when the angel came and said, in effect, “God will make you pregnant, but everyone will assume the worst and will whisper lies about you for the rest of your life, and it will be a hardContinue reading “Bondservant. Luke 1:38”
LAYERS. Matthew 1:17; Luke 3:38.
I just finished my eighth reading of Holman’s Chronological Bible (READING GOD’S STORY: A Chronological Bible, 2011, Nashville). The Bible is so deep, so rich, so LAYERED with meaning—you can keep reading the Bible all your life and ALWAYS learn something new. You may become a master of the scriptures, but you will never stopContinue reading “LAYERS. Matthew 1:17; Luke 3:38.”
Today’s Math Problem. Matthew 1:1, 17.
The book of Matthew—and thus, the New Testament—begins with the remarkable genealogy of Jesus. Genealogies make tough reading, but put yourself in the writer’s position: Matthew wants to prove to his Hebrew people that Jesus is their long-awaited Messiah. Jesus’s ancestry is the logical place to start. “The historical record of Jesus Christ, the SonContinue reading “Today’s Math Problem. Matthew 1:1, 17.”