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One Flesh

"And Pharisees came up to [Jesus] and tested him by asking, 'Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?' He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.'" - Matthew 19:3-6 Here the Pharisees test Jesus on...

The Angel Who Has Redeemed Me

"And [Jacob] blessed Joseph and said, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys [Ephraim and Manasseh]. And in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” - Genesis 48:15-16 Jacob, nearing his death, has called the two sons of Joseph to him in order to bless the...

A Doddering Old Grandmother?

“When he was young, this God from the Orient, he was hard and vengeful and built himself a Hell for the delight of his favourites. But at last he became old and soft and mellow and pitying, more like a grandfather than a father, but most of all like a doddering old grandmother. Then he sat, shrivelled, in his stove-corner, fretting over his weak legs, world-weary, will-weary, and one day he suffocated on his all-too-great pity” (4.6). Here, Nietzche’s prophet Zarathustra describes the “e...

Have No Concern

"Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours." - Genesis 45:20 When Joseph invites his father and brothers to come live in the land of Egypt during the final five years of the worldwide famine, he encourages them not to worry about their present possessions in Canaan. They will have more than enough when they come to Egypt. All their needs and wants will be provided for by Joseph, because he is the ruler of Egypt under Pharaoh. The world seems to be entering a ...

Now We Want the Overhuman to Live

“‘Dead are all Gods: now we want the Overhuman to live’—may this be at the Great Midday our ultimate will’” - Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1.22.3 “Once you said ‘God’ when one looked upon distant seas; but now I have taught you to say: Overhuman. …Could you create a God?—Then do not speak to me of any Gods! But you could surely create the Overhuman. Perhaps not you yourselves, my brothers! But into father and forefathers of the Overhuman you could re-create yourselv...

New Values on New Tablets

“Fellow creators the creator seeks, those who inscribe new values on new tablets." - Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, 9 “Change of values—that means change of creators. Whoever must be a creator always annihilates." - Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1.15 In Friedrich Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883), the main character, Zarathustra, urges his followers to create new values. This will require the annihilation of old values, particularly the values of Christianity. The ...

Intimacy with God in 2022

How can 2022 be the best year ever in terms of our walk with God? These is the question I would like to address this morning. As one of your elders, I desperately want to see each of you to experience tremendous growth as a believer in 2022. I want to see you grow spiritually like never before. I have been asking myself, “What is the one thing we as a church can focus on in order to grow deeper in our Christian faith?” I would like to propose the answer. I believe it is this—learning o...

Take Root, Bear Fruit

“And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this." - Isaiah 37:30-32When the Assyrian king Sennacherib threaten...

Spread the Letter before Yahweh

"Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up to the house of Yahweh, and spread it before Yahweh. And Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh: 'Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, Yahweh, and hear. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, Yahweh...

Restore Me to Health and Make Me Live

"O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me [Hezekiah] to health and make me live! Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness. But in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back." - Isaiah 38:16-17King Hezekiah was very sick and at the point of death (v. 1). He was still at this time relatively young. Sennacherib's 701 bc invasion of Judah hadn't happened yet (v. 6). He ...

Beware Lest Hezekiah Mislead You

"Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, 'Yahweh will deliver us.' Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that Yahweh should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'" - Isaiah 36:18-20These are the words of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, through his...

A Tried and Tested Stone

"Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, 'Behold, I am founding/establishing in Zion, a stone (אֶבֶן), a tried and tested (בֹּ֫חַן) stone (אֶבֶן), a scarce/precious/valuable (יָקָר) cornerstone (פִּנָּה), the laying of a foundation stone (מוּסָד). Whoever believes/has trust (אמן) [in this stone] will not be in a panic. And I will make justice the line and righteousness the plumb line. And hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelte...

The Torah Is in His Heart

"The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom (חָכְמָה), and his tongue speaks justice (מִשְׁפָּט). The Torah/instruction (תּוֹרָה) of his God is in his heart/inner self (לֵב). His steps do not slip." - Psalm 37:30-31As Christians, we are called to communicate wisdom and speak justice. This justice is not the unconstrained version of justice--equality of results or even of opportunity. Instead this justice is the constrained version--equality of treatment. Human beings simp...

The Righteous Never Abandoned

"I [David] have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing (בְּרָכָה)." - Psalm 37:25-26 Averil and I have been pondering over this psalm for a couple of weeks now. It is truly incredible. It is so encouraging to read during these crazy times. These two verses in particular have always been a favourite of mine. From them we learn that David was old when he wro...

Stronghold in the Time of Trouble

"The salvation/help/deliverance (תְּשׁוּעָה) of the righteous (צַדִּיק) is from Yahweh. He is their mountain stronghold/refuge/fortress (מָעוֹז) in the time of trouble/distress/anxiety (צָרָה). Yahweh helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." - Psalm 37:39-40 Psalm 37 is so beautiful and encouraging. Every verse speaks to our hearts and reminds us that it is worth being on God's side, despite the s...

Let's Slow Down

Comments I have four major concerns with this bill. The first has to do with the expiry date in 2023. Given this bill would give extraordinarily broad police powers based on the decisions of a few individuals, the bill’s expiry date should be shortened to six months from passage, or at most one year. If the powers need to be extended, Parliament can do that at a later time. To hand over these broad powers for this length of time is unwarranted under the circumstances. 2023 is not the right end...

Don't Let Yourself Get Excited

"Don’t let yourself get excited (חרה) because of evildoers. Be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. ...Be still before Yahweh and wait patiently for him. Don’t get excited (חרה) over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil schemes! Refrain from anger and forsake wrath! Don’t let yourself get excited (חרה). It tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for (קוה...

Their Hearts Are Far From Me

"And the Lord (אָדוֹן) said, 'Because this people [Judah] draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts/inner selves/intentions (לֵב) are far from me, and their fear/honour (ירא) of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore behold, I will again do wonderful/unusual/amazing (פלא) things with this people [Judah], with wonder (פלא) upon wonder (פֶּלֶא). And the wisdom (חָכְמָה) of their wise men (חָכָם) shall perish, and the unde...

A Valuable Cornerstone

"Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, 'Behold, I am founding/establishing in Zion, a stone (אֶבֶן), a tried and tested (בֹּ֫חַן) stone, a valuable (יָקָר) cornerstone (פִּנָּה), a sure foundation (מוּסָד). Whoever believes/has trust (אמן) will not be in a hurry/give way.'" - Isaiah 28:16Here Yahweh through the prophet Isaiah (700 bc) reveals that he is laying a foundation stone in Zion. Whoever believes in this foundation stone will not be in a hurry/give way when ju...

Leviathan Punished

"In that day Yahweh with his hard, great, and strong sword (חֶ֫רֶב) will punish (פקד) Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן) [Satan] the fleeing serpent (נָחָשׁ), Leviathan the twisting serpent (נָחָשׁ), and he will slay the dragon (תַּנִּין) that is in the sea." - Isaiah 27:1Writing around 700 bc, Isaiah predicts that in the end times Yahweh will punish Leviathan (v. 1), a sea creature that is a metaphor for Satan. Sometimes in the Bible, Leviathan is just a large sea creat...

Perfect Peace

"In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong/fortified/well-founded (עֹז) city [Zion]. He [Yahweh] sets up salvation (יְשׁוּעָה) as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, that the righteous nation [the remnant of Israel] that keeps faith (אֵמוּן) may enter in. You keep him in perfect peace (שָׁל֣וֹם שָׁל֑וֹם) whose mind (יֵ֫צֶר) is stayed on you, because he trusts (בָּטוּחַ) in you. Trust (בטח) in Yahweh forever, for L...

A Feast of Well-Aged Wine

"On this mountain [Zion] Yahweh of armies will make for all peoples a feast/drinking banquet/meal (מִשְׁתֶּה) of rich food, a feast (מִשְׁתֶּה) of well-aged wine (שֶׁ֫מֶר), of greasy food (שֶׁמֶן) flavoured with fat (מחה), of aged wine (שֶׁ֫מֶר) well refined/purified/filtered. And he will swallow up/engulf/destroy (בלע) on this mountain [Zion] the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil (מַסֵּכָה) that is spread over all nations. He wi...

The Sun Will Be Ashamed

"On that day Yahweh will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit. They will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for Yahweh of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders." - Isaiah 24:21-23Isaiah 24-27 is called by some commentators "Isaiah's little apocalypse." This is an apt tit...

Songs from the Ends of the Earth

"They lift up their voices. They sing for joy. Over the majesty of Yahweh they shout from the west. Therefore in the east give glory to Yahweh. In the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One." - Isaiah 24:14-16In the previous paragraphs, Isaiah describes the earth emptied and desolate because of God's judgment upon man' sin (v. 5). Joy on earth has grown dark (v. 11), and few peo...

The Universality of God's Judgment

"Behold, Yahweh will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest. As with the slave, so with his master. As with the maid, so with her mistress. As with the buyer, so with the seller. As with the lender, so with the borrower. As with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered, for Yahweh has spoken this word." - Isaiah 24:1-3Writing about 700 ...