Marching Forth!

It may not be easy to read genealogies in the Bible, but the impact of them cannot be ignored.  Included in the Bible are reckonings of generations from Jesus all the way back to Adam the first man created.  Every name is a link in the chain which validates the creation of the world, man, and every living thing by God.  Though the names are hard to pronounce and may seem to have little significance to us personally, the fact genealogies exist and can be confirmed by secular sources is awesome.  For those who read them there are wondrous truths nestled in them, like coming across a tree loaded with ripe fruit when hungry. Today I read of valiant men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh who went to war.   1 Chronicles 5:20-22 says, " And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their...

When it comes to things of God, the natural man is unable to comprehend ( 1 Cor. 2:14 ).  Misconceptions and errors abound in the haphazard approach unbelievers and even Christians can take to the Bible.  Because it is compiled of sixty-six individual books written by different people inspired by the Holy Spirit there is perfect unity.  Perhaps due to being organised in Old and New Testaments people can view the Old as outdated and the New as more relevant.  No scripture can be wrenched from the context of a chapter without reconciling it with the book and the overarching truth and themes of scripture. Context is key to understanding or interpreting anything, and it is amazing how easily this practice is ignored in the quoting of scripture.  People quote scriptures to support their position or oppose others without even knowing when, why, or to whom it was spoken in the first place.  Sceptics produce countless of these tired chestnuts to accuse, and sa...

" To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan ." 1 Chronicles 1:19 This is an intriguing verse because in a few words it says something which both agrees and contradicts modern scientific thought.  It is commonly taught the continents today were once connected to one another but over time they split and drifted apart.  This is believed to have taken an incredibly long time according to the current rate of movement.  Scripture affirms the division of continents and islands happened, but it took very little time at all. Eber had two sons and one he named "Peleg" which means "earthquake."  He was named this because " in his days the earth was divided ."  At the time of Peleg's birth the seismic activity was so pronounced Eber named his son Peleg.  It was in the days of Peleg - during his lifetime - the earth was divided.  Perhaps the movement of t...

" Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: 22  only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23  everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. " Numbers 31:21-23 When the children of Israel took spoils of war from their defeated enemies, purification was required under the Law.  The principle was anything which could survive the fire which was taken needed to be put through fire so it could be purified.  The water of purification would also be sprinkled upon it, the water which had the ashes of the red heifer in it (explained in detail in Numbers 19 ).  This water was required to be cleansed after touching a dead body.  If a person was not cleansed according to the...