Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | October 24, 2018
Why? Why is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind” the most important command (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27)? Jesus didn’t teach anything revolutionary when stating this. The expert in the law gave this same answer (Luke 10:27). So why? [ ] The fact it follows (and is […]
PHall | October 24, 2018
Who God is, and how God reveals who and what He is, starts in Genesis 1: [ ] God is self-existent because He creates everything that exists. [ ] God is singular, yet plural which explains why a plural word, elohim, is used with singular verbs. [ ] God is Spirit and hovers over His […]
PHall | October 24, 2018
Is Proverbs 22:6 a promise or a proverb? Here’s the text: “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (NASB). A promise is a guarantee. A proverb is a general observation. If this is a promise, God is promising when parents do […]
PHall | October 10, 2018
“Let God be God.” I heard that phrase and it struck me and stuck with me due to its simplicity. There are many applications. Let’s look at just one. Numbers 17 reveals a challenge as to whom can serve as priest, that is who can come before the Lord. Notice the complaint begins with a […]
PHall | September 29, 2018
Would you say this is an accurate assessment: Most churches consider themselves like the Philippians, Thessalonians (1st letter), Smyrnians, and Philadelphians, wherein correction is not needed. The sad reality is most churches in the 1st century needed correction, which is why so many letters were written. They also needed encouragement and information, but correction was […]
PHall | September 29, 2018
In the beginning the earth was formless, void of life, and covered with water. “Then God said….” (Gen.1:3). Because God said, then came light (Gen.1:3), separation (Gen.1:4,7,9), life (Gen.1:11ff), and organization (1:14-19). “Then God said”…that’s the key. God is the only one powerful enough to overcome darkness, nonexistence, and chaos. Why does the Bible begin […]
PHall | September 29, 2018
There is a parenting technique called “natural consequences.” Basically you allow your child to suffer what naturally follows bad decisions, instead of bailing them out, or giving an unrelated punishment. This is seen in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). I thought of that when reading Jeremiah 8. Here God applies a posthumous […]
PHall | September 29, 2018
Then God Rested (requested follow-up to “Then God Said”): “Then God rested” (Genesis 2:3). God needs resting? As a young one I was confused. As a not so young one I was confused. Then I learned to see this not from my perspective, but of those to whom it was written. In Ancient Near East […]
PHall | September 29, 2018
Two realities make it difficult to see a text with fresh eyes: 1) Familiarity with the Details; 2) Explanation of the Familiar Details. Such is our challenge with any inspired narrative, such as Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. To do this we must separate the revealed NT information from the Genesis record. Who was the […]
PHall | September 15, 2018
God keeps telling the same stories, using various methods and different characters. What started this study was someone’s observation stating the curses in Genesis 3 were unrelated to Adam and Eve’s sins. When someone says something unexpected, it can lead to further unexpected discoveries. Although the major characters are the same, plus one new one, […]