PHall | August 30, 2023
A spiritual being, who had left heaven, came to earth. Once here, he dwelt in corporeal form. He came to talk to humanity about life and death; encouraging the people to become more like God. This is a familiar story of… the first temptation and fall in Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). Satan is a spiritual […]
Category: Genesis |
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PHall | August 22, 2023
What does it mean to be born again? To be born again is language from John 3. Some invoke Ezekiel as the background that this teacher should have known, as Jesus rebukes Nicodemus. I think the background is Genesis 1-2. Born of water and the Spirit is how creation begins. The Spirit hovered over […]
Category: John, Genesis |
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PHall | August 18, 2023
“Ruth” is not mainly about Ruth, not really, not as the main character. “Ruth” is about love, but again, Ruth and Boaz are not the main love story. They are being “acted upon” by a third party who is the central character in “Ruth” – Naomi. If Naomi is the central character in a love […]
Category: Ruth |
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PHall | August 18, 2023
Unintentional Idols “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes1:2). Various translations phrase it differently such as “futility of futilities”. Very literally the Hebrew (hebel) is “breath of breaths” and the Hebrew is often translated elsewhere as “idol”. I’m not sure how this fits, but there does appear to be some applicable lessons not directly intended […]
Category: Ecclesiastes |
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Tags: Idolatry
PHall | August 18, 2023
The book of Jonah is more about the sins of Jonah than the sins of Nineveh. It is an exercise in self-reflection – Do I love my neighbor as myself? Chapter 4 reveals this clearly when Jonah complains about his plant dying. The gift of shade is gone. The plant provided protection. Part […]
Category: Jonah |
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PHall | July 19, 2023
If We Are Living the Problem…. Four is not the answer as to how you spell “butter”. To make sense requires the answer being tied to the question. The epilogue (12:9-14) is not viewed as a holistic part of Ecclesiastes.This is because it is not seen as answering the problem presented. Partly, this is due […]
Category: Ecclesiastes |
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PHall | July 15, 2023
July 4th is when God gave the 10 Commandments to Israel at Mt. Sinai to announce their freedom from the tyrant King of Egypt. No? Am I getting my history confused? This curious confusion points to similarities between our Declaration and Constitution, and Israel’s 10 Commandments. Read the Preamble in Exodus 20:2, […]
Category: Galatians, Exodus |
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PHall | July 15, 2023
Is my new creation like this old creation? By going back to the old creation in Genesis 1:1-3, we find this progression: 1. God is the creator who brings into existence something out of nothing (1:1). 2. Creation begins with chaos, being formless, empty, and dark…and yet God’s Spirit is there providing hope for the […]
Category: Genesis |
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PHall | July 15, 2023
When creating, notice that God is speaking to the environment from which He is bringing life: • God speaks to the earth – Genesis 1:11) Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation”. • God speaks to the water and sky – Genesis 1:20) Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and […]
Category: Genesis |
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PHall | July 15, 2023
“That’s not fair”. It is hard to not feel that the punishment from God dealt to the young prophet was a raw deal (1 Kings 13). 1. God told the young prophet not to eat, so he didn’t. 2. The old prophet lied to the young prophet saying God told him he could eat. 3. […]
Category: I Kings |
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