Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | April 15, 2014
“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: “’It might have been!’” (Wittier). These are haunting words of dreams unfulfilled; not only of love for another, but for desire of a different life. Love turns to memories, memories turn to sorrow, sorrow turns to regret. Unfulfilled promises, unfinished potential, are […]
PHall | April 10, 2014
Another genealogy. Another spiritually beneficial interruption (see PTTB #123) (1 Chronicles 5.18-22). I wouldn’t be surprised if such interjections were purposely done so as to break the monotony. I wonder if such can be a life lesson: Can monotony hurt us spiritually, so that we don’t think of needing God, because we are numb by […]
PHall | April 2, 2014
Genealogies are boring, but if we approach genealogies…wait, are you still reading this…if we approach genealogies expecting nothing but mind-numbing names, we will miss unexpected jewels. Halfway through Judah’s descendants, God surprises us: 1 Chronicles 4.9-10 – (9) Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth […]
PHall | March 27, 2014
Everyone knows someone with cancer. Hearing the word “cancer” makes us fear the worst. Survival rates vary from the almost hopeless (pancreatic, 6%) to the almost guaranteed (prostate, 99%). Very possibly, many died undiagnosed in darker times, simply wasting away. Modern medicine is making amazing progress. Cancer no longer is an automatic death sentence. Hezekiah […]
PHall | March 19, 2014
Prayer is humbling. If it isn’t, we aren’t doing it right. After giving up on his own false solutions and defenses, Hezekiah turns to God in prayer. First, he asks Isaiah to pray (2 Kings 19.1-4). Isaiah responds with God’s answer of salvation (19.5-6). Then Hezekiah kneels before God Himself and prays (19.14-19). God’s answer […]
PHall | March 13, 2014
Augustine advised, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” A Chimney Corner Scripture advises, “God helps those who help themselves.” After good and bad works, after praising God, plundering the temple, paying off Sennacherib, seeking an alliance with Egypt, rebuilding the wall, building a water tunnel, asking Isaiah […]
PHall | March 6, 2014
Pinocchio is a beloved story, at least Disney’s version. I doubt many are familiar with the original; Pinocchio kills the nagging cricket with a hammer. Why do we love Disney’s version? It’s a tale of redemption. It is a whale of a tale. Wood I lie to you! Like that fictional morality tale, Jerusalem’s Deliverance […]
PHall | January 28, 2014
Ben-hadad, a pagan, is king of Aram, the enemy of Israel. He gets sick and is told, “The man of God has come here” (2 Kings 8.7). King Ben-hadad tells his servant, Hazael, to “Inquire of the LORD through” Elisha by asking him “Will I recover from this sickness?” (8.8). He also sends a massive […]
PHall | January 23, 2014