The ark of God in 2 Samuel 15
The placement of the meeting of David with the priests carrying the ark of God in 2 Samuel 15 and the language ‘of sight’ are some of the most intriguing aspects of this chapter. Here are my conclusions from the…
Category Faith
Preaching 2 Samuel 15-16
“For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” (2 Samuel 19:22). I have preached on 2 Samuel 14-16 over the past couple of months. In a series on a long narrative like 2 Samuel, I…
Genesis 38
Genesis 38 is one of the most intriguing chapters in the book of Genesis. My own take of how to approach it, especially when it came to preaching the passage, has been to summarise the plot in Genesis 38 so:…
Stott – faith and waiting
“Be thou there until I bring thee word.” I came across this sentence in the biography of John Stott. It was in a letter he wrote to someone about his experience of becoming Rector of All Souls Langham Place. I…
The Bible – one book, two covenants
“Salvation by grace through faith is not merely the province of New Testament theology but has always been the way in which God has called his people.” (WJ Dumbrell, Romans, p 99). Bill Dumbrell’s comment comes in the context of…
Marathons & the Big Picture
Over the past week, I’ve watched a few video clips of Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge running last Sunday’s Berlin Marathon where he set the new world record for men of 2:01:09 (Sunday 25th September 2022). I’ve only run one marathon at a much…
Flesh and Spirit
“The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.” (Isaiah…
Spurgeon and the Lord’s remedy
CH Spurgeon is often noted as not only an extraordinary preacher but a pastor who had to deal with melancholy and depression. Some years ago I came across this wonderful ‘God-give remedy for melancholy’. (It was quoted by John Piper…
Joab stirs faith (2 Samuel 10)
Joab said to his brother Abishai: “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and…