The Sword of the LORD

The scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus day were very strict keepers of the Law.  They prided themselves in their adherence to the commandments and the precepts, and even their name implied that they were the “chosen ones.”  Josephus, a Jewish historian of the time, describes them as “a body of Jews who profess to be more religious than the rest, and to explain the laws more precisely.”  On a certain Sabbath day, Jesus entered into a synagogue and taught the Word of God.  There were Scribes and Pharisees present who were watching Him very closely to see if He would heal anyone on the Sabbath, for they interpreted this as “work,” which was prohibited by the Law on a Sabbath.  They were seeking to find some accusation against Jesus so that they might defame Him and His teachings. In this crowd was a man with a paralyzed (or withered) hand.  This man was unable to work, or do many normal tasks because of his condition; but he was there to hear t...

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."   (1 Peter 1:13-16 RSV). "Girding up one's loins" is not an expression that we are very familiar with in the 21st century, but it was a very common phrase in Bible times, and everyone back then knew exactly what was meant by it.  When Peter penned his first general letter to the churches of his time, he was inspired to use this particular phrase to communicate the specific imagery that the people of the time would understand and relate to.  In Bible times the men and women wore long tunics or robes which varied in length.  The women usually wore a longer tunic that r...

After the death of Moses, Joshua became the spiritual leader and commander who God chose to bring the Israelites into the land of promise after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  The first great obstacle that the Hebrews encountered after their miraculous crossing of the Jordan River was the city of Jericho.  Jericho was a formidable city with a stone wall that presented a difficult challenge to Joshua and his army.   This city was a key to the conquest of Canaan in that it defended the central hill country and the other cities of the region.   Joshua had sent spies into the city to survey its defenses and had learned among other things that the people were terrified of the Israelites and their God because of all they had heard that the Lord had done for them. God spoke to Joshua and told him, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour." (Joshua 6:2).   Moreover, the Lord appeared to Joshua in the pl...