“Hang the heretics!” the angry mob shouted, shoving my neighbor and me toward a makeshift gallows. Rough hands slipped a noose over my head and shouted, “Now will you repent?” “No!” I said, and the noose drew tighter around my neck. Months earlier I noticed a man reading a Bible on a bus. He saw … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Kings 8:31–53. What more does this text teach us about the function of the sanctuary? At the dedication ceremony of the newly built temple, King Solomon offered seven cases of specific prayers that could be offered at the temple. The seven functions exemplify the extensive role of the temple in the lives of … Continue reading –>
Read Exodus 31:2–11. What do these verses teach us about the making of the objects in the earthly sanctuary? What link is there with Genesis 1:2? (See also Exod. 25:9.) Of all the objects in the sanctuary, the ark of the testimony was the supreme symbol of God’s presence and holiness. The name derives from … Continue reading –>
“And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most … Continue reading –>
According to Exodus 25:8, what was the purpose of the earthly sanctuary in the wilderness? What amazing truth does this teach us about God’s love for us? In the Garden of Eden, sin had broken the face-to-face relationship between God and humanity. Sin forfeited our first parents’ unhindered communion with God. However, the Creator still … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Exod. 40:9-10; Lev. 19:2; 1 Pet. 1:14–16; Exod. 31:2–11; Rom. 3:25–28 1 Kings 8:31–53; Ps. 73:1–17. Memory Text: “ ‘Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them’ ” (Exodus 25:8, NASB). The sanctuary is one of God’s major devices to teach us the meaning of … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “It had been difficult even for the angels to grasp the mystery of redemption—to comprehend that the Commander of heaven, the Son of God, must die for guilty man. When the command was given to Abraham to offer up his son, the interest of all heavenly beings was enlisted. With intense earnestness they … Continue reading –>
Moses is 8 years old. He and his family live in the tiny country of Armenia, tucked between Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Moses and his family had just moved to a little village in western Armenia. Moses didn’t know anyone there. Then he met Hayk [hike], a boy his own age. The two boys quickly … Continue reading –>
Though after Christ’s sacrificial death there was no more need for animal sacrifices, the New Testament does talk about the need for another kind of sacrifice instead. According to these texts, what kind of offerings are we to bring to God today? Rom. 12:1-2; Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:15-16; 1 Pet. 2:5. Terminology from the sacrificial … Continue reading –>
Read Leviticus 17:10-11. What function does God give to the blood? In a passage where God instructs the Israelites not to eat any blood, He provides an interesting reason for this prohibition: blood stands for life, and God has made sacrificial blood a ransom for human life. One life, represented by the blood, ransoms another … Continue reading –>
