Tagged: Bible Study

“Who can forgive sins except God alone?” –Mark 2:7 When Jesus saw a paralyzed man being lowered on a stretcher through a hole in the roof, He said: “My son, your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5). Jesus miraculously and instantaneously healed the paralytic to show that He “has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mk 2:10). When Jesus was criticized for eating with Levi and his friends, Jesus stated: “I have come to call sinners” (Mk 2:17). John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). Paul exclaimed: “You...

“Why do You hide Your face, forgetting our woe and our oppression?” –Psalm 44:25 The Israelites, God’s chosen people, refused to repent of sin. So four thousand Israelites were killed in battle, as they were defeated by the Philistines (1 Sm 4:2). “The wages of sin is death” (Rm 6:23). Then the Israelites decided not to repent but rather to bring forth the ark of the covenant to lead them into another battle. “Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured” (1 Sm 4:10-11). God’s chosen people were made “the mockery and the scorn” of their...

“Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” –1 Samuel 3:9 Because the Lord “gives to His beloved in sleep” (Ps 127:2), sleep is one of the most important aspects of our lives. Therefore, the devil tries to disturb our sleep with sexual temptations, fears, or anxieties. We are also tempted to misuse sleep to escape from our responsibilities. We can let the sloth of sleep keep us from answering God’s call (see 1 Sm 3:6ff) and from giving ourselves prime-time to pray (see 1 Sm 3:2; Mk 1:35). The devil...

“Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.” –1 Samuel 1:17 Because of her barrenness, Hannah had been downcast for years. Finally, she thought it was time to settle the matter. “In her bitterness she prayed to the Lord, weeping copiously, and she made a vow” (1 Sm 1:10-11). This broke the gridlock. Hannah conceived and bore a son (1 Sm 1:20). King Hezekiah was being terrorized by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib. Finally, he took a nasty letter from Sennacherib, “went up to the temple of the Lord, and spreading it...