The title of Psalm 126 tells us that it is a song of ascent, written to be sung by the people of God when they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and ascended God’s “holy mountain” to worship Him. The …
Much of the book of Isaiah consists of God’s rebuke of Israel for their unbelief. In fact the verses that immediately precede this one accuse Israel of being blind and deaf to the Lord. In spite of their blind eyes …
Isaiah 55 is an invitation to the people of Israel to return to the restored Zion (spoken of in chapter 54). God used Isaiah to call the people out of Babylon and back to Israel. Many of the images …
Paul summarizes the message of the first half of Romans in a simple sentence with a simple idea: sin leads to death, the gift of God is eternal life. This is not only the central message of the letter …
Here James picks up on the theme of perseverance and steadfastness in faith that runs throughout his letter, and is especially prominent in his first chapter. James’ use of the image of a crown is similar to Paul’s in …
In John’s Gospel “light” signifies the truth of God, most clearly manifested I the person and work of Jesus. For John, the truth that gives light is frequently depicted as “heavenly” and “eternal” and contrasted sharply with the things …
