Dictionary

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Genesis

Genesis is the first book in the Bible and also the ‘Torah’ or ‘Law’ of the O.T. The first 11 chapters are a prologue to Genesis, the ‘Torah’, the O.T. and to the whole of the Bible, describing not just Creation, but the natural sinful state of humanity, God’s reaction to sin, and His Covenant promise (in the story of the Flood - Gen 6-9) never to destroy humanity because of sin, but to seek redemption and salvation. From Genesis 12 onwards it describes the story of God’s relationship with the forefathers of Israel; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and his brothers; along with their wives, Sarah, Rebeccah, Leah and Rachel. The story of the forefathers is the story of God’s relationship with humanity, according to His choice and the Covenant, and the faith and obedience of the people with whom He chooses to have a relationship, in order to bless the world (Gen 12:2,3).

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Exodus

The Book of Exodus picks up the story of God’s people whilst living in Egypt. After the time of Joseph, they fell out of favour with the Egyptians, and the Lord kept faith with His people by choosing Moses as a leader for them. God led him to extract Israel from the grip of slavery in Egypt and liberate them to return to their ‘Promised Land’. The Book of Exodus covers the story of Moses, his call, his confrontations with Pharaoh, his leading of the people out of Egypt and his guidance of the people during their first experiences of travelling in the desert. At Mount Sinai, Moses received the word of God in the form of ‘Law’, encapsulated in the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20); and following this, the second half of Exodus contains ritual instructions and guidance for creating the Ark of the Covenant. Exodus contains a wealth of information about the formation of the nation of God’s people Israel.

Paul H Ashby 20/08/08

Leviticus

For Christians, Leviticus is probably the most mysterious book of the Bible. It contains laws and regulations basic to the office of levitical priesthood (exercised by the tribe of Levi). Broadly, the book falls into six parts; first, laws about performing sacrifices (1-7); second, about the consecration of priests (8-10); third, about the distinction between clean and unclean things (11-15); four, about for the day of atonement ((16); five, about Israel’s life as a holy people (17-26); and six, an appendix on holy vows (27). In this way, Leviticus continues on from the laws found at the end of Exodus, and flows into the next book of Numbers. Leviticus speaks of a holy God who seeks His sinful people, who through sacrifice and the path of holiness (see 17-26) may draw near to Him despite their sin. Despite intricate laws addressing the real needs of ancient people, many of the laws in the holiness codes (especially 17-26) are of interest to Christians, especially Jesus’ quote of the law, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:26)

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

The book of Joshua continues the story of the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. The seamless connection with Deuteronomy has suggested to many that the book should be ranked with the first five books of the Bible rather than the first of the ‘historical’ books (by tradition). Joshua was the chosen servant of Moses who became his designated heir as the leader of God’s people, and His name means ‘salvation’. The character of Joshua towers over the book, which begins with successful entry into Canaan and the battle of Jericho, but continues with a series of incidents which teach the people of Israel lessons about obedience to the Lord their God. Eventually the land is apportioned out and the different tribes conquer their territories, until the whole land has been occupied successfully, or so it seemed at the time. The book concludes with Joshua gathering all Israel to celebrate their ‘covenant’ with the God of Israel. It is the last time Israel will be united for some time.

Paul H Ashby - 19/01/09

Judges

The book of Judges presents a radical contrast toJoshua. It begins by making it clear that the taking of the Promised Land was not completed by Israel, with only Judah managing the task to completion. From chapters 3 to 16 we are told the stories of twelve Judges from (roughly) each of the 12 tribes and who ‘rule’ Israel’, or at least, parts of Israel, in turn. Judges 2 presents a pattern for the stories: Israel sins, and then become subject to a foreign power, whereupon the Israelites cry out to God who provides a saviour in the form of a ‘judge’, who defeats the enemy and calls Israel back to godliness. This pattern fits the well known stories of Deborah, Gideon, Samson and the others, though most of them are mentioned but briefly (see Judges 3). The book ends with two terrible stories of misrule in Israel (chapters 17-21) which lead to dire acts of godlessness and moral horror, summarised in the observation dominating the end of the book; ‘Israel had no king, and everyone did as they pleased’ (17:6,18:1,19:1, 21:5).

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Ruth

1 Samuel

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel are one scroll of the O.T. It covers the stories of Samuel and the 2 Kings he anointed, Saul and David. The end of 1 Samuel occurs after Saul is killed in battle against the Philistines. At the beginning of 1 Samuel, the people of Israel have been ruled by Judges, but this had been an unsuccessful way of governing Israel. Samuel was born as a special gift of God to Hannah (and her husband Elkannah), and he was returned as a child to God to grow up in the Tent of the Tabernacle guarding the Ark of the Covenant. It was Samuel who agreed to anoint the first king of Israel, Saul, at the request of the people, and after strong warnings from the Lord about the consequences (see 1 Sam 8). The failure of Saul to behave in an appropriate way for a king was a personal tragedy for Samuel, who anointed David in his place, but left the scene shortly after, dying at Ramah (1 Sam 25:1f.)

Paul H Ashby - 20/08/08

2 Samuel

The book of 2 Samuel picks up the story of David’s claim to the throne of Israel and Judah after the death of Saul. David had been anointed by Samuel many years previously but had accepted internal exile in Israel as long as Saul lived. A soon as David was free to stake his claim, he was proclaimed king in Judah, but not in Israel where a son of Saul, Ishbosheth, claimed the crown. The first part of 2 Samuel is dominated by David’s struggle to gain power over all Israel and unite the warring tribes, and he captured Jerusalem to make it the capital of a united Israel. After this, his own position was compromised by his adultery with Bathsheba, but the story of 2 Samuel takes on the theme of a ‘succession’ narrative, with different sons of David vying for the right to be the next king. One son, Absolom, even threw his father David out of Jerusalem and claimed the crown whist he was still alive!

Paul H Ashby - 20/08/08

1 Kings

Both 1 and 2 Kings are one work split into 2 scrolls. They are a record of the kings of Israel and Judah from the time of David until the Babylonian Exile. The writers were concerned to inform us of the qualities of the various kings, which they believe explain the consequent history of Israel and Judah. 1 Kings begins with Solomon’s coronation, followed by his building the Temple (and other great buildings). After his death, his son Rehoboam proves incapable of holding Israel together and God’s people split into two kingdoms; Judah in the south with its capital Jerusalem, and Israel in the north with its capital Shechem (later Samaria). Whilst recording the fates of kings of both kingdoms, 1 Kings describes a shift of power as God raises up prophets to confront evil kings. The stories of Elijah (17 onwards) describe how Israel’s kings are ‘judged’ by the prophets when they stray from His ways. The stories of Elijah’s work and his personal experience of God are amongst some of the most famous in the Bible (18 and 19).

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

The core story of Job is found in its first two chapters and the last; it is about a good man blessed by God, who is visited by great suffering. This is remarkable, because the idea is at odds with the blessings of God claimed by descendants of Abraham, which says that if God’s people are obedient to Him they will be blessed (Gen 12:2,3). Yet for Job, this does not happen, and the fault for this is enigmatically shared between Satan, the ‘accuser’, and God who allows Satan to test Job. This scenario sets up a theological debate about what is called today ‘the problem of evil’. Job’s friends insist that to suffer, Job must have done something wrong, and bear the blame; but he insists that he has not, and a furious debate ensues with hot tempered language and theological division (Job 3-37). The book is concluded by God’s direct intervention (Job 38 onwards) justifying Job and restoring his life. Most find the book hard to understand, but as a thesis on pastoral care it is unsurpassed, and has been studied by many great Christian leaders in search of the godliness and wisdom necessary for the exercise of Christian mission.

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Psalms

The Book of Psalms is made up of 150 poems of praise to God. The words ‘Psalms’ comes from the Latin word for the Hebrew ‘tehillim’ which means ‘praises’. But why are they called ‘praises’ when many complain to God (see Ps. 13). In Hebrew, to praise God meant to accept and honour the authority of God as Lord of All and address Him as such, even if the words said were honest and frank in expressing feelings and experience. In most Psalms, the writer begins with bringing a problem to God but ends with confidence that the Lord will help. The Psalms are split into 5 ‘books’ or collections, and some of the Psalms are described as being ‘of’ David, which could mean they were written by him; but not all were (see Psalms 44-50, for example). The Psalms are and indispensable testimony of people’s experience of God, and most were born in songs sung in praise of the Lord.

Paul H Ashby - 27/07/08

Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is a book of ‘wisdom literature. It begins with the ‘Proverbs of Solomon’ (1:1-9:18) , a poem extolling the virtues of wisdom as like an upright woman compared to a loose woman. A series of themes include one about creation (8:22f.). The bulk of the book contains further ‘Proverbs of Solomon’ (10:1-22:16 which are mostly two line ‘sayings comparing wisdom and folly, wealth and poverty, and good and evil. The book is far from than social and moral comment, and its strict morality is identified as found in the Lord. Much of the book reads like a teaching resource for educating a young man in early Israelite society, perhaps at court, perhaps an heir to the throne. Towards the end, there are other collections of sayings; those of Solomon collected by ‘Hezekiah’s men’ (25:1-29:27), ‘the words of the Wise (22:17-23:11), the ‘Words of Agur (30:1f.) and the ‘words of Lemuel’ (31:1-10) and others.

Paul H Ashby - 21/03/09

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Isaiah is an incredible prophecy, frequently quoted in the N.T. Clearly, the first half (1-39) is very different to the second (40-66), and some suggest that while the first half was written by Isaiah in the eighth century BC, the second half was written later by Isaiah’s ‘disciples’, after the Exile (sixth century BC). The links between the two halves however are very strong, and the truth may not be as simple as this. Isaiah’s early prophecies are similar to Amos and Hosea, but after his ‘call’ (ch.6), he prophecies both God’s judgment on sin and also declares its solution, whilst being intimately involved in the politics of his day and the awful invasion of Assyria up to the gates of Jerusalem (36-39). Isaiah prophesies God’s work through a ‘remnant’ (10:19f.), and a ‘child’ king, ‘Immanuel’ (7:14, 9:6, 11:2), and in later prophecies (40-66) describes the redemptive work of a ‘suffering servant’ (53), and His eternal commission (61:1f.). These latter prophecies fit the time of Judah’s exile in Babylon many years later, but thematically, there is nothing to suggest that the work is split in this way.

Paul H Ashby - 20/08/08

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Hosea spoke around 750 to 740 BC, half a century after Elisha died, just after the time of Amos, and roughly contemporary with the young Isaiah. Hosea’s call arose from the events of his marriage and family life. He perceived that Israel’s relationship with God was like his marriage with Gomer, a prostitute. In effect, Hosea calls’ Israel, the northern Kingdom of God’s people, a ‘prostitute’! Even though what had been done to him by his wife was intolerable, Hosea acted to both save her and love her, despite her rebellion, and this is his basic message about the nature of God. This message is then delivered through eleven chapters (4-14) of blistering prophecy, both damning the northern kingdom of Israel and yet proclaiming God’s undying love for His people. We do not know what happened to Hosea’s marriage, but we do know what happened in history, and that Israel, as Hosea said, was invaded and destroyed by the Assyrians shortly after his prophecy was given (721 BC); and also as he prophesied, God did indeed save the southern kingdom of Judah and maintain His covenant for not through Israel (northern kingdom) through Judah.

Paul H Ashby - 22/11/09

Joel

Amos

The prophet Amos was a shepherd from the southern town of Tekoa, who was required by the Lord to prophesy in Bethel, a major sanctuary of the northern kingdom of Israel around 760 BC during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah of Judah. Although both lands were peaceful at that time, Amos foresaw disaster and evil coming on the northern Kingdom of Israel because of its two major sins, firstly the lack of justice within the country and the increasing gap between rich and poor. Secondly, because of the abuse of the worship of the Lord which was tolerated at major shrines, where the worship of the Ba’als occurred alongside that of Almighty God. Amos, although a mere shepherd, was a remarkable prophet, who exhibited a high degree of skill in the structure and form of his prophecies, especially the initial eight prophecies which exposed Israel’s sins (chs 1&2), and the famous visions in chapter 7. Amos was the first prophet since Elijah and Elisha (1 and 2 Kings), and is the first great prophet whose words are written down.

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Obadiah

Jonah

The prophecy Jonah is a distinct addition to the list of the twelve so-called ‘minor prophets’. Most of the book contains a story, and the only prophecy is Jonah’s cry to the people of Nineveh that they will be the subject of God’s wrath before 40 days have gone by (3:1f.)! This is prophecy that is not fulfilled, much to Jonah’s annoyance. Jonah's reaction to God’s salvation of foreigners is not surprising, and the point is made that God is concerned for all His world, not just the interests of His own people. This powerful message is sometimes forgotten because of the powerful attraction of the story with which the book opens. Jonah’s reaction to his call from God has been used as a parable of people’s response to God’s call for centuries. We must also remember that Jesus referred strikingly to the prophecy of Jonah as predictive of His death and resurrection (see especially the ‘psalm’ in chapter 2).

Paul H Ashby - 9/07/09

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

There is great debate amongst scholars about whether ‘Malachi’ is a name or not. The word means ‘my messenger’, and could well be a pseudonym for a prophet, or even a claim for prophecy (judged by later generations to be correct!). It is generally reckoned that the book reflects the personal views and prophetic challenge of a prophet living around 500 to 450 BC, a generation or so after the Exile. This generation became disillusioned with the dishonesty of the priesthood, as is clearly reflected in this prophecy. Malachi used a ‘question and answer’ method in delivering his prophetic message. Malachi exhorted Israel to faithfulness and described the blessings of obedience, before speaking about preparing the ‘way of the Lord’ and the coming of Elijah. The prophecy with which Malachi ends makes an appropriate prophetci call for the coming of the Messiah.

Paul H Ashby - 21/03/09

Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew is the first of the four great Gospels. Matthew presents Jesus as a great teacher, leader and healer who is anointed by God at His baptism to do the work of the Messiah and establish the new Kingdom of God. There are roughly five phases of Jesus’ ministry, the first of which begins with the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Matt 5-7). Jesus goes on to demonstrate His teaching by a ministry of healing and deliverance, and also teaches the crowds by means of parables. His ministry is rejected by the Pharisees, who plot to trap Him. Though failing to trap Him, they succeed in getting Him handed over to the authorities for a mock trial on charges of blasphemy. The Roman authorities eventually carried out the death penalty on Jesus, but the Gospel ends with Jesus commissioning the disciples to take the Gospel to the whole world.

Paul H Ashby - 1/09/08

Mark

The Gospel of Mark is reckoned to be the oldest of the Gospel, written by Mark but reflecting the experience of Peter. The Gospel teaches that Jesus is the Son of God but persistently challenges the reader to make up their own mind about this. It begins with the commencement of Jesus’ public ministry at His baptism by John the Baptist, and follows Jesus’ teaching, healing and preaching ministry in Galilee for the first nine chapters. Chapter 10 describes the journey to Jerusalem, and the rest of the Gospel is given over to the story of Jesus’ Passion, ending with a brief report of the resurrection which leaves the disciples stunned. There is much dispute about the possible ending of the Gospel, which has clearly been constructed (in parts) at a later time. Church tradition has always kept the endings of Mark within scripture despite these scholarly disputes.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

Luke

The Gospel of Luke is the only Gospel written by a Gentile, and speculation continues about whether Paul influenced its writing. This is because Luke wrote it together with Acts at a time in his life when it seems that he spent most of his time with Paul in Rome. The Gospel contains many of the most famous stories of Jesus (The Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son), and emphasises Jesus’ human qualities as Saviour of the world. The story begins with the famous birth narratives including the stories of Elizabeth and Mary, and continues with a description of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (ch. 3-9). After this, Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is covered with greater detail than the other Gospels (ch. 10-19). The final saga of Jesus’ death and resurrection completes the Gospel, including famous stories such as the Emmaus Road, and Jesus’ appearance to the disciples after the Resurrection (ch.24).

Paul H Ashby - 7/12/09

John

Acts

Acts is a sequel to Luke, describing the rise of the early church. It is also the story of the work of the Holy Spirit, who empowers the disciplesin their work for the Lord. The earliest stories of the Jerusalem church include miracles in the ministry of Peter, the martyrdom of Stephen, the evangelism of Phillip and the vital visit of Peter to Cornelius, the first Gentile convert. The story of the church then becomes entangled with that of Paul, who begins his missionary work some years after his conversion and is immediately effective. After his first missionary journey through Asia Minor (now Turkey), Paul returned to Jerusalem where he successfully defended the rights of Gentile converts at a council in Jerusalem (Acts 15). After more adventurous journeys further west, Paul was arrested by Jewish antagonists, whereupon he claimed his right as a Roman citizen to be tried before the Emperor. The fact the book ends here suggests it was prepared for his defence, but we can never be sure!

Paul H Ashby 18/315

Romans

Romans is Paul’s great ‘theological’ letter which systematically set out his beliefs. It consists of an explanation of the whole Gospel (1-8), the question of God’s faithfulness to His own people (9-11) and the believer’s obligations to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ (12-15,16). Paul wanted to go to Rome as it was the centre of the Roman world. Called to minister to Gentiles, it was natural that he should want to go there and visit a church founded by Christians whose lives took theme there, probably in the service of Roman officials. He set out for them the essentials of the Christian faith, focussing on the need for all people to be saved (1,2,3), the salvation available for all (3), its consistency with the O.T. (4), and the nature of the new relationship with God through Christ enjoyed by the believer (5-8). It is impossible to underestimate the significance of what Paul wrote about ‘salvation by faith’.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

1 Corinthians

The famous first letter to the Corinthians by Paul is a vigourous defence of the Gospel by Paul against the divisions of the church at Corinth, and a response to questions put to him by the church. As the founding apostle who first evangelised Corinth, Paul took the matter of the divisions in the church very seriously. The letter is thought to have been written in the middle of Paul’s active ministry, not as early as Thessalonians and not as late as Romans. After dealing with the issue of division (chpts 1-6), Paul wrote about marriage, social issues, the life of the church and especially communion. After this comes the famous chapter describing the church as like Christ’s body, with parts according to the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. This is followed by the climax of the letter, Paul’s famous hymn of love (ch13); this is followed by two very important chapters about worship and the truth of the resurrection.

Paul H Ashby - 19/01/09

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is abrupt and challenging, and probably one of the earlier of his letters. It is quite clear as soon as you begin to read the letter that people in the churches around Galatia (a region of what we now call central Turkey) had questioned Paul’s right to speak as an authoritative apostle and they also had teachers who strongly and successfully advocated Judaism as the basis of Christianity, to the extent that they required men to be circumcised. This news clearly shattered Paul (see his reaction in Gal 3:1), and he gave a strong defence of himself and his apostolic authority, and an explanation of the core Gospel based upon faith in Christ, not the Old Testament ‘Law’. In his conclusions about Christian living, Paul contrasted the ways ‘of the flesh’ with that ‘of the spirit’; writing one of the famous texts of the New Testament, the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ (Gal 5:22,23).

Paul H Ashby - 20/08/08

Ephesians

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a powerful letter which appears to have been addressed not just to the church at Ephesus, but to the group of churches Paul evangelised when he first went there on the last of his missionary journeys. The letter was written whist Paul was in prison (4:1f.), probably in Rome. It begins with a magnificent eulogy in praise of God and His work of Salvation; and the first chapter of Ephesians is regarded as a masterpiece of expressive writing. From there, Paul writes about new life in Christ, before justifying his call as an apostle and his work as an evangelist. On this basis, Paul continues in chapter 4 with a powerful call for the unity of all believers. The list of ministry gifts in chapter 4 is often used alongside the lists of gifts in Rom. 12 and 1 Cor 12. Chapters 5 and 6 speak about living the new life of Christ and the famous highlight of this is the ‘whole armour of God in 6:10f.

Paul H Ashby - 21/09/09

Philippians

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a warm letter written to a church which Paul had founded on his 2nd missionary journey, and the first on European soil. The story of the founding of the church in Acts 16:11-13 indicates that there was a considerable amount of opposition to the young church, and in his letter, Paul presents himself as an example of steadfastness in the face of death. The undoubted highlight of the letter is the great hymn of chapter 2 in which Paul writes a hymn telling us about Jesus’ self-emptying and sacrificial service. The letter contains some abrupt changes of topic (see 31:1f.) and Paul was clearly concerned to confront wrong teaching, especially Judaistic influences within the church which insisted on circumcision (3:1-6). There is some debate about when the letter was written, and references to the ‘Imperial guard’ (1:13) may suggest his imprisonment before going to Rome.

Paul H Ashby - 30/09/08

Colossians

Paul’s letter to the Colossians is a fascinating letter written to the church at Colossae, a small town in Asia Minor which was quite close to Ephesus. The church there was probably founded by Epaphras (1:7, 4:12), but Paul seems to have been concerned to make sure that the church was faithful to right teaching. He attacked Jewish influences and also those who believed in various pagan traditions, which later developed into what is known now as ‘gnosticism’. Against this teaching, Paul speaks of the Cosmic significance of Christ, and uses some ‘gnostic’ language to speak of the ‘fulness’ of Christ (2:9f.). As always, Paul also speaks about the new life in Christ and the duties of a Christian in following through this new life. He speaks warmly of other Christians in his greetings and also speaks about his suffering in prison whilst writing the letter.

Paul H Ashby - 4/11/08

1 Thessalonians

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is fascinating. It was probably the first of the Biblical letters to be written, although the maturity of style suggests that Paul may have been used to writing to churches before he wrote this. The church had been founded by Paul on his second missionary journey (see Acts 17:1-9) and was clearly impressed by their faithfulness. He wrote encouragingly to support the young church because it had an important influence and was located in a city that was the capital of Macedonia (northern Greece). Paul wrote to encourage the Thessalonians in their witness to Jesus and also to help them better understand the return of Jesus. Many expected His return soon, and Paulo had to explain that whatever happened, a Christian was one who did the Lord’s work.

Paul H Ashby - 21/03/09

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

Paul’s letters to Timothy are very different from his other letters, largely because they arise from different circumstances. Here, Paul was speaking to a friend, not admonishing or instructing a church, and the teaching given takes the form of wise advice about worship (2:1-15) and leadership (3:1-13). The letter then addresses the circumstances of certain categories of people as they seek to live a godly life; widows, leaders, and slaves. This teaching must be considered carefully against the cultural background of the day before we can apply any faith principles to our own times. For example, the manner in which Paul speaks about bishops bears no comparison with the way in which this office is held today; but the principles of leadership of which he speaks are important. Paul also speaks strongly against false teaching and urges the Christian community to follow the leading of God’s Spirit in all things.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

2 Timothy

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is more personal that the first, and it seems that Paul was concerned for his younger protégé, in particular for his health and the consistency of his work and teaching (1:8f.) Paul encourages Timothy with the illustration of a soldier fighting for Christ (2:1f.) and reminds him of the laying on of hands by which he was commissioned to the work of leadership, with a possible special call to teaching. Paul told Timothy to be aware of false teaching, to identify it and not be drawn into it (2:14f.). The last days were considered to be looming and as such, a godly example should be set of faithfulness and obedience to Christ (ch.3,4). The end of the letter speaks in warn tones about a number of individuals who were key church leaders in the region, and in this way, Paul draws Timothy’s attention to the fellowship within which he was set and which was capable of sustaining him.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

Titus

Paul’s letter to Titus was written to assist this valuable helper of the apostle in his work to oversee new churches established in Crete. There is some uncertainly about when this happened, but the letter seems to be from Paul after he had written to Timothy, because much of the content is similar. Paul told Titus to appoint leaders for the churches (ch1), and then set out guidelines for a proper attitude towards various categories of people; older men and women, younger men and slaves (ch2). This continues into a useful passage about what might be expected of believers in the light of God’s grace (ch3), using typical themes to do with avoiding impurity and evil and encouraging good works and righteous living. The life of God’s people is enabled by God’s mercy as found in Christ.

Paul H Ashby - 9/07/09

Philemon

Hebrews

The letter to the Hebrews does not have any indication within it of who the author of the letter might be. Unproved theories have abounded since the second century AD. Nevertheless, the letter makes a unique contribution to New Testament teaching. It appears that many of the early recipients of the letter came from a Jewish background, as the arguments within the letter are all strongly linked to Hebrew traditions. The main contents of the letter argue that Christ is superior to prophets, to the angels, and to Moses. Because of this, the priesthood of Christ is superior to that of the levitical priesthood and the sacrifice of Jesus is superior to animal sacrifice. In the process of making these arguments, the author confirms the New Covenant mediated by Christ, and speaks powerfully about the witness of God’s people until the end times.

Paul H Ashby - 5/11/08

James

The letter of James gives balance to the body of N.T. letters. The author may be James, Jesus’ brother (this is not explicitly said), and the teaching reflects an close connection with that of Jesus and the also of Paul. The letter addresses an established Christian community which has experienced a few problem, with evidence of richer Christians taking advantage of the poverty of others. James takes the opportunity to speak vigourously to the church about attitudes to the poor and the damaging things that can result from inappropriate use of the tongue. The main theological feature of the letter is its use of the teachings of Jesus to affirm that faith must be shown in our lives through what we do. James does not dispute ‘salvation through faith alone’ with Paul, but ensures that this truth is not used as an excuse for inaction. It concludes with some famous and helpful teaching about sickness and ministry.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

1 Peter

The authorship of the two letters of Peter is disputed, though it is all but impossible to unpick the letter sufficiently to find conclusive evidence of another author. We are left to read the text as it is presented to us in the New Testament, within which it offers an invaluable insight into the life of the early church in parts of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Christians lived against a backdrop of negativity and needed to be sure of their beliefs as separate from Judaism, and Peter describes the church as the recipients of God’s new ‘Covenant’. An attractive theory of the origins of this letter is that it comes from a sermon spoken at the baptism of converts. The letter does have characteristics of a sermon, in particular, the first two chapters. It has been suggested that baptism took place in the midst of the sermon, at 1:21/22. The rest of the letter being advice to the converts about holy living in a troubled world.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

2 Peter

Peter’s second letter is the subject of even more speculation about its authorship than the first letter, despite the connections with Christ suggested in the opening. The letter speaks vigourously about the importance of living an authentic Christian lifestyle, according to the growing traditions of the early church and built on the teaching of the ‘apostles’. At one point (3:16), Peter virtually implies that the teaching of Paul (i.e. his letters) have already been gathered into some collection and have the acclamation of being some kind of ‘scripture’. The letter emphasises right teaching, the path of discipleship (see especially 1:5-8), and also speaks about the example of the Old Testament ancients, Noah and Lot (ch 2). In common with many other Old Testament letters, it contains a significant number of warnings against false teaching, and also encourages the church to stand firm in difficult times.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

1 John

The first letter of John is a substantial letter to a group of churches either founded by the apostle John or his group of evangelists. The letters 2 John and 3 John are clearly part of the same group of letters. The letter complements John’s Gospel and rejects any teaching that does not emphasise the primary work of Jesus as the Son of God (also, John 20:31). Some reckon that the letter defends the Gospel against its use by so-called ‘gnostic’ Christians, who appear to be the false teachers John speaks against in the letter. The main themes of the letter are the coming of Jesus in the flesh, the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature of sin and the nature of love. Much of its teaching assumes that the reader is familiar with the great command of Jesus ‘love one another’. Because the letter is not always easy to understand, it has not been used to its best in recent church history.

Paul H Ashby - 9/07/09

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Scroll & select Bible book

Dictionary of books of the Bible

Joseph (fr. of Jesus)

Joseph (son of Jacob)

Joshua

Judah

King (title of God)

Kings (Israel & Judah)

Aaron

Aaron was the elder brother of Moses, and after the incident at which God spoke to Moses from the ‘burning bush (Ex 3), Aaron teamed up with him to be his ‘speaker’, the one who was to address Pharaoh and perform acts of wonder. In fact, there is little more said about Aaron in the stories of the Exodus until he acted as a leader of the people when Moses disappeared on the mountain top for 40 days receiving the Ten Commandments (Ex 32f.) He made a golden calf from the gold acquired from the Israelites, and this caused Moses to go into a rage when he came down the mountain! Nevertheless, it was God’s will that Aaron should be set aside as a ‘high priest’ to serve all Israel, and this was reflected in the special robes made for him (Ex 39f.) and the special priestly duties he had to perform in the ‘Tabernacle’. The role of high priest continued through Aaron’s descendants to the time of Christ.

Paul H Ashby - 31/10/08

Abel

Abel is the second son of Adam and Eve after they had been banished from the Garden of Eden, and the brother of Cain (Genesis 4). Abel was a herdsman and Cain was an agriculturalist. After Abel’s offering of the best of his flock was accepted by God, and Cain’s representative offering of grain was rejected, Cain murdered Abel, and became a fugitive from God. There is a long debate about the meaning of the conflict between the two brothers, including the possibility that it was an attempt to explain the antipathy between these two occupations within Israel of later years. However, there is much for us to find within it to connect with other great Genesis stories; the unilateral choice of God of one against another brother, the preference of God for worship by sacrifice, etc. He is regarded by Matthew as an example of righteous suffering (Matt 23:34f.)

Paul H Ashby - 12/02/09

Abiathar

Abiathar was a senior priest and relative of Aaron who lived during the reign of Saul and David. He escaped the wrath of Saul which erupted when David was thrown out of the court and went to join David in internal exile (1 Sam 22:20f. 23:6f.). He was with David when he needed help prior to the attack on the Amalekites (1 Sam 30), and when David was crowned King he was joint ‘High Priest’ with Zadok (2 Sam 8:17f.). Both were ‘guardians of the Ark of the Covenant’. However, when David’s elder son Adonijah claimed the throne as King David grew elderly, Abiathar supported the young upstart, so when King Solomon came to the throne, he was demoted and spared rom death only because Solomon promised that he would kill someone who had ‘guarded the Ark’ (1 Kings 1,2 f.)

Paul H Ashby - 22/08/08

Abimelech

There are two characters called Abimelech (meaning ‘God is my father’, or ‘My God is Father’) in the Old Testament. The first Abimelech was a king from the stories of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis. He was a righteous man from Philistia, and was deceived by Abraham and nearly took Sarah to be his wife (Genesis 20:1-18). After this situation was rectified, Abraham and Abimelech clarified their relationship with a Covenant (21:22f.) in which Abraham promised not to be deceptive, and also gained lands rights through access to a well at Beersheba. He should not be confused with the ‘Philistines’ who lived in the area centuries later and caused great trouble to Israel in the time of the Judges, Saul and David. Secondly, one of the Judges was called ‘Abimelech’. He was a son of Gideon by a prostitute who created havoc in Israel as the only ‘anti-hero’ type of Judge in Israel’s history (Judges 9).

Paul H Ashby - 17/08/08

Abner

Abner was Saul’s Commander in Chief and his right-hand man. He was also his cousin, and was utterly loyal to Saul throughout his troubled reign. This caused David to greatly admire a man who was his enemy for all the years he was on the run. When Saul was killed in battle against the Philistines, Abner sought to advance the interests of Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, as king of the northern tribes of Israel. Ishbosheth turned out to be a weak man, and eventually Abner sought to make peace with David and made moves to create a united Israel under King David (who became king of Judah after Saul’s death). Unfortunately, David’s own Commander, Joab, hated Abner fiercely and set up a trap which enable him to kill Abner. David was mortified at the injustice of Abner’s death (see 1 Sam 14:50f., 17:55f., 26:13f., 2 Sam 2:8 to 3:39)

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Abraham

Abram, later renamed Abraham (‘father of nations’) by God, was the Father of the nation of Israel. God chose Abram and led him on a journey by which his faith in God grew and he learned obedience and trust in God. God made a Covenant promise to Abraham and his descendants for ever; that they would become a ‘great’ nation, that they would possess a ‘Promised Land’ and that through them, all nations would be blessed (Gen 12:2,3). The story of Genesis tell us how this worked in Abraham’s life; the Old Testament tells us how this worked our for his descendants the Israelites, and the New Testament tells us how this Covenant promise is renewed through Jesus and Abraham’s descendants by faith. They are now a great ‘nation’, the Church, they inhabit the ‘Promised Land’ of the Kingdom of God, and the world is blessed by its message of God’s Love contained in the Gospel.

Paul H Ashby - 29/07/08

Absalom

Absalom was the third in line of David’s sons and the story of his relationship with his father is complex. It begins with the story of the rape of his sister Tamar by his older (half) brother Amnon, an act for which he had Amnon killed. David threw Absalom out of Jerusalem as a consequence, but he loved Absalom, and the emotional ties made the situation complex. Eventually, Absalom played on his father’s weakness and took advantage of his position, eventually throwing David out of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15), and disgracing his wives and concubines in the city. When David finally managed to gather himself together and fight his son for the kingdom, Absalom was killed in a stray accident during the battle, and David was heartbroken. It is a strange and unhappy story, but part of the penalty David bore for his adultery with Bathsheba, as prophesied by Nathan (2 Samuel 12:11)

Paul H Ashby - 5/12/08

Achish

King Achish appears in 1 Samuel 21 to 1 Kings 2 as the ruler of one of the five city states which made up the Philistine territory of what is now called ‘Gaza’. Interestingly, it seems that David had some kind of relationship with this king despite the fact that he had killed his military champion Goliath, because he flees twice from Saul to take refuge under Achish’s rule (1 Sam 21 and 1 Sam 27). The story each time is one of intrigue, as David both uses the hospitality of the king and abuses it. The stakes are high, as when David lines up to fight against Israel with Achish in the ranks of the Philistine army before being thrown out by the other Philistine kings (1 Sam 28)! David apologises profusely to king Achish (1 Sam 29:6-11). It is a strange story from David’s exile as a leader of God’s people, and one for which there is no clear explanation.

Paul H Ashby 19/3/15

Adam

Adam is introduced in Genesis 2 as the name of ‘man’ created by God before he separated male from female (2:7), Adam and Eve (2:23). The name Adam is related to the word for ‘ground’ or ‘earth’ (‘Adamah’) from which Adam was made in Genesis. Adam therefore came to represent the figure of ‘man’ in the Old and New Testaments, and is mentioned throughout. As representative of fallen humanity, Adam is referred to by Paul frequently, and is contrasted with Christ, the ‘new man’. The theology of this is sometimes questioned by those who dislike the use of ‘man’ and ‘Adam’ as a sexist term, but in order to understand what the Bible says about salvation we must understand the premise that Paul makes here. There is archaeological evidence that the name Adam refers to the first ‘king’ of human civilisation, as identified in ancient Sumerian ‘king lists’, and thus a ‘real’ person.

Paul H Ashby - 16/01/09

Amalekites

The Amalekites were one of the groups of people who lived in the region of Canaan before the invasion by Israel, and they were also a nomadic group who travelled in the region to wherever they could gain the best grazing and living. They harassed Israel during the desert wanderings (Exodus 17:8-16), and later during the reign of King Saul, they were the people that the Lord instructed Saul to exterminate because of their offence against God (of which we do not know). Saul’s failure to do this (1 Sam 15) was the source of division between Saul and Samuel. They were also the nomadic group who took off David’s family and those of his warriors when David was away from base (1 Sam 30), and David was responsible for re-capturing his family and his people and possessions from them in an infamous battle.

Paul H Ashby - 22/08/08

Ammonites

The Ammonites were a group of people descended from the sons of the daughters of Lot born by incest (Gen 19:30f.) after Lot lost everything in the destruction of Sodom. Later generations of Ammonites lived to the east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. Though there were periods of peace between Israel and Ammon, the Ammonites were noted in the Old Testament for their cruelty (Judges 11:1f., 1 Sam 11:1f. and 2 Sam 12:26 etc.). They were defeated by the Judge Jephthah and later King David, but played a role even in later Israelite history (see Nehemiah 4:7,8).

Paul H Ashby - 12/08/08

Amnon

Amnon was David’s firstborn son by Ahinoam of Jezreel. According to the laws of the day he stood in line for succession to the throne of his father, and scripture therefore reports what happened to him as part of the saga of David’s succession. In 2 Samuel 13, Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar. However, Tamar’s brother was Absalom, one of the next in line for the throne. Absalom was incensed at the rape of his sister and plotted to have Amnon killed. His plot succeeded but David was furious and threw Absalom out of Jerusalem. The court intrigue that followed led to a complex relationship between David and Absalom and led to Absalom’s revolt in which he took the throne from his father (2 Sam 14,15).

Paul H Ashby - 5/12/08

Anna

Anna is the first prophetess mentioned in the New Testament (Luke 2:36-38). Together with Simeon, she greeted the infant Jesus in the Temple, presumably at the purification ceremony to mark one month after the birth of Jesus. Anna did not make any specific prophecy over Jesus, but her words of praise to God constituted a godly testimony of prophetic power (Luke 2:38). Anna was a widow who was getting on in years (the Greek text is unclear about whether she was eighty four years old, or lived eighty four years after the end of her marriage (making her well over one hundred years old!). Luke says that Anna praised God and gave testimony about Jesus to all who ‘hoped for the redemption of Jerusalem’ (Luke 2:38), and this shows her to be one of the many people of those days who were keenly awaiting the Messiah.

Paul H Ashby - 12/01/10

Apollos

What we know about Apollos is found in three places within the New Testament; Acts 18:24-28, 1 Corinthians 1-3 and Titus 3:13. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria who was converted to Christianity and came to Ephesus around the time that Paul was staying in Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila. It was said that he spoke excellently and was well informed about Jesus, being able to explain the Messiah from scripture. However, he ‘knew only the baptism of John’. So after he had taught at Ephesus, Paul went there and found people who did not know about the Holy Spirit, and Paul had to correct the teaching they had been given by Apollos. In his letter to the Corinthians, Apollos was named as one of those who was supported by a ‘party’ in the church, yet Paul, both here and in Titus, sought to play down any divisions between the two men. Presumably they had been reconciled, if this was in fact needed

Paul H Ashby - 11/01/09

Apostle

The word ‘apostle’ means ‘sent’, and it is a word which comes from Greek. The Latin for the same word is ‘missio’ from which we get the words ‘mission’, and ‘missionary’. The Bible always uses the word ‘Apostle’ to refer to the twelve apostles, that is the disciples who were commissioned by Jesus to ‘go into all the world (Matthew 28:19) or to Paul, who was commissioned an apostle (see Acts 9 or Gal. 2:1f.). Although it seems right to reserve the title ‘Apostle’ to those commissioned in New Testament times by Jesus to establish the church, it seems likely that the inclusion of the term in the general list of gifts in Ephesians 4:1, Paul saw a time when others would be called and ‘sent’ out with the Gospel to build on what the first Apostles did. Nowadays we call these people ‘missionaries’, following the Latin.

Paul H Ashby - 21/08/08

Archelaus

Archelaus was one of the favoured sons of Herod the Great. After the death of the great king, Archelaus was given the region of Jerusalem and Judea to govern, under the auspices of the Roman Empire. Archelaus was an even worse despot than his father, and because the Romans did not wish to have conflict within the Empire, he was removed and replaced with a Roman military ‘procurator’ or governor, whose job was to maintain the peace of the province. This background helps us understand both the story of Jesus’ birth, where Matthew speaks of Joseph avoiding Archelaus when returning to Israel in Matthew 2, and the story of Jesus’ death, where the Roman procurator Pilate is only interested in preserving peace.

Paul H Ashby 21/12/09

Ba’al

The indigenous people of Canaan worshipped the Ba’als (a word meaning ‘Lord’). So there was great misunderstanding, therefore, when Israel’s God was also called ‘Lord’ (in Hebrew, ‘Adonai’) due to a reluctance to speak His personal name JHWH because of its holiness. Many Israelites succumbed to Ba’al worship because this was an ancient fertility god thought responsible for good crops. Elijah famously confronted the prophets of Ba’al on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) after king Ahab’s wife Jezebel reintroduced Ba’al worship into northern Israel. Ba’al worship could involve sex with ‘Temple prostitutes’ to stimulate the fertility of the land (Hosea’s wife Gomer was a Temple prostitute. The prophets identify Ba’al worship at ‘high places’ in Israel and Judah as a major reason for God’s judgement of destruction on Israel and Exile of Judah.

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

Barnabas

Barnabas was a Jewish Christian (a Levite) from Cyprus. His name was Joseph and he was nicknamed ‘Barnabas’ by the disciples in the early days of the church (see Acts 4:36). He was a leader of the church at Antioch, who sought out Paul to help him build up the church there; this was the first ever Gentile and multicultural church. The church at Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Paul to do missionary work, and together, they set out on what has been called ‘Paul’s first missionary journey. Later, they presented the case for the admission of Gentile Christians into the church without circumcision or any other restrictions of Judaism (Acts 15). However, Paul and Barnabas fell out over Barnabas’ nephew, Mark, and they parted ways. Acts does not recall much more about Barnabas, but his reputation was of one who was a great encourager.

Paul H Ashby - 8/06/09

Bathsheba

Bathsheba’s entry into the Old Testament is certainly dramatic! 2 Samuel 11 records David’s adultery with her at the height of his reign, along with David’s dreadful slaughter of her husband, Uriah, so that he could cover up his sin and marry her. The whole incident is a significant incident in David’s life; his remorse is famously recorded in Psalm 51. As far as Bathsheba is concerned, she lost the son born to her through adultery, but later bore another son, Solomon, who succeeded David. Only later on, towards the end of David’s life when power was slipping away from him, do we learn something of Bathsheba’s wit and skill. She manoeuvred David and the royal court at Jerusalem to ensure that her son Solomon would be the next King (1 Kings 1,2). In doing this she played an important role in establishing the Davidic dynasty God required for the governance of His people in Jerusalem.

Paul H Ashby - 8/11/08

Benjamin

Benjamin was the younger brother of Joseph, and the two boys were the favoured sons of the Israelite forefather Jacob. Benjamin and Joseph were the sons of Rachel, Jacob’s first love, and much of the famous story of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 37-50) evolves around the relationships between Joseph, Benjamin and their father Jacob. In later years, the tribe of Benjamin appears to be a highly independent tribe, with lands alocated between Judah in the south and the other, and larger, ‘northern tribes’ of Israel. Israel’s first king, Saul, came from the tribe of Benjamin, and when David unified Israel after his death, he was careful to give the tribe of Benjamin special treatment to ensure their allegiance. The tribe of Benjamin does not play a major role in the later stories of Israel and Judah; however, a famous ‘son’ of the tribe of Benjamin is the apostle Paul.

Paul H Ashby - 31/10/08

Bishop

The Latin term ‘bishop’ comes from a Greek word used in the Testament quite rarely; twice in 1 Timothy 3 and once in Titus 1. The word means ‘one who watches over’, or ‘overseer’, originally in the sense of God’s watching over the world to see what is going on. Paul, however, describes a church office of bishop both in 1 Timothy 3:1,2 and Titus 1:7. These texts imply seniority definition, not so much in rank but in function. The more you read Paul’s writings, the more it seems unlikely that this office was more than that of a local leader who had general responsibility for church life. The formal office of bishop was yet to be developed. However, Paul clearly felt that bishops should be people of high standing and moral rectitude in the community in which they were set, and he laid down strict moral guidelines both for their selection and for their lifestyle.

Paul H Ashby - 31/10/09

Cain

Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve, and the one who bore the spiritual inheritance of their sin by murdering his younger brother Abel (Genesis 4). Cain was an agriculturalist and Abel was a herder and keeper of sheep. The heart of Cain’s problem was the rejection of his offering by God, in contrast to the acceptance of Abel’s offering. Jealousy led Cain to murder, and he was chastised by the Lord for allowing sin to get the better of him. He was condemned to ‘wandering (Gen 4:12) and his descendants became notorious; for example, see the callous attitude of Lamech (Gen 4:23f.). Following the history of the earliest peoples, Adam and Eve had another son, Seth, and when evil polluted the whole world (see Gen 6), the man through whom God worked for salvation was from the line of Seth, not Cain. So at the Flood, all Cain’s descendants were wiped out.

Paul H Ashby - 25/03/09

Canaanites

This word is used by the Old Testament to refer to all the people who lived in the region of the Promised Land, before the Lord gave it to the people of Israel. The word covered many groups of people, some of whom were nomadic, and other were more settled. In Genesis, they are often called ‘the canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Girgishites, the Amorites and the Jebusites. They are regarded as peoples who were descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham who was one of Noah’s three sons (Gen 10:15f.) When the land was conquered and became the territory of Israel and Judah, many of these people were wiped out, but by no means all. Many became the ‘resident aliens’ who lived in Israel and although not Israelite by birth, worshipped the Lord and kept the laws of Moses.

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Chief Priests

The chief priests in Jesus’ day were the most senior Jewish family in Judaism, and as religious rulers of the Temple, they had an important part to play in the affairs of Judea, religious and political. They had a difficult relationship with the ‘Herods’ who governed various parts of what we call Israel, and also with the Roman governor, appointed by Rome as the effective head of state for Judea and Israel. In Jesus’ day the senior figure in this family was Caiaphas, son of Annas. The chief priests in Israel were descendants of Aaron, who was appointed the first ‘priest of Israel’ at the time of Moses, his brother, who were both Levites. Later families of chief priests were said to descend from the famous priest Zadok, who anointed Solomon king (2 Kings 1,2).

Paul H Ashby - 12/04/09

Christ

The name ‘Christ’ is not a ‘surname’, it is more like a title that tells us who Jesus is. ‘Christ’ comes from the Greek word ‘Christos’ which means ‘the Anointed One’, and the word itself is a translation of the Hebrew for ‘Messiah’. This means that when we address Jesus as ‘Jesus Christ’, we are declaring our faith that Jesus is the Anointed One, God’s Messiah, come to offer salvation to all. For more about the word ‘Messiah’, please look up the dictionary article for this word. Certainly, the early Christians, including Paul, frequently spoke about Jesus as ‘the Christ’, and if we remember this, it will help us see that in Paul’s letters, for example, the way Jesus is addressed is often part of what Paul is saying about who Jesus was and what He did. It was Peter who first linked ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’ together when he said at Caesarea Philippi ‘You are the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the Living God’ (Matt 16:16).

Paul H Ashby 25/01/09

Christian

The name ‘Christian’ is given to someone who follows Jesus Christ. It is not a name which is found very often in the New Testament. Luke tells us that it was at Antioch (in Syria) where Paul and Barnabas taught before they embarked on their first missionary journey, that ‘disciples were first called Christians’ (Acts 11:26). It is probable that this happened because Paul was superb at persuading people that Jesus was the Messiah, that is, the ‘Christ’, and so other people named the disciples ‘followers of Christ’, or, ‘Christians’. The name has stuck as a general term, and is still important to many people as a definition of those who accept Jesus Christ as God’s Son and Saviour, and Lord.

Paul H Ashby - 11/04/09

Cyrus

Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Persian Empire, the remnants of which are modern day Iran. He ruled from 548-529 BC and conquered Babylon in 539 BC, thus extending his empire as far as the Mediterranean Sea, including Israel and Judah. However, where the Babylonians tried to enforce their empire by cruelty, Cyrus used the principle of liberty for all the people he conquered, providing that they did not rebel against his rule. So he allowed the Jews to go back to Jerusalem, a fact recorded at the end of Chronicles and the beginning of Ezra (2 Chron 36:23, Ezra 1:1). Scripture describes him as one who was used by God even though a pagan; as such, Isaiah calls him the Lord’s ‘anointed’ (Is 45:1 - the same word is used in Hebrew for ‘Messiah’). Part of Daniel’s life was lived during the reign of Cyrus (Dan 6:28), and the king he calls ‘Darius’ may in fact be Cyrus (kings often had more than one name).

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

David

The extraordinary story of David is one of the greatest stories in the Old testament together with that of Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. David was the youngest son of Jesse, from Bethlehem, and was anointed king of all Israel by Samuel while Saul still reigned, because Samuel sought a better king than the disobedient Saul. The great story of David’s life which occupies half of 1 Samuel and all of 2 Samuel, tells of David’s success in rebuilding Israel and Judah as one nation after the tragedy of Saul’s reign. It describes his capture of Jerusalem and his securing of the Kingdom for a reign of 33 years. It also tells us of his failures, such as his adultery with Bathsheba and his misjudgements in favouring a as his successor. David is portrayed as a man in whom people saw the spirit of God, whose descendants would produce the long awaited ‘Messiah’ - the one who would establish God’s rule and bring salvation.

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

Disciples

The word ‘disciple’ means ‘leaner’ or ‘pupil’. In Jesus’ day, teachers and rabbis had disciples who followed them, as did John the Baptist. Matthew, Mark and Luke all give lists of 12 disciples chosen by Jesus; Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas (note that Luke lists James as ‘Judas son of James’, and also John mentions a disciple called Nathaniel). After Judas’ death, one named ‘Matthias’ was chosen from those who had been with the others ‘since the beginning’ (Luke 1:21) to make up the twelve. These are called the 12 ‘apostles’ because of their unique testimony to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and their commission to take the Gospel into all the world. In early church, all who followed Jesus were called ‘disciples’, and in this sense all who follow Jesus today may be called ‘disciples’ of Jesus.

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Early Church

The early church was actived on the day of Pentecost, and grew within the Roman Empire for 300 yrs until the Emperor Constantine was converted in 312AD, making Christianity the state religion. The Empire paid little attention to the early church, except when its activities caused controversy. Antipathy arose when Christians would not accept the Emperor as a god, and this spilled over into persecution (e.g. when Nero sent Christians ‘to the lions’ in AD64). We know little about church structure except that it was initially based in homes, with one church per town or city. Roles such as priests, elders, deacons and bishops gradually evolved over time. Generally, each city had one church and one bishop. Worship was based on prayer, reading Scripture, singing and the ‘Lord’s Supper’. Doctrine was established as scholars studied the O.T. and writings that were eventually agreed as being the N.T..

Paul H Ashby - 12/11/09

El Shaddai

This famous name of God appears in Genesis (17:1, 28:3, 35:11, 43:14, 48:3, 49:25, Exodus 6:3). It means God (El) of all power or strength (Shaddai), hence the term ‘Almighty God’. ‘El’ is one of the Hebrew names for God, and it is often written together with an attached characteristic of God, as here. The word ‘Shaddai’ sometimes appears in the Psalms, Job and Ezekiel as a name of God in its own right, normally translated ‘The Almighty’. The Hebrew word ‘shaddai’ translates into the Latin ‘omnipotense’ hence the expression ‘Omnipotent God’. In Exodus 6:3, the author of Exodus suggests that the original name of God, revealed to Moses as ‘JHWH’ (Jahweh) was ‘El-Shaddai’. The first use of ‘El Shaddai’ is found in Genesis 17 where God is revealed as a faithful Covenant God.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/09

Elijah

Elijah came to prominence in the 9th century BC as the prophet who challenged the worship of Ba’al in Israel. Elijah fought this battle against king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. The stories of Elijah from 1 Kings 17 onwards come to a climax in a series of events in which he challenged the prophets of Ba’al to a contest on the top of Mount Carmel. A sacrifice was prepared and the prophets of Ba’al failed to obtain a response from their god to ‘consume’ the sacrifice by fire. Then despite copious water being thrown on the sacrifice, Elijah’s prayer resulted in the fire of God coming on the sacrifice. After this incident, Elijah became depressed and sought God’s counsel at Mount Horeb, where he failed to hear the Lord’s voice in the ‘spectacular’ (earthquakes etc.), but heard God’s command to continue his ministry after listening for his voice. This and other stories of Elijah are spiritual classics of the Old Testament.

Paul H Ashby -25/01/09

Elisha

Elisha was the chosen disciple of Elijah (see 1 Kings 19:19). When the great Elijah was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2), Elisha received the ‘mantle’ of his master, and proceeded to perform great deeds very similar in nature to those of Elijah. Many of these miracles were of a greater magnitude than Elijah, and in addition, many f them point directly to the miracles of Jesus, feeding people and healing them, for example. However, although we do not quickly spot these connections today, scripture portrays Elijah and Elisha as integrally involved in the appointment of kings in both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, and challenging them all about their allegiance to the living God. Although Elisha (and Elijah) did not write prophetic books, his impact on the history of Israel was profound.

Paul H Ashby - 25/01/09

Elizabeth

Elizabeth was the wife of Zachariah, and the mother of John the Baptist in her old age. She was herself a descendant of Aaron, and as a woman of priestly line, so her marriage to Zachariah would have been regarded as specially holy. Her story is found in Luke 1, where she becomes pregnant after her husband is given a message by the angel Gabriel in the course of his Temple service. Her reaction to the visit of Mary is to give a prophecy, the first in the New Testament, blessing both Mary and the baby in her womb. The incident (Luke 1:39-45) is famous for describing the response of John the Baptist in her womb, to the presence of Jesus, the Messiah, within the womb of Mary. He is said to ‘leap with joy’.

Paul H Ashby - 10/12/09

Emperor

The Roman Emperors ruled the Roman Empire roughly from the time of Caesar onward. Augustus became Roman Emperor in 27BC followed by Tiberius (14-37AD), Caligula (37-41AD), Claudius (41-54AD) and Nero (54-68AD). After that time a series of military Emperors ruled until the more stable period under Hadrian (117AD onwards). The rule of Rome was generally benign, but this period of time saw a rise in the demand of the Emperors to be worshipped as a god by all within the Empire; as a sign of allegiance. This created problems for Christians, and popular sentiment about this issue caused riots against Christians and some martyrdom (e.g. Polycarp). The Christian church suffered periods of persecution under Roman Emperors who were unsympathetic to Christianity, and the church was only safe when an Emperor was converted; Constantine, in 306AD.

Paul H Ashby - 16/01/09

Eve

The figure of Eve (woman) is first written about in Genesis 2 where she is ‘created’ from a rib of Adam, and is ‘one flesh’ with Adam (man). The name ‘Eve’ means something like ‘mother of all living’ according to Genesis 3:20, and she receives this name after the famous incident in which she is tempted by the serpent to eat from the tree ’in the middle of the garden’ (Gen 3:3). Her actions mean that some blame her, rather than Adam, for the infamous ‘Fall’ of humanity, but Scripture does not see it that way. She passed the fruit on to her husband Adam, who ate, and he has borne the consequences of this ever since. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:21f.) and Eve bore two sons, Cain and Abel, thus beginning the story of humanity within the Bible. After the murder of Abel by Cain, Eve bore Seth, whose descendants include the righteous Noah (Gen 5)

Paul H Ashby - 12/11/09

Forefathers

The forefathers of the people of Israel were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (Jacob’s other sons are sometimes included). Abraham was the first man who responded by faith to the call of God (Gen 12:1-3, 15:6 etc.) and was given a Covenant relationship with Him. Then his son Isaac, miraculously born of Abraham and Sarah in their old age, received the Covenant heritage from his father. Isaac married Rebekah, and they had two sons, Jacob and Esau, of whom only Jacob was chosen by God to continue this heritage. The twelve sons of Jacob are the forefathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph is especially important, because his story fills the last ten chapters of Genesis, and was responsible for Israel going to live in Egypt. From the time of Moses onwards, remembrance of the forefathers became an important part of Israelite devotion.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Gentiles

The word ‘Gentile’ refers to a non-Jew. General Hebrew and Greek words for ‘nations’ or ‘peoples’ are used in both the Old and New Testaments to refer to non-Jews. However, by the time of Christ, the Jews had separated themselves so much from other peoples that Greek word ‘ethne’ (peoples) was used by Jews as a dismissive term, like ‘pagans’. A Jew would not be happy to be seen doing business with or sharing food with a Gentile. However, God gave Abraham a promise that his descendants would be a blessing to many ‘nations’ (Gentiles), this aspect of God’s Covenant promise was largely forgotten by Israel and Judah. It was only after the life and death of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit that God’s Covenant promises for the Gentiles were fulfilled through the work and ministry of the early church. Paul was commissioned to lead the work of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Paul H Ashby - 12/11/09

God (name of)

In the N.T., there is one word for God (‘theos’), and the traditional term ‘the Lord’ generally refers to God or to Jesus. In the O.T. the picture is more complex. The general word for God is ‘El’, meaning any ‘god’ which might be worshipped. In ways we do not fully understand, the plural of ‘El’, which is ‘Elohim’, came to be used as a regular name for Israel’s God. Also, other words were sometimes added to ‘El’ to celebrate His characteristics, e.g. ‘El-Shaddai’, meaning ‘Almighty God’. The distinctive feature of Israel however is God’s self revelation, found in the sacred name JHWH. This was revealed to Abraham (Gen 15) and later to Moses (Exodus 3). Ancient Hebrew has no vowels, so we do not know how this word was pronounced. Instead, the Israelites regarded this name as too holy to speak, and used the word ‘Lord’ (‘adonai’) whenever the came across the holy name JHWH..

Paul H Ashby - 11/09/08

Hagar

Hagar was the Egyptian slave girl of Sarah the wife of Abraham. She was given to Abraham by Sarah to bear a child for him which Sarah would have claimed as her own, but the family upheaval created over the whole incident indicates that this was not God’s will for Abraham and Sarah; they had to learn some important lessons of faith from this failure. However, Hagar was left pregnant, and bore a child named Ishmael. Hagar fled from her mistress (Sarai) once when she was pregnant (Gen 16:6) and she was later dismissed from Abraham’s household at Sarah’s insistence, to wander in the desert and die. Famously, she left her child at a distance so she would not see his death (Gen 21:8f.), but the Lord saved both Hagar and her son because of His promises given to Abraham, after all, Ishmael was Abraham’s son even if he was not the son of Covenant.

Paul H Ashby - 29/07/08

Herod (Antipas)

Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great by a Samaritan woman, and was therefore not a Jew. He was the ruler Jesus called ‘a fox’ (Luke 13:32). He ruled one part of the region previously ruled by Herod the Great, covering Galilee and the surrounding area. He was responsible for building the city of Tiberius on Lake Galilee in honour of the Emperor Tiberius. Herod Antipas divorced his wife and married his niece, who had also been the wife of his half brother. This gave rise to considerable hatred against him amongst the general population, and this is reflected in John the Baptist’s severe criticism of him and his marriage. Eventually, Herod Antipas had John beheaded in circumstances that were somewhat salacious. Later, at Jesus’ trial, Pilate sent Him to Herod because he heard that Jesus was a Galilean, but Herod simply mocked him (Luke 23:7f.).

Paul H Ashby - 24/11/08

Herod (the Great)

The Herods were a large Idumean family who ruled in Palestine under the general authority of the Roman Empire for around 150 years, including the time of Christ. They were not Jewish but claimed distant Jewish ancestry, accepted Jewish beliefs and tradition at least in principle, and were circumcised. The most significant of these rulers was Herod the Great. He ruled with the title of King from 37BC to 4BC. He sought favour from the people by rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem using a magnificent new Greek design, and this was barely completed when it was sacked by the Romans in 70AD (it remained unfinished in Jesus’ day). He also built the city of Caesarea and was commonly regarded as a vicious ruler and tyrant. His rule was marked by cruelty (see the stories of ‘slaughter of the innocents - Matt. 2) and also high taxation (used for the building of the Temple).

Paul H Ashby - 24/11/08

Herodians

The Herodians were a group of leading Jews who believed it was in the interests of Jewish people to maintain the ruling dynasty of the Herods. They felt that this secured a degree of Jewish autonomy not enjoyed by other parts of the Roman Empire, even though the Herods themselves were not Jews. They appear in the New Testament as a group of people who challenged Jesus together with their opponent the Pharisees (Matthew 22).

Paul H Ashby 24/11/08

Hezekiah

King Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz, and the last of the kings of Judah served by the prophet Isaiah. He was a good king who set about reversing the bad policies of his father, King Ahaz (with whom Isaiah famously argued - Isaiah 7,8). During his reign, the Assyrians first invaded and laid waste the kingdom of Israel (721BC0) and then laid siege to Jerusalem(around 701BC). Inspired to faith by his cure from illness, after the ministration of Isaiah (Isaiah 38), Hezekiah stood firm against the threats of the Assyrians, and in a remarkable incident, the Assyrian army was mysteriously killed and dispersed outside the walls of Jerusalem (Isaiah 37, 2 Kings 35-37). At the end of his reign, Hezekiah made the mistake of thinking the future was secured through his faith, and showed Babylonian envoys the wealth of Jerusalem, thus inviting them to invade the land, years later.

Paul H Ashby - 12/01/10

Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God appears in Genesis 1 as God’s ‘breath’ (‘ruach’) responsible for Creation; this same ‘breath’ makes the human soul out of the dust (Gen 2:7). In the O.T. the Holy Spirit also came on prophets or Kings to do special tasks (e.g. Isaiah 11:2, 61:1). In the N.T. the Holy Spirit appears in power to anoint and baptise Jesus (Matt 3:13-17) so that He could begin His ministry. The most significant discussions about the Spirit are found in John’s Gospel, in which Jesus talks about spiritual baptism (John 3:5f.) and promises that He will send the Holy Spirit to His disciples as a ‘helper’ (John 14:17,26). This was fulfilled when the resurrected Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on His disciples (John 20:23). The Holy Spirit came in power on the day of Pentecost, and energised the early church so that it could grow. Acts and Paul’s letters describe the importance of the Holy Spirit to the growth of the church.

Paul H Ashby - 18/11/09

Immanuel

Immanuel is a name which means ‘with us is God’. Isaiah prophesied (Is. 7:14) that a young woman would conceive and bear a child and call his name ‘Immanuel’. The Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament (the ‘Septuagint’) describes a ‘virgin’ who conceived instead of a ‘young woman’ (pointing forward to the ‘Virgin birth’ of Jesus). Isaiah’s prophecy is the first of many revelations of child born to be king (Isaiah 9:2f., 11:1f. etc.) who would become a servant of God, and who would do His will. Isaiah foresaw that ‘Immanuel’ would fulfil what God required by being a ‘suffering servant’ (Is. 53). These prophecies were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus (Matt 1:23f.), in His life, and in His death for all people on the Cross. Isaiah’s prophecy does not just point forward to Christ, it is also our first glimpse in the Old Testament of Israel’s expectation of a ‘Messiah’, and as such, it is a very important prophecy.

Paul H Ashby - 29/07/08

Isaac

Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, born to them in their old age. Isaac was a much loved son who had the sole duty to pass on the Covenant promises first made to his father (Gen. 12:2,3, 17:9-14 etc). In the famous incident on Mount Moriah, Abraham’s faith was tested, when in obedience he took Isaac to be a sacrifice to Almighty God (Genesis 22). Abraham faithfully listened to the Lord, spared Isaac from death and then an angel of the Lord prophetically spoke the words of the Covenant over Isaac. In order to protect the purity of the line of his own people, Abraham made one of his servants return to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from his extended family who still lived there. Isaac’s marriage to Rebecca was a great success and resulted in the birth of twins, Jacob and Esau. Eventually, despite Isaac’s favouritism, the Covenant was passed on through the line of Jacob (Gen 28f.)

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Isaiah

Isaiah lived in the 8th century BC in the reigns of Uzziah, Ahaz and Hezekiah. His first prophecies (1-5) are similar to Amos and Hosea, but with a strong theme of hope. After Isaiah’s call (ch.6), he prophesied God would give His people a new king (7:14, 9:6, 11:2) to replace the corrupt court in Jerusalem. Still, Isaiah assisted King Hezekiah, a good man, and advised him during the Assyrian invasion circa 720 BC. However, his earlier prophecies of judgement by war (ch.10-35) were not fulfilled; but they were recorded by followers (8:16f.). Later, Isaiah’s prophecies were vindicated after the Babylonian invasion (597 BC), this enabled his followers to ‘re-publish’ a new collation of his work (40-66), which applied his prophecies to Israel after the Exile. Justified as a prophet, they were able to include his radical Messianic prophecies of the ‘servant’ (notably chapter 53), which are now among his most famous prophecies.

Paul H Ashby - 14/12/09

Ishbaal (Ishbosheth)

Ishbaal was Saul’s son, that is, the only one who was left of his sons after Saul and most of his family had been killed in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa (1 Sam 31). Ishbaal’s name is confusingly called Ishbosheth later on in scripture, and it appears that later generations were ashamed of the fact that someone with a name designated to Ba’al was a king of Israel; for it seems they changed it to Ishbosheth. Ishbaal was a weak king propped up by Abner, the commander of Israel’s armies. Abner gave up on Ishbaal after they had an argument over one of Saul’s concubines, and Abner then sought reconciliation with David. Whilst attempting to arrange this, Abner was killed by David’s army commander, Joab, in revenge for the death of his brother, Asahel (2 Sam 2). Others then killed Ishbosheth and brought his head to David, who expressed great unease at this bloodshed.

Paul H Ashby - 14/09/08

Ishmael

Ishmael is the first son of Abraham born to Hagar, Abraham’s wife’s servant girl. Abraham’s wife Sarai gave her maid to Abraham to bear a child for her because she was barren and this was proving to be a problem as Abraham and Sarah became older. The birth of Ishmael was not God’s will for Abraham and Sarah, and created many problems. Sarah mistreated Hagar and Ishmael and Hagar fled Abraham’s house (Genesis 16), but later returned. When the real son of promise was born to Abraham and Sarah (Isaac), Ishmael was something of an embarrassment. However, God had promised to bless all those who were Abraham’s sons, so although Ishmael was not a son of the Covenant promise, God blessed him and made him into the progenitor of many nations (Genesis 21).

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Israel

Israel is the name of Jacob and his descendants. He was given this name when he ‘wrestled’ with God (Gen. 32:28), meaning either ‘the one who strives ...’, or ‘God strives’. The name signifies the struggle between God and His people in the O.T., part of the spiritual heritage of the forefathers. Jacob’s twelve sons constituted the tribes of Israel, However, the tribe of Levi was set aside for priestly service, so the tribe of Joseph was divided between his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, to make up the twelve. After Solomon’s reign, Israel split between ‘Judah’ (inc. Benjamin and Simeon), and ‘Israel’ (the other tribes). Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, but after this division it was only the capital of Judah (and the capital of Israel was Shechem, then Samaria). The prophets tend to speak of ‘Israel’ as the northern kingdom alone. After the Exile, the Jews attempted to re-unite the twelve tribes as God’s people.

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

Jacob

Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac. He was the second born of twins, with his elder brother being Esau. In one of the most intriguing stories of the Old Testament, God chose Jacob over Esau as the inheritor of the sacred covenant, and although Jacob began by cheating his brother out of this birthright, Jacob was led through many personal adventures and struggles before encountering God at Peniel and being renamed ‘Israel’. IN the course of his journeys he accumulated 2 wives and 2 concubines, with whom he had twelve sons. These became the leaders of the clans of the twelve tribes of Israel. In many places within the Old Testament, the name ‘Jacob’ is synonymous with Israel. The name ‘Jacob’ means ‘trickster’, but the name ‘Israel’ means ‘he who strives’, or ‘he strives with God.

Paul H Ashby - 26/03/09

James (br. of Jesus)

James the brother of Jesus is barely mentioned in the Gospels(Matt 13:55, Mark 6:3), but appears to be a member of Jesus’ family who believed in Him and went on to become an important figure in the church at Jerusalem (see Acts 12:17, 15:13, 21:18, 1 Cor. 15:7, Galatians 1:19f.). He was chairman of the Jerusalem Council when it pronounced the important decision about whether the Gentiles should be circumcised or not (Acts 15). The Council’s decision not to force circumcision on the Gentiles was historic, and the wise letter sent to Gentile churches from Jerusalem is regarded as a masterpiece of church governance. According to the custom of the day, it would have been James himself who heard the debates on this issue and ruled according to what he believed to be the prevailing manner of the meeting. It is possible that this James was the author of our ‘letter of James’.

Paul H Ashby - 10/11/08

James (disciple)

The disciple named James was one of the first to called by Jesus, together with his brother John. Jesus gave James and John the nickname ‘sons of thunder’ (‘Boanerges’). Together with Peter and John, James appears to have been in the ‘inner circle’ of Jesus’ disciples, and he was therefore one who was present at the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler, at the Transfiguration, and at the Garden of Gethsemane. James was one of the first disciples to die; Acts records Herod having him killed (Acts 12:2), and he is counted as one of the first martyrs, along with Stephen (Acts 6,7). His death clearly shocked the early church.

Paul H Ashby - 10/11/08

Jesus

The name of Jesus is very important to all Christians, but in the first century the name was common, like that of ‘John’ or ‘David’ today. Jesus of Nazareth lived at the beginning of the first century AD, and His life, ministry, and appalling death powerfully affected his disciples. When He rose from the dead, they realised the truth of His teaching and example, and were confirmed in their belief that He was indeed the ‘Son of God’, the ‘Messiah’. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus commissioned the disciples to continue His work, and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave them the power to preach and live the Gospel. The church was born from those who responded by faith to this Gospel news about Jesus. Today, we believe that Jesus is God Himself, revealed in human form. He is present with us now in the Spirit, and one day, He will return in glory to judge all things and rule in God’s Kingdom.

Paul H Ashby - 26/11/08

Jethro

Jethro is named in Ex.2:18 as Reuel, but later called Jethro. The reason for this is not clear, and we must presume he used two names. Jethro took in Moses when he fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian and being rejected by the Israelites. He gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage, and they had a son named ‘Gershom’ (Ex 2:22). Jethro allowed Moses to go back to Egypt with his family (Ex 4:18f.), but for unknown reasons, Moses eventually left Zipporah with Jethro (Ex 18:1,2). Exodus 18 contains the story of Moses’ reunion with Jethro and his family after the Exodus. and the second half of Exodus 18 contains the story of Jethro’s advice to Moses to govern Israel by appointing deputies (Ex 18:21-23). Jethro was a priest of Midian, but his relationship with the God of Israel is uncertain. Some think he was persuaded by Moses to believe in Israel’s God, others suggest he knew God and taught Moses.

Paul H Ashby - 26/11/09

Joab

Joab was the commander of David's armies and his right hand man almost throughout his reign after the death of Saul. His actions at the taking of Jerusalem sealed His place as a leader, and he was involved in crucial actions to secure the border of the nation of Israel (2 Sam 10). At the time of the civil war between Israel and Judah, Joab was the leader of Judah’s armies and Abner the leader of Israel’s armies. During this war Abner killed Joab’s brother Asahel (2 Sam 2:13), an action of vengeance which delayed the reunification of Israel for many years. As David grew older, Joab fought for David, and he remained loyal throughout the rebellion of Absolom against David. When David came close to death, however, Joab supported Adonijah to be king in David’s place, but David appointed Solomon. David also instructed Solomon to kill Joab because of his bloody vengeance against Abner.

Paul H Ashby - 20/09/08

John

John was one of the first disciples called by Jesus together with his brother James, and Jesus gave them the nickname ‘Boanerges’ (‘sons of thunder’). John was part of Jesus’ inner circle, the three who were with Him at the house of Jairus the synagogue ruler, present at the Transfiguration, and with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is thought that John is the ‘disciple Jesus loved’ (John 19:26, 20:2), who was present at the Last Supper and also the crucifixion. The church maintains the tradition that John’s Gospel was written by this same John, in his old age. John figures also in the first stories of the early church, found in the ‘Acts of the Apostles’. It was Peter and John who healed the lame man at the Temple gate and were consequently arrested by the temple authorities (Acts 3:1f., 4:13f.). Paul describes John as a ‘pillar of the church’ (Gal 2:9)

Paul H Ashby - 26/11/09

John the Baptist

John the Baptist is described at the beginning of each of the Gospels, where he is the great prophet who announces Jesus’ coming. He was believed therefore to be the ‘returned Elijah’ who would come before the Messiah; ‘a voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord!’ Luke records stories of his miraculous conception and birth alongside that of Jesus, and suggests they were related through their mothers. According to the Gospels John preached repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and spoke sharply against the religious hypocrisy common in his day. He baptised Jesus and testified that He was ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ (John 1:29). John’s moral preaching made him a threat to Herod Antipas, so he was arrested and held at the dire fortress of Machaerus. At some point he was beheaded on Herod’s orders at the behest of his wife and his daughter.

Paul H Ashby - 26/11/09

Jonathan

Jonathan was the son of Israel’s first King, King Saul. He was also a close friend and confidante of David. Jonathan is renowned as a man of valour and a great warrior, who was responsible for many of Saul’s battle victories. There is a tragic story in 1 Samuel of Saul’s rash oath by which he forbade his troops to eat during the day of battle as an act of religious devotion, on pain of death. Jonathan was unaware of the oath, and ate some honey (1 Sam 14:25), and thus incurred his father’s wrath, though he was not killed. The ensuing division between Saul and Jonathan made it impossible for Jonathan to receive the crown after Saul. Recognising this, Jonathan ‘gave’ his right of inheritance to David, his close and dear friend. Eventually, he died in the same battle of Mount Gilboa in which his father died, fighting the Philistines. He had a son names Mephibosheth, who was lamed in the panic after this battle.

Paul H Ashby - 31/10/08

Joseph (fr. of Jesus)

Joseph appears as the father of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (chapters 1and 2). Matthew contains a story of Joseph that shows him to be a faithful and righteous man, willing to be obedient to God’s will and listen to what the Lord would say to him through angels. It is easy to forget that Joseph played an important part in Jesus’ early life. People will often quote his influence as a father and a carpenter, but this is presumption, because these things are not mentioned in the text of Scripture. His importance lies in his example as a man of faith and action (Matthew 1,2), and his lineage as a descendant of David (hence his journey to Bethlehem for the census - see Luke’s Gospel).

Paul H Ashby - 2/08/09

Joseph (son of Jacob)

Joseph was the first of the two sons born to Jacob by his favoured wife Rachel. The story of Joseph is a classic Old Testament story about the faithful and purposeful guidance of God in the midst of critical times, in order to sustain His work in the world. The young Joseph is a spoilt child, but through the tragic sin of his brothers in selling him into slavery, Joseph learned the lessons of life and through a combination of the grace of God and the use of his God given powers, he rose to the highest of administrative offices in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. The climax of Joseph’s story comes in the latter part of Genesis where he is reconciled to his brothers through a series of events designed to test all concerned and bring out the important of faithful and forgiving love. Joseph was finally reconciled with his family and in the midst of famine, Jacob and his family, the infant ‘people of God’ settled in Egypt.

Paul H Ashby - 2/08/09

Joshua

Joshua was a young man when the Exodus took place and accompanied Moses as his assistant in a number of key events during the early years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness (Exodus 24:13,33:7 etc.). Together with Caleb, he was instrumental in repelling the Amalekites (Ex. 17), and was one of the spies who travelled through Canaan at Moses’ request (Num. 13,14). He was the right man to succeed Moses, and his life was lived in preparation for leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land, after Moses died. The record of this action is the book of Joshua which charts the progress of the occupation as a successful enterprise. Joshua himself was of the tribe of Ephraim, a strong Israelite tribe, and was therefore well placed to command the people at that time. The highlight of his career was the covenant renewal after the completion of the invasion (Joshua 24)

Paul H Ashby - 10/01/09

Judah

Judah was the fourth son of Jacob, but was regarded as the leader of his brothers (the eldest, Reuben, insulted his father by sleeping with his concubine and was cursed - Gen 35:22,49:4, Simeon and Levi, the 2nd and 3rd in line were cursed because of their slaughter of Shechem - Gen 34:25f.). This left Judah as the leader of all Israel. Later, the tribe of Judah took the lead in conquering the promised Land (see Judges 1) and Judah was the tribe of David, the king who united all Israel and who was favoured by God with an everlasting Covenant for the leadership of God’s people (2 Sam 7). When Israel split between Judah (with Benjamin and Simeon) and the other northern tribes (called ‘Israel’), God favoured Judah because its kings were consistently more faithful. The Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile formed the new nation of Israel which came to be called the ‘Jewish’ people.

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

King (title of God)

Israel and Judah were ruled by kings from the time of king Saul until the invasions of Assyria (720 BC) and Babylon (597 BC). Samuel initially set down guidelines for this kingship which acknowledged the Lord God as Israel’s supreme King; a fact that had to be accepted by the earthly kings and was ‘enforced’ by the vigilance of the prophets (Samuel, Gad, Nathan, Elijah etc.). In Israel’s worship, the imagery of Kingship was applied to the Lord, creating titles such as ‘King of Kings’. To speak of God in this way acknowledged His authority, for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were a preview of the ‘Kingdom of God’ announced later by Jesus. God is still called ‘king’ in N.T. times because this expresses the nature of God’s absolute authority over His Creation and His Church. Few countries in the world today are ruled by King with such authority, but this remains an important model for our understanding of God.

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

Kings (of Israel & Judah)

The Israelites asked Samuel to anoint a King because of the disastrous fragmentation of Israel under the Judges. Samuel warned that a King might try to take the place of God (1 Sam 8), but he went ahead anointed Saul as the first King of Israel. He failed, and broke God’s rules of Kingship (1 Sam 13), so Samuel anointed another king in David, although it was many years before he could reign over a united Kingdom. David’s son Solomon built the Temple (1 Kings 6,8) but fell from grace by abusing his position, and his belligerent son Rehoboam forced the northern tribes to secede, leaving Israel divided and a new Kingdom of Israel ruled over by a series of military dynasties until the Assyrian invasion in 721BC. In Jerusalem a surviving ‘son of David’ ruled over Judah until the Babylonian invasion of 597BC. When the line of David died out, Israel’s hopes were ‘spiritualised’ into the expectation of a Messiah.

Paul H Ashby - 30/10/09

Leaders

Throughout the scriptures, various leaders are responsible for governing and leading God’s people, from the kings, prophets and priests of the Old Testament to the bishops, presbyters (elders) and deacons of the New. We tend to use the term ‘leader’ in English when we mean some modern equivalent of one of these figures, bearing in mind that the churches of today are so divided that the very language of leadership amongst God’s people is virtually incomprehensible from one church group or denomination to another. Each role mentioned in the Bible, however, is significant; and Jesus demonstrates the best qualities of them all, whether king, priest or prophet, or bishop, elder or deacon. The one thing Jesus did say about leadership which is revolutionary, is that true leadership is found through a ‘Servant’ attitude and a heart that truly loves others(see John 13:1f.)

Paul H Ashby - 25/10/08

Lot

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. He travelled with Abraham into Canaan until the family group became too large. Abraham and Lot famously split (Genesis 13) with Abraham giving the ‘best’ land to his nephew. Lot chose to live in the Jordan Valley which appeared to be better for his growing livestock and considerable wealth. Lot then gravitated towards the cities of the lower Jordan region, becoming a citizen of Sodom (see Genesis 14 and 18). Abraham saved Lot when nearby kings gathered to conquer the region (Genesis 14), and he saved Lot a second time by pleading for him when the Lord sent angels / messengers to destroy Sodom (Genesis 18,19). Lot escaped Sodom, but only as a shadow of his former self, hankering after city life, and having lost his wealth. In fear that his lineage would die out, his daughters slept with him to produce children who became the ancestors of the Moabites.

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Magi

The Magi are mentioned in the story of Jesus’ birth found in Matthew 2. The Greek term implies oriental men of wealth and means, and it is doubtful whether the term ‘kings’ (in the sense that we mean) is appropriate. Apart from what is said in Matthew 2, everything else we picture about them comes from early church traditions, their names, the camels, even the number of Magi (3). because Matthew says that they studied the stars, we may safely assume that they came from Persia, a centre of astrology in the first century. Their worship of the baby Jesus is symbolic of Gentile acceptance of the Messiah, an essential feature of Jesus’ mission and the purpose of His coming into the world. The gifts they presented of gold incense and myrrh represent royalty, purity and honour; much has been made of this, but it is best to keep to their basic meaning.

Paul H Ashby - 21/12/09

Mary (mr. of Jesus)

Mary is the mother of Jesus. She appears first in Luke 1, where she received the news of her ‘virgin’ birth with dignity despite its potential threat to her betrothal to Joseph (see Matthew 1). Mary is celebrated as the mother of Jesus by means of a miraculous conception, enabling Jesus to be both human and divine. Mary is unique in being used of God in this way, but she has no special role in God’s work of salvation in the world beyond this. Mary’s special prophetic revelation of the divine purpose of her son Jesus (the Magnificat - Luke 1:46-56) is one of the greatest poetic descriptions of God’s work of salvation in Scripture. In the Gospels, there are records of Mary appearing at various points in the story of Jesus’ ministry, but the most poignant moments come when she is seen at the crucifixion (John’s Gospel) watching the death of her son. Her testimony of motherhood is an inspiration.

Paul H Ashby - 10/12/09

Mephibosheth

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. As such, he was a direct descendant of King Saul, and after the death of Saul when political intrigue was at its height, he was hidden away in case David found him and had him slaughtered as a rival to the throne. Saul’s supporters saw him as a potential king of Israel; for Mephibosheth as the only descendant of Saul. In a famous story in 2 Samuel 9, David discovered the whereabouts of Mephibosheth and treated him with favourable ‘covenant loyalty’ because of his friendship with Jonathan, his father. We also learn from this story that Mephibosheth was lame because of a fall in his childhood after the battle at Mount Gilboa (at which Jonathan his father, and Saul his grandfather died). In reality, it is unlikely that he would ever have been accepted as a king of Israel with such a disfigurement. David looked after him for the rest of his life.

Paul H Ashby - 31/10/08

Messiah

The Messiah is the name given to God’s anointed servant by Jewish people in the centuries before the coming of Jesus. They believed that the Messiah would come and save the people of Israel from their enemies, according to prophecy. The work ‘Messiah’ means ‘anointed one’, and the Greek word for this is ‘Christos’. As a consequence, when we say ‘Jesus Christ’, it is the same as saying ‘Jesus the Messiah’ or ‘Jesus the anointed One’. In his life, Jesus did not call Himself the ‘Messiah’, but He accepted this when other people said it (as when Peter did so at Caesarea Philippi - Mark 8:27f). However, Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy about a Messiah, but the people of His day found it difficult to understand this. Today, we do not generally talk about Jesus as a ‘Messiah’, we use the Greek word ‘Christ’, and we accept this as an important Biblical title of our Lord.

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Moabites

The Moabites were the descendants of Lot by incest with his daughters (Genesis 19:30f.). Later generations of Moabites lived directly to the East of the Red Sea, a region that included Mount Nebo, from where Moses first saw the ‘Promised Land’ (Deut 32:49, 34:1,5). Moses attempted to negotiate safe passage through the land of Moab to Canaan, but the Moabite King Balak famously bought the services of the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, and he was unable to do anything except bless God’s people, to the annoyance of the Moabite king (Num. 22-24). Moab was often at war with Israel, and various kings fought with them, including Saul and David (see 1 Sam 14:47, 2 Sam 8:2). The most famous Moabite in the Bible is Ruth, a woman who married into an Israelite family and became an ancestor of David, and hence of Jesus. The Moabite culture was overcome by the Assyrians in the 8th century BC.

Paul H Ashby - 12/08/08

Moses

Moses is one of the great figures of the O.T. His life is recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is written in the form of a speech by Moses which was delivered to the people of Israel just before they entered the Promised Land. The story of the early life of Moses is full of intrigue; his name is not classically ‘Hebrew’, and he was raised in the Egyptian court, yet God used all the circumstances of his life to make him into a great leader who challenged the might of Egypt and brought Israel out of Egypt. The great ‘Exodus’ was the one event that ‘made’ a nation out of God’s people. Moses is described as a prophet and a priest, and although he never claimed to be a king, he acted with all authority in Israel whilst he lived. His closeness to God is legendary and his receiving of the 10 commandments and the ‘Law’ mark him out as one of the greatest figures of the O.T.

Paul H Ashby - 30/11/09

Nathan

The prophet Nathan is much underrated. Nathan was the senior prophet in Jerusalem after its foundation as the capital of Israel under David. David consulted Nathan about building a Temple, but Nathan’s vision informed David that he was not to do this; rather, David’s true inheritance would be a dynasty through which God would lead His people for ever (2 Sam 7). Nathan’s dream (2 Sam 7:12) also contains an reference to a possible Messiah from the line of David. Nathan is important for two other reasons. Firstly, he was the prophet God used to confront David over his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12); he used clever methods to reveal God’s will and chastise David for his dire sin. Lastly, he was instrumental in the anointing of Solomon as king in succession to David (1 Kings 1,2). As a prophet, he knew the importance of this to God at a time when other sons of David were competing for the throne.

Paul H Ashby - 25/10/08

Noah

The story of Noah and the Flood (Gen 6-9) is one of the great stories of the O.T. The story does not contain much about him as a character, but we are told that he was a ‘good’ man, and ‘righteous’ in God’s eyes. Scriptures regard him as a model of obedience in the face of the evils of the world, which is why he was chosen by God to save humanity during the Flood. After the Flood, humanity effectively started again through Noah, but despite his righteousness, Noah’s story ends with a sad story about his getting drunk (Gen 9:20f.). Jesus described Noah’s righteousness (Luke 17:26) as a model of faithfulness for the ‘End Times’. Peter also describes him as one of the great figures of the Old Testament (1 Peter 3:20 and 2 Peter 2:5). The Flood itself remains something of a mystery, but its significance as the starting point for God’s covenant relationship with humanity (6:18, 9:9f.) is highly significant.

Paul H Ashby - 5/02/09

Paul

Paul was a servant of God and the early church. He started life as a Pharisee (named Saul) who utterly opposed Jesus, and after the resurrection, persecuted Christians. The story of his meeting with Jesus on the Damascus Road is one of the most famous conversion stories (Acts 9:1f.). What happened next is not easy to know, because we only find glimpses of it within Paul’s letters (e.g. Gal. 1&2); but at some point Paul had a personal experience of the risen Christ in which was given a special calling as an ‘apostle’ to the Gentiles. Then, the rest of his life was given over to preaching the Gospel, principally to the Gentiles. In Acts, we read about Paul from chapter 13 onwards, and we read about three distinct missionary journeys in which he founded many churches. His letters are some of the most remarkable texts ever written (e.g. 1 Cor. 13), and they have had an amazing impact upon the whole world.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/08

Peter

Simon Peter was one of the first of the disciples to be found and called by Jesus, and as all the Gospel testify, he quickly became their leader. When he died (according to tradition, in Rome in the second half of the first century), he had travelled a long way from Galilee, both physically and spiritually. The highlights of his life include walking on water to Jesus (Matt 14:24-36), being the first to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah (Matt 16:16f.), following Jesus prior to His death (John 18:15f. etc.) witnessing the resurrection (John 20:2), receiving the Holy Spirit and preaching on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1f.), preaching in the Temple (Acts 3) and being given a revelation that the Gospel was for the Gentiles (Acts 10,11). The letters of Peter are remarkable, though some claim they cannot have been written by him. However, these letters and the Gospel of Mark are reckoned as Scripture, according to his authority.

Paul H Ashby - 11/09/08

Pharaoh

The figure of a ‘Pharaoh’, or King of Egypt appears in the story of the Old Testament several times. The dating of the Pharaohs is an archaeological conundrum, and it cannot be said for certain which Pharaohs reigned during the time of the Biblical stories. We first meet a Pharaoh when Abraham went to Egypt after going to Canaan due to a drought (Gen. 12:15f.). Pharaoh took Sarah as a wife, but she was quickly returned to Abraham after God revealed the error. The stories of Joseph and Pharaoh (Genesis 40f.) are very famous, and some suggest that Joseph acquired power during the unstable reigns of Tutankamun and his consort Nefertiti. God delivered the Israelites during the reign of a more powerful Pharaoh, but again, we do not know which one. The last Pharaoh mentioned is Pharaoh Neco, who defeated King Joash in battle around 610BC, just before the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem.

Paul H Ashby - 02/09/09

Pharisee

The Pharisees were strict adherents to Judaism. They were a group within Judaism who studied the ‘Law’ with rigourous zeal in an attempt to come closer to God. In order to do this they accumulated a vast range of commandments derived from the ‘Law’, but designed to interpret it to the minutiae of everyday life, and it was this interpretation of God’s ‘Law’ that Jesus fought against. Pharisees were the dominant but not sole group behind Jesus’ crucifixion. As religious zealots, they formed a political ‘party’ within Judaism, which attempted to influence the way that Jewish faith was taught and practised. In Jesus’ day they were strong but not dominant, but after Jesus died and the Christian church was formed, Pharisaic Judaism became the dominant force amongst Jews in opposing Christianity. Saul was a Pharisee before Jesus met him on the Damascus Road and he was renamed ‘Paul’, the greatest evangelist of all time.

Paul H Ashby - 20/12/09

Philistines

The Philistines were a group of people who occupied the strip of land we call the Gaza strip, to the south west of Israel and Judah adjacent to the Sea. Philistines are mentioned first in the stories of Abraham and Isaac (Gen 21:32, 26:1f.), but our knowledge of the movements of peoples in ancient times suggests that these peaceful people were later replaced by the more warlike people who resisted the occupation of Canaan and became a threat to Israel at the time of the Judges (see the story of Samson - Judges 13-16). They remained a threat to Israel until the time of King David, who despite some collaboration with them in earlier years (see 1 Sam 27), frequently defeated them in battle (2 Samuel 21:12f. 1 Chron 18:1). We do not hear a great deal about them after this.

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Priest

Priests are often mentioned in the O.T., possibly because priests were heavily involved in the collation of sacred texts. Priests were members of the tribe of Levi, but High priests were descendants of Aaron, Moses’ brother, and they ruled the religious life of Israel for centuries. Elaborate instructions are found in Exodus and Leviticus for the ordination of priests and their duties, mainly, to represent the people to God and God to the people. Famous early priests such as Moses and Samuel were leaders and also the first prophets. Later prophets were not priests, and some (Isaiah and Hosea) severely criticised the priests for leading Israel astray. After the Exile, priests came to prominence as the leaders of Israel (e.g. Ezra). In the Gospel, Jesus fulfils the role of priest for us, and we who are His people are called upon to be like Him in our ministry to the world; we are a ‘priesthood’ of all believers.

Paul H Ashby - 29/04/09

Prophet

A ‘prophet’ is one through whom God speaks. In O.T times, God’s Spirit was given to people such as Moses and Deborah, to enable them to prophesy God’s Word. Later, God raised up prophets such as Nathan, Elijah and Elisha, whose special task was to confront the Kings of Israel and Judah, and challenge them to turn from evil and do God’s will. In time, as the kings became less godly, more prophets arose, e.g. Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah, who prophesied during Israel’s troubled history; most spoke around the time of Israel’s Exile. God intended, however, to pour out His spirit on all people (see Joel 2:29, Numbers 11:29), and he did this after Jesus died, at Pentecost (Acts 2). All God’s people were empowered to speak God’s Word (Matt. 28:19). Nevertheless, God has given a special spiritual gift of prophecy for the building up of the church and as a sign for unbelievers (1 Cor 14:4-22).

Paul H Ashby - 19/11/09

Rahab

The story of the prostitute Rahab is found in Joshua 2. This enterprising woman shielded the Israelite spies from the king of Jericho and thereby won the favour of Joshua and the invading Israelite army. She was instructed to tie a red cloth to the window in her home built into the walls of the city, from where she would receive help and be rescued in the battle for the city. Rahab later married an Israelite and became the grandmother of Boaz, who in turn married Ruth, all of these being in the lineage of David and therefore listed in Jesus’ ancestry in Matthew 1. Rahab was clearly regarded as a heroine of Old Testament times (Hebrews 11:31), and it is also likely that her story is an example of how many other non-Israelites came to live alongside the people of Israel in Canaan, the ‘Promised Land’.

Paul H Ashby 25/01/09

Sadducees

The Sadducees were a highly influential group of senior priests and scholars of Jesus’ day. By and large, they ran the Temple and its compounds, and the most senior Sadducee was the High Priest. The Sadducees differed from the Pharisees in not believing in the resurrection. As priests, they were concerned to keep the purity of Jewish practice and tradition, and in Jesus’ day, they were the conservative ‘traditionalists’, and they did not like the attempts of the Pharisees to dominate the life of Judaism with their legalistic way of interpreting Jewish faith. The one thing they held in common with the Pharisees was a strict belief in the laws of Moses as the only basis for the life of God’s people. It is clear from the Gospel records that the Sadducees were at odds with the Pharisees, but worked with them to try and get Jesus killed.

Paul H Ashby - 20/12/09

Samuel

Samuel is revered as one of the great spiritual characters of Israel. He was born to a barren woman (1 Samuel 1) and promised to God by his mother, Hannah. The story of his personal experience of God whilst a small boy looking after the Ark of the Covenant is one of the most famous stories of the Old Testament. In later life, Samuel played a major part in uniting the tribes of Israel against the marauding Philistines, and became the man used by God to anoint the first king of Israel, King Saul. When King Saul failed to the terms of his kingship, Saul was mortified, and in 1 Samuel 15, he abandoned Saul and subsequently anointed David to be king in his place. These actions set up the amazing stories of Saul and David (in 1 Samuel) and the subsequent kingship of David (2 Samuel) which defined Israel form almost four centuries. He was buried in his home town of Ramah.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

Sanhedrin (coouncil)

The Sanhedrin is sometimes referred to in scripture as the ‘Council’. It was the governing body of Judaism in Jesus’ day, performing the function of interpreting and administering the Law; that is, the ancient laws of scripture which bound Jewish people together. The Sanhedrin did not have a governing role in Judea or Jerusalem because the country was ruled by Rome as represented by a Procurator (such as Pontius Pilate). The council was made up of seventy one members, including the High Priest and his family members and other leading priestly families. It also included scribes (we would call them scholars today) and members of significant religious groups, such as the Pharisees. In Jesus’ day, the Council, or Sanhedrin, was increasingly dominated by Pharisees. The Sanhedrin lost its authority and meeting place when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans in 70AD.

Paul H Ashby 17/07/08

Sarah

Sarai was Abram’s wife, and her name was change by God to Sarah (meaning princess) when God completed His Covenant with Abraham and made it clear that it could not be fulfilled without Sarai. She would have to bear a son for the great promises of God to Abram to be fulfilled. After many years, Abraham and Sarah did have a child in their ‘old age’, and on hearing the news, Sarah laughed (Gen 18:9f.). A derivation of the Hebrew word for laughter was used for the name of her child, ‘Isaac’. Sarah is a very important character in the story of Abraham, and the whole story of the Covenant promise is dependent upon her faithfulness as well as Abraham’s. She expresses faithfulness by the bearing of the son of promise, Isaac, and is therefore regarded by Jews and Christians as the ‘mother’ of God’s people in faith, just as Abraham is the ‘father’ of God’s people in faith.

Paul H Ashby - 29/07/08

Saul (king Saul)

Saul was the first King of a untied Israel and Judah. Samuel anointed Saul (1 Sam 10:1f.) after an elaborate story which describes the authority of God in deciding who will lead His people. Samuel did not want to anoint a King, but did as the Lord commanded (see 1 Sam 8) and as the people wished. Saul began well, but soon became disobedient and assumed authority which was not his in offering sacrifices before battle. This was significant because by definition, a King in Israel had to be subservient to God, and his authority expressed through the prophets and the priests. By taking this step, Saul claimed a closeness to God which was not his, and as a consequence, Samuel ‘tore’ (1 Sam 15) the kingdom from Saul and anointed a new King, David, in his place. Saul did not accede the throne, and many years of bitter rivalry ensued between Saul and David, and Saul dies in battle against the Philistines.

Paul H Ashby - 1/08/08

Servant

From the beginning God sought those who were humble in service of others and of Him; people who were ‘servants. Both Abraham and Moses, for example, are described as God’s ‘servants’, and Joseph and David both learned how to become great people through long years of service. The idea of servanthood reaches a climax in the Old Testament in the prophecies of Isaiah. From chapter 40 onwards, Isaiah describes the Lord’s ‘suffering servant’ ( Isaiah 53); a prophecy closely linked with Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus is revealed in Mark’s Gospel as a servant of humanity bringing salvation. In the light of this, Jesus called his own followers to be ‘servants’, and commissioned them to serve others (John 13:12-14). Paul took up this theme and frequently called Christians ‘servants’ or ‘slaves’ of God (e.g. Gal 1:10f.)

Paul H Ashby - 17/7/08

Simeon

Simeon greeted the infant Jesus in the Temple when Joseph and Mary took Him there for the purification ritual for Mary, one month after the birth. Simeon was expecting to see the Messiah come before he died, so history therefore paints him as an old man, but this may not have been true. The interesting features of the story of Simeon in Luke 2 are his two comments on Jesus. Firstly, he sang a song of praise to God, which released him from his vow to await the Messiah, and declared the work of the Messiah as for Gentiles as well as for Jews (Luke 2:29-32 - known as the ‘Nunc Dimitis’). Secondly, he prophesied the ‘falling and rising of many in Israel’ (Luke 2:34) and the harsh consequences of Jesus’ work for Mary (‘a sword will pierce your own soul too’ - Luke 2:35). A unique feature of the story of Simeon is the evident guidance of the Holy Spirit, mentioned three time (Luke 2:25,26,27).

Paul H Ashby - 12/01/10

Solomon

King Solomon is well known because he was the King of all Israel who built the Temple (1 Kings 5,6). It was by no means certain that Solomon would take the throne after David. He was the second child of David and Bathsheba, the first died because of their adultery. David had many other sons who sought to claim the throne after him in different ways; Absolom and Adonijah, for example. On his death bed, David conceded to Bathsheba’s request that her so become king, and he had the crucially important support of Nathan the prophet (1 Kings 1,2) who anointed him, symbolising God’s blessing on his reign. Despite Solomon’s renowned wisdom and building of the Temple, he was led astray in later years by foreign wives who brought their gods to Israel (1 Kings 11:1f.), so despite his immense contribution to the history of God’s people, he is formally remembered with ambiguity (1 Kings 11:41-43)

Paul H Ashby - 20/09/08

Tamar (David’s daughter)

Tamar was a daughter of David and sister of Absalom, one of the princes in line for the throne of David. She was raped by her half brother Amnon, the son of David directly in the line of the throne, and the story of her rape sets off a sequence of events that almost brought David’s kingdom to an end (2 Sam 13-16). The story of the rape of Tamar is recorded immediately after David’s affair with Bathsheba, and there is a sense of comparison between the two events in scripture. Certainly, the sequence of events following the rape appears to be part of the punishment of David for his own adultery (2 Sam 12:11); part of the ‘trouble within his own family’ as prophesied by Nathan.

Paul H Ashby - 5/12/08

Timothy

Timothy was a young man from Lystra in Asia Minor, and his name means ‘honourer of God’. Paul found him on his second missionary journey and he was already a disciple, being the son of Jewish woman and a Greek father. Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he could go into Jewish circles without creating problems, and then for a long time, Timothy appears to have been a companion of Paul’s travelling with his party on missions. Paul speaks of him affectionately, especially in his two famous letters, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. These show that Timothy was used by Paul as someone who could lead a congregation of God’s people with wisdom despite his youth, and was peceived to have special gifts in teaching.

Paul H Ashby - 9/09/08

Titus

Titus was a close friend of Paul from the earliest days of his conversion (Gal 2:1f.). He was a Gentile, and Paul’s close connection with him may have influenced Paul in the early debates within the church about whether Gentiles should be circumcised or not (Acts 15). It seems that Paul used Titus as a trusted emissary on a number of occasions, including to Corinth (2 Cor 2:13, 7:6,13 etc.). Paul left Titus on Crete to establish the church there at some point in their journeys, and the letter to Titus is Paul’s subsequent instructions to encourage Titus in his task. He was one of the faithful Christians of the early church who were mightily used by God, and whose profile in the New Testament is small but significant.

Paul H Ashby - 21/11/08

Uriah

There are a number of characters in the Old Testament called Uriah, but the best known is the husband of Bathsheba. Uriah was a faithful man, but as a Hittite (2 Sam 11:3), he was technically speaking a ‘resident alien’ within Israel. This may have contributed to David’s dismissive attitude towards him. Nevertheless, he was a bodyguard to Joab, the commander of Israel’s armies under David, and whilst David was attempting to manoeuvre his way out of adultery, showed greater ‘faithfulness’ than David (2 Sam 11:6f.). David arranged with Joab to have him killed and then took Bathsheba as his own wife, and this is a very famous and important story in the Old Testament, demonstrating the darker side of David’s life.

Paul H Ashby - 15/11/08

Zachariah

Zachariah was the father of John the Baptist, as recorded in Luke’s Gospel. His name is the same as the Old Testament prophet Zechariah, with the exception that in Greek, his name is spelt with the second letter being ‘a’ instead of ‘e’. Zachariah was a priest married to the daughter of a priest, and as such he prayer for a son, though his wife was barren. Having been allocated by lot to offer incense on the altar in the Holy Place, Zachariah was confronted with an angel, who told him of God intent to give him and his wife a son, named John, who would also be the answer to the prayers of Israel, and be the ‘fore-runner’ of the Messiah. This was all too much for Zachariah, and through disbelief, he was struck dumb. He was only able to speak again when his son John was born , and when his speech returned, he praised God with a famous song (Luke 1:68-79), commonbly called the ‘Benedictus’.

Paul H Ashby - 2/12/09

Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel was the grandson of the second last remaining King of Judah, who reigned in Jerusalem briefly before the Exile (Jeconiah). It is difficult to track exactly what happened as the Exiles returned from Babylon and various parts of the then Persian Empire, but it seems that Zerubbabel was in one of the first groups to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:2f.) after the edict of release from king Cyrus (Ezra 1:1f. Haggai 1:1f.). He is important for Jewish history because although he was indeed a descendant of David he was not proclaimed king in Jerusalem, and the Davidic line all but disappeared. However, e was one of the first people in the Bible to be called the Lord’s ‘anointed’, i.e. a ‘Messiah’. Zerubbabel was also involved in the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon (called the second Temple), which was later called Zerubbabel’s Temple.

Paul H Ashby - 4/11/08

Scroll & select person

Dictionary of people in the Bible

Anathoth

The town of Anathoth lies just outside Jerusalem and is well known as being the home town of Jeremiah. During the siege of Jerusalem, Jeremiah prophesied that the exile of God’s people was inevitable because of their sin, and they should therefore accept the reality of their situation and live in peace with their Babylonian overlords, whom God was using to judge Judah. His message was not popular! In order to illustrate his confidence in the future, and his belief in God’s ultimate care for His people, Jeremiah bought a field in Anathoth during the siege of Jerusalem - an act of great faith! (see Jeremiah 1:1, 11:21, 32:1,6-15)

Paul H Ashby - 17/7/08

Assyria

The Assyrian Empire is possibly as old as 1200 BC. Its capital was Nineveh, though over the years, different kings and emperors favoured different cities and sites for residence. At its peak, the Empire stretched from Cappodocia in what we now call Turkey, as far as Iraq, and what was then called ‘Babylonia’ and beyond to Persia (Iran). Its conquests and wealth meant that substantial literary records were kept of its court affairs, victories and social rules, and some of these have survived. They are essential documents for the literary and historical analysis of the Bible, helping to verifying the dates of key events (such as the invasion of Israel). The Bible records the invasion of Israel and Judah by Assyria, but it failed to capture Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 19:35f.). The Empire was overcome in spectacularly fashion by Babylon when Nineveh fell to Nebuchadnezzar in 610BC.

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Athens

Athens is the most famous Greek city, and has at times been the most famous city of the world. It was the capital of the ancient state of Atticus and having been inhabited for thousands of years before the time of Christ, was an important centre of civilisation. It had a reputation as a centre for both philosophy and religion, and one ancient quip suggested that there were more gods in Athens than people. Paul went there during his second missionary journey, and his experience there was mixed. He preached a famous sermon near an ‘altar to an unknown god’. Most who heard Paul prevaricated or dismissed him, but some were converted (Acts 17:33,34). Some suggest that when Paul went to Corinth after being in Athens, Paul re-evaluated his work and ministry, for after this his work was significantly successful (see Acts 18,19f.).

Paul H Ashby - 9/01/09

Babylon

The great city of Babylon has a special place in the Old Testament , even though the Babylonian Empire as such was short lived, lasting at its height from around 626BC to 538 BC. The Babylonians took advantage of the weakness of the Assyrians towards the end of that Empire and hence when Nabopolassar of Babylon defeated and replaced Asshurbanipal of Assyria, the result was a huge empire which became ungovernable. Eventually, the Babylonian empire was overtaken by the much more organised and efficient Persians, when Cyrus’ armies captured the Babylon of Belshazzar in 538 BC. At the height of their power, the Babylonians invaded Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem (as experienced by the prophet Jeremiah). Eventually the Babylonians took the people of Jerusalem into captivity to commence their period of ‘Exile’. A defining period of Judean history.

Paul H Ashby - 3/09/08

Bethany

The small village of Bethany lay on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives, with Jerusalem situated around two mile to the west over the ridge of the Mount of Olives. The name of the village means ‘the house of dates’, and it is where Jesus’ friends Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived (John 11), and it is where a woman anointed Jesus’ feet (Matt 26:6f.) in the house of ‘Simon the leper’. With these stories all being close to Jesus’ death and resurrection, they have a certain poignancy; in addition, this according to Luke, is where Jesus was taken up into heaven at the ‘Ascension’ (Luke 24:50).

Paul H Ashby - 13/11/08

Bethel

Bethel is a city which was named by Jacob. It was also the place where his grandfather Abraham had first pitched his tent when he arrived in Canaan (Gen 12:8:13:3). Bethel was placed near to an ancient settlement named Luz where Jacob laid down to sleep after he had been sent away from home to go and find a wife in Haran (Gen 28:10-17). In his sleep, Jacob had a vision of angels ascending and descending on a ladder, with God standing nearby offering him the Covenant promises previously given to his father and grandfather. It was Jacob’s first spiritual experience, and he set up a stone there as a reminder, and named it ‘Bethel’, meaning ‘house of God’.

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Bethlehem

The name ‘Bethlehem’ means ‘house of bread’. The city is placed about 6 miles to the south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem is important to the history of God’s people. It is the burial place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph (Gen 35:19). Secondly, the story of Ruth is based there (Ruth 1:1f., 4:11). Thirdly, the family of David comes from Bethlehem (1 Sam 16). This last fact lies behind Micah’s prophecy that a king will arise from ‘Bethlehem Ephrathah’ (Micah 5:2 - ‘Ephrathah’ seems to be an ancient tribal name amongst Bethlehemites). These references come together in the New Testament when Jesus is born in Bethlehem. The name itself combines the themes of Israel’s ancient covenant with God, her mission to the Gentiles, and Israel’s hope for a new king in the line of David. In returning to Bethlehem for the census, Joseph is identified as a Judean loosely connected to the royal lineage of David.

Paul H Ashby - 21/12/09

Caesarea

Caesarea was a Roman town built on the Mediterranean Coast to the north of Israel. It was built in honour of Augustus Caesar by King Herod the Great. Caesarea was the Roman headquarters of various Roman officials including Pontius Pilate when He was Governor of Judea. It is mentioned in scripture notable as the home town of Cornelius, the Roman centurion who had a vision (Acts 10:1f.) and summoned Peter. The result of this meeting was the conviction of Peter that God intended to bless the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Caesarea was also a large port with direct sea routes to Rome and many other places. It was there that Paul was imprisoned for two years before being taken to Rome. Some reckon that Paul wrote Philippians and perhaps other letters whilst at Caesarea.

Paul H Ashby - 1/10/08

Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Philippi was a quite different place to Caesarea and to Philippi, and was located in the far north eastern region of Israel near to the source of the River Jordan in the foothills of Mount Hermon. It was a town which was rebuilt by Philip the Tretrach - one of the sons of Herod the Great - in honour of Caesar (hence the name), and it was a centre for the worship of the God ‘Pan’. The god ‘Pan’ represented the multiplicity of gods worshipped by Roman peoples, hence the term ‘pantheon’ referring to the Roman belief in many gods. It is significant therefore that it was here that Jesus chose to ask the disciples the critical question ‘who do you say that I am?’ Peter’s famous answer ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’ (Matt 16:16) is an essential turning point in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Paul H Ashby - 1/10/08

Canaan

This word is used in the Old Testament to refer to the land we know as the ‘Promised Land’. At various times in the Old Testament, Canaan could be thought of as the lands inhabited by the tribes of Israel, including those on the east of the Jordan, or it could mean the land between Galilee and the Judea desert in the south, and bordered by the Jordan on the east and the Sea on the west. The people who lived in this region, before the Lord gave it to the people of Israel, came from a wide range of tribal groupings (the land of the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Amorites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites - see Gen 15:20. They are regarded as peoples who were descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham who was one of Noah’s three sons (Gen 10:15f.). However, the entire region was conquered under Joshua, but many of the peoples remained, and lived alongside the Israelites and Judeans (see Judges 1).

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Colossae

Colossae was a small town inland from Ephesus in what was called the province of Phrygia and is now the western edge of Turkey. The nearest major city was Laodicea, not more than a couple of miles away, and the sites of the two ancient cities can be seen to this day. Colossae was not itself an important place, but has come to importance because of its connection with the Gospel and the Early Church. Epaphras went from Colossae to Ephesus to hear Paul preach, and upon returning, established a church at Colossae. In later years, leading Christians from there who are mentioned in the Bible are Philemon, Onesimus, Tychicus and Archipus.

Paul H Ashby - 27/03/09

Corinth

Corinth was regarded as one of the biggest trading centres of the Greek/Roman world. It was to the west of Athens in and with its natural harbours was a natural place of trade for both the east and the west. Paul stayed there on his second and third missionary journeys, initially in the home of Prisca and Aquilla (Acts 18:1f.), debating his faith in the synagogues and working to establish the church there. He made a living as a tentmaker with Aquila who worked at the same trade. Corinth had a fearsome reputation in the ancient world for violence, but it became the centre of a very significant Christian community. We can gather a certain amount of information about it from Paul’s two letters to the Corinthian churches. The first letter addresses some difficult issues that had arisen in the church, and the second letter appears to be Paul’s attempt to justify his authority and standing as an apostle and church leader.

Paul H Ashby - 21/11/08

Crete

The island of Crete was famous for its ancient Minoan civilisation and stories of the pagan gods. Some believe it was the home of the fearsome Philistines who came to the south west of Canaan some time after the forefathers and before the settlement of Israel in the Promised Land of Canaan. The main New Testament connection with Crete is the note in Paul’s letter to Titus telling him to remain there and work at setting up the church (Titus 1:5). It is almost impossible to work out from Scripture the exact course of events that may have led to this. Certainly, Paul passed there on his way to Rome as a prisoner (Acts 27:7)

Paul H Ashby - 21/11/08

Cyprus

Cyprus does not figure in the Old Testament, except briefly in a prophecy by Isaiah (23:1, 23:12) and Ezekiel (27:6), both being references to trade. More interestingly, Cyprus is mentioned in Acts 11 as one of the places to which Christians were scattered after the persecution of Stephen; and it is clear from the reports that when they went there they evangelised on the island (11:19,20). Also, Cypress is the first place Paul and Barnabas went to when starting their first missionary journey (Acts 13:4), a logical move perhaps because Barnabas was himself from the island. Paul’s first missionary journey was a momentous event, and Acts records that they evangelised ‘throughout the island’, and it is not a small island. There, they were confronted with the magician Elymas (Acts 13:4).

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Damascus

The city of Damascus is one of the oldest cities known, and has been inhabited for centuries, occupied by different groups of people and races. Abraham used it as a base for his expedition to rescue Lot (Genesis 14), and David extended the boarders of Israel as far as Damascus (2 Sam 8:5,6). For most of the period of the Kingdoms, Damascus was the capital of the Aramean tribal group and succumbed to the Assyrian conquest of the region in 732BC. Damascus then became an administrative centre for the Assyrian Empire. In the days of Jesus and the early church, Damascus was known as the place to which Paul was travelling when he had his great ‘conversion’ experience. Paul was going to persecute the church there but instead was given a commission by the Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Paul H Ashby - 9/08/08

Egypt

The land of Egypt figures strongly in the whole of the Old Testament, most significantly because it was the place where the people of Israel grew from being a large extended family into a nation of peoples. The story of Moses’ liberation of the people of Israel from slavery is the driving force of much of Old Testament history, an event known as the ‘Exodus’, celebrated by the Israelite people every year in the ‘Passover’ festival. Most of the rest of Old Testament history involves Egypt as well. Abraham went there after passing through Canaan (Genesis 12); Various Kings of Judah sought help from Egyptian Kings (e.g. 2 Kings 7:6 etc.), and the last of Jerusalem’s inhabitants left the city for Egypt after the total collapse of the city at the time of the Babylonian invasion (Jer. 50). Egypt was also the place Jesus was taken by His parents when King Herod sought His life (see Matthew 2).

Paul H Ashby - 30/07/08

Ephesus

The large town of Ephesus was an important port on the west coast of what is now Turkey, and was called Asia Minor. It was a famous site of pilgrimage for worshippers of ‘Dianna’ of the Ephesians (sometimes called ‘Artemis’) and the Temple of Diana was one of the seven ‘wonders’ of the ancient world. In Acts 19, we read that Paul’s attempts to evangelise there brought disgruntled traders onto the street who thought that his preaching might take away their living, making pilgrimage trinkets and images of the Temple and Diana. Despite this difficult start, Ephesus became an important Christian centre and there is evidence that some evangelism took place which was based there and went inland to other towns in Asia Minor. Paul’s letter the the Ephesians is a general letter designed for circulation to a number of churches, and this may reflect its importance as a centre of Christian faith.

Paul H Ashby - 15/11/08

Galatia

Galatia is the central region of what Paul called ‘Asia’ but we know as ‘Turkey’. Paul’s first missionary journey with Barnabas was largely around this region (Acts 13,14), and the churches mentioned are those at Antioch (Antioch in Pisidium), Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Paul visited these churches again on his second missionary journey with Silas (Acts 16) before going on further to Macedonia (Acts 16:9f.). As the first fruits of Paul’s missionary enterprise, he was particularly upset that Judaisers interfered with the churches there by preaching that a Christian was not only saved by Christ, but if they were to be completely acceptable to God they also had to obey the laws of Moses and also be circumcised. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians specifically in order to counter this teaching.

Paul H Ashby 18/315

Galilee

This region of northern Israel is generally reckoned to be on the southern, western and north western shores of Lake Galilee. This lake is a fresh water lake fed by the waters of the river Jordan which come down from the heights of Mount Hermon, and it empties into the river Jordan which runs down the centre of the rift valley through Israel to the Dead Sea. Most of this region is below sea level. In Old Testament times, the tribes settled around Galilee were Zebulun and Naphtali (and possibly Issachar, though a little further south), whilst part of the tribe of Manasseh was settled on the north eastern side of the Lake; though it is not known as ‘Galilee’ in Old Testament times. In Jesus’ day, the region was well inhabited, fertile, and the centre of significant agriculture and trade, and although there were significant Israelite settlements and towns in the region, there were also Roman towns. Around the whole lake, Jew and Gentile lived side by side even if they did not socialised with each other.

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Gath

Gath was one of the five city states of the Philistine territories, a tribal grouping living in the region of what we know as the ‘Gaza strip’. Gath was the city to which the Ark of the Covenant was taken when captured by the Philistines in the days of Eli (1 Sam 5:8f.), and it was also the home of Goliath, David’s famous opponent. It is interesting to note that after being evicted from Saul’s court (1 Sam 21:10f.) David went immediately to Gath. Later on in his story he returned there as a friend of King Achish of Gath, when trying to find somewhere to live during his exile from Israel by order of King Saul (1 Sam 21,27).

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Golgotha

This is the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. Three Gospels tell us this and provide us with a translation of the word; ‘place of the skull’ (Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22 and John 19:17). The word itself is Aramaic, which more accurately means ‘skull’, or ‘place of the skull’, and the name ‘Calvary’ comes from the Latin translation of this word. The site of Golgotha was certainly outside of the city of Jerusalem, and appears to have been near a major roadway (Matt 27:39). The Cross at Golgotha could be seen ‘from afar’ (Matt 27:39), so we can assume that it was on raised ground, such as prominent hill. All this would suit the Romans, who crucified people where they could be seen by as many people as possible, to send out a message that opposition to Roman Empire would not be tolerated.

Paul H Ashby 23/03/09

Goshen

Goshen lay in northern Egypt within the eastern Nile Delta. It is not certain that Goshen was indeed the ‘best of the land’ (Gen 45:18) when Israel settled there. The best land in Egypt was next to the Nile and fertile because of its floods. Genesis 45 to 47 is a delicate piece of negotiation between Joseph and Pharaoh over the settlement of Jacob and his family, ending in Joseph making the argument that for his family, Goshen was indeed the best part of the land because it was good for cattle rearing (47:11f.), suitable for shepherds (and also Pharaoh’s cattle). It was necessary for the Israelites to settle there, well away from Egyptian society further south on the Nile. Later on, the Pharaohs used Israelite labour to build new cities ‘Pithon and Ramses’ (Ex 1:11f.) in the north. This was the cause of injustice towards Israel that led to cries that went to the Lord for liberation (Ex 2:23f.).

Paul H Ashby - 2/09/09

Greece

In ancient times, the country we now know as Greece was a land of city states and regional powers. Macedonia was the northern regional power, including such cities as Thessalonica and Philippi (in NT times). Achaia was the southern regional power including such cites as Corinth, Sparta and Athens (in NT times.) The Greek language and culture dominated the whole known world after the fourth century BC following the victories of Alexander the great (a Macedonian King), to the extent that by the time of Christ, although the whole world had come under Roman rule, Greek was still the common language spoken throughout the Empire. In the days of the Early Church, Paul evangelised there mostly during his second missionary journey.

Paul H Ashby - 24/03/09

Hades

The Hebrew word ‘Sheol’ (Greek - ‘Hades’) describes the place of the dead. The Israelite people thought of the earth as a disc with dome over it containing the sky and the heavens. Beyond everything they believed that there were primeval waters rising up as rivers and seas and coming down in the form of rain. Sheol was underneath the surface of the world and the place of the dead, and they believed that when people died they were buried and went to join others who were dead in a shady existence which was separate from the world and separate from God. It was the separation from God which the Israelite peoples feared the most. The Greek word Hades translates the Hebrew Sheol. By the time of Jesus, people debated the possibility of escape from Sheol or Hades, and the possibility of ‘resurrection’ for the just. The Pharisees, for example, believed in the resurrection.

Paul H Ashby 6/09/08

Heaven

Genesis describes ‘Heaven’ as like a ‘dome’ of sky above the earth in which ancient people believed the stars, sun and moon were set; its blue colour attributed to the ‘waters’ which lay beyond (see Gen 1). Heaven was the dwelling place of God dwelled. For this reason, God was thought of as ‘coming down’ to be with people. Our view of heaven is now more spiritual than physical, because the overall picture we have of the world and universe has changed since the Bible was written. We now interpret heaven as the spiritual place of God’s dwelling which is beyond our physical experience, and this way of thinking about it means that we can read most Biblical texts without difficulty. Heaven is the place of God’s ‘court’ in which He sits in judgment over the world (Matt 25:31f.) God will create a ‘new heaven and a new earth’ when He come at the conclusion of this world.

Paul H Ashby - 30/08/08

Hebron

Hebron is a very ancient town of southern Israel in the lands of Judah, nineteen miles to the south-west of Jerusalem. It is in a sheltered valley in the Judean hills. Abraham camped there are built an altar (Genesis 13:18). When Sarah died there, Abraham bought a field and a cave (the cave of Machpelah), and the cave became the burial plot for Sarah and Abraham, and other forefathers of Israel. In later times, Hebron was used as a capital of Judah by David before he unified all Israel and made a capital out of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 3,5f.). In addition, David’s son Absolom raised a rebellion against his father and proclaimed himself king (2 Sam 15:7f.). The fact that Hebron exists to this day along with only a few truly ancient Israelite and Judean towns is remarkable.

Paul H Ashby - 14/09/08

Israel

The land of Israel is the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the land of their inheritance, the ‘Promised Land’; see also ‘Canaan’. The land was therefore regarded as a holy sign of God’s presence with His people, and like the Temple in Jerusalem, a visible sign of God’s blessing on His people (Gen 15:12-16). Because of the sins of the people after the time of the great king Solomon, the northern tribes (apart from Judah, and parts of Benjamin and Simeon) separated from Judah and Jerusalem and formed their own country with a capital city eventually built in Samaria. For this reason, it is wise to remember that the ’Kingdom’ of Israel was different from the ’KIngdom’ of Judah in Old Testament times, and each had its own land. The division of the land symbolised the sin of God’s people graphically

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Jabesh Gilead

Jabesh-gilead was a town in the northern regions of Israel on the Eastern side of the Jordan and in the hills just south of the general region of Galilee. The citizens of Jabesh-gilead played an important part in the foundation of the Israelite state. The Ammonites threatened to gouge out the eyes of its citizens so they appealed to Saul, who rallied all Israel to their defence in his first great act as King of all Israel (1 Sam 11:1-11). For this reason, Jabesh-gilead remained faithful to Saul when others deserted him, and when he fell in battle at Mount Gilboa, they rescued his body and buried it (1 Sam 31). Because of this faithfulness, David attempted to make peace with Jabesh-gilead immediately after he was made king of Judah, but he had no response from the town and had to wait years before he was able to join Judah with the northern town and bring all Israel together again.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/08

Jerusalem

The origins of Jerusalem are unknown. It is possibly the city mentioned as the home of Melchizedek (Gen 14), and inhabited by Jebusites beyond the invasion of Canaan by the Israelites under Joshua. David invaded the city to make it his capital after being crowned king of both Israel and Judah (2 Sam 5); it was on the border between the north and south of Israel. When the kingdoms of Israel and Judah divided after the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 12), Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah. It survived the Assyrian invasion of 701BC, becoming more like a ‘city state’, and was captured and ransacked by the Babylonians in 587BC. Jerusalem was the site of the Temple, and was referred to as ‘Zion’, the dwelling place of God with His people. During Jesus’ life, Jerusalem had a new temple built by Herod and was the centre of opposition to Jesus, and He died outside its walls. It was sacked by Rome in 70AD.

Paul H Ashby - 9/07/09

Jezreel

The town of Jezreel sits at the beginning of the Valley of Jezreel which passes between Mount Gilboa and the Hill of Moreh and sweep down eastwards towards the Jordan Valley, meeting it just below Lake Galilee. The town is the site of Ahab’s royal residence and Naboth’s vineyard. Because of this connection with Jezebel who arranged Naboth’s death so that her husband could take the vineyard, the town and the valley are often mentioned in scripture as the site of the bloody end of Jezebel. The name does in fact mean ‘God sows’, and the valley is a broad and pleasant valley, the site of many battle (see Saul and the Philistines - 1 Sam 31) but was also the main route from the north through Israel to the Jordan valley and thence to Egypt. As such the valley was always the target of invading armies. However controlled Jezreel, controlled trade.

Paul H Ashby - 5/09/08

Jordan

The river Jordan is a major geographical feature of the land of Israel. The river rises from the snow capped Mount Hermon, gathering in lake Galilee. From there, the river flows down the rift valley, below sea level, down to the Dead Sea, where its waters evaporate from the surface of the Sea, leaving it with highly salty mineral laden waters. The lower reaches of the Jordan form a fertile and green part of the region, and this is what attracted Lot to settle there in Genesis 13. The Jordan was regarded as a boundary on the east side of the ‘Promised Land’ of Canaan, and the crossing of it is historically regarded as significant (when Jacob returned to his homeland, and when Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land. In reality, some of the tribes of Israel lived to the east of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad and Manasseh), but these tribes do not figure strongly in the general history of Israel.

Paul H Ashby - 6/11/08

Judah

The land of Judah was to the south of the rest of Israel, and its capital was the great city of Jerusalem. The tribe of Judah took the lead in conquering the promised Land (see Judges 1, for example) and was the tribe of David, the king who united all Israel. In the course of time, Judah and its capital Jerusalem formed the southern nation of God’s people, whilst (most of) the rest formed ‘Israel’ in the north. When the Judean people were taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 587BC many felt that the ‘land’ had been lost, but under Nehemiah, Ezra and Zerubbabel, the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile formed the beginning of a new nation which came to be called the ‘Jewish’ people.

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Kielah

The town of Keilah is in the tribal lands of Judah, around eight and an half miles Northwest of Hebron, and therefore on the borderlands of Judah and Philistine territory (see Joshua 15:44, 1 Chron 4:19). It is thought to be the modern town Khirbet. The town was rescued from Philistine incursion by David when he was still on the run from Saul (1 Sam 23:1-5). David then used the town as a safe haven for a short time until the local citizens became concerned that his presence compromised their safety, and David was forced to seek refuge elsewhere. In later years the town was repaired by Levites after the exile in Babylon (Neh 3:17-18)

Paul H Ashby - 25/07/08

Kiriath Jearim

Kiriath-jearim is a town in the south western regions of Judah, bordering on Philistine territory. The name means ‘city of forests’, but was also named ‘Kiriath-baal’ (see Judges 9:17). The town was renowned for its water, and was the place where the Philistine returned the Ark of the Covenant after it had caused havoc in Philistia (1 Sam 7:2f.). The town crops up in a number of scripture references, but little of importance happened there.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/09

Macedonia

The northern regions of the country we now know as Greece were called Macedonia in Paul’s day. This considerable region was the power base for Alexander III (the Great) who conquered the known world in 325 BC and experienced considerable strife in the centuries after his death. Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go there on his second missionary journey, and first went to Philippi (Acts 16) and then to Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9) before moving on to Beroea. Paul’s first written letter held in the New Testament was written to the Thessalonians, and he clearly appreciated the testimony of the initially small church there. The city acted as the capital of the Roman region during Paul’s day, and was on the great Roman road the via Egnatia which crossed the Greek peninsular in the direction of the Bosphorus.

Paul H Ashby - 21/03/09

Mount of Moriah

The mountain on which Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Isaac was called ‘Mount Moriah’ (Genesis 22:1f.). It is described as ‘three day’s journey from Beersheba, where Abraham was living. The incident completes the major stories of Abraham in Genesis, and the sacrifice of a lamb instead of Isaac on Mount Moriah is regarded as a prophetic enactment of the sacrifice of Christ. The story’s link with faith is important for our understanding of the saving work of Christ. The Mountain is also connected with the site of the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1), for Solomon identifies this as the ‘threshing floor of Araunah’ purchased by David towards the end of his reign. At the time, the site was on a prominence outside the original city of David (Jerusalem). Beyond the symbolic meaning of these connections, the Bible does not say enough for us to be sure that the two sites are the same.

Paul H Ashby - 20/03/09

Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives stands opposite the hill top on which Jerusalem was built, to the east of the city and separated from it by the Kidron Valley. The Garden of Gethsemane is on the side of the Mount of Olives facing the city. The mount is a vantage point from which the whole of the Jerusalem can be seen, with the Temple directly opposite. It is mentioned in a number of significant places in Scripture. In the O.T., Zechariah prophesied that the Lord would come again at the end of time and stand on the Mount of Olives before drawing all things to an end. From this came the popular belief that the Messiah would come, standing on the Mount of Olives. Jesus stood there before His entry into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1f.), and a number of incidents around the final days of Jesus’ life took places there (Matt 24:3, 26:30). The disciples gathered there for Jesus’ ascension to the Father (Acts 1:12f.).

Paul H Ashby - 25/01/09

Nazareth

The town of Nazareth is in the hill country of the Roman administrative region of Galilee. It lies approximately ten mile to the west of Lake Galilee, and the whole region was well populated in Jesus’ day. It is uncertain why God chose this northern town as the place for the early life of Jesus. Mary and Joseph came from there, and Nazareth only appears in the Bible in the stories of Jesus’ birth in each of the Gospels. Elsewhere, it is frequently mentioned in Acts in the phrase ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. Jesus chose to begin His ministry in Capernaum rather than Nazareth, and it was at Nazareth that crowds sought to throw Jesus off a cliff after hearing Him read from Isaiah 61 and apply its message to Himself (Luke 4:1-31). There is no known connection between the name ‘Nazareth’ and the concept of ‘Nazirite’, which defined holy men who made vows to dedicate their lives to God (e.g. Samson - Judges 13:5)

Paul H Ashby - 12/01/10

Paran

This is the site in the wilderness where the Israelites camped after they had left Mount Sinai (Numbers 10:11-12, 12:16). It was from here that spies were sent into Canaan to check out the land (Num. 13:3f.). In addition, it is where Ishmael made his home after he was banished from Abraham’s household (Gen 21:21). Other references to Paran come in 1 Sam 25 where David goes there after the death of Samuel, and it is described as the ‘wilderness of Paran’. Clearly, this implies a region rather than a place, but in Deut 33:2 and Hab 3:3 ‘Paran’ is spoken about poetically as if it was Mount Sinai itself!

Paul H Ashby - 30/08/08

Promised Land

The Promised Land is first identified in Gen. 13 as the land Abraham could see from a vantage point above the Dead Sea valley (Gen 13:14f.); this was, roughly, the land of Canaan. The Lord promised this to Abraham and his descendants ‘for ever’ as part of their ‘Covenant’. Abraham never settled in the land, and it was left to Israel, under Joshua, to ‘take’ the land after God had freed Israel from captivity in Egypt. Joshua’s invasion was less than successful because of the sins of the people (see Judges 1). Moses had warned that the people’s relationship with God would be reflected in their holding of the land (see Deuteronomy 31), so when the people of Israel persistently sinned, their land was invaded (by Assyria in 721BC), and later, Judah (by Babylon in 597BC.). The exiles who returned from Babylon many years later attempted to re-occupy the ‘Promised Land’, with varying success.

Paul H Ashby 12/01/10

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire filled the gap left when the Greek Empire collapsed after Alexander the Great died. The Empire was based on the city of Rome and its nobility, who governed through the ‘Senate’. In Jesus’ day, the Empire covered Palestine and was also settled in Britain! The ‘Pax Romana’, peace enjoyed under Roman rule, was secured by giving the people in conquered lands great freedom, within clear limits. In latter years, from the first century onwards, people were required to perform religious ceremonies that recognised the Emperor as a god, and this gave Christians great difficulty. The Emperor wielded absolute power, and life for many was dependant upon the character of the Emperor. Some Emperors ignored religion, others fought Christians with vigour. Eventually, Emperor Constantine was converted in 330 AD, and Christianity became the religion of Rome.

Paul H Ashby - 12/01/10

Samaria

Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel from the time of king Omri in the ninth century BC. The city was in the middle of the hill country which made up the tribal lands of Ephraim, not much more than a day’s journey from Jerusalem by foot. It was overthrown in 720 BC by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser, who destroyed it and killed all the members of the royal household. The Assyrians brought into their conquered territories peoples from other nations and forced them to -co-exist, and they did this to Israel, exporting them to other countries and bringing other peoples into Israel. Remnants of the different tribes of northern Israel continued to live in that region despite this, but they developed their own form of ‘traditional’ Israelite faith, and by the time of Jesus they were known as ‘Samaritans’ (after the capital Samaria). The differences between Jews and Samaritans remains contentious.

Paul H Ashby 17/3/15

Shunem

Shunem was a town at the southern end of the Valley of Jezreel at the foot of the Hill (Mount) of Moreh and opposite Mount Gilboa. The Philistines encamped at Shunem before the famous battle at which Saul was killed (2 Sam 28:4f.). Amongst the individuals who came from Shunem, the Bible gives prominence to the woman from Shunem who gave much hospitality to Elisha on his travels (see 2 Kings 4f.). It was her son who was famously raised from the dead by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-37).

Paul H Ashby - 16/08/08

Sinai (Mount)

Mount Sinai (also called Horeb) is where Moses met God firstly at the incident of the ‘burning bush’, and then at the giving of the law (Exodus 20 f.). Mount Sinai itself is not depicted as holy, but made holy by the descending presence of God for the purpose of appearing to the people of Israel (Exodus 19). The descriptions of God on the mountain are reminders of His creative power and authority (thunder and lightning), of His purity (smoke as from a kiln) and His call to worship (the sound of the trumpets). The location of the mountain has been debated for years, but it is simplest to accept that it is a range of mountains in the southern tip of the Sinai peninsular, of which one peak (perhaps what is now known as ‘Jebel Musa’ is the one referred to in Scripture. The mountain is also the one to which Elijah fled when seeking the Lord, after being pursued by Jezebel. He received there a renewed call.

Paul H Ashby - 13/05/09

Sodom

Sodom was a city of the Jordan valley which now lies (with Gomorrah) underneath the waters of the Dead Sea. The city is where Lot found his home after choosing the Jordan valley when offered the ‘best of the land’ by Abraham (Genesis 13). The city was seen as the archetypal sinful city of ancient times during the days of Abraham, and as a consequence of the evil done there and the experience of God’s emissaries (Gen 19) it was destroyed. The stories surrounding this event introduce a number of significant themes in the Old Testament including that of the potential salvation of many through the righteousness of a few (Gen 18:22-23) and the allure of sin (see Lot’s wife -Genesis 19). See also Deuteronomy 29:23 and Matthew 10:15.

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Temple

The Temple was built by Solomon, son of David, to contain the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ and be the worship centre for all Israel. The design was based on the Tabernacle. It had an outer courtyard for worship, and an inner courtyard with a altar for sacrifices; and inside this, a double room at the centre of the Temple. The first room was the ‘Holy Place’, in which were kept a table for the ‘Bread of the Presence’, a golden candlestick and an altar of incense representing prayers said for the people. Beyond this was the ‘Holy of Holies’ where the Ark was kept , and its lid, the ‘mercy seat’ covered by two golden cherubim. All this was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587BC and another temple was built when the exiles returned (see Haggai, Ezra). In the decades before Christ was born, Herod the Great built a massive new Temple which was the pride of all Israel. This was destroyed by Rome in AD70.

Paul H Ashby - 9/07/09

Thessalonica

The city of Thessalonica is mentioned in Acts 17 as the second city visited by Paul on his second missionary journey. The small Christian community founded there was able to survive despite initial setbacks, and was commended by Paul for its testimony in the entire region (1 Thess 1:6f.). The first letter Paul wrote was probably his first to the Thessalonians. The city itself was founded by Alexander the Great, and as such became the centre of government for the region, a right retained under Roman rule during New Testament times. The city was extensive and prosperous, lying on the via Egnatia, the Roman Road connecting the east and west of the Empire.

Paul H Ashby - 21/03/09

Tower of Babel

The story of the Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-9. The name ‘Babel’ is Hebrew for ‘Babylon’. The story is regarded as a form of myth or legend about the dispersion of people throughout the world, and the origins of language. This is too simplistic, because the record in Genesis is more like a parable explaining the differences between God and humanity after the Flood. Ancient cities called ‘ziggurats’ were made in ancient times as described in Genesis, and Scripture offers spiritual comment on what happened when they were built: sins of pride, idolatry and selfishness (amongst others) characterise the human condition that split humanity by tribal and language groups. This, together with the rest of Genesis 10 and 11, sets the scene for the story of Abraham. In the New Testament, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is God’s reversal of the consequences of ‘Babel’ (Acts 2).

Paul H Ashby - 12/02/09

Ur

The city of Ur is mentioned in the Bible as the place from where Abraham’s family journeyed. His Father Terah set out from there (Gen 11:28-31) to go to the ‘Promised Land’. There is some debate about where ‘Ur’ was. Some believe that there was a city called ‘Ur’ in the northern regions of Mesopotamia around 2,000 years BC. In addition, there was certainly a city called ‘Ur’ in the southern regions of the Euphrates river in those days (roughly the south of modern Iraq. By all accounts, it was a magnificent city, and was the centre and capital of ancient Sumerian people and culture. This is the most likely origin of Abraham’s family.

Paul H Ashby - 17/07/08

Zion

The name ‘Zion’ refers to the original hilltop fortress captured by David from the Jebusites (2 Sam 5:7f.) upon which Solomon’s Temple was eventually built. Zion was therefore called in some parts of scripture ‘the city of David’. In later times the prophets (especially Isaiah) used the word to describe God’s dwelling place with His people, as do the Psalms. Later prophets use the word ‘Zion’ as almost equivalent to ‘Jerusalem’. When Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, the term came to have symbolic meaning and was connected with the coming of the Messiah. Zion could also refer to the people of Israel (because God dwelt with His people. In the New Testament, Zion seems to stand for God’s people, but also stands for the hope of God’s new Jerusalem, His new ‘dwelling place with men and women when Chriost comes again at the end of time.

Paul H Ashby - 9/07/09

Scroll & select place

Dictionary of places in the Bible

Creation

The Creation of the world is described in Genesis 1&2, and is also mentioned in other texts such as Psalm 8 and the speech of God in Job 38-41. The way ancient people understood the ‘facts’ of existence and the nature of the created world is very different from ours, notably their belief that the earth was placed within an infinite ocean of water extending above and below all things. Despite this, The power of the O.T. descriptions of Creation lie in their description of the rationality, order, goodness and love of God reflected within His Creation. This is most poignantly expressed in the creation of men and women (Gen 1:27, 2:18-25) who together reflect the nature of God Himself . Other highlights are the work of the Spirit (Gen 1:1,2) and the creation of humanity through ‘god-breathed’ flesh (Gen 2:7), defining humanity as ‘body’, ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’. Most significantly, God is happy and content with His work.

Paul H Ashby 16/08/08

Easter

The words ‘Easter’ is not found in the Bible, and the name comes from the Anglo Saxon goddess of spring, ‘Eostra’. The feast developed from the Jewish Passover festival at which Jesus died. Easter was first celebrated on the day after the Passover festival ended, being the 14th Nissan (Jewish calendar), whichever day this happened to be. It is possible that the phrase ‘after the Passover’ (Acts 12:4) refers to the day we call ‘Easter’. At the turn of the third century, an alternative practice was insisted upon by the church at Rome, being the Sunday after the 14th Nissan. The dispute between these two practices split the church. Easter is now celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Easter was at one time a celebration of both the Exodus and the rising of Christ, but the difference between the two was recognised from the fourth century AD onwards.

Paul H Ashby - 11/04/09

Exile

The people of Judah were taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar between 597BC and then in 587BC. This was because of Judah’s attempts to remain independent when the Babylonian Empire was extending its power, and also because Judah had continued to sin against the Lord and live contrary to the Law and the Covenant (see 2 Kings 24,25, 2 Chron 35,36). The disaster of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was compounded by the people’s exile in a foreign land; but prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel helped the people rediscover their faith in the midst of their distress. They also rediscovered the works of older prophets such as Isaiah who helped them understand why the disaster had come on them. When the people returned after 40 -70 years, they tried to rebuild the city, but spiritually, they began to hope for a Messiah who would save them from foreign domination.

Paul H Ashby - 12/08/08

Exodus

The Exodus is the great event recorded in the book of Exodus 12 to 14 (and 15) when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness of the Sinai peninsular supposedly to worship God, but in reality to leave Egypt and seek the ‘Promised Land’ of Canaan. Although the event of leaving Egypt was itself dramatic, the Bible regards the whole story of the Exodus as beginning with the birth of Moses and continuing into the giving of the Law under Moses whilst the people wandered through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. As a whole, therefore, the event was seminal in Israel, covering the story of Israel’s formation as a nation under slavery in Egypt to the giving of God’s Laws about how to live in His world. The liberating acts of God demonstrated in this great event have always been seen by Jew and Christian alike as an indication of God’s power to save.

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Flood

The Flood is recorded in Genesis 6-9. It was God’s solution to the problem of sin, following the downhill slide of Adam’s descendants through the murderous Cain. Noah was of the righteous lineage of Seth, and God chose to devastate the rest of the world but save Noah. People find the choices God makes in such stories difficult for they appear random to us. From the Bible’s perspective, it was not random at all. Sin requires a response from God because He is just, and this early response was a means not only for the seriousness of sin to be exposed, but the path of God’s solution to it established. This is demonstrated in the story by its reference to the covenant between God and humanity (Gen 6:18, and 9:9f.) Most people remember the Flood because of the rainbow that came afterwards as God’s ‘promise’. Not so many know what that promise was or that it was the ‘Covenant’.

Paul H Ashby - 5/02/09

Pentecost

Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’, and refers to the 50 days counted after the feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread before the date of the traditional Pentecost in the Jewish Calendar. It was originally a harvest festival service (wheat) called the festival of ‘weeks’, and was also regarded as the festival at which the giving of the Law was celebrated. It is against this background that the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples on the first ‘Pentecost’, at which the early church was founded. The impact of that event was phenomenal and from that time onwards, God has liberally given His Holy Spirit to all those who call on His name, repent and accept Christ as Lord. The festival of Pentecost is also highly symbolic, being linked to the death of Jesus at Passover by 50 days, and suggesting that the giving of the Holy Spirit was a new ‘law-giving’ by God.

Paul H Ashby - 11/11/08

Sabbath

The Sabbath is a key principle for the People of Israel. It connected them with their understanding of a God who made the world and instigated the Sabbath rest at that time (Genesis 2:1-3). We do not read much about the observance of the Sabbath in the Old Testament, except its inclusion in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1f.). All the O.T. references assume a strict observance of the Sabbath from earliest times. In the New Testament, Jesus discovers that the rigourous rules about the Sabbath created by subsequent generations and espoused by the Pharisees had become a hindrance to the worship of God rather than a blessing. A number of his disputes with the Pharisees focussed on the Sabbath laws (see Matthew 12). It is worth remembering that the Sabbath is a commandment to honour God by resting; in other words, the worship of the Sabbath is a worship of rest!

Paul H Ashby - 3/09/08

Second Coming

The whole of scripture testifies to the idea that Creation has a beginning and an end. Some O.T. prophecies speak about God’s future rule and re-creation (e.g. Isaiah 35), but others (Daniel 7) relate the end of the world to historical events, and this needs careful interpretation. Jesus speaks strongly about His coming again to bring God’s justice and the rule of His Kingdom (e.g. Matthew 24), and the early church believed that Jesus was ‘coming soon’, and called this the ‘Parousia’. However, both Jesus and Paul taught with clarity that we will not know ‘the day or the time’ (Matt 24:36). The Revelation of John focusses on the end times, but the cycle of mystical themes within it is difficult to understand. The final chapters of this book indicate that God will one day recreate the World as ‘a new heaven and a new earth’, in which Christ alone will rule. This has always been the Christian’s sure hope.

Paul H Ashby - 12/11/08

Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of teaching by Jesus delivered to the disciples at the beginning of his ministry, according to Matthew’s Gospel (Chapters 5,6,7). It begins with the famous ‘Beatitudes’ which stress the ministry of Jesus to the poor and to those who are waiting for Him. Jesus warns that His teaching will draw significant opposition. The teaching of the Sermon is about a ‘righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees’, and points to the godly principles which lie behind the ‘Law’. There are many famous short teachings of Jesus in the ‘Sermon’; ‘turn the other cheek’, for example, or Jesus’ teaching about worry. It finishes with the story of the man who build his house on rock, and the man who built his house on sand. The morality is probably unattainable, but it points to Jesus Himself as the Messiah and means of salvation.

Paul H Ashby - 1/09/08

Scroll & select word

Dictionary of events in the Bible

Abide

The word abide sounds rather ‘old English’, but is still useful as a translation of the Hebrew ‘shakan’ which means ‘to dwell, or to live permanently’. In the O.T. this word is used to describe the way in which God dwells with His people, firstly in the Tabernacle, and secondly in the ‘Holy of Holies’, within the Jerusalem Temple. Some Bible versions translate the word as ‘to remain’ or ‘to live’, but this does not convey the important idea of permanent living found in this word. People in Jesus’ day would speak of God’s ‘Shekinah’ glory (see the Hebrew, ‘shakan’), which means the glory of God dwelling permanently with His people in this world. In His ministry Jesus explains that in the future, God intends to abide not in a building but in His followers, and appeals to them to ‘Abide in me ...’ (John 15:4f.). Paul also alludes to this idea of permanent dwelling when he speaks of God’s people as a ‘Temple’ (1 Cor 3:16f.). John also speaks of this in his letters; ‘all who obey His commands abide in Him and He abides in them …’ (1 John 3:24)

Paul H Ashby - 3/2/15

Absolution

Although this word is not found in the Bible, the idea it conveys is profoundly Biblical. It means the ‘pronouncing forgiveness of sins’. This word reminds us that forgiveness is something which needs to be conveyed and communicated by word of mouth; it is no abstract idea. When we place our trust in Him, Jesus provides our absolution before the Father. This is the sure and certain hope of our salvation. In everyday affairs however, forgiveness and absolution are also important. When Jesus returned to the disciples after the Resurrection, He said ‘if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven ...’ (John 20:23), and in so saying, He gave the people of His church permission to act on His behalf, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in absolution, that is, in the forgiveness of sins. As well as commanding us to declare each other’s forgiveness upon confession and repentance, He also told His followers to live in a state of forgiveness with one another in His name. A Christian is one who knows that his or her sins have been ‘absolved’ through Jesus Christ.

Paul H Ashby - 3/2/15

Address

The idea of ‘address’ is found frequently in the Bible even if the word is not used much today. To ‘address’ someone means to call their attention, and people do this in different ways today according to culture. In the Old Testament God is addressed in various ways, most notably, through the use of different ‘names’. Most of the Psalms begin with some form of address, for example, God’s name is called, or He is praised. It was thought right to approach Almighty God by acknowledging Him in this way. In the New Testament, Paul starts his letters with a form of ‘address’. Typically, he identifies himself and the people to whom he writes, and then declares his support for them and His prayers for them (see the beginning of letters such as Philippians, Colossians, 1 Cor 1f.). In modern culture, substantial forms of address have largely slipped out of use, but they are an important feature of the Bible.

Paul H Ashby - 12/05/09

Adoption

The idea of adoption occurs within the Bible as a way of explaining our relationship with God through Christ. Adoption means the free giving of the rights and privileges of family membership to those who are not naturally family members. In the O.T., Moses is adopted into Pharaoh’s family, for example (Ex 2:10). More importantly, the language of adoption is used to describe God’s choice of Israel as His people (Hos. 11:1, Ex. 4:22). In the N.T., Jesus is God’s son by right, but by His death and resurrection He invites those who believe in Him to be the adoptive sons of God (Rom 8:15, Gal. 4:6, Eph. 1:5). The language of adoption is therefore used by the Bible to speak about God’s desire to have a ‘family’ relationship with people, which enables them to receive the inheritance of eternal life and glory with God in haven.

Paul H Ashby - 21/07/09

Aliens (resident strangers)

The Old Testament tells us that from the earliest of times in the life of God’s people, people came to live with Israel who were not Jews by physical descent but were happy to live according to Jewish law and life, and believe in God. They could be regarded as the first evidence of the fruitfulness of God’s people in being a ‘blessing to the nations’ (Gen 12:3). When Moses gave the law, it contained a significant number of concessions to ‘resident aliens’ protecting their right to live alongside Israelites and enjoy the benefits of God’s protection (see Exodus 23:9f.). They were granted citizenship of Israel and were allowed to harvest and also take part in the Passover Meal (e.g. Leviticus 19:33f.). Some of these people were important characters in Old Testament stories, for example, ‘Uriah the Hittite’, the husband of Bathsheba, and Ruth the Moabitess and others.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Angels

Angels appear in both the Old Testament and the New. They are messengers of God who have been given certain specific tasks to represent the Lord or directly convey a Word from God. Most stories about angels appear in Genesis, where they are recognised later as the Lord Himself (e.g. Gen 16:7f.) though sometimes they appear simply as angels (Gen 19:1). They are mentioned later on in the Old Testament, notably in the prophecies of Daniel (Dan 3:28; 6:22). In the New Testament they appear in the stories of the birth of Jesus (Matt 1:20f) and also in Revelation. From all this we find a picture of angels as heavenly beings who do God’s will, however, some of them are fallen and have come under Satan’s authority as ‘demons’ and are responsible for evil. This is all assumed by Jesus, but the written evidence for it is largely in Jewish works written in Greek just before the time of Christ, that are not in the Bible itself.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Anointing

God’s special blessing on a person or work, and sometimes on objects. Anointing was symbolic of a divine purpose. In O.T. times this was done by pouring of perfumed oil as a sign of God’s Spirit; for example, at the anointing of a king, a priest, or a prophet (Ex 30:22f., 1 Sam 10:1f.). In Hebrew, the name ‘Messiah’ means ‘the Anointed One’, and came to represent the expectation of a new King of David’s line who would lead Israel after the time of the Exile. The Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ translates into the Greek ‘Christos’; hence Jesus’ description as the ‘Christ’; He is God’s ‘Anointed One’. In the N.T. anointing is also conveyed by the laying on of hands, conferring God’s Holy Spirit for a special work (see Acts 10:38 etc.). In addition, the word ‘christos’ is closely related to the idea of washing and baptising; so baptism is thought of as an anointing into God’s new life.

Paul H Ashby - 15/08/08

Apocalyptic literature

Books of the Bible such as Daniel, parts of Zechariah and Revelation contain what is called ‘apocalyptic literature’. Such writing is characterised by anticipation of the future using visions and images, often of strange beasts and angels, and stories of heavenly events which affect human affairs; the stories are frequently about the End Times. The word ‘apocalypse’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘secrets’, and apocalyptic literature seeks to reveal the hidden secrets or ‘mysteries’ of God. Not all the visions and images are understandable as earthly events and some should not be interpreted this way; they are heavenly visions which we do not always understand, but God will sometimes grant us spiritual understanding of them. In general, the interpretation of these books is as much about understanding the literary patterns within the text, as it is about knowing what ‘symbols’ are.

Paul H Ashby - 20/08/08

Ark of the Covenant

The Ark was a box containing the 2 tablets of stone with the 10 commandments. Instructions for making it are in Ex. 25:10f. together with the integral cover, or ‘mercy seat’ (with cherubim) that was placed over it. The Ark was kept in a tent compound (the Tabernacle) set out like a Temple, with the Ark screened off in the central tent, accessed only by priests. The Ark and mercy seat Tabernacle were signs of God’s presence during the Exodus representing God’s ‘dwelling’ with His people. The Ark was involved in the taking of the Promised Land (Joshua 3f.) and then the early years of the monarchy (1 Samuel 3-7). The holiness of the Ark meant that it was risky to carry it (2 Samuel 6:2) but David brought it into Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:16,17) where it was eventually installed in the Temple by Solomon. The Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587BC, but by this time nothing was known of the Ark or its whereabouts!

Paul H Ashby - 26/05/09

Asherah

The name ‘Asherah’ crops up frequently in the ancient world as an important goddess, often associated with the sea, and as the female consort of gods such as the High God ‘El’ (unfortunately used by the Bible on occasions to refer to the Lord God). The word ‘asherah’ also describes various objects used in pagan worship; carved images and poles, and locations of pagan worship. The relationship of Asherah with Ba’al is uncertain, but in Scripture, she is a god worshipped alongside Ba’al. Although Asherah had been around for centuries, Ahab’s queen, Jezebel, is blamed for introducing her and Ba’al into northern Israel around 870 BC. It is also possible that the female god ‘astarte’ is another name for asherah, but the origins of these ancient gods is unclear in the Bible and the archaeological evidence is uncertain.

Paul H Ashby - 15/07/09

Atonement

The concept of atonement is deeply embedded within the concept of sacrifice. A sacrifice was performed to ‘atone’ for sins, meaning that God’s wrath was ‘pacified’ or ‘put to one side’ because of the sacrifice. Most people know about the ‘Day of Atonement’, when a priest went into the ‘Holy of Holies’ to perform a ritual sacrifice for the sins of all the people of Israel (Ex 30:10f.), but it is less well known that all worship by sacrifice was a form of atonement. It is in the New Testament alone that one sacrifice for the atonement of sins is made, being the sacrifice of Jesus’ death for the sins of all people. The letter of Hebrews (2:17) helps us understand this concept, as does the letter of Romans (3:25). Some translations of the Bible use the word ‘propitiation’ instead of atonement, but it means the same thing. Atonement is doing away with the consequences of sin before God.

Paul H Ashby 23/05/09

Authority (God’s)

The authority of God is His right to do as He sees fit as Creator, or to act as He sees fit. The Greek word from which this word comes implies the ‘unimpeded’ power to act, possess or control something or even someone. God has granted a measure of this authority to people as part of his gift at creation (Gen 1:26f.), which includes the authority to look after creation and the authority of rulers. He has given ‘all authority’ to Jesus to achieve salvation, and to the Church to establish His Kingdom here on earth before its completion when He comes again in glory. Paul (Romans 13) calls God’s people to accept the authority of the State, though we are not expected to be obedient to earthy rulers who are in rebellion against God! This is because those who set themselves up as ‘authorities’ in place of the authority of God rebel against Him and therefore exercise an ungodly domination over others.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Ba’al

In the Old Testament, the people of Canaan worshipped gods called ’Ba’als’. This word means ‘Lord’, so there was plenty of scope for misunderstanding when the God of Israel (JHWH) was also called ‘Lord’ (using a different Hebrew word - Adonai). The Ba’als were fertility gods who were worshipped to obtain good crops, and many Israelites worshipped Ba’al when there was a drought. This was the background of Elijah’s great confrontation with the prophets of Ba’al on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Ba’al was a male god and he was believed to have a female consort called ‘Asherah’ (and other names), and some worship practices involved sex, which was believed to stimulate fertility in the land; hence the ‘Temple prostitutes’ mentioned in Scripture. Hosea’s wife Gomer was a Temple prostitute. The worship of Ba’al gods at ‘high places’ contributed to God’s judgement on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 17).

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Baptism

In the New Testament, the first person who baptises is John the Baptist (Matt 3:1f.), as a sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This was based upon the ancient idea of ‘washing’ or ‘anointing’ to deal with past sin. Jesus is also reported as baptising, though not extensively (John 3:22). When the disciples were given a commission from Jesus to baptise (Matt 28:19), and were blessed at Pentecost with ‘baptism’ of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, the practice became a sign of entry into the church, the People of God. By baptism a person publicly identified with Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 5,6). There are a large number of possible allusions to baptism in the New Testament which make it difficult to say exactly how it was practised. Although baptism of adults by immersion is assumed, though immersion itself is not described anywhere. The baptism of families is found in Acts 16:33.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Birthright

In ancient times, the firstborn son would have the prior right to the family inheritance when the father of the household either died, or passed this on. The issue is important in scripture because it is a significant factor in the life of the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Despite human assumptions about birthright, God insisted on passing on the Covenant birthright according to His choice. For example, Esau had the birthright of inheritance from Isaac by right, but God had chosen Jacob to inherit the Covenant. Scripture therefore explains to us how Esau lost his birthright and it was taken by Jacob.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Blasphemy

Blasphemy means speaking against God, by slander or insult. The term is hardly used in the O.T., but blasphemy was the charge against Jesus when He was arrested. The Jews could not condemn Jesus to death by themselves or persuade the Romans to act on this charge, so they manipulated the allegations to appear like a threat to Rome in order to get Him killed. In the New Testament, blasphemy was considered a serious sin, and Paul speaks about the importance of eliminating blasphemy within the church, and of ensuring that people’s words and deeds did not cause blasphemy against God (Romans 2:24, 1 Timothy 1:20 et.). Jesus said that all manner of ‘speaking against’ was forgivable (even against Himself) but blasphemy against the ‘Holy Spirit’ was unforgivable (Matt 12:31,32). This means the sin of declaring as sinful the work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul H Ashby - 9/09/08

Blessing

A gift or favour of God which we may seek, but He grants according to His will. The Hebrew word is ‘barak’ and is the opposite of ‘curse’. So, for example, when the people of Israel came to the Promised Land, Moses gave instructions for blessings (of obedience and faith) to be celebrated on Mount Gerazim and curses (for disobedience) on Mount Ebal (Deut 27:11f.). In the O.T. God’s blessings were thought of in material terms, often as livestock or wealth. In the Covenant with Abraham, however, God described His intention to make His people a ‘blessing’ to all nations (Gen 12:2,3). Ultimately, this is fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus, by which all the nations are blessed through the salvation which He won for all who would respond to Him by faith. There are a number of famous texts called ‘blessings’, and they summarise God’s work to bring the benefits of peace, healing or salvation (Num 6:24f.).

Paul H Ashby - 19/08/08

Body

Some of the letters of the New Testament use the term ‘body’ to describe the connection between the person of Jesus Christ with His Church, made up of disciples. Hebrews speaks of a ‘body’ prepared for sacrifice which removes the sins of the world (10:5f.), and this body is Christ. In other letters, Paul uses the idea of a connected body to explain how the church works interdependently (1 Cor 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4). In one place Christ is called the ‘head of the body’ (Col 1:18). Elsewhere, the emphasis is on the unity of the body, made up of many separate parts and which cannot function unless every part plays it proper role. This is a powerful description of the Church, though in reality, such visible and practical unity has rarely, if ever been fulfilled. In addition, the Bible uses the word ‘body’ to describe not just physical reality, but the spiritual reality of the resurrection, our destiny in Christ (1 Cor 15)

Paul H Ashby - 19/08/08

Boundary stones

Boundary stones were used in ancient times as markers setting out tribal lands. These were the subjects of agreements, sometimes called ‘covenants’. As stones or piles of stones set in the ground, they were the outward evidence of these agreements and were formally laid with religious ceremony, invoking the wrath of the gods of the relevant parties upon anyone who might disrupt the agreement, or overstep the boundaries. These are sometimes referred to in Genesis and other early books of the Bible (e.g. Joshua).

Paul H Ashby - 11/04/09

Chosen

Choice is an important theme of Scripture. By choice, Eve and then Adam decided to give in to temptation and allow sin to enter the world God had given them. So now, by choice, we either love God or we decide not to love Him, and God respects the choice we make, even though our rejection causes Him pain. God has also made choices, and chose Abraham and members of his family as the means whereby He would reveal Himself to the world. In Old Testament times, the people of Israel were called upon to be a ‘light to the nations’ (Is 42:6; 49:6), but they chose not to fulfil this role. God therefore sent His son Jesus, one of the chosen race, to perform His will of bringing salvation to the world. We who are Christians are ‘chosen’ in so far as we are members of the ‘body of Christ’, the Church. We are therefore a chosen or ‘elect’ people.

Paul H Ashby - 11/04/09

Church

The Church is God’s people, gathered visibly in the world. Whereas the Old Testament ‘people of God’ were Israelites, the ‘people of God’ in the New Testament are the Church. The New Testament word for church is ‘ecclesia’ meaning ‘those gathered’. The word ‘Church’ does not mean a building except in the sense of being the ‘Body of Christ’ (e.g. 1 Cor. 12) which is ‘built up’ (Eph 412f.). Jesus knew that His disciples would become the first ‘church’ (Matt 16:18; 18:15f.), and He prayed that they would remain united (John 17) in Him. The early New Testament Church was united in Christ because there were no divisions based on differing beliefs. Later, after Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Rome became the centre of the Christian Church, and individual church fellowships began to create church buildings. Today, the church is divided and this has created many problems; only Christ can unite His church.

Paul H Ashby - 25/02/09

Commandments (the Ten)

The Ten Commandments have a prominent position in the revelation of the Law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20). They form a memorable summary of the duty of people to God (numbers 1 to 4), and also of the duty of people to each other (commandments 5 to 10). These commands are assumed to be those written on tablets of stone when Moses went up Mt. Sinai to meet God (Ex 24:18). When Moses came down the mountain, Aaron had made a golden calf for the people to worship, and smashed the stones in anger. He had to go up the mountain again to get replacements and these were placed in a box which made up the ‘Ark of the Covenant’. The commandments of God were far more than these ten, however, and the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy contain many more, including the famous ‘moral’ law of Leviticus 19:18; ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself.

Paul H Ashby - 3/11/08

Communion

The word ‘communion’ refers to the eating of bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord, as described in 1 Cor 11 and called there, the ‘Lord’s Supper’. Over the course of time, churches have used different words for services which includes this meal, ‘Mass’, ‘Eucharist’, and ‘Communion’. It is a meal shared in memory of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but the evidence is that when the first Christians ‘ate bread’ and ‘drank wine’ in this way, it was done as part of a substantial meal (as in 1 Cor 11:17-22). The idea that only a small portion of bread was shared follows from the idea of sharing one loaf amongst many people (1 Cor 11:23f.), but most modern practice has been developed since Biblical times. A number of texts refer to ‘bread and wine, but one significant O.T. passage is Genesis 14:18, where the priest Melchizedek brings bread and wine to give thanks to God after Abraham’s victories in Canaan.

Paul H Ashby - 16/02/09

Complaint

Many of the Psalms complain to God about the problems of life, and are called ‘Psalms of Complaint’. This is something of a misnomer, because firstly, all the Psalms in this category (except Psalm 88) turn from ‘complaint’ to praise. Secondly, the very act of addressing God, even with a complaint, is honouring to God because it respects God for who He is. God delight in accepting our honest ‘complaints’ if we will bring them to Him and listen to what He has to say about them. He can then help us.

Paul H Ashby 23/05/09

Confession

Confession means to ‘agree with’ someone about something. We are used to using this word to speak about our sins; we speak about ‘confessing ours sins’ to God. However, if we bear in mind what this word means, then we will understand that it is also right that we ‘confess our faith’ to God. In each case, we agree with God about the essential features of our relationship with Him; our faith and our sin. If we remember that confessing our sins is only agreeing with God about the problem, then it is obvious that confessing itself does not solve anything. Sin is resolved by Jesus’ death on the Cross, not our desire to confess. In the Letter of James, it says ‘confess your sins to one another, so that you may be healed’ (James 5:16). Speaking out in this way helps to remedy situations and brings healing (there is little in the Bible about ‘keeping quiet’)

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Covenant

The word Covenant comes from the O.T. and means ‘formal agreement’. God’s Covenant relationship with people began after the Flood, when God made a Covenant agreement with Noah that he would never again kill people because of their sin; but seek their salvation (Gen 9). The Covenant was extended when God established a personal Covenant with Abraham in which God promised to bless His chosen people in response to their obedience and their faith (Gen 15,17). The first Covenant with the people of Israel was established at the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses called on Israel to accept the Law of God (Exodus 24); a covenant sealed with the blood of sacrifice. David was granted a covenant to lead God’s people (2 Sam 7) but the prophets saw that this needed renewal (Jer 31:31-34) because of Israel’s failure. This was renewed by Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection (Heb 8,9)

Paul H Ashby - 21/05/09

Covet

To ‘covet’ something means to have a desire to have it. On the one hand it may seem innocuous enough to want something, but the Bible stresses that covetousness is one of the primary forms of temptation experienced by men and women, hence its inclusion in the Ten Commandments; ‘you shall not covet your neighbour’s house ...’ (Ex 20:17). In each place where the Ten Commandments are quoted in Scripture examples of covetousness are given, but it is clear that the command is a ‘catch-all’ command that tells people not to allow the desire for things to rule our thoughts, feelings and actions. It does not take too much thought to realise that covetousness lies at the root of many a sin. Much of Jesus’ teaching about attitudes towards wealth and possessions could be said to expand on what is meant by covetousness (see the rich young ruler - Matt 19:16f.

Paul H Ashby - 26/06/09

Cross

The Cross was a sign of scandal in the days of Christ, but it has now become a sign for all Christians. It was basically a piece of wood on which Roman soldiers pinned or tied their victims for execution. One beam was slotted into the ground and the other held the arms of the victims apart; and soldiers in different parts of the Empire used different methods of constructing the Crosses and of attaching people to them. We only know that nails were used on Jesus because of Paul’s indirect comment in Colossians 2:14, ‘nailing them to the Cross’, and the implication of Jesus’ words to Thomas (John 20:27) concerning holes in His hands. The Cross only became the sign of the Church after the Emperor Constantine saw it in a vision at his ‘conversion’ in 312 AD, an event that changed the world, heralding the political ascendancy of Christian faith in Western Europe for centuries.

Paul H Ashby 23/05/09

Crucifixion

Crucifixion was an unpleasant form of death devised by the Romans to intimidate their subjects in the states they had conquered. For them, the crucifixion of Jesus was a matter of torturing and killing a man who claimed to have kingly authority which really belonged to the Emperor of Rome; and ultimately, despite his qualms, this is probably how Pilate saw things and why he sentenced him to death. Jesus was different from other people however, and His crucifixion became the manner of death from which He rose again. The word ‘crucifixion’ is nevertheless a highly emotive word because of the barbaric nature of what was done to Jesus. For some, the ‘crucifix’, an image or representation of the crucifixion of Jesus, is a more powerful sign of their faith than the Cross. It is perhaps unwise to let the Cross and the Crucifix be regarded as alternatives.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Curse

The Bible demonstrates to us that words have power, and this is something we like to forget today. Its general teaching is that our words either bless or curse; in other words, their effect is either good or bad, and it is rare that our words are ‘neutral’ because they always effect people. We know this ourselves because of how we react to what is said to us. For this reason, the Christian must recognise that words spoken against people are like a curse that have real spiritual power to harm, and words spoken to bless have spiritual power to help. Our calling is to become a blessing to the people of the world for the sake of the Kingdom. Our task is to bless, and we should therefore be very careful about our use of words, as scripture constantly teaches.

Paul H Ashby - 23/05/09

Deliverance

‘Deliverance’ is one way to translate the Hebrew ‘jeshua`’, more often translated as ‘salvation’. The Hebrew word has a wide range of meanings from ’welfare’ to ‘victory’, and because of this, deliverance is part of the wide range of things we mean by salvation. In particular, the word deliverance is used to reflect freedom from evil, death or in the New Testament, from the bondage of demons or Satan (or the devil). To use the word deliverance reflects that part of God’s saving work by which we are enabled to overcome these things. Within the Christian life we are never wholly free from the influence of these things because we live in a fallen world, and until the Lord comes in glory, any attack by the enemy must be repelled. Christians have traditionally used the word ‘deliverance’ to describe the ministry by which we help each other apply the saving grace of Jesus to dismiss the powers of evil.

Paul H Ashby - 26/05/09

Demons

The demons are regarded in the New Testament as angelic beings who fell from grace along with Satan and are therefore used by Him for evil purposes within the world. As agents of Satan or the devil, they appeared before Jesus in the form of the various sicknesses and bondages with which they held people; Jesus dismissed these demons and cast them out usually by means of a word of authority. Sometimes, the demons did not want to leave and made a fuss by way of what we call a ‘manifestation’; foaming at the mouth, cursing or swearing. Jesus was never impressed by such things and in an short while, all the demons were obedient to Him. This was because He had a higher authority than Satan. In Christ, therefore, no Christian need fear the power or manifestation of any demon because we have total authority over them in Christ.

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Devil

The devil is a word used 36 times (in the New Testament only) to describe the one who is either in charge of the demonic hoards, or personally represents them as the focus of all evil. In many ways, the term ‘devil’ is equivalent to the word ‘Satan’. It is interesting that the majority of references to the devil are found in the temptations of Jesus, where he is addressed by Jesus as ‘Satan’. In Jesus’ day there was much dispute about the name and identity of the source of all evil, but whereas today the debate is largely to do with whether we should use a personal name for evil such as ‘devil’ or ‘satan’, in those days, the debate was which name was the right one! For this reason you will find that evil is described in a variety of ways; and Jesus uses them all. The devil is associated particularly with death, and is stated as the one destroyed along with death at the end in a ‘lake of fire’ (Rev 20:10).

Paul H Ashby - 8/08/08

Discernment

Discernment is a gift of the Spirit, and it is mentioned a significant number of times in the Bible, but the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘discernment’ are sometimes translated as ‘judgement’ or ‘knowledge’, thus losing the unique sense of the word and the gift. Discernment is the ability to perceive what is right and wrong, and make Godly moral choices between what is good and evil. It has its roots in the Old Testament idea of ‘wisdom’ which was something both given by God but also developed and learned. Discernment is therefore not just a matter of gifting, but of Christian maturity, experience and learning, and it is a very important gift for leadership. Where the gift is mentioned in 1 Cor 12:10, it is associated with knowledge about ‘good and evil’ spirits, so it is an essential tool for counselling. However, discernment is basically a tool of moral judgement and applies to all life,

Paul H Ashby - 26/05/09

Discipleship

Christian discipleship is following the spiritual pattern of life given by Jesus. He showed this first to his disciples, and it is clear from this that it is a journey of faith, not a personal quality. From the story of the disciples, the N.T. shows that discipleship means leaving everything behind, giving ourselves to Jesus, being guided by Him, and following His teaching both practically and morally. To do this includes accepting His call to be concerned for the poor and be a servant of others. It also means being obedient to the charge Jesus gave His disciples to preach the Good News and Baptise. In addition to this, Christians have discovered through the experience of life that certain spiritual disciplines assist our discipleship, principally, Bible study and prayer. This seems huge, and it is, but we do not do this ourselves. The Holy Spirit is given to help us, and so with His help, discipleship becomes a joy not a burden.

Paul H Ashby - 25/05/09

Divorce

Divorce is only mentioned briefly in the O.T. In Deut. 24:1-4 Moses mentions that a man hands a notice to a woman; however, this passage is really about what happens after a divorce, not the divorce itself, and is easily misunderstood. The O.T. is insistent from Genesis onwards that God’s purpose for a man and a woman is that they should be ‘one’. Jesus speaks about divorce in Matthew 19:3f. and in 5:31f. He says that a man and woman joined in marriage reflect the image of God and issues what is tantamount to a curse against any who would separate a marriage. It is worth noting that he does not speak of blame or offer a curse to those who are divorced. It is wise to continue to resist divorce, and everything and everyone that causes it; but to apply the Gospel message of God’s love to all who suffer it, under whatever circumstances. This is the only practical way to apply all relevant Biblical teaching

Paul H Ashby - 25/05/09

Earth

The term ‘the earth’ (Hebrew ‘eretz’, Greek ‘ge’) is used in the Bible as it is in English. On the one hand, alongside ‘heavens’ to refer to the known universe, and on the other, referring to the ground underneath our feet! This is echoed in Genesis 1 & 2. Gen. 1 describes the earth as separated from the heavens on the second day of Creation, with the heavens like a fixed dome over the earth containing the sun, moon and the stars. Gen. 2 contains the other use of the term ‘earth’, in which it is the soil of the ground from which people are made (Hebrew ‘adamah’, hence the name of ‘Adam’). Later on, the earth is cursed because of Adam’s sin (Gen 3), reflecting the sinful nature of the people who live on it. It is no wonder then, that the prophets begin to speak of God’s recreation of the earth on His day of ‘Judgement’. The New Testament confirms that it is God’s intention to renew the earth when Christ comes again (Rev 21).

Paul H Ashby - 25/05/09

Elder

The term ‘elders’ is used throughout the Bible, and in the Old Testament we find numerous references to elders as the senior figures in the community responsible for running its affairs (see Exodus 17:5f., Deut 21:2f. Josh 2:7 etc.). At the time of Jesus, the Gospels refer to ‘elders’ as being responsible with the Chief priests for Jesus’ death, these may have been members of the Sanhedrin. In the early church, the term was quickly used to refer to leaders other that the apostles (see Acts 11:30 etc.) The council of Jerusalem that decided to include Gentiles in the church was composed of apostles and ‘elders’ (Acts 15:1f.). Thereafter in the epistles, elders are mentioned alongside other categories of leader (bishop, deacon) in 1 Timothy 3 and also in Titus 1. The office is also referred to by James and Peter and also John in his ‘Revelation’. However, little is said about how this leadership is to be exercised.

Paul H Ashby - 21/11/08

Ephod

Not much is known about what an ‘ephod’ really was in ancient times. Moses gave elaborate instructions for an ephod to be made as one of the vestments worn by Aaron to signify his office as the ‘High Priest’ of Israel (Exodus 28). However, there are indications that the term ‘ephod’ was used for an object used for divining, or ‘maintaining contact with gods’. The ephod referred to in Judges 18:14f. appears to be something like an idol, something that would not have been allowed in Israel. The ephod is referred to in 1 Sam 2:18,22:18, 2 Sam 6:14 as something worn not by a priest, but king David. Despite this, it is most likely that the ephod was normally a priestly garment associated with high priestly office. Exodus describes it as having stones on which were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, so that the high priest bore them ‘before the Lord’ in His presence.

Paul H Ashby - 21/08/08

Evangelism

The Bible does not speak about ‘evangelism’ as we do now. Rather, it talks about the sharing of the ‘euangelion’ (Greek) meaning ‘the Good News’. This is done variously in the New Testament by personal testimony (see Philip in Acts 8) and also by proclaiming the Gospel in the manner of one like Paul (e.g. Acts 17:16), and the faithful work of many helpers (e.g. Rom. 16). This evangelistic effort was the clear response of both the apostles and early disciples to Jesus’ command after the resurrection ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them ... ’ (Matt 28:19). The activity of evangelism is also linked with Jesus’ teaching about ‘sowing’ and ‘reaping’ in the New Testament; sometimes it is one, and sometimes the other! Nevertheless, all evangelistic effort is about spreading of the Good News of Jesus and the the salvation which we may find through Him that brings peace with God.

Paul H Ashby - 26/05/09

Evil

Evil is a characteristic of the world in which we live. Genesis 3 describes its nature, and the way it works through persuasion, confrontation and temptation; and it describes both the evil that comes from within us and also the evil that afflicts us from outside of ourselves. It is this last form of evil which the New Testament describes as the work of ‘Satan’, or the ‘devil’. We have a choice; we either try to deal with evil ourselves and will ultimately fail, or place out trust in Jesus who has overcome all evil, sin and death on the Cross for us. He is able to help us deal with all sin and evil in life; His Gospel ministers this grace. The Psalms speak extensively about evil and demonstrate the power of God to overcome it. Job describes God’s eventual victory over evil, and Jesus demonstrates triumph over evil in His life and death. Finally, John’s Revelation tells us that God will execute His final victory when He comes again in Glory.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Faith

In general, faith means ‘what people believe’; but the faith of a Christian means much more. We believe in God as Creator and in His Son Jesus, who has saved us from sin. This is rooted in the Biblical and historical evidence of the love of Jesus which saves us, and His active presence by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the O.T. ‘faith’ means ‘belief’ in general, but Abraham responds to God with faith (Gen 15:6), enabling him and his descendants, the people of Israel, to have a ‘righteous’ relationship with God. In the New Testament, Jesus looks for faith amongst those who seek His ministry or wish to follow Him; and Peter is the first to confess faith in Him as the ‘Son of the living God’ (Matt. 16:16). Paul defines ‘faith’ as the response to Jesus through which people have a right relationship with God (Rom. 3:21-26 etc.). He adds love, hope, trust, security and more to what we mean by ‘Faith’.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Faithful Love

Faithful love is an expression used largely in the O.T. to translate the Hebrew word ‘cheseth’ which is closely related to the idea of God’s Covenant with His people. The original Hebrew word expresses the quality of permanent and long lasting love, telling us that God’s Covenant with His people will never end. ‘Faithful love’ is often translated ‘steadfast love’ or ‘loving kindness’, and this is complemented by the other Hebrew word for love, ‘Ahavah’, which means undeserved love. Many Psalms have references to the ‘faithful love’ or ‘steadfast love’, which evoke both the passion of God for His people and His Covenant relationship with them. This word appears throughout the O.T. where God is revealed, and this enables us to say with confidence that ‘faithful love’ is an essential characteristic of God the Father.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Faithfulness

This English word is used to translated either the Hebrew ‘cheseth’ (see ‘faithful love’) or ‘emet’ meaning ‘trustworthy’ or ‘true’. This word is often used when describing God, who is constant and therefore reliable; it also implies truthfulness. This is the closest the Hebrew gets to the English word ‘honest’, which can be said to combine these characteristics. God is faithful and He asks His people to show faithfulness in their dealings with Him and with others. The Bible shows God as constantly faithful in His dealings with His people, but His people as being faithless and wayward. For this reason, Jesus looks for ‘faith’ amongst those who seek Him. In this sense, faith is linked not just with the idea of belief, but also truthfulness and honesty.

Paul H Ashby - 14/12/09

Fall

The ‘Fall’ is the term we us to describe what happened in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3), and this both describes and defines the sinful nature of all humanity, which has rebelled against its Maker. The story of the Fall describes how evil works in men and women, and its consequences for the world throughout time; this includes misunderstanding, blame, subjection, pain, the futility of labour and the loss of sexual innocence. Most importantly, it describes how mean and women and all creation are separated from God and in need of a salvation that only He can provide. The understanding that everything and everyone in this world is ‘fallen’ is fundamental to the Bible’s portrayal of the world and God’s Salvation. The Gospel is the good news that men and women may know they can escape the Fall through Jesus Christ, and His coming again in glory will eventually overcome all the consequences of the Fall.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Fasting

The practice of fasting in Jesus’ day was regarded as a religious duty which showed a devout heart. It is mentioned in the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 9:5, Neh 1:4) and many Psalms (e.g. 35:13; 69:10). Abstention from food for a period of time together with prayer, was a religious duty demonstrating commitment to the remembrance of God in the course of everyday life. In Jesus’ day, regular fasting was normal for everyone, but Jesus and his disciples did not follow normal practice, and consequently drew criticisms on themselves. Jesus taught that making a show of fasting did not indicate serious religious intent (Matt 6:16f.). However, Jesus fasted himself whilst in the desert for 40 days, when He was ‘tempted by the devil’ (Matt 4:1f.). Today, fasting is best done by following Jesus’ principle that it is an act of devotion to God by which we focus our prayers on the heart and mind on God.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Fellowship

The word ‘fellowship’ occurs infrequently in the Bible, mostly in the New Testament. Some Bibles use ‘fellowship’ to refer to the sacrificial offerings to God in the O.T. that were shared by people (Leviticus 4f.). In Acts 2:42, fellowship is one of the first things Christians enjoyed after they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Greek word for fellowship is ‘koinonia’, which means ‘sharing or participation’, meaning the sharing of God’s people as His church. Today, the word fellowship is often used as a substitute for ‘church’, because people do not like the way this word is used. However, both words have an important place in our understanding of what it means to be God’s people. We are ‘gathered’ as His church, and we are a people who ‘share’ in fellowship. All these terms are different way of describing what it means for Christians to ‘love one another’ (see John 15:12,17 - see also 1 John).

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Forgiveness

The N.T. contains a great deal of teaching about forgiveness because it lies at the heart of the Gospel, and God’s love for us. The Gospel proclaims that our ‘sins are forgiven’, so that we may have a right relationship with God. The Lord’s Prayer also teaches us to ask for forgiveness from God, and also to forgive others. So, forgiveness of others is not an option, and this is the point of Jesus’ famous parable of the talents (Matt 18:21f.). Forgiveness is hard, and most people find it difficult to forgive those who have hurt them. People dislike forgiving those who have sinned against them because this feels like condoning sin; but to believe this is not the response of one who has themselves been forgiven by God. How do we forgive? We do this by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. When the risen Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples, He said ‘if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven ...’ (John 20:23)

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Fruit

The first fruit mentioned in the Bible is the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2,3). Mostly, however, ‘fruit’ is used metaphorically in the Bible to indicate a number of positive things about the consequences of living according to God’s purposes. For example, the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Gal 5:22), or the ’fruits of the Gospel’ (Rom 1:13, Col 1:6). Jesus spoke about fruit in His parables of the Kingdom of God; the Sower (Matt 13:23), and taught about God’s people as a tree that bears ‘good fruit’ (Luke 6:43f.). He frequently spoke of the ‘harvest’ of God, which implies the gathering of ‘fruit’. Fruitfulness is best thought of as a general expression in the New Testament which explains what God wants and expects of His people (Colossians 1:10), and links with the idea of the church as a ‘vine’ which ‘bears much fruit’ (John 15).

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Gifts of the Spirit

This term is used for the spiritual gifts described by Paul (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:8-11,28; Eph 4:11,12). Some add the Messianic gifts identified by Isaiah (11:2). They are the outward manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit within a believer or the church. All of them have a purpose within God’s will for His people, as described in Paul’s letters. Many of the gifts are similar to ordinary aspects of Christian life, such as faith; but these gifts are given for special purposes and for God to bless His people. Other gifts appear extraordinary, but they are either demonstrated in Jesus life (such as miracles, or healing), in His work (evangelism, teaching) or they are a special gifts for worship (such as the gift of various ‘tongues’ or ‘words of knowledge). All are tokens of God’s love when we are ‘born again of the Spirit’ (John 3:5-10); they are part of our assurance that what God has done in us is real and true.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Glory

The word glory is found throughout the Bible. In the O.T. the word for glory is ‘cavath’ which means ‘heavy’ or ‘weighed down’. The ancients thought of God as ‘heavy’, or weighed down with everything good and right. This idea is changed radically by the dwelling of God’s ‘glory’ with His people on Mount Sinai and in the ‘Taberbnacle’ (see Exodus). In the N.T the word for glory is ‘doxa’, meaning ‘splendour, praise, pride, fullness, or power’. God’s glory reflects His authority as Creator, His splendour and power, and His abiding presence with His people. The word also conveys a sense of mystery because we can never know everything about God or the full extent of His glory until we see Him face to face. His glory is related to His holiness, which is so great we can only enter His presence by the grace of Christ. One day we will see His glory in all its fulness, when Jesus comes to reign on earth.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Gospel

The word ‘Gospel’ translates a Greek word meaning ‘Good News’. We use it as a shorthand to describe the news that Jesus Christ has died so that all may have a relationship with God the Father through faith in Him, and consequently have eternal life. The Gospel is therefore the good news of our ‘salvation’, and its roots are always in personal testimony. It is not something that can be caught or passed down from one generation to another; it must be accepted individually so that each Christian can testify to their own salvation through Jesus. Because of this, Paul argues that the work of proclaiming the Gospel is continuous (Romans 10:14-21), something we call ‘evangelism’, which happens to come from the Greek word which means the same as ‘Gospel’! The word ‘Gospel’ is also used to describe each of the four ‘statements of faith’ in Jesus found in the Bible; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Grace

Grace is a word that covers a large range of God’s loving work to save the people He has made and the world in which they live. Grace is related to the idea of ‘favour’; the Hebrew for this is ‘hen’, which is closely related to ‘cheseth’, meaning ‘faithful love’. Grace describes the fact that God has constantly sought to bless the world, initially through His people, the people of Israel. The failure of Israel to fulfil this call (see Isaiah 42:6, 49:6) meant that God sent His Son, Jesus, to show His grace to all. This was demonstrated by Jesus’ love and forgiveness, even on the Cross. For this reason, Paul says ‘by grace you have been saved’ (Eph 2:4). The N.T. shows that grace in shown in repentance (Mark 6:12), results in fearless courage (Acts 4:33 etc.), and results in ‘peace with God (Rom 5:1). Paul speaks of the faith as being the human response to the divine grace or favour of God.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Greek (empire)

The Greek Empire was the largest in the world under Alexander the Great in the 330’s BC. His military invasion of the known world was relatively benign and Greek culture and language spread rapidly around the Mediterranean and beyond. There is little mention of Greek people in the Bible, but the influence of Greek culture is everywhere. In particular, Greek was the common language of the Roman Empire, and the language of the New Testament (whereas Latin was the language of Rome itself); this was because the Roman Empire was built upon the previous Greek Empire. The word ‘Greek’ was a common name for ‘nations’ or ‘pagans’, because Israelites objected strongly to Greek culture; past rulers had placed the ‘abomination’ of images of Zeus in the Jerusalem Temple. Paul sought to break down this barrier to make the Gospel available to ‘Greeks and Jews alike’ (Rom 1:16f.)

Paul H Ashby - 18/7/08

Greek (language)

Greek is the language in which the New Testament is written. At the time of Jesus, it was the ‘common language’ of the Roman Empire, where Latin was the language of the city of Rome itself. This was because the Roman Empire was built upon the previous Greek Empire, which spread Greek culture and the Greek language throughout vast areas of the world we now know as the Mediterranean lands and also the Middle East, even as far as northern India. Greek has contributed many words to the English language, but it is written in a text (the actual letters) which is quite different, being written in capital letters and without punctuation. The New Testament writers used this ‘common Greek’ because it meant that their writing could be read throughout the known world of that time. The main difficulty with Greek is that it does not always convey well the language of Aramaic, in which Jesus would have spoken.

Paul H Ashby - 14/06/09

Harvest

Harvest was a time of great rejoicing for all ancient peoples, because it represented life for the coming year. The Israelites had three different harvests for the barley, wheat and vineyard harvests, all linked with festivals celebrating the great events of the nation’s past - such as the Passover (see Exodus 23:14f. etc.). The prophets began to speak of God’s final reckoning or judgement as a day of harvest (e.g. Isaiah 17:9-11, Joel 3:13), but they also continued to use the word to represent the ‘effectiveness’ of God’s people in doing His will. So, in the New Testament, Jesus talked about ‘harvests’ in various parables, sometimes describing the work of the Kingdom in the present (Matt 13:1-9) and sometimes the reckoning of God’s final harvest (Matt 25:14-30). The picture of the harvest in scripture therefore represents both the ongoing work of the Gospel and also God’s final Judgement.

Paul H Ashby - 17/09/08

Healing

Healing occurs natural, as part of the way God has made the body. However, healing also refers to the God given ministry by which people are healed through prayer, the laying on of hands, and deliverance from demons. Healing is found in the O.T., and ministered by the prophets (2 Kings 4,5), normally for a reason and with a message for those healed and the People of God. In the N.T, healing is one of the four great ministries of Jesus; preaching, teaching, healing and deliverance. All of Jesus’ healing miracles were unique and personal; they used different techniques, sometimes requiring evidence of faith, and sometimes not. All of them demonstrate God’s love for people, and appeal for faith in Jesus. Healing is about every aspect of human life, body, soul and spirit; it includes mental and spiritual health. Healing is about ‘wholeness’ that points towards the greater healing of our eternal salvation.

Paul H Ashby -16/06/09

Heart

The word ‘heart’ as used in scripture is often misunderstood. This is because today, people commonly think of the heart as the seat of the emotions, and we refer to the heart to speak about how we feel. This is not how the Bible uses the word in its original Hebrew or Greek. In the N.T., the word ‘heart’ means roughly the same as what it means in O.T. Hebrew. It is a word which means something like ‘all of me’, as a conscious and active human being; as in ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart ...’. It becomes clearer in the New Testament that the ‘heart’ is the seat not of human emotions but of the human ‘will’. Think of it like this; in the heart we weigh up thoughts (information) and emotions (feelings) to decide what to do. So when Paul speaks of a ‘love which come from a pure heart’ (1 Tim 1:5), he means the inner quality of love that will show itself in godly words and deeds.

Paul H Ashby - 1/08/08

Heaven

In the Bible, the word ‘heaven’ is used to describe the part of Creation above earth, sitting like a dome above the place where we live, with both heaven and earth sitting in the midst of the great ‘waters’, both above the heaven and below the earth. This is so different from the way we look at things and so well evidenced from ancient belief and the Bible that it takes time to get our minds around this. For example, this picture enables the Bible to speak of ‘gates’ in the heavens through which water comes (rain - as in Malachi 3:10). Second, heaven is the dwelling place of God, above the earth and in the days before flight, inaccessible to humanity. If we are to make good use of this picture language of creation and of God, we must bear these things in mind and honour the fact that for ancient people, the dwelling place of God is a mysterious and awesome place because of God’s presence.

Paul H Ashby 27/3/15

Hebrew

The language of the O.T. is Hebrew. This is an old language which uses characters quite different from western scripts. It was written originally using consonants only, without vowels. Neither was there any punctuation as we know it or ‘upper’ or ‘lower’ case. Vowels and some punctuation were added to the Old Testament script in the 12th century AD by Jews who wanted to ensure that Christians were not misquoting ‘their’ sacred texts. The language is also written from right to left; that is, backwards! From all this you can see that there is ample opportunity for people to get it wrong when translating the Old Testament; and from a linguistic point of view, anything up to one half of the words used in the Bible cannot be verified from any source outside the Bible! For this reason, we rely heavily on traditional translations, such as the ‘Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew OT available in Jesus’ day.

Paul H Ashby - 27/07/08

Holiness

Holiness is the ‘noun’ which conveys the idea of being ‘holy’ (see below). It is a quality which God gives, and by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God at work amongst us, the Lord is able to help us lead a life of godliness and holiness. Holiness is therefore one way of describing the path of discipleship on which we walk, because having been made holy by Christ through our baptism, we walk towards God’s complete Holiness when Jesus comes again in glory. Holiness is an objective which we know in part now, but points to more to come. We tend to see it in other people, rather than claim it for ourselves, because it is easier to observe holiness at work and aspire to live by it rather than to claim we have reached any particular standard which might be called ‘holiness’. Unfortunately, many people equate ‘holiness’ with some picture of ‘perfection’, which is not helpful.

Paul H Ashby 12/09/08

Holy

God is holy. The word ‘holy’ means ‘set apart’ in the sense that God is different or ‘set apart’ from that which is mortal, or of this world. So the word holy carries with it a sense of the awesomeness of God, and in the O.T., God grants that people, objects or things are holy according to His pleasure and purpose. In this sense, the Temple is holy, and the religious events and worship which takes place there are all holy. In the New Testament, when Jesus has done His work of Salvation, He opens up the way for contact and acceptance between God and people, thus making people ‘holy’ through His work on the Cross; as indicated by the tearing of the Temple curtain at the time of His death (Matt 27:51). God’s presence on earth is by means of His Holy Spirit. Spirit is the breath of God, and it is Holy because it is God’s breath and the power of creation. The Holy Spirit is now our helper and guide.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/08

Hope

Hope, for a Christian, is a ‘sure thing’. Our hope is in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who will save us through our faith in Him. This is not some kind of anticipation or vague desire, but something certain, which is guaranteed by God’s gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1-5). Many Christian people do not realise that it is the presence of the Holy Spirit which gives people the ‘certainty’ of hope in faith, rather than mere anticipation that God might save. The presence of the Holy Spirit enables a Christian to be set free of worries about their faith so that they can feel free to be creative in the Spirit. Our hope is that Christ will come again and bring us into His heavenly Kingdom. It is a sure hope!

Paul H Ashby 19/3/15

Hospitality

Hospitality is not easily understood today, because we think of it as meaning ‘entertainment’. However, hospitality was more like the process of making a friend out of a stranger, and in ancient times, one was obliged to treat a stranger as someone out of whom one should find a friend, before assuming them to be an enemy. Ancient practices of hospitality are reflected in the stories of the forefathers, for example, when Abraham offers hospitality to the angels who come to announce Sarah’s forthcoming pregnancy (Gen 18:1-8). They are also reflected in Jesus instructions to His disciples concerning mission (Matt 10:1-15). The ritual of footwashing was a sacred ritual of hospitality before Jesus made it into a sign of servanthood (John 13:1-11). The Christian church was urged to practice hospitality so that communities of Christians could be joined together in fellowship, and the Gospel shared.

Paul H Ashby - 20/08/08

Houses

The Hebrew word for ‘house’ is ‘beth’, and you will find it crops up in many place names, such as ‘Bethlehem’ (meaning ‘house of bread’). This word house is used in a very similar way to ‘house’ in English, because the word means many things; a place to live in (from a small dwelling to a palace) and it also means a family line or dynasty, as in the ‘house of Windsor’. In the Old Testament, we find many references to the ‘house of David’. Indeed, David longs to build a ‘house’ for the Lord, by which he means a Temple, but God tells David that He will make a dynasty out of his line from which will come the Messiah (2 Samuel 7 - see verse 12,13,14). There are many word plays on ‘beth’ in the Old Testament - for example in Amos 3:15.

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Image of God

This expression is used in a number of places in scripture to refer to humanity as made by God (see Genesis 1:27). The phrase implies that there is a special link between God and humanity, and that we can find something of God if we look into the nature of people; men and women are the ‘image of God’ in the world He has made. The text in Genesis is also important because its tells us not that men and women are the ‘image of God’ separately, but together; so between themselves, men and women encompass all that we mean by the ‘image of God’ found within humanity. This gives special meaning to marriage, for the spiritual union of a man and a woman (Matt 19:5,6) is, in a special way, a reflection of God’s purpose for both, and their ultimate destiny. In practice, we should not try and present marriage as perfect, but it stands for a perfect relationship to which all may aspire, in His strength.

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Inheritance

In the Old Testament, the blessings of God given to His chosen people were regarded as inherited from parents to children within the chosen nation of Israel. This inheritance was also described as the Covenant of God’s blessing first given to Abraham, and passed down through his children to Israel. However, as is clear from the very beginning of the covenant (see Gen 12:2,3) God always intended that this inheritance would one day pass to all people, with His chosen people being the means of blessing for the rest of the Gentile world. After this did not happen in Old Testament times, God sent Jesus, His Son, to complete this task. The effect of His life and death and resurrection was to create a new people of God, a ‘New Covenant’ for the salvation of all the world, according to God’s original purpose. This is passed on through families and through evangelism, but it is an inheritance that must be positively accepted, or by default, it is rejected.

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Interpretation

The spiritual gift of interpretation accompanies the gift of speaking in tongues. In 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, Paul speaks as if the gift of interpretation added to the gift of tongues was the same as the gift of prophecy. It appears from what he says in 1 Corinthians 14 that although he asks those who speak in tongues in public to seek to offer an interpretation themselves, others may do this. However, he suggests that for reasons of church order, tongues should not be used in church worship unless interpretations are given. The gift of interpretation is not a matter of linguistics, but a matter of spiritual sensitivity, and an interpretation does not require the same ‘equivalence’ in speech as a normal translation process. A long word in tongues may require only a short few words of interpretation, and vice-versa.

Paul H Ashby - 10/03/09

Judgement

Judgment is found throughout the Bible because of the moral nature of God. He separates right from wrong and good from evil in ‘judgment’. The Hebrew and Greek words for judgment connect the ideas of ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’. God’s judgment is not neutral and it involves emotions. For example, the ‘wrath’ of God is His anger in judgment because of the rebellion against Him by those He loves. Salvation is only possible if we are placed in a right relationship with God and are not ‘judged’ as sinners before Him, and Jesus takes away the burden of our sin so that we may be judged righteous and have this relationship with God. For this reason, there is no salvation without judgment. Equally, the time will come when life ends and each of us will come before our Maker, either when we die or in His time. We will face a ‘Final Judgment’. But whatever the judgment, Christ is our Saviour.

Paul H Ashby - 30/08/08

Justice

Justice is part of the very nature of God and derives from His morality and faithfulness; but it would be wrong to define God by His justice. God has made the world according to a ‘just’ moral plan, and ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are embedded within it, and relate to how the world works at every level. We do not always understand this, so we need God’s example, and we see this in His faithful and righteous deeds throughout history as evidenced in His Word. However, we cannot find our salvation through aspiring to get things right and being as good as God! We are saved through the grace of God as found through His Son Jesus Christ and the faith we express in His work for us. So any understanding of God’s justice must be placed alongside that of His grace in Christ. God has shown that His supreme righteousness and justice is shown in His abundant grace, whereby He forgives the wrongdoing of all who bring their transgressions to Him

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Kingdom of God

The ‘Kingdom’ is an expression used throughout the New Testament; either the ‘Kingdom of God’, or the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, or simply the ‘Kingdom’. The Kingdom is where God’s rule has been established in this world through the saving work of Jesus Christ. Some people prefer to equate this with the Church, but we should be careful not to assume that the limited and finite Church structures of this world are somehow a true expression of God’s Kingdom. It is better to think of the Kingdom existing where God’s people live in true spiritual fellowship and where Christ is honoured as King. Jesus taught a great deal about the ‘Kingdom’, and most of His parables describe it. It is clear from Jesus’ teaching that the Kingdom we experience now is a foretaste of the spiritual ‘New Heaven and New Earth’ which is God’s ultimate rule in Heaven when all things have come to their end.

Paul H Ashby - 30/08/08

Lampstand

The construction of the Lampstand for the Tabernacle is described in Exodus 25. This is the design for the classic Jewish seven-stick ‘Menorah’. Although the size of the Lampstand is not given, it would probably have been of considerable size, and high enough to provide light for the Tabernacle room in front of the ‘Holy of Holies’. The Lampstand itself was placed on the south side of the Tabernacle room, opposite the Table of the Bread of the Presence. The lamps were to be lit ‘from evening to morning’, and could probably have been seen outside the Tabernacle. Little is known of any special meaning attached to light in Israelites worship, though by the time of Jesus, there was a festival of lights celebrated in Jerusalem (see John 8:12f.).

Paul H Ashby 27/05/09

Laws of Moses

When Israel came out of Egypt they were a large nation with no other common factor than their belief in the God of their forefathers; and the leadership of Moses. To establish the nation as His by Covenant, God gave Moses the Law. This was first revealed in the Ten Commandments, spoken directly by God (Exodus 20). Then came laws for the judicial governance of the nation (Exodus 21-23). Later, God gave Moses instructions for worship, the Ark, the Tabernacle and the priesthood (the rest of Exodus) and various laws concerning worship, lifestyle and social responsibility (in Leviticus). These were extended throughout the generations by aural tradition, and by the time of Christ, they were regarded as the proper ’Law’. Jesus said that God’s Law was in scripture alone, and the prophets interpreted it by the Spirit. He showed that the life of Faith was based on love and grace, not law.

Paul H Ashby - 26/05/09

Liturgy

A liturgy is a structure or order of worship, usually associated with words used by people in church. Liturgy is often regarded as typical of traditional forms of worship using set words and prayers officially defined by a church for use. However, even the most loose forms of worship may become ‘liturgical’ when they become the accepted norm. For example, the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ may be said to be a form of liturgy. Even if many churches have become more free in their use of language and prayers, most have liturgies set for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and many have a liturgy for the Lord Supper or ‘communion’. We should not give the term ‘liturgy’ a bad name because of its overzealous use by some, and recognise that most congregations use patterns of worship that are in some sense ‘liturgical’.

Paul H Ashby 18/3/15

Love

The love of God is the driving force behind all creation. Love is a complex matter, and we think of it perhaps an emotion, sometimes as a matter of the will, but certainly a matter of our feelings. The fact remains however, that the fundamental act of creation by means of which all people are made is one of love; so much so that we call it ‘making love’. Surely this lies at the heart of what it means to be human and if we are made in the image of God, then God must be ‘Love’; that is, supreme love through which all other expressions of love and humanity are created. When evil pollutes the real world with sin, God’s love can only be fully expressed in forgiveness, as those who want to respond to God’s love repent and desire to be changed. In the New Testament, a special word is used for love, ‘agape’, which means of love which is intentional, undeserved, unlimited and free. This is God’s love as we experience it in our eternal salvation,

Paul H Ashby 19/3/15.

Mandrake

The mandrake is a Mediterranean plant that was prized for its aphrodisiac qualities. The Goddess Aphrodite, goddess of sex and love was called ‘the Lady of the Mandrake’. Mandrakes were found by the young Reuben and given to his mother Leah, who traded them to Rachel for access to Jacob’s bed (Gen 30:14f.). It is an important part of sexual ‘intrigues’ by which Jacob’s wives and two ‘concubines’ gave birth to his twelve sons, who become the twelve tribes of Israel.

Paul H Ashby 26/05/09

Marriage

The purposes of God for Christian marriage are that one man and one woman should be joined together in a permanent relationship which is exclusive in sex, committed to God and submissive to Him for the upbringing of children. When asked difficult questions about marriage and divorce, Jesus quotes the famous text from Genesis 2:4 ‘a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ (Matt 19:5). It is worth noting that Jesus assumes that a man and a woman together represent the ‘image of God’ in Genesis 1:27, so there is something fundamentally godly about the institution of marriage. The bible is astonishingly egalitarian about marriage roles, given that the history it reflects is almost exclusively of a male dominated society. Hence Paul’s words ‘submit to one another’ (Ephesians 5:21) and his comments about respect and love within marriage (Ephesians 5:22f.).

Paul H Ashby 19/3/15

Mercy

Mercy is a word that means a great deal to Christians because of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, by which we are saved. However, it is not easy to define as it come from a number of Hebrew or Greek word in the Scriptures. The word mercy refers to a range of loving characteristics of God; in the O.T., God is described as ‘faithful’ (in the sense of never failing) and ‘gracious’ (that is, showing favour) and ‘compassionate’ (showing feeling), and the separate Hebrew words for these are sometimes translated ‘mercy’. In the N.T., mercy comes from one of two words, ‘charis’ (meaning grace) and ‘eleos’ (meaning compassion to one in need). The second is the one usually translated ‘mercy’, describing God’s compassion for sinful people and their need of salvation. This is strongly tinged with all the other words used in the Bible; our ‘merciful’ God is faithful, gracious, and compassionate to His people.

Paul H Ashby 26/05/09

Mercy seat

The mercy seat is a covering for the Ark of the Covenant. It is a slab of gold the same size as the Ark, but with two Cherubs, one at each end, hammered out of one piece of gold with the slab. The Hebrew word for this covering is used mostly in the Old Testament to refer to covering for sins, or what is called ‘propitiation’ for sins or ‘atonement’. Most Christians prefer the word ‘mercy’ rather than these other more theological words because it is easier to understand ‘mercy’. Exodus 25:22 says that God must be regarded as speaking from above the mercy seat and between the two cherubim firstly to Moses and later to the High Priests who were allowed access to the Ark in the ‘Holy of Holies’. The mercy seat is best thought of as integral to the ‘Ark’ both in its original design and manufacture (in Exodus 25 and 37) and in the Temple (1 Kings 6), though little is said of it outside these texts.

Paul H Ashby - 26/05/09

Ministry

The word ‘ministry’ is largely used in the New Testament to convey the idea of work done in service of others. The Greek word is ‘diakonos’ and is listed in Paul’s list of ‘ministry’ gifts in Romans 12:7f. Other references in Ephesians and Timothy indicate the possibility of the word meaning some kind of official role of ‘helping’ within the church. Today we talk of the role of a ‘deacon’ which is a ministry of service, but we have tended to use the word ministry (which in fact comes from the Latin word for diakonos) as referring to any kind of work ‘for the Lord’ in the church. In reality, it would be wrong to say that the N.T. supports any systematic structure of ministry gifts and graces, so we must be careful when reading the word ‘ministry’ in the Bible, to ensure that we do not make assumptions which are incorrect.

Paul H Ashby - 19/08/08

Mishnah

The Mishnah is an important Jewish work of the late third century BC. It is a collection of rabbinic laws which develop from principles in the Old Testament books of the Law. They were designed to cover the normal range of human life and experience at the time. The Mishnah is arranged into 63 tractates and 6 orders which cover everything from agricultural matters including tithes, public feasts, marriage, sacrifices and ritual purity; and many more. The leading light behind the project was the rabbi Judah the Prince. In following years the Mishnah underwent modification and the ‘Talmuds’ originating in Babylon and Palestine are major Jewish documents which interpret the Mishnah and extend its scope.

Paul H Ashby - 3/09/08

Mission

The word ‘mission’ is really a Latin word which means ‘to go’ or ‘to be sent’. Hence a missionary is someone who has been sent by God to do a special task; normally of declaring the Gospel. In this sense the disciples were given a mission when Jesus called them to ‘go into all the world’ (Matt 28:19) to preach the Gospel and baptise. The word (or the Greek equivalent of the word) occurs once in the New Testament in Acts 12:25, with reference to the first mission of Paul and Barnabas. Occasional use of the word is found in the Old Testament with reference to some special task requested (1 Sam 15:18, Jdges 18:5). In the early church, there is plenty of evidence from outside scripture that this word began to be used frequently to describe the on-going work of the proclamation of the Gospel, as it is to this day.

Paul H Ashby - 19/08/08

Obedience

The idea of obedience is presented strongly in the Old Testament. God required obedience from Abraham (Gen. 12:1f.) prior to His acceptance of Abraham’s faith (Gen 15:6), and He continued to demand obedience from His people, in particular, obedience to the Law. In the New Testament it is fashionable to talk about faith more than obedience because of the importance of faith in Jesus Christ as the means of our salvation rather than obedience to the Law. However, we would be wrong to abandon the idea of obedience, because God is a moral God who, as Paul frequently reminds us, demands that we aim for the highest moral standards in obedience to Christ’s call to us to righteousness and holy living. It may be best to say that obedience to God is something which can only begin to make sense for someone who has faith in Christ.

Paul H Ashby 193/15

Offering

The idea of offering in the Bible comes from early forms of worship, and it usually means giving things to God. When Cain and Able brought their offerings to God in Genesis 4, this was the earliest form of worship found in the Bible. Later generations of God’s people worshipped the Lord by bring a variety of ‘offerings’, from sacrifices of animals (see Leviticus 1-4) to tithes of produce (see Deuteronomy 18). Later, as the kingdoms of Israel become corrupted, the prophets speak of God requiring the offering not so much of physical produce or sacrifices, but of w ‘pure heart’ (see Psalm 73:1, Jeremiah 20:12f.). In the New Testament, the word ‘offering’ is mentioned only in the context of worship (e.g. the offering of your faith (Philippians 2:17), or the special ‘offerings’ Paul gathered for the relief of the poor in Jerusalem (Rom. 15:16). Giving gifts remains an important part of Christian worship.

Paul H Ashby - 14/12/09

Parable

The parables are a distinctive method of teaching used by Jesus, but also by others as well. A parable is a short story which is more than a moral tale, is more than an allegory or story with hidden meanings. It is a story which makes a point by way of an illustration from everyday life. Jesus used stories of life to illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God, for example in the parable of the sower, or the owner of a vineyard. The genius of the method was that it was highly adaptable to ‘open air preaching’ and because the ‘point’ of the story was not always obvious until the end, it could hold an audience and also prove to be a topic for discussion. There are other parables in the Bible apart from those told by Jesus; for example Nathan’s parable of the ‘ewe-lamb’ which he used to teach King David an important lesson (2 Sam 12:1-4).

Paul H Ashby - 24/07/08

Passover

The Passover is a Jewish festival which is central to the Old Testament and to our understanding of the saving works of God. The details of it are found in Exodus 12 and 13, where it is celebrated as the first day of the week long feast of ‘Unleavened Bread’. The name comes from the way the angel of death ‘passed over’ the Israelites on the night they left Egypt, slaying Egyptian firstborn and allowing the Israelites to go free. In the New Testament, Jesus died during the feast of the Passover, and is described by the letter to the Hebrews as the equivalent to the lamb sacrificed at the Jewish Passover festival, whose blood marked the doorposts of Israelites to ward off the angel of death. Jesus was sacrificed for us.

Paul H Ashby 19/3/15

Peace

The word peace is used to translate the Hebrew ‘shalom’, which means peace in the sense of ‘well-being’ and ‘wholeness’ as well as the absence of difficult or bad things. In the Old Testament, peace is described as the result of trusting in God, and it is described very much as a gift of God to those who trust Him. The word ‘shalom’ was used in Old and New Testament times as a Jewish greeting, which corresponded to the Greek greeting ‘grace’. Hence Paul’s famous all-embracing greeting ‘grace and peace to you ...’. In the New Testament, peace with God is given to us as a result of Jesus’ work on the Cross (Romans 5:1), and peace is also used throughout the Bible to describe God’s new creation in which all evil and death is destroyed. This is particularly noticeable in Isaiah and Revelations.

Pentecost

Paul H Ashby - 11/11/08

Persecution

Jesus taught His disciples from the earliest of times that they would face persecution. Persecution happens because there is opposition to God’s love and work within the world. It was religious persecution which drove Jesus to the Cross, and false religion remains one of the main sources of persecution both of Christian people and all that is good in the world, today. People sometimes ask why it is that God does not promise people a better life once they have begun to follow Him. Discipleship is a matter of being faithful to Christ in a world which is cruel and oppressive, but the ultimate objective is peace with God for ever. This hope will help us now but it will not stop persecution! Sometimes persecution is the result of bad people making bad decisions, and sometimes the work of evil in the world prompted by Satan.

Pharisees

The Pharisees were strict adherents to Judaism. In Jesus’ day they were a group of people within Judaism who studied and kept to ‘the Law’ with rigourous zeal in an attempt to come closer to God. Because they believed so completely that God’s revelation was bound up in the law, they formed a political ‘party’ within Judaism which was attempting to influence the way that Jewish faith was taught and practised. In Jesus’ day they were strong but not dominant, and after Jesus died and Christianity began, Pharisaic Judaism became the norm as a kind of reaction against Christianity. Saul was a Pharisee before Jesus met him on the Damascus Road and renamed him ‘Paul’, the greatest evangelist of all time.

Power

The power by which God works in the world is expressed by means of the ‘Holy Spirit’; so when God worked in power to make the world He did so by means of His Spirit (in Hebrew, His ‘breath’ - Gen 1:2). God also did needs of power by means of the Spirit through the prophets of the Old Testament (such as Elisha’s raising of the widow’s son). So when God did His work of salvation through Jesus Christ, the power by which this was accomplished was His Spirit (John 13). Indeed, it is best to think of God’s active work in this world as done through His Spirit, and by definition, all God’s work is ‘powerful’. When the Holy Spirit came on the disciples at Pentecost, they were given God’s ‘power’ to preach the Gospel and work miracles; things which were essential to the beginnings of the church and its subsequent growth. Through the gift of the Spirit, God’s power is made available to us.

Praise

Praise is a defining theme of the whole Bible and it is a basic theme for understanding the relationship of people to God. God is the Creator, and people are His creatures. When people accept that God exists and address Him as God, their actions constitute elementary praise because in so doing they honour Him as God. The Psalms are entitled in the Hebrew ‘Praises’, and whether they are ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ psalms they are all a form of praise to God which express a person’s respect and love of God, even when times are hard. Praise becomes renewed in the New Testament because God’s people are able to praise Him because of what Jesus has done by saving them. This essentially ‘happy’ praise is an important part of what praise means today, but we should not forget that praise can be quiet and subdued as well as joyful, providing it is honouring to God.

Paul H Ashby - 11/11/08

Prayer

Prayer is speaking to God; our conversation with the Creator and Redeemer. The O.T. speaks about prayer as a natural reaction to the blessings of God, as a child is born (1 Samuel 2), or the Temple is dedicated (1 Kings 8), which it is highly spontaneous; but it also indicates a religious structure of festival worship with prayers and worship, many of the prayers being recorded in scripture in the form of Psalms (see Psalm 23, or 51, or 117 etc.) It is not surprising therefore that Jesus talks to the Father during His life by praying. He also taught the disciples how to pray, creating a form of words (liturgy) which is valued highly by all Christians. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9f).is a tightly structured and highly theological prayer which worships God, makes requests and cries out to God for deliverance. Other excellent examples of prayer are to be found in the letter of Paul, often at the beginning.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/08

Preaching

Preaching is an activity first ascribed to John the Baptist and Jesus, and it is directly developed from the prophetic ministry of the Old Testament prophets. The prophets said what God would do, and John and Jesus declared that God was now at work and appealed for people to respond to Him through repentance. All preaching is therefore a form of appeal to respond to God which arises from a prophetic heart which is in touch with God’s Word. The New Testament has no concept of a sermon as some kind of set ‘talk’, even in the context of worship; you will find reference to it as the ‘exposition of the Word’, however. All preaching is connected to the fundamental task of all Christians and all churches to build up the Kingdom of God and enable it to grow in God’s strength. In this sense, all preaching is necessarily ‘evangelistic’, and asks those to hear to respond.

Promise

The word ‘promise’ crops us a great deal in the story of Isaac’s birth and is strongly related to the fulfilment of God’s Covenant promise to Abraham to make Him a great nation and to give his people ‘Promised Land’. Trust in this promise is what God reckoned to Abraham as ‘righteousness’ (Gen 15:6) the famous text used by Paul (see Romans 4:1f., Gal 3:6f.) to explain the importance of faith to our justification and salvation before God. The Temple was regarded as a place of ‘promise’, because it was there that God promised to be present with His people (2 Chron 6:4f.). In the New Testament, Jesus specifically promised that after He had been killed, He would send the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of God’s promise to be with His people personally (John 14:15f.). In addition, it speaks of the ‘promise’ of Eternal life (1 John 2:25) given to all who have faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul H Ashby - 19/08/08

Prophecy

Prophecy is God’s Word communicated through people. Prophecy is not just about predicting the future, but this may be a natural result of the Lord’s warning about the consequences of our actions. God warned people in Old Testament times that He would come on the ‘Day of the Lord’ to judge what was right and wrong, for example. The Old Testament prophets spoke to Israel about God’s judgement on their life and witness, and foretold the coming of the Messiah. Joel prophesied that ‘all’ would receive the Spirit and prophesy (Joel 2:28), this was fulfilled at Pentecost. In the New Testament, prophecy is a spiritual gift highlighted by Paul (1 Cor 12:10,28) to build up the church. Prophecy is a primary means of communication between God and His people, it was highly valued by the early church. Many were expected to exercise prophetic gifts (1 Cor 14:1f.), and preaching is one form of prophecy used today.

Paul H Ashby - 10/03/09

Proverbs

A proverb is a wise saying, and they are found throughout scripture, usually in the form of a pair of sentences in Hebrew poetry, connected by means of a theme. The subject of the proverb is illustrated by way of comparison between one sentence and the other, or the addition of meaning, or by way of emphasis. The Book of Proverbs is largely a teaching aid for young people which illustrates wisdom in behaviour attitude and religious observance, and its aim is the maturity of the individual. The first few chapters of the Book of Proverbs extolls the virtues of wisdom who is compared to a good woman who would make a good wife. By comparison, evil is a ‘loose’ woman’ who will make an unfaithful wife. Many proverbs contain a contrast between the actions of the ‘wise’ and the ‘foolish’, and are thought to have originated in the court of King Solomon.

Paul H Ashby - 24/07/08

Psalms

Paul H Ashby - 27/07/08

Rebellion

The sin of rebellion is one of the most heinous in the Bible. Many types of sin are described at different places in the Bible, ranging from guilt to deeds of wickedness. The sin of rebellion is different because it is characterised by a knowing rejection of God’s ways. Rebellion, therefore, can only truly happen when people know what God’s law is in the first place, and for this reason, the word is used in the Old Testament to describe Israel’s persistent rejection of her God. Rebellion usually takes the form of some kind of idolatry, and often includes the practice of other religious beliefs within Israel herself; perhaps even necromancy or witchcraft. The word ‘rebellion’ often appears in Paul’s lists of sins to be avoided, or ‘works of the flesh’ (e.g. Romans 1:30) incompatible with faith. Hebrews (3:8f.) urges God’s people not to be ‘rebellious’ as former generations and be ‘hardhearted’ in matters of faith.

Paul H Ashby 6/11/08

Redemption

Redemption is an ancient word which carries the idea of ‘buying back’. For example, if someone has given some goods away for money, then if they wish to have them back they would have to ‘buy them back’ - by redemption. Ex 6:6 is one of the first examples of the use of this word in the Bible and talks of God ‘buying back’ His people from Egypt. Galatians 3:13 talks of God’s work to ‘redeem’ his people through the death of Jesus Christ. The word is not as common as ‘salvation’; with which it is sometimes mistaken, but it is used to illustrate what God does to restore a relationship with people. Redemption is one part of what we mean by ‘salvation’, and the idea of redemption helps us understand that there is a cost to what God does for us in Jesus Christ.

Paul H Ashby - 12/04/09

Rejection

Rejection is one of the consequences of evil in the world, and can be the direct result of someone’s actions, for example, through bullying, or it can be felt more strongly than is intended, as when someone feels rejected because of something someone said which was entirely unintentional. At other times, rejection is intended and is the more painful because of this. Jesus was rejected by his own people, and this was the root of the evil which took Him to the Cross. Now, Jesus did not respond to rejection by throwing rejection back at others (as people generally tend to do), instead, He forgave those who crucified Him. Be refusing to reject those who rejected Him, Jesus showed us that forgiveness is the key to dealing with rejection. It may be painful for us to forgive when we do not feel that those who have sinned against us deserve this, but it is what Jesus did for us.

Paul H Ashby - 12/04/09

Religion

The word ‘religion’ has a bad press today because it is equated with formality and what is more correctly called ‘religiosity’. Technically, ‘religion’ consist of things people to do express their beliefs. All Christians are ‘religious’ whether they like it or not, for unless they seek to express their faith through some outwards acts of worship or deeds of godliness, it could be argued (as the letter of James does) that no faith exists. What people so object to today is that religious systems appear to have taken over what many regard as ‘true faith’, and a degree of idolatry can be associated with structures, forms, deeds, buildings etc. when Christ is forgotten, but Christianity is nominally continued. The answer to the conundrum is to make sure that Christ is at the centre of all you do, whether in church or not.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/08

Repentance

Jesus’ first sermon was ‘Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand!’ Repentance is therefore an important theme. In the O.T. repentance (Hebrew ‘shub’) means changing one’s mind and / or altering a course of action. The prophets observed that there was no truth in repentance unless it came from the heart (see Micah 6:6-8), and this led them to the idea that true repentance of the heart could lead to God’s forgiveness (see Isaiah 1:18-19). In the N.T. the Greek word used for repentance is ‘metanoia’ which adds the idea that with repentance comes a complete change of direction - a new way of thinking. Hence the close connection between repentance and conversion, leading to God’s forgiveness. John connects the idea of repentance with baptism, and this completes the range of ideas that make up what we now think of as repentance. It is a turning away from all sin towards the love of God.

Paul H Ashby - 26/07/08

Resurrection

The resurrection lies at the heart of the New Testament as the evidence of God’s victory over the powers of evil which first dragged humanity down in the ‘Fall’ described in Genesis 3. It is the proof of God’s command over death, and together with the crucifixion constitutes the redeeming and saving work of God through Jesus Christ. There are a few places in the Old Testament where writers break through the traditional Jewish understanding of death (separation from God in Sheol) and speak of God as redeeming beyond the grave (e,g, Job 19:25), and the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel imply am resurrection theology. However, when the resurrection of Christ occurred, it broke through the conventions and understanding of the Jewish people of Jesus’ day. He spoke about it but they did not understand it. The resurrection remains at the heart of Christian doctrine and is the proof of God’s love for us.

Paul H Ashby - 25/10/08

Revelation

Revelation is what links heaven and earth. When God does something in the world, He does it by revelation. He revealed His Son Jesus Christ, for example; He also revealed His will by the prophets. For this reason the word ‘revelation’ is closely linked to the work of the prophets, and also the work of Jesus Christ. Now that Jesus Christ has ascended to heaven, God reveals things to us by means of His Holy Spirit. Revelation continues today as God reveals Himself to people on an on-going basis to show them His true love and compassion for humanity. IN the Bible, we also have a book called the ‘Revelation of John’, in which God has revealed secrets to the Apostle which are in the form of visions and prophetic statements. Although we do not yet understand it all, it is all God’s ‘revelation’ of Himself and His plans for our world.

Righteousness

Someone who is in a ‘right’ relationship with God is said to be ‘righteous’. In Old Testament times, it was believed that people could be ‘righteous’ by keeping the commandments of God and also the accumulated laws of the Jewish people built up over centuries, Through Jesus Christ, a new light was shed on this, as was explained by Paul. He wrote in many of his letters to explain that our ‘righteousness’ is not something we can achieve by keeping commands and being good. It is a gift of God, given to those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. In other words, we are made ‘right’ with God through our faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.

Paul H Ashby - 18/06/09

Sabbath

Paul H Ashby - 3/09/08

Sacrifice

The oldest forms of worship described in the Bible are sacrifices. Noah offered a sacrifice to God by slaughtering some animals which had survived the flood, for example. The idea of sacrifice means giving away to God something which is special and as near perfect as possible; however, the sacrificial system of the worship of God given by Moses in Leviticus is much more extensive. Sacrifices were given of pure worship to God (whole burnt offerings), sacrifices for ‘fellowship offerings’ which were little more than a means of killing animals in a ‘clean’ way so that people could eat meat, and also sacrifices to atone for sins committed, that is, if someone repented and sought forgiveness (Leviticus 1-6). When we talk about Jesus Christ as ‘sacrifice’ for our sins (for example, in Hebrews), He becomes an offering to God, the source of our true fellowship and the forgiveness of sins.

Paul H Ashby - 12/04/09

Salvation

The whole Bible is the story of God’s salvation, as found and seen in history. Salivation is necessary because there is a gap between God and the people He has made, as described in the story of the ‘Fall’ in Genesis 3. This is not simply an ‘event’, but the condition of humanity in general, as Paul makes clear in his writings and descriptions of the ‘sin’ from which people need salvation in God’s moral world (Gal 5:17-26). From the Fall onwards, God’s actions in the world were designed to bring about the rescue of humanity from sin and all its consequences, and this is what we mean by ‘salvation’. The task to bear this message was given to the people of Israel, but they failed in their task. Jesus completed the task by dying on the Cross; this great act of love brought reconciliation between God and people and removed the barrier of sin. Because of this, Christians have faith in Jesus for their salvation.

Paul H Ashby - 12/04/09

Satan

The name ‘satan’ comes from a Hebrew word meaning ‘accuser’. Jesus describes Satan in the N.T. as the personified enemy of God (e.g. Matt. 12:22f.). Satan is only mentioned in three places in the O.T.; in the famous first chapter of Job (where he appears precisely as an accuser), in 1 Chron 21:1, and in Zechariah 3:1,2 (as the enemy of God). The lack of other O.T. references means that it is likely that God’s people only came to understand who Satan was late on in O.T. times. Nevertheless, Jesus clearly understood the nature of Satan and how evil works. He described evil in a number of different ways, and referred to Satan as active through people (e.g. Luke 22:31). Paul said Satan was disguised as an ‘angel of light’ (Lucifer - 2 Cor. 11:14), and in Revelation, the names Satan and the devil are used together to represent the evil destroyed when Jesus’ Kingdom comes in power (Rev 20:2f.).

Paul H Ashby - 15/07/09

Scripture

The word ‘scripture’ means ‘writings’, but it has come to be used about holy writings and in particular the Bible. It is a useful word to use when talking about God’s Word in general because it’s use highlights the sacred nature of the text. Even with the Bible, people who are followers of Christ can fall into the mistake of reading and examining the text as if it were the same as any other, yet although we can of course use every literary means to analyse the text, it remains for a Christian an essentially special and holy text. This has arisen because God’s people over the years have come to accept the specific contents of the Bible as holy and sacred. This process is not clear and precise, but historically, it is marked by the human quest for the truth about God and His work in the world. God’s hand has also guided humanity towards accepting these books as His own.

Paul H Ashby - 20/10/08

Seed

The idea of seed is used firstly in scripture to describe the generations of Abraham and his descendants, as in ‘Abraham and his seed forever.’ (Luke 1:55). Physical descent ceases to be the defining factor of a relationship with God in the New Testament, where this is ‘faith’, and it interesting that Jesus describes faith as like a ‘mustard seed’, and gives a number of illustrations in which faith grows from a seed to a bigger plant. Seed is therefore still an important symbol of the continuance of life. Seed is always a proportion of a harvest taken for sowing a new crop the next year, in agricultural terms, and most people of Jesus’ day would have understood this. Spiritually, seed is therefore like the tithe of our time and effort spent working for the growth of the Kingdom in evangelism and mission. Peter says; ‘you have been born ... not of perishable but of imperishable seed.’ (1 Peter 1:23)

Paul H Ashby - 16/09/08

Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of teaching by Jesus delivered to the disciples at the beginning of his ministry, according to Matthew’s Gospel, where it takes up three chapters, 5,6,7. It begins with the famous ‘Beatitudes’ and goes on to teach that the those who follow Jesus must have a ‘righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees’. There are many famous short teachings of Jesus in the ‘Sermon’; ‘turn the other cheek’, for example, or Jesus’ teaching about worry. It finishes with the story of the man who build his house on rock, and the man who built his house on sand.

Servant

From the beginning God sought those who were humble in service of others and of Him. Both Abraham and Moses, for example, are described as God’s ‘servants’, and Joseph and David both learned how to become great people through long years of service. The idea of servanthood reaches a climax in the Old Testament through the prophecies of Isaiah. From chapter 40 onwards, Isaiah increasingly describes the Lord’s ‘servant’, culminating in the sacrifice of the ‘suffering servant’ in Isaiah 53; a prophecy which is closely linked with Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus is revealed differently by the four Gospels; as a King (Matthew), as God (John), as a man (Luke) and a as a servant (Mark). Mark’s Gospel shows Jesus acting supremely as the servant of humanity bringing God

Signs and wonders

There are many miraculous events recorded throughout the Bible, and many of these are described as ‘signs and wonders’. The first miraculous ‘sign’ was the Flood, and the next, the plagues in Egypt. Various miraculous signs in the Old testament all speak of God’s authority to intervene in His world to do His will at critical moments for His plan of salvation (for example, wiping out the Assyrian army outside the gates of Jerusalem (see Isaiah 37:36f.). Jesus performed ‘signs and wonders’, all of them pointing towards the evidence of God’s work in the world through His son Jesus. The one great sign is the Resurrection, which is the proof of God’s love for His Son, the proof of His love for us, and the proof of our salvation. God continues to break into our world to perform signs and wonders, however, as in all scripture, all genuine signs and wonders point to Christ and the work of God in salvation.

Sin

The word ‘sin’ is of vital importance to our understanding of God’s Word. Essentially it is all that separates people from God; dividing creation from its Creator. The first example of sin is in Genesis 3 where the story of Adam and Eve identifies temptation both from internal and external sources and the key to sin. Sin itself is complex. The O.T. has a number of words to describe it, translated normally as rebellion, transgression, wickedness, waywardness, or guilt, for example. A detailed analysis of each of these words is necessary for a good understanding of what the Bible means by ‘sin’, but it is not merely ‘doing wrong things’, as we assume. The New Testament has fewer words for sin, but retains an essential difference between the idea of sin which is part of the fabric of or mortal nature, and sin which is deliberate acts of rebellion or transgression against God.

Paul H Ashby - 12/09/08

Slavery

The Old and the New Testaments are full of references to slaves, which is disconcerting for Christians who justly feel that the banning of slavery has been a major achievement of Christianity. The Old Testament has complex laws protecting slaves (Exodus 21:1-11), and Paul speaks protectively about slaves, especially in Colossians, where he is sensitive to the plight of Onesimus. Slavery in ancient times was a mixture of the worst that we can imagine by that term, and also something little more exacting than what we call domestic service. The one word covers all these, and so where the Bible appears to accept slavery, it does so largely because it is commenting on religious principles rather than social status. In addition, Paul makes the argument that it is often (though perhaps not always) wise to accept the social ‘status quo’ so that the Gospel can be proclaimed in a peaceful environment.

Paul H Ashby - 13/05/09

Soul

The ‘soul’ as described in the Bible is not the same as the spirit (as many people presume). The starting place for our understanding of the ‘soul’ comes in Genesis 2:7 where we are told that humanity was made when God took ‘earth’ (otherwise called ‘flesh’) and breathed His Spirit into it and it became a ‘living being’ otherwise translated as ‘soul’ (Hebrew ‘nephesh’). The word ‘soul’ therefore describes all of what it means to be a human being; we are ‘body, soul and spirit’. It is perhaps best to think of the human soul as a ‘god-breathed’ being; with all the facets of what it means to be truly human. There are relatively few uses of the word ‘soul’ in the New Testament, but they all mean ‘all of a person’ in the eyes of God. As an individual being or ‘soul’ created by God, I expect that after death, and a judgement for which I trust Jesus, I will be totally remade as a spiritual body and soul, for Eternity!

Paul H Ashby - 19/08/08

Spirit (human)

The human spirit is ‘breathed’ by God into human flesh to make a living being. This is the doctrine of the creation of humanity as found in Genesis 2:7. The human spirit therefore has its origins in the Spirit of God, and seeks to return there. This explains why people look for God quite naturally. The basic teaching of the Bible is that our bodies are ‘Godbreathed’ with God’s spirit in order to make us ‘living beings’ (souls). However, the human spirit becomes damaged and broken in the same way that our mortal bodies can become damaged and broken. It is therefore part of our salvation for God to heal our broken spirits. When Christ comes in glory, He will remake us into a new ‘spiritual body’ (1 Cor 15:44) so that we who have been saved will find ourselves remade for the glories of the New Heaven and the New Earth (Rev 21:1f.)

Paul H Ashby - 15/04/09

Spirit (holy)

Subjection

This word is used in a number of different ways . Firstly, God brings all things into subjection to Himself (1 Cor 15:27f. Heb. 2:8) This happens when the Kingdom of God comes, and Jesus ‘rules’ over all. The second use of the word is about slaves being subject to masters (1 Peter 2:18f.) or wives being subject to husbands (1 Peter 3:1f. or Ephesians 5:22f.), or Christians being ‘subject’ to the governing authorities (Romans 13:1). All these instances are highly controversial, but I cannot avoid the conclusion that in each case, the Bible describes this subjection as a social necessity which opens up the possibility of preaching the Gospel - which is of the highest importance. Indeed, in one case, (1 Peter 2:18f.) Peter describes subjection as a suffering like that of Christ on the Cross! Such comments are not primary commands, but suggestions about upholding social norms so that the Gospel can be preached.

Suffering

This subject covers the whole Bible, and it is part of our world order (see Gen 3). The ancients sought to find out why God allowed suffering, and the question arises firstly with the suffering of Israel in Egypt and then in Babylon; the book of Job is an essay on ‘suffering’. The main answer given consistently in scripture is that God can and does use suffering to bring about the redemption of people and situations. Ultimately, the suffering of Jesus Christ as the Messiah brought about our eternal salvation. Jesus taught that those who suffer in His name will ‘inherit the Kingdom’ (Matt 5:11,12), and he predicted that all His disciples would suffer if they did His will. Out of this suffering, the church would be built and the Kingdom of God would come. It is ignorant of us to assume that God intends all His people to be pure ‘happy’. He certainly gives us indescribable joy, but it comes through real life and suffering.

Superscription

This term refers to the brief piece of scriptural text written just before most of the individual Psalms. If you look at Psalm 23, for example, you will see that before the words we know so well, there are written the words ‘A psalm of David’. For many years, it was believed that this meant that where there was a superscription that said this, the psalm was written by David. However, all it really means is that such psalms were part of ‘David’s’ collection, whatever that meant. A detailed study of this shows that many psalms were written by people such as Asaph (see Psalm 74) and others, but that if you read the contents of the psalms, this will show more clearly whether the Psalm was truly written by David (for example, Psalm 51)

Tabernacle

The Tabernacle refers to the tent complex designed by God and conveyed to Moses in Exodus, which housed the Ark of the Covenant. As such, it was like a temporary ‘temple’, and its tent-like structure and courtyard was similar to the design of the Temple in Jerusalem. When the Tabernacle was used in the journey through the wilderness, it was sometimes called the ‘tent of meeting’ or ‘tent of testimony’ (see Exodus 39:32-43). As a sign of God’s presence with His people the Tabernacle was covered by a cloud, and when the cloud moved, the people of Israel were under orders to move. For this reason, the Tabernacle represented God’s presence with His people. After Exodus and Numbers, only Chronicles mentions the Tabernacle again, and the focus moves to the Ark itself. The Tabernacle therefore became a symbol of God’s guidance, hence the later ‘feast of ‘Tabernacles’ (John 7:2)

Paul H Ashby - 27/05/09

Table (in tabernacle)

The Table built for the Tabernacle is described in Exodus 25. It was made of ornate design in a similar fashion to the Ark itself, but of smaller size. It was placed on the northern side of the Tabernacle room in front of the ‘Holy of Holies’, and opposite the Lampstand. The placing of the Table so close to the Ark in such a holy place indicates its importance. The table was made to be portable, and had rings on its side with poles, for transport. When in place, 12 loaves of bread were baked and placed on the table each week. This ‘Bread of the Presence’ is what David took when he and his men were hungry after being exiled from Israel (1 Sam 20), and Jesus referred to this controversial act in His defence of the disciples before the Pharisees (Matth 12:1-8). The bread appears to have been an expression of Israel’s commitment to their God (Lev 24:5-9)

Paul H Ashby - 27/05/09

Talmud

Talmud is a Hebrew word meaning ‘teaching’. From around Jesus’ day until the sixth century AD, Jewish scribes and scholars attempted to write down in enormous detail the Jewish tradition and inheritance as a means of teaching and inheritance. The result were two ‘Talmuds’, the Babylonian and the Palestinian. Between them they contain detailed commentary upon the ‘Mishnah’, itself a code of laws dating from around 200 years BC. The Talmuds also comment on scripture and other traditions. They are an invaluable source of information about the practices and beliefs of Jews around the time of Christ and afterwards.

Paul H Ashby - 17/07/08

Teaching

Teaching is one of the four great ministries of Jesus; preaching, teaching, healing and deliverance. It is different from preaching because whereas preaching is a prophetic call which asks for a response, teaching is the drawing out or revealing of knowledge. Jesus taught largely in blocks of teaching such as the (miss-named) ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Matt 5-7), and also the great monologues or dialogues of John’s Gospel found in most chapters. In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus taught largely about the Kingdom of God and did so in parables, but not exclusively so. In John’s Gospel, some of Jesus’ best known teaching, such as ‘love one another’ (John 13:34) is found in John’s description of the events leading up to Jesus’ death. The role of the teacher in the early church was important, and regarded as bearing a heavy responsibility for maintaining the purity of the Gospel

Temptation

Temptation is an essential part of the way that sin is described in the Bible. The first analysis of temptation is found in Genesis 3, where it is clear that temptation is a combination of internal and external influences drawing people towards specific sin. It is interesting therefore that ‘temptation’ is largely mentioned by the New Testament only in the context of some work of evil or Satan. For example, Jesus was ‘tempted’ by Satan in the wilderness, and Paul speaks about the ‘tempter’ in 1 Thess. 3:5. James also speaks about the power of temptation in his letter (Jas 1:13f.). The traditional rendering of the Lord’s prayer ‘lead us not into temptation’ refers in fact to a different word meaning ‘a time of testing’ in general, rather than temptation as described elsewhere in scripture.

Paul H Ashby - 7/11/08

Testimony

The word ‘testimony’ is closely associated with the word ‘witness’ or ‘evidence’, and is also related to the Old Testament idea of ‘covenant’. It occurs frequently in the New Testament but one of its main uses in the OT is in the phrase ‘the tent of the testimony’, which is an alternative name for the ‘tabernacle’, the tent of God’s presence for God’s people in the wilderness; this tent was the visible evidence of God’s presence with His people. The New Testament speaks Jesus as the testimony or evidence of God’s presence in the world, but it also uses the word to refer to the personal testimony of the disciples who observed the ministry of Jesus, and whose evidence formed the basis of the early preaching of the Gospel (see Acts 4:33). It should also be noted that the Psalms, although the word ‘testimony’ hardly appears, are a store of personal testimony to faith in God. It is the one place in scripture where we can read personal testimony such as this; ‘These things I remember as I pour out my soul ... (Ps 42:4).

Paul H Ashby - 30/03/15

Thanksgiving

The word thanksgiving is similar to praise; we ‘thank’ God for the good in our lives, whether in the natural world, or in life in general. However, the O.T. Hebrew word for thanksgiving (‘tulah’) does not mean ‘thanks’ in a general sense, it means, ‘praise given to God because of victory over sin’! So for the Christian, the word ‘thanksgiving’ should have this specific meaning. In the New Testament, the Greek word for ‘to give thanks’ is ‘eucharisto’, and it appears throughout the NT. Often it has a mere general meaning but in the light of the OT background, some NT writers bring its special religious meaning to the fore. Paul sometimes uses the word in this way when giving thanks for the fiath of the church in the opening of many of his letters, and he says to the Thessalonians ‘give thanks in all circumstances’. This special meaning of thanksgiving also explains why the ‘Lord’s Supper’ is called by many Christians ‘the Eucharist’, meaning ‘the thanksgiving’, referring specifically to the death and resurrection of Christ.

Paul H Ashby - 30/03/15

Theology

Theology means ‘thoughts about God’. Indeed, most Christian people engage in theology whenever they express thoughts and opinions about God in their worship, house-group or private devotions. However, where theology is studied academically, it is more rigorous, subject to scrutiny within the academic institutions of the day. A church pastor could be called a theologian having done some academic study of faith, but we tend to reserve the word for people who study ‘theology’ full time in a university setting. Much good work has been done by theologians, e.g. by working with archaeologists to research the original text of the Bible and translate it, or by helping us understand our faith and study the Bible. However in recent times, academic theology has become dominated by secular academic standards, divorced from church life and the faith experience of regular church people. Few Christians therefore think of theology as relevant or valuable. We need a revolution in theology today whereby God’s people reclaim this force for good within the local church, not the institution.

Paul H Ashby - 30/03/15.

Tongues

Speaking in tongues is often misunderstood . In the New Testament (Acts 2, 1 Cor. 12, 14) the gift is no extreme, and not a fundamentally mystical or ecstatic religious experiences (although it can be). Tongues in not universal, but should be expected amongst believers as a gift of the Spirit; it is the extra-ordinary evidence of God’s work in the life of the believer, and to be welcomed. Most who speak in a tongue do not go into a trance (ask them), but their minds are released from the control of language as they praise God, sing (1 Cor. 14:15), or speak His Word. The type of language is not defined, and the NT speaks only of ‘families’ of languages (1 Cor 12:10,28), some of which are known (as in Acts 2:4f.). Paul objects to the excessive use of tongues in worship without the use of the gift of ‘interpretation’, by which the tongue may become a prophetic word in worship (tongues + interpretation = prophecy, see 1 Cor 14). This gift can be misused, so it is best to keep close to the guidance of Scripture.

Paul H Ashby - 29/03/15

Tradition

We associate tradition with customs and habits, but the word conveys the idea of passing something on (Latin - ‘traditio’), from one generation to another. So religious ‘traditions’ are ways of ‘being church’ rooted in the past and passed on to us. How then do we determine which traditions should be kept or abandoned? The Bible is our guide, and clearly, preaching the Gospel is not a tradition to be abandoned because God requires it of us, along withthings like baptism and the Lord’s supper. However, styles of worship through music, art or song are not basic to our faith or defined in the Bible, and neither are body positions, orders of service, or church structure, and we should retain or dispense with them according to the needs of the church and the guidance of the Spirit. He must set our priorities, not past generations or the latest theological intrigues. People become very attached to familiar traditions, but no one is exempt from the call of God to be open to the movement of the Spirit.

Paul H Ashby - 20/03/15.

Translation

The Bible was written in ancient Hebrew (OT) and Hellenistic Greek (NT). The process of translation of these ancient texts is complicated, and is not an exact process, as anyone who understands the nature of language will know. Most problems about the translation of the Biblical text today arise either because people are familiar with old translations like the ‘Authorised Version’, which are technically incorrect in places, or because scholars today are genuinely uncertain about what some of the original Hebrew or Greek words actually mean. A large number of scholars spend their whole lives researching the meaning of ancient words in order to help us gain a better understanding of the Bible, and their work is essential, and should not be belittled or ignored. Every translation is in some way an expression of the theological opinions of the people who translated it, and while individual translations are fascinating, it is best to use in church those translation such as the NIV or the NRSV which have been produced by teams of co-operating scholars, all seeking to get it as right as possible, word for word and sentence for sentence.

Paul H Ashby - 11/03/09

Virgin Birth

The term ‘virgin’ means literally a young woman who has never had sex. The term also means a young woman of innocence, and is used in this way by the prophets to refer to nations which are acting in blind ignorance / innocence of what is happening around them (see Jer. 18:13). Isaiah 7:14 famously uses this term in his prophecy warning king Ahab that despite the king’s blindness to God’s guidance, the Lord will act to save His people whatever he, the King of Judah, does. It is a shocking picture; an innocent young woman / virgin will bear a child … This prophecy is then quoted by Matthew (Matt 1:23) to explain the birth of Jesus to Mary, and give prophetic backing to the idea of Jesus’ ‘virgin birth’, which was controversial even in the earliest days of the church. Since those days, the church has largely accepted the virgin birth as explained by Matthew as the truth about the conception and birth of Jesus, born Son of God and Son of Man.

Paul H Ashby 30/3/15

Vision

The word ‘vision’ means a revelation from God. The Bible speaks often of visions, dreams and sometimes trances, but it is not clear what these all mean (see Daniel 8:10, Acts 10:10). However, the revelation is in the message not the means. Abraham had the first ‘vision’ (Gen 15:1); God told him to count the stars as a test of faith, and this led to Abraham’s covenant blessing. Later on, the young boy Samuel responded to a vision, and was given the gift of prophecy and wisdom so he could govern God’s people (1 Sam 3:15). Other visions are found in the prophets; in Daniel, visions and dreams guide his understand of God’s authority and power at a time of great confusion, but they hold the key to much more. In the Gospels there are few visions after Jesus’ birth, until the Holy Spirit works through visions given to Peter (and later, Paul) to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9,10). Famously, Proverbs 29:18 says, ‘without vision the people perish’, which reminds us of the importance of these forms of communication with God.

Paul H Ashby - 6/11/08

War

War is a constant Old Testament theme, and the prophets frequently predict that God’s purposes will be accomplished through war (also famine and disaster - see Is 8:9f., Jer 28:8 etc.). Israel stood on major trade routes between Mesopotamia and Egypt, and was therefore of great interest to whatever superpowers ruled, from the Assyrians, to the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans (see Daniel 7,8). In addition, the people of Israel were divided after the reign of Solomon, and much of the tension we read about in the prophets reflects the differing fortunes in war for northern Israel and southern Judah. Christians are often surprised to discover that the Bible describes the annihilation of Israel by Assyria (2 Kings 17), but the salvation of Judah through exile in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kings 24 and the letter of Jeremiah, Jer 29). Also, in Jesus’ day people expected the Messiah to reverse Israel’s many military defeats, but Jesus rejected the idea of war as God’s means of achieving anything

Paul H Ashby 30/5/15

Water

In the Bible, water is important. Creation is said to take place within a great ‘deep’ (Genesis 1:2), which is a strange concept for us, with the universe full of water, not galaxies and starts - but that is indeed what people thought, and this explained for ancient people why rain came from the skies. Neither is this a trivial matter, for drought was frequently associated with critical Biblical events (see Genesis 12, 1 Kings 18, Psalm 22 etc) and the water supply to the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem plays an essential part in the city’s history (2 Chron 32:30). Drought was a ‘natural disaster’ which tested the faith of God’s people, and rain was regarded as a blessing of God (Psalm 23:2), Consequently, thirst is used to describe spiritual longing (Ps 42:2), for God is the supplier of both physical life through water and spiritual life through ‘living water’ (see Jer 2:13, Ez 47:5f.). Jesus Himself says ‘if anyone is thirsty let him come and drink of me …’ (John 7:37,38). Lastly, ritual washing was an important part of religious life in the OT, and this in part explains the significance of baptism as the key sign of regenerate ‘new life’ in Christ (Romans 6:3f.)

Paul H Ashby 30/3/15

Wealth

Scriptures which present wealth as a blessing from God granted to those who are obedient (see Gen 12:2,3), Psalm 112:1f). God is generous and is always seeking to bless His people with good things in this life, a guarantee of blessings to come. However, this should not be substituted for the blessing of the Gospel message itself. People should not expect to have the good life of wealth once they confess sin and are saved. Jesus Himself says the disciple will be persecuted and suffer (Matt 5:11,12), as well as calling for obedience and faith that will bring blessing. The Bible presents a tough picture for the rich; Jesus says that the chance of a rich man entering the Kingdom is a great as a ‘camel going through the eye of a needle’ (Matt 19:24), and those with wealth should give generously and provide for the poor and disadvantaged within society; the ‘alien and the widow’. Paul and James point out the dangers of wealth amongst God’s people (see 1 Tim 6:7 and James 5).

Paul H Ashby 29/3/15

Wicked / wickedness

Wickedness is one of the words used in the Old Testament to describe what the New Testament collectively calls ‘sin’. The idea of wickedness is purposeful wrongdoing that brings bad consequences. It is not perhaps as radically bad as ‘rebellion’ and yet implies more personal liability than mere ‘waywardness’ (for which there are different Hebrew words). Today we might use the term ‘evil’, or ‘wrongdoing’; something done wrong and for which we appeal to the culprits to chose to desist, and stop bringing trouble on others. In this sense it indicates a certain perversity of the heart and mind, and the psalms (and the book of Job) struggle especially with the observable fact that people can live in wickedness and have a perfectly happy life. They can ‘get away’ with their wickedness without consequence in this life, or so it seems. Ultimately, the term ‘wickedness’ is part of the panorama of sin that is dealt with by Christ on the Cross, for those who will confess it and repent.

Paul H Ashby 29/3/15

Wind

In the Old Testament, the wind was regarded as something with great power coming from the very ‘breath’ of God; the word for wind ‘ruach’ means ‘breath’, and is synonymous with the Holy Spirit, doing the Creative work of God. The climate was affected by four winds, north south east and west, a thought reflected in Jeremaih 49:36 and Revelation 7:1. The wind affected seasons and changed human life; for example, the hot dry southerly winds were associated with the fear of drought, and other winds from the north or northwest brought storms and chaos. But it is the connection with the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, which is most fascinating. First, we should note that the Hebrew people did not separate the idea of the work of God’s Spirit from natural forces or their consequences, and were used to interpreting ‘the winds’ as the outworking of God’s eternal plans. Second, the New Testament pictures of the Holy Spirit frequently rely on the idea of wind ‘blowing where it will’, as in Jesus’ famous explanation of spiritual reality to Nicodemus (John 3:8).

Paul H Ashby 29/3/15

Wisdom

Wisdom is a concept that comes from the Old Testament times, and is related to the idea of knowledge that is effective. Kings clearly needed this quality hence the famed ‘wisdom of Solomon’. Notably, wisdom was also a characteristic attributed to the coming Messiah (Isaiah 11:2). Wisdom appears as a type of literature in the book of Proverbs, which is largely a summary book of knowledge to be taught young children if they are to be successful in life and in their relationship with God. In Proverbs, wisdom is personified as a wise woman, and is presented as being present at Creation itself (Prov 8:22). Some make a connection between ‘Wisdom’ personified and Christ - but this was rejected by the early Church. For this reason, New Testament references to ‘wisdom’ are best understood as referring to ‘good judgement’, or ‘discernment’; particularly in the letters of Paul and later New Testament writings.

Paul H Ashby 28/3/15

Witness

The word ‘witness’ is important in the Bible. It isclosely linked to the idea of ‘testimony’ or ‘evidence’; that is, the observable feature of what may otherwise not be seen, such as an agreement or a relationship with someone. In Genesis, objects such a stones or altars are raised as a ‘witness’ of agreements between people. Significantly, the covenant relationship between God and His people is witnessed variously; the Israelites accepted circumcision as this witness, but in the New Testament, Paul argues that Abraham’s faith (Romans 4) is the true witness, and the starting point for a response to the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 3). John’s Gospel contains a discussion of the evidence or ‘witness’ which proves Jesus’ life and work comes from God (see John 1:8, 8:13f.). In the early days of the church, the disciples, now apostles, were the only true ‘witnesses’ to the life death and resurrection of Christ, so anything written in the Bible had to come from one of them.

Paul H Ashby 28/3/15

Word

The ‘Word’ is a complex idea strongly connected with the person of Jesus because of the opening words of John’s Gospel (John 1:1f.). John presents Jesus to us as God’s ‘Word’, that is, both His spoken Word and His deeds of saving grace made known in the world through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. In the Creation story God made the world by His ‘Word’ i.e. ‘He spoke and it was done.’ The Hebrew language has one word (‘davar’) which means both word and deed; something real because it can be described and seen. The idea of the ‘Word of God’ is therefore one which encompasses both God’s physical words but also His deeds, especially in Christ. The Bible is a supreme example of this, for by talking about the ‘Word of God’ we speak not just about the text of scripture, but about the physical evidence of God’s saving and redeeming power at work in the world; i.e. Jesus.

Paul H Ashby - 16/09/08

Work(s)

Work is described by Genesis as the result of human sin, and required of men relentlessly until he dies (see Genesis 3); work having been changed from a joy to a toil. The subject of work in general is commended, and idleness is condemned (see 1 Thes 4:11, 2 Thes 3:10); and Christian service happens when ordinary things are done for the honour of God. Importantly, however, the Bible denies the idea that anyone can attain salvation or any religious goal by means of ‘work’. God’s people are expected to work and not be lazy, but they are not to mistake the work they must do for their means of salvation, which is by the grace of Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8). This is why many of Paul’s letters speak against people reliance on ‘works’ as a means of trying to earn God’s favour; to do this is to misunderstand what salvation is. Yet Paul, like every other Bible author, strongly commends hard work in the ordinary living of life and to the glory of God. It is just that this does not earn salvation.

Paul H Ashby 28/3/15

Worship

The worship of God is our highest call, for God is our Creator and we owe Him everything. The word ‘worship’ has its origins in giving glory and honour to God, and is close to the idea of ‘service’, meaning doing things to show love and admiration. For most Christians worship is done with others at a regular ‘service’, in which God is honoured, people are led to respondin confession of faith and of sin, and God’s Word is spoken through the reading of Scripture and preaching. For some, the height of worship is the celebration of ‘communion’, which specifically remembers the death and resurrection of Jesus. Patterns of worship vary widely, and normally include music in the form of songs, hymns and psalms . Although the Bible frequently describes the worship of God at various times in history, as a whole it is not prescriptive on the subject. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is our guide.

Paul H Ashby 28/3/15

Wrath

Wrath is a much misunderstood word, because people associate it with pure anger, and imagine the ‘wrath’ of God as His most negative characteristic. It is best described as the attitude of a holy God to sin and evil (Romans 1:18-23). Why then should God feel like this? It is perhaps best to think of wrath as an emotion similar to love that has been rejected, let down badly or jilted. So God is wrathful when the people He has guided and helped, even saved and redeemed, turn against Him. There are plenty of examples of this in the Old Testament, but it happens today as well. The world is still dominated by evil and sin, something which causes great angst to God, even though He has now provided us with a means to overcome it. God’s wrath is only finally dealt with when the devil, Satan and death are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20), and His love can reign evident and supreme.

Paul H Ashby 27/3/15

Zeal

The word ‘zeal’ is generally regarded as having a positive meaning, or fervour in advancing a cause, for example. However, both in the Bible and in common language the word can have a negative meaning, meaning something like ‘envious’ in Psalm 37:1, for example, and being the core word behind ‘zealots’, the name of the group of people responsible for much murder and mayhem in the days of Jesus despite their their desire for the coming of God’s Kingdom. In truth, any emotion has good and bad elements, and instead of dismissing the use of the word it is best to understand how it is best used. Zeal at its best is a fervent spiritual energy within a person which can be used by the Holy Spirit to energise evangelism, or study, or any number of worthy spiritual activities. It is our duty to make sure that the over use of such energy does not blind people to the wider responsibilities of faith.

Paul H Ashby 27/3/15