One of the shorter books of the bible, Jonah provides us with a situation where God has a justifiable beef with one of its subjects. We also see a significant alteration in how God deals with disobedience, as opposed to Genesis and other early books. Faced with a totally unwilling prophet, God gets very creative, … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: The Book of Jonah
Category: Verse
Real Bible Studies: The Book of Job
The Book of Job takes the form of a dialogue between Job, and his three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Along the way, we also hear from Elihu, who's identified as the son of Barakel the Buzite. At the end, God steps in and communicates with Job as well. … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: The Book of Job
Real Bible Studies: The Book of Ruth
The book of Ruth presents us with the charming story of a dedicated daughter-in-law, which contains a serious message about a horrible practice in ancient Israel. Some of the commentary I've read suggests Ruth was written in the Second Temple period when Israelite men were being pressured by the authorities returning from exile in Babylon … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: The Book of Ruth
Real Bible Studies: Adam and Eve
Most of us are familiar with the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the "fall of man", which takes up all of Genesis 2 and 3, following the creation narrative. Genesis 1:26-28 mentions the creation of mankind, stating they were created in the image of God, male and female. Throughout the passages in Genesis … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Adam and Eve
Real Bible Studies: The Tower of Babel
Following the story of the flood, Genesis 10 goes into the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Japheth, and Ham. Ham's son Canaan, previously cursed by Noah for something his father actually did, is cited as the progenitor of many of the tribes the Israelites will have issues with as they move into the "promised land" … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: The Tower of Babel
Real Bible Studies: Cain and Abel
Of the stories in the Old Testament, one of the most recognizable is that of Cain and Abel, the classic rivalry between the favored son and his less lauded brother, which resonates throughout history, becoming the archetype for countless stories of brotherly hatred. Those who quote it, however, may not realize exactly how thin the … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Cain and Abel
Dreams and Less (Graphic)
Listen to the Warm
When I was a teenager, I had very specific ideas about what constituted poetry, rhyming verses, measured lines, lofty subjects like love and death. Then I read Listen to the Warm by Rod McKuen, and everything changed. I was aware of McKuen's work as a singer and songwriter, having seen him on television in the … Continue reading Listen to the Warm
Real Bible Studies: Leviticus
If the Ten Commandments were the basis for "the law" as defined by the ancient Israelites, then Leviticus is the nuts and bolts description of how to carry out the law. Like most law books, it's a very tedious book to read, spelling out, sometimes in minute detail, what each infraction is, and what sort … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Leviticus
Real Bible Studies: The Flood
The story of Noah and the flood takes up most of Genesis chapters 6 through 9. However, important background on Noah can be found in Genesis 5, which gives us the generations between Adam and Noah. These sorts of listings show up frequently in the bible, most notably at the beginning of Matthew and third … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: The Flood