Dr Paul Allen

Moses with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, painting by Rembrandt (1659) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Though orthodox Christians and Jews alike argue that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament , some people deny his authorship of the fifth book, Deuteronomy. They do this partly on the grounds that chapter 34 contains the account of Moses’ death .  Since no one can write an account of his own death, they argue, doesn’t this mean the Book of Deuteronomy had to have been written later than the time of Moses? Probably some orthodox Christians and Jews would attempt to argue that all of chapter 34 in Deuteronomy was written by Moses, although it is possible that the chapter was prophetic. A more plausible explanation is to assume that it was written after the death of Moses, by Joshua . This does not force one to attribute the rest of Deuteronomy to someone besides Moses.  It is quite common that an obituary is placed at the end of a final work by a great auth

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” ( Deuteronomy 30:19 ) Shortly before his death, Moses restated the law and the covenant between God and His people summed up in the greatest commandment : “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” ( Deuteronomy 6:5 ). Furthermore, Moses claimed that “this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven . . . . Neither is it beyond the sea” ( Deuteronomy 30:11-13 ). Nothing about it was hard to understand. “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” ( Deuteronomy 30:14 ). Indeed, the evidence that God is Creator , Judge, Provider, and Redeemer is all around us. Our text informs us that “heaven and earth” are witnesses of God’s

Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem's depiction of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, an incident which has often been compared to the Qur'anic narrative of the "Companions of the City" (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) If we are always concerned with what people think about us, we will always be reluctant to tell them about Jesus . Perhaps the single most significant hindrance to Christian witness in the world today is our hunger for human approval. By nature, we think more about what people think of us than about what they think of Jesus. We crave acceptance and dread rejection — which inclines us toward whatever might improve others’ perception of us. And that will very rarely, if ever, lead us to call them to repent from their sin and believe the gospel. The apostle Paul lived differently. Apparently he had been liberated from the need to be liked, or even respected. He moved from town to town, in and out of crowds, anchored in the safety and satisfaction of knowing Jesus (

“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people.” ( Deuteronomy 7:7 ) Modern people—even Christians—tend to measure success in terms of bigness. God ’s measure, on the other hand, is based on quality, not quantity. There were undoubtedly millions of people on the earth, for example, when the Flood came in the days of Noah, but only “few, that is, eight souls were saved” as the waters lifted up the Ark ( 1 Peter 3:20 ). A few centuries after the Flood, populations had again increased, and great nations developed in Egypt, Sumeria, and elsewhere. But God called one man, Abraham , to establish a new nation, and he obeyed. Many great nations (Arabs, etc.) came from Abraham, but again God chose only one, Israel , to inherit the promise. Israel did grow, but as our text shows, even this chosen nation was nearly always insignificant compared to other nations. In Israel’s history, many instances a

Cima da Conegliano - David and Jonathan - WGA04912 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) This generation has more opportunities for communication than any before it, with email and social networking making it possible to interact with others 24/7. Yet suicide rates are higher than ever, and antidepressant medications have become almost standard fare. We have more connections than ever before, but they’re not relationships. We still feel alone. People need authentic community—a sense of communing with someone—to feel whole and healthy. The story of David and Jonathan portrays the true nature of friendship : “the soul of Jonathan became attached to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Sam 18:1). Jonathan could easily have been jealous of his friend; David was a great warrior and had just been brought into the household of Jonathan’s father, the king, as the king’s protégé (1 Sam 17:48–58; 18:2). Instead of being jealous, Jonathan responded with love and kindness, and

c. 840 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Spirit’s Work Within the Old Testament Period The first matter for our consideration is whether there is an empowering work of the Spirit within the Old Testament period itself that is different from his inner-transforming work. As a matter of fact, the empowering work of the Spirit is much more evident than the inner-transforming. For example, select individuals are anointed with the Spirit to prophesy (e.g., Num. 11:24–27; 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 19:20; 2 Sam. 23:2; 1 Chron. 12:18; 2 Chron. 20:14–17; 24:20; and throughout the prophetic writings), perform miraculous feats (Judg. 14:6, 19; 15:14–17; 1 Kings 18:12), exercise spiritual power in leadership (Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 1 Sam. 16:13), or simply carry out their appointed service within God’s household (Ex. 35:30–35). Additionally, in numerous miracle narratives where the Spirit receives no explicit mention, the human agents are prophets whose definitive qualification is the Spirit’s anointi

The Prodigal God looks at the Parable of the Prodigal Son as a parable about the lostness of both brothers and the heart of God the Father that is revealed towards them both. Keller shows clearly that the parable is a powerful challenge to self-righteous, religious moralists. Both brothers are lost, and the only way back to the father is through his love and grace. This poses a special problem to those who are self-satisfied with their religious practices. Nevertheless, even Pharisees are invited to enter the joy of the feast. The love of the Father invites all to come in. This is only possible because of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ . We have all sinned and been cut off from our proper home, but through Christ a new heavens and new earth are being made where a great feast will take place. The only way to gain entrance is through Christ Jesus himself Related articles The Prodigal Son's Brother (washingtonmonthly.com) Our fathers on eart

c. 840 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Thou shalt have no other gods before me .” ( Exodus 20:3 )   This first commandment, written by the finger of God Himself on Mount Sinai —twice ( Exodus 31:18 ; 34:1)—contains a very intriguing choice of words.   “Thou shalt have no” is rendered from the Hebrew word  lo , which is an emphatic negative: “never,” “neither,” “not,” etc. The word “other” translates the Hebrew word  acher , which is derived from another word meaning “behind” or “less.” This word is also translated “following,” “next,” “[an]other,” or “strange”—in the sense of being less than the previous object.  Elohim  is the Hebrew word for “gods,” the term for “powerful ones.”   The Holy Spirit ’s most unusual choice of words is the phrase ‘ al paniym at the end of the sentence, translated “before me.” That phrase literally means “against the faces” or in the sense of “on top of.” So, a direct translation of the command would be, “Never place a less powerful being on t

In light of the recent execution of 21 Christians and capture of hundreds more in Syria , perhaps it’s time to ask, “Should we be praying the imprecatory psalms against ISIS?” Written in the theocratic context of Israel , when God himself had a throne on earth, these psalms (e.g., Ps. 58 ; 69 ; 109 ) invoke God’s judgment upon Israel’s enemies in terrifying terms (see Ps. 58:8 ). While we profess that all Scripture is profitable ( 2 Tim. 3:16 ), we must carefully consider the ways in which that is true of these psalms. After all, we were once enemies of God ( Col. 1:21-22 ), but are now redeemed and called to love our neighbors ( Luke 10:27 ) and pray for our persecutors ( Matt. 5:44 ; Rom. 12:14 ). May we identify an enemy for divine destruction as the imprecatory psalms do? Can we do so in specific terms or only general ones? Are we not to expect persecution in this age and turn the other cheek ( Mark 13:13 ; Luke 21:17 ; Matt. 5:39 ) as we wait for Christ ’s return ( 2 Cor. 1:5

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Very few pastors would claim that they pray enough for their people. Perhaps it’s an impossible task—no one will ever think they’ve prayed enough. Still, we can see from the example of our Lord and His apostles that praying for our people is of monumental importance. Though the Bible says a great deal about preaching, only a few passages speak directly about sermon preparation (cf. Ezra 7:10 and 2 Timothy 2:15 ). Yet there are many passages that highlight the need for consistent prayer. This is not to say that sermon preparation is unimportant (for it certainly is). Rather, it is to emphasize the vital necessity of prayer. Even pastors need to be reminded that prayer is an essential part of their ministry, and that praying for their people is a biblical priority. So, how consistently do you pray for your people? The apostles devoted themselves both to the Word and to prayer ( Acts 6:4 ). We should also be devoted t