Dr Paul Allen

The story of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, found in 1 Kings 18:17-40,  is one the most amusing stories in the Bible.  To give you some background, King Ahab, of the northern kingdom of Israel, married a heathen woman named Jezebel, who henpecked and corrupted him to allow the worship of Baal and Asherah, a pagan fertility god and goddess.  This did not sit well with God, who appointed Elijah, a prophet, to confront Ahab. God sent numerous troubles on Israel due to their unfaithfulness, but Ahab blamed Elijah. Elijah became such a thorn in Ahab’s side that the king (or more likely, Jezebel) sought to kill him. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest Finally, Elijah called for a showdown between himself and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah on Mount Carmel to prove who was the true God. Boy, talk about being outnumbered! He then told the king to assemble the people of Israel so they might ...

Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV), states that God tells the prophet, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” And my whole being cried out in response, “Here am I! Send me!” (see Isaiah 6:8). The context of Isaiah 6 shows that Isaiah’s volunteering was simultaneously the product of contrition and of presumption; I certainly did not escape the latter. Nevertheless, that sermon based on Ezekiel 22, where God testifies that he looked for someone to “stand in the gap” before him but found no one, was one of the providential pieces that God used that year to direct me away from chemistry and toward vocational ministry. How Might the Verse Apply to Me? We were early taught to pay attention to context. As I read God’s words in Ezekiel 22:30, it was clear to me that he was not promising wrath to sinful Australians in 2021, but was threatening wrath on Judea about six centuries be...

A common theme among the biblical prophets is that God is sovereign over all nations. To most who read these pages that seems obvious. But in the ancient world, most nations had their own gods.  So when a nation went to war, the people prayed to their own gods; if a nation was defeated, so were their gods. Clearly they were not as strong as the gods of the ascendant nation. But the God of Israel keeps telling her that he is the God over all the universe, over all the nations. He is not a tribal deity in the sense that they own him or that he is exclusively theirs.  That is why in many chapters of Isaiah and Jeremiah God insists that he himself is the One who is raising up Assyria or Babylon to punish the people. In other words, the defeat of Israel does not signal the defeat of God. Far from it: this God keeps insisting that if Israel is defeated and punished, it can only be because he has ordained it—and he does this by utilizing the very nations Israel fears. But there is an...

You’ve heard it said. “I don’t want to be known for what I am against, but what I am for.” “Christians should be known for what they are for, not against.” It sounds good and noble. After all, a ministry or person that only speaks of what they are against is missing out on much of the content and emphasis of the Bible. Often these are self-proclaimed discernment ministries who do little more than step on others as they stand higher. In so doing, they have veered from Scripture. Pastors are to preach the inspired, inerrant text of Scripture.  Should Christians avoid being known for what they are against? Here are a few thoughts for consideration. Imagine an oncologist who did not want to be known for what they were against.  “Well, I don’t want to be known for what I am against, Mr. Patient. So, I’m not going to take a firm stance against tumors, metastasis, and cancerous growths. I want to be among the oncologists who, instead, are known for what they are for.” A ...

All of the authors of the books of the Old Testament should be classified as prophets. That term refers to messengers, and that is exactly what these authors were doing—delivering the message of God to the people of God. Some books specifically name the author, other books imply or point to a person as the author, and still other books are anonymous. One of the most important issues of authorship regards the Pentateuch , the first five books of the Old Testament. The traditional view is that Moses is the author of these books. This has been held by Jews since the Pentateuch was written and by Christians since the first century.  Even though the Pentateuch itself does not directly state that Moses is the author, there is evidence that indicates this is the case. For example, Moses did receive many of the laws recorded in these books directly from God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19ff.). Also, several books begin with the statement that God spoke to Moses and that Moses was to pass...

Jesus himself was the great Prophet, the One the Old Testament saw as the Coming One (Acts 3:22; Matthew 21:11 ; John 6:14; 7:40; Deuteronomy 18:15). The Old Testament prophet was a Spirit-filled spokesman for God , a mouth for God, yet one taught by God what to do and say. (Compare Micah 3:8; Amos 3:8; Exodus 7:1; 4:15, 16.) The New Testament word also means a speaker for God, the proclaimer of revelation directly received from God. With the apostles they revealed truths that were mysteries in Old Testament times but are now revealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:5), and thus helped to lay the foundation of the Church (2:20). This implies they were used in bringing truth which was later included in the New Testament. But, just as in the Old Testament times there were many prophets who challenged the people and led them in worship, but wrote no books, so it was the New Testament church. Many brought illumination and practical application of truths already received. A good example ...

English: Moses Pleading with Israel, as in Deuteronomy 6:1-15, Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Bible describes how God reigns, saves, and satisfies through covenant for his glory in Christ. The Old Testament provides foundation for this kingdom message, and the New Testament details the fulfillment. Jesus’ Bible was the Old Testament, which highlights through narrative and commentary how the Mosaic old covenant was established in the Law, enforced in the Prophets , and enjoyed in the Writings. The Bible opens with the five narrative books of Moses, which together are called the  Law . Here the old covenant is established. Genesis  introduces God’s universal kingdom program by highlighting the need for and provision of universal blessing. It also supplies the context for Israel ’s global mission. Sin has resulted in world-wide curse, and Abraham and his offspring climaxing in a single, male, royal descen...

English: folio 150 recto of the codex, with the beginning of the 1. Epistle to the Corrinthians (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Wayne Grudem on New Testament Prophecy: In the OT prophecy is reserved for a select few who provide spiritual authority and direction to God ’s people. In the New, prophecy is available to all Gods people ( Acts 2). It is not possible  that everbody’s prophecies are authoritative for every other person. In Acts 2 (and in passage from Joel that Peter is quoting) we are told that this outpouring of the Spirit is for “all flesh” and takes place in the “last days.” If the Spirit has since been withdrawn (at least in this sense) then we are now living in days  after  the last days which makes no sense! It is surely the above passage that is the context for Peter’s promise of the “ gift of the Spirit ” which in verse 38 and 39 is promised for “you and for your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord shall call.” Sure...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) " God , who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." ( Hebrews 1:1-2 ) The title of the Word of God is given both to Jesus Christ as the Living Word ( John 1:1-3 ; Revelation 19:13 ), and to the Holy Scriptures as the written Word ( Ephesians 6:17 ; Hebrews 4:12 ; etc.). They are so perfectly synchronous that what is said of one can usually be applied also to the other. Both are human, yet without error; both are divine, yet can be comprehended by man. "God was manifest in the flesh" ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ). "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost " ( 2 Peter 1:21 ). "In him is no sin" ( 1 John 3:5 ), "The Scripture cannot be broken," and "all Scripture . . . is profitable" ( John 10:35 ; 2 Timothy 3:16 ). Furthermore, each is eternal: "Jes...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Matthew 7:12 "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets " ( v. 12 ). Structurally, the Sermon on the Mount is divisible into three sections. Jesus introduces the sermon in Matthew 5:1-16 , describing the characteristics of true discipleship while calling us to preserve society as the salt of the earth and to show others the Father as the light of the world. He gives final warnings to those who will not heed His teaching in the sermon's conclusion in 7:13-29 . The second section, or main body, of the Sermon on the Mount is very well-defined ( 5:17-7:12 ). In both 5:17 and 7:12 , our Lord refers specifically to "the Law and the Prophets," bracketing all of the material in between these verses and marking it off as a distinct portion of teaching. Biblical scholars call this aninclusio , a literary device where the be...