Dr Paul Allen

Psalm 1 in 1628 printing with tune, metrical version by Thomas Sternhold. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “I will worship toward thy holy temple , and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” ( Psalm 138:2 ) Praise and worship are widely taught in Scripture but are seldom used to describe the same actions. “Worship” describes an attitude of obeisance and reverence (usually by bowing or prostrating) during a formal act of sacrifice or some other structured observance. “Praise,” especially this word used in Psalm 138 , emphasizes joyous thanksgiving, recognizing God ’s specific blessing or God’s worthiness in character, power, deed, or authority. There are only two events recorded in Scripture where the people of God both “ worshipped ” and “praised” at the same time. The first was at the dedication of the great temple of Solomon . When the prayer of dedication was finished, the fire of God’s glory descended on the ...

A stone with Hebrew inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated at the southern foot of the Temple Mount (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 21:23–27 “They answered Jesus , ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things’” (v. 27). Many scholars believe Matthew 21:21 refers implicitly to Rome ’s destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 A.D. The disciples might have seen Mt. Zion as Jesus told them believing prayer can cast a mountain into the sea, perhaps getting them to wonder if the Temple Mount might one day fall away. Jerusalem ’s fall to the Romans is, in the New Testament , seen as God’s judgment on those Israelites who rejected Christ (Luke 19:41–44). Of course, not every ethnic Jew was condemned, for Jesus and His earliest followers were faithful sons of Abraham. But divine wrath fell upon most of the religious authorities and the temple because they would not bow to their Messiah. This passage depicts...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 21:12 –13 “ Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons” (v. 12).  Messianic expectations were at a fever pitch after Jesus came into Jerusalem   on a donkey (Matt. 21:1–11), and the next action He performed only added fuel to the fire. We will today look at our  Lord’s cleansing of the temple in Matthew 21:12–13 and examine what it teaches us about the Christ. Of Herod’s ...

English: The Shekinah Glory Enters the Tabernacle; illustration from The Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons. Edited by Charles F. Horne and Julius A. Bewer. 1908. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." ( Psalm 27:4 ) The theme of the house of God is prominent in the book of Psalms . The phrase "the house of the LORD" occurs seven times, plus once each for "the LORD's house" and "the house of the LORD our God." There are three references to "the house of God," one to "the house of my God," and one to "the house of our God." Then, "thy house" is mentioned eleven times, making a total of at least 25 explicit references to the house of the Lord in the book of Psalms alone. Many of these passages...

Jesus casting out the money changers from the Temple by Giotto, 14th century (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 21:12–13 “ Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons” ( v. 12 ). Messianic expectations were at a fever pitch after Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey ( Matt. 21:1–11 ), and the next action He performed only added fuel to the fire. We will today look at our Lord’s cleansing of the temple in Matthew 21:12–13 and examine what it teaches us about the Christ. Of Herod’s building projects, none were greater than the Jerusalem temple , which he expanded. It sat on what we now call the Temple Mount , an area of some thirty-five acres. Only priests could enter the temple itself, which took up a small part of the mount and was surrounded by three courts: Israelite men could enter the court closest to the temple. Israelite men and women could occupy...