Dr Paul Allen

Tetramorph. Fresco, Meteora. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Son of man , take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus , and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” ( Ezekiel 28:12 ) This prophecy against the King of Tyre is very similar to the prophecy given over a century earlier against the King of Babylon ( Isaiah 14:3-28 ). Both are ostensibly addressed to earthly kings, yet both are impossible to apply to any mere human monarch. In both instances, it becomes obvious that an evil spirit—in fact, none other than Satan himself—had possessed the bodies of these kings. Thus God , through Ezekiel, is here speaking primarily to Satan. Satan had been “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” but he became proud instead of thankful. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground” ( Ezekiel 28:17 ). He had been “the anointed cheru...

John Piper (theologian) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A Commanding Invitation Psalm 119 stands as an invitation to us to approach God ’s word with our whole minds (Psalm 119:113) and our whole hearts (Psalm 119:2). It commands us to think rightly and feel deeply about God’s word. It leaves no room for a clean division of the intellect and emotions , but rather demands a response from both the mind and the heart. Whether we hear God’s word in a call to worship , a confession of sin , an assurance of pardon, an exposition, or in the benediction — every time we hear the words of Scripture, God is speaking to his people. There is no space for yawning when God is speaking. His word commands our attention, our affection, and our obedience. We see in the 176 verses of Psalm 119 an unbreakable chain of knowing and feeling. The psalmist has tasted the word of God, and has developed an unquenchable appetite for it. His passions have been fixed on knowing and experiencing God’s word. He has...

The Triumphal Arch in Tyre, Lebanon (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth (Isa. 23:9). When God blesses us with wealth, it is our duty and privilege to use it wisely, to give back to God from what He has given to us, to help those who don’t have as much, and to look upon our possessions with humility. The only reason we have wealth is that God has given it to us ( Eccl. 5:19). Everything comes from His hand, and we should see ourselves as undeserving of such kindness and as dependent upon Him in every situation in life, whether we are poor or rich. Too often, however, the more people possess, the more they are puffed up with pride. They attribute their success to themselves, instead of humbly remembering that all things come from God’s hand. They become greedy and do everything they can to fill their wallets, even if it means neglecting those who are needy...