Tag: Death

Knox, Latimer and the Fear of God

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Lk. 12:4-5)

Jesus’ words here can be, at least at first, shocking. He told His disciples, people whom He addressed as “My friends,” not to be afraid of men because all they can do is kill them. How is that for a rationale? ‘Don’t be afraid. The worst they can do is kill you.’ At first such a statement is jarring until we are reminded of the nature of our existence and the limitation of man’s power over us. We are more than our physical bodies. We are comprised of material (our bodies) and immaterial (our souls). Man can kill the body but he cannot kill the soul; therefore, he is limited as to the damage he can inflict upon other men. God however is not so limited. He has the power to not only kill but to cast into hell (vs.5b).

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Supposed Bible Contradictions – How Did Saul Really Die? (1 Sam. 31:4; 2 Sam. 1:10)

4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.

(1 Samuel 31:4)

10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”
(2 Samuel 1:10)

Have you ever told a story to make yourself look better than you are? Have you ever changed certain details while recounting a personal story in the hopes that you’d win favor, or approval, or applause with your hearer(s)? That appears to be exactly what the young man in 2nd Samuel was doing – a strategy which didn’t work out well for him. But nonetheless, his fabrication provides an explanation for the different accounts of Saul’s demise.

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Salt, William Wilberforce, and You

“You are the salt of the earth” (Mt. 5:13).

That statement (“you are the salt of the earth”) not only tells us something about Jesus’ disciples it also tells us something about the world; it implies that the world is rotting. It’s similar to Jesus’ next statement, “You are the light of the world” (Mt. 5:14a), which again, tells us something about His people, as well the world they live in; namely, that the world is in darkness. So if you’ve ever watched the news and thought something like, “This world is going crazy,” not as a manifestation of a ‘holier-than-thou’ mentality but as a kind of ‘knee-jerk reaction’ to either the reported or celebrated sin of men and women, you’d be closer to a biblical worldview that you might have at first realized.

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RESOURCE FRIDAY: Civil War (2 Samuel 2:12-32)

Today we continue our Resource Friday study through the book of 2 Samuel. Abner didn’t play king-maker in Mahanaim for simply the fun of it. Ishbosheth was simply a means to his own self-centered ends. And for Abner to attain the preeminence he sought, he would have to remove the rival God-appointed king and his fledgling kingdom. Abner’s strategy of choice – a 12 on 12 battle and the subsequent exciting of a civil war.

There are plenty of verses to study and plenty to learn in the passage before us, including (but not limited to): a reminder of things that God loves and hates, how the Spirit-inspired narrator laid literary groundwork for us to better understand who Joab is, and how Abner is an illustration of how futile it is to wage war against the kingdom of God and the Gospel of His Son.

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Resource Friday: Aftermath and the Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:1-16)

Today’s resource is the first message from our study of 2nd Samuel. Sometimes it can be seemingly forgotten that Old Testament Scripture, like New Testament Scripture, is profitable for doctrine, correction, reproof, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16) and that through it, like the New Testament, the man of God is made complete for every good work (vs.17). So, for at least some of the upcoming Fridays we plan to provide you with teaching from 2nd Samuel. Walking through books of the Old Testament not only affords readers the opportunity to hear from and interact with the sanctifying word of God but it also provides opportunities for instruction and exhortation using events and/or imagery from Old Testament narrative. Likewise there is a broad array of topics that can be considered; and, when appropriate, there are numerous parallels or prophecies or explicit types-and-shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ.

With that being said, today we begin with the message “Aftermath and the Amalekite (2 Sam. 1:1-16).” In it you will be exhorted to snuff out the sparks of rebellion at Gilgal before they catch fire at Gilboa, you will see why there is no contradiction of inspired Scripture as it pertains to the way Saul died, and you may be surprised how the story of the untrustworthy Amalekite should remind us of God’s care for His church.

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