The Shema, Part 1: In Moses’ final words to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, he told them, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” The listening Israelites, already physically circumcised as a mark of the nation’s covenant with God, must have been taken aback. But what God intended for His people went far beyond the act …
The Lord’s Prayer, Part 3: The Lord’s prayer is brief and seemingly simple at first glance. But as we dig deeper into Jesus’ model prayer for His disciples, we understand God’s intentions more clearly by uncovering the rich context that His listeners understood. Concluding our 3-part series on the Lord’s prayer, we consider the Year of Jubilee, a year of …
The Lord’s Prayer, Part 2: Jesus prayed to the Father, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What does this Kingdom look like? The Hebrew prophets provide answers in specific, physical details. Part 2 of our 3-part series on the Lord’s prayer directs our attention to Jesus’ focus on the Kingdom of God. …
The Lord’s Prayer, Part 1: Many Christians can recite the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6 by heart. But Jesus’ model for prayer meant much more to His Jewish listeners than we realize today. Chris begins a 3-week series on the Lord’s prayer by revealing the monumental implications it had specifically for Israel. Jesus came to Earth offering the Kingdom of …
Israel My Glory In Depth: Interview w/ Dr. Randall Price: When Israel and the United States entered into war with the nuclear-aspiring nation of Iran in February, the world fixed its attention on the Islamic Republic. Now, more and more people are seeing Iran for what it is: the shadowy threat that has hung over Israel for decades and driven …
The Fellowship Offering: What do Israel’s offerings teach us about our relationship with God? This week we conclude our series on the Lord’s instructions to the children of Israel regarding sacrifice. We’re studying the fellowship offering, the blood sacrifice of an animal, which emphasizes the restored relationship God seeks to enjoy with us. It shows that we are not meant …
The Sin & Trespass Offerings: We humans are impossibly far from God. We cannot approach Him in our sin; an atoning sacrifice for sin is necessary—even if our sin is unintentional. This week, as we study sin and trespass offerings in part 2 of our series on the Levitical sacrifices, we see that sin is not measured by our intentions …
The Burnt Offering: If God is truly holy, how could sinful men ever approach Him? God Himself answered this question for the children of Israel when He gave them the Law. Only through a God-appointed substitute—an atoning sacrifice—could His people be presented as wholly belonging to Him. We begin a new series this week on the Levitical sacrifices God appointed …
FOI in Action: Interview with Steve Conover: The Friends of Israel (FOI) Executive Director Steve Conover recently returned from a trip to Poland. There he saw the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau, where many of the unspeakable tragedies of the Holocaust occurred. The weight of the atrocities that took place in Poland made for much solemn reflection on the …
The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 6: Journeying through ancient Israel’s Tabernacle, we have examined the altar of sacrifice, the laver, the table of showbread, the menorah, and the altar of incense. Finally, we arrive at the inner sanctum to find the veil, the ark of the covenant, and the holy of holies. This was the Lord’s throne …
