Bible reading notes
Tolerating sin – Eli confronted (1 Sam 2:22-36)
1 Sam 2:22-36 Many Christian parents know the sadness that comes from having children who do not follow the Lord. We can’t help but ask searching questions. Why did they choose the path they did? Where did we go wrong?…
An abuse of power – Eli’s sons (1 Sam 2:12-21)
1 Sam 2:12-21 Early in the film, The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, the wizard talks to Frodo about the ring the latter inherited, a ring that is capable of wielding incredible power. The original owner of the ring, the…
Hannah’s Song (1 Sam 2:1-10)
1 Sam 2:1-10 Hannah’s Song, which reads like a psalm, may remind us of the Beatitudes about the blessedness of those who are poor, who weep, who hunger and the reversal that comes in their receiving the kingdom of God,…
A prayer answered, a vow fulfilled (1 Sam 1:9-28)
1 Sam 1:9-28 As we consider power and powerlessness in Hannah’s story, we may wonder about the difference between appropriate persistence or the kind of grasping that God condemns. After all, did not God close Hannah’s womb (1 Sam 1:5-6)?…
Hannah prays for a son (1 Sam 1:1-11)
1 Sam 1:1-11 While COVID is raging around the world, so many of us feel powerless to shake the fears, the health concerns, the blues that come from being limited in our social interactions. We may also be powerless to…
Enduring hope (Psalm 31)
Ps 31:1-24 It is a well-known fact that overcoming difficulties that are major but short-term are psychologically easier than dealing with lesser but ongoing challenges that weaken one’s resistance over time. COVID, of course, is on everyone’s minds these days…
You shall not covet (Exod 20:17)
Exod 20:17 There is a certain progression in these last five commandments we covered going from actions (murder, adultery, stealing) to words (false witness) and then inward desires, the latter in turn giving rise to actions and words prohibited before.[1]…
You shall not bear false witness (Exod 20:16)
Exod 20:16 This commandment is primarily concerned with false testimony in court and therefore with justice through telling the truth. The law elsewhere expands on this and warns against lying to one another and slandering a neighbour (Lev 19:11, 16).…
You shall not steal (Exod 20:15)
Exod 20:15 Stealing in the ancient Near East was a capital offence, but in Israel it only required restitution (reimbursement and additional compensation – Exod 22:1, 7, 9), hence it was of a different order from murder or adultery. On…
You shall not commit adultery (Exod 20:14)
Exod 20:14 The prohibition about adultery is the command that has lost the most weight in Western societies. Not only does marital unfaithfulness loom large on our TV screens but sexual promiscuity has become so commonplace that no one raises…