This week, we turn our attention to another good king. But before going any further, let’s be reminded of what Jesus said in Mark 10:18, “… No one is good—except God alone.” Jesus did not exaggerate. No matter which king we look at, or what kingdom he belonged to, none finished his life with a perfect score. And…
約伯記 {yue1-bo2-ji4}Old Testament – Wisdom Books Job, is quite possibly the most misunderstood Book for many reasons. First, let’s get the easy one out of the way. It’s not pronounced like “job” as in “good job” or “Steve Jobs”. Instead, it sounds like how you would pronounce “jobe”. If you finish the entire book, all…
We’ve talked about kings. We’ve talked about kingdoms. We’ve talked about the patriarchs, and so many more who lived and breathed throughout history. Before moving on to more human beings, how about a detour to spiritual beings? In fact, we talk about them so much more frequently than many individuals that it serves us well to know who they…
哈巴谷書 {ha1-ba1-gu3-shu1}Old Testament – Minor Prophets There’s nothing minor about the prophet Habakkuk and nothing inferior about his prophecies. “Minor” is simply a description of the book volume (3 chapters) as compared to the “major” ones such as the Book of Isaiah (66 chapters). A total of 12 Minor Prophet Books including Habakkuk were placed…
We have established that it’s not all glamor to be a king, especially that of God’s people. Some kings appreciated the magnitude of their responsibility and trusted in God as such. They found their reward in God, in life, and in remembrance as the ones who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord” in…
Solomon marked a critical turning point in Israel’s history. His reign was celebrated for its enormous wealth, glory, and extravagance. He built the First Temple of God. Sadly, the kingdom split right after his reign. And kings’ names became much less friendly to pronounce. Let’s start with the two kings right after Solomon: his son Rehoboam and his enemy Jeroboam. Rehoboam [ree-uh-BOH-uhm]羅波安 {luo2-bo1-an1}Son of…
… that wears the crown. Let’s talk about kings: the fascination of the postmodern world. While Disney, Netflix, and HBO are taking their turns to profit from romanticizing monarchy, the Biblical account of the many kings and kingdoms becomes hard to “market”, especially without the CGI and enormous production. Nevertheless, the riveting history of Israel…
Once upon a time, God made a promise with one man, a man without any apparent merit; a fallen man like all others; a man doomed to repeat the generations of failure of mankind, yet He promised him anyway. That was the promise of “Stars and Sand“, which testifies that God loves because He is love, and promises…
尼布甲尼撒二世 I know, what a way to start, right? Short and easy are not necessarily memorable. It’s often the strange (Sorry Nebu) that wins our mind. So, let’s break it down:Nebu chad nezzar, as in “NEt-book-cadaver-NEt-razor“尼布甲尼撒 {ni2-bu4-jia3-ni2-sa4} I’ll call him “Nebu” for convenience, no offense. Nebu is mostly famous in the Book of Daniel, being…
This one can be particularly troublesome. Imagine someone speaks in Mandarin and mentions 猶大 {you2-da4} without any context, what do you do? Trick: instead of taking a guess, just say “this person”. Hopefully, the next sentence gives you enough context so you know which one is being referred to, and clarify then. Now you need to…