“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?” (Ezekiel 14:3 ESV). When certain elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord through Ezekiel, the Lord revealed their hypocrisy to him.
“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19 ESV). When Ezekiel delivered this prophecy, many of God’s people were already living in exile in Babylon after the second
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek” ( Hebrews 5:8–10 ESV). Though Jesus is the eternal Son of God, He entered fully
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 ESV). Hebrews 4:16 stands as the climactic invitation of the writer’s teaching on Jesus our great High Priest. Having just affirmed that Christ sympathizes with our weaknesses
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13 ESV). The writer of Hebrews, echoing Psalm 95, warns believers not to harden their hearts when they hear God’s voice “Today.” In Psalm 95, Israel’s wilderness generation turned
“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18 ESV). The writer of Hebrews wants us to see that Jesus’ humanity was no illusion. He truly suffered, and He was truly tempted. Yet unlike us, He never yielded to sin. His suffering was not
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1–2 ESV). The writer of Hebrews opens his letter with a majestic declaration about God’s revelation. In the past, God spoke “at many times
“I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ” (Philemon 1:6 ESV). Paul’s brief letter to Philemon is deeply personal yet profoundly spiritual. In verse 6, he prays that Philemon’s “sharing of [his] faith” (koinōnia tēs
“Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3 ESV). Psalm 100 is a psalm of joyful praise calling all people to worship the LORD with gladness. At its center is this command: “Know that
“Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her fountain dry, and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, the haunt of jackals, a horror and a hissing, without inhabitant.’” (Jeremiah 51:36–37 ESV). Jeremiah’s prophecy was written before Babylon’s