Wholeheartedly for God

Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34

Khen Lim





King Josiah being revealed the rediscovered scroll by Shaphan the scribe (Image source: sothlansing.org)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote in 2 Kings 23:25, pronouncing Josiah as a king unlike any other before and none since because he ‘turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses.’

Josiah ascended to the throne in the southern kingdom of Judah aged eight, inheriting it from his father, Amon, who was assassinated. Prior to that, his infamous grandfather, Manasseh, ruled for fifty-five years in what was widely known as the worst and most hated in its history largely because of his abominable obeisance to Baal and Asherah and other agricultural gods as well as child sacrifices. 

Favoured to Triumph Over Adversity

A Commentary on Ruth 2:10-13

Khen Lim




Image source: jw.org

For unrepentant sinners, adversity and death will pursue them to the end. However the righteous will prevail in happiness and prosperity. Life after all isn’t about wealth attainment but instead about learning to embrace and love God and then to humbly serve others. In that light, Ruth the Moabite exemplifies all of this even when set against incredible adversity.

Lessons from Elijah

Elijah Intercedes for Israel

Khen Lim




Image source: quotesgram.com

There are times in the Bible where we learn how prophecies may have multiple fulfilments. Prophetic lessons from Scripture lead us to another Elijah-like work that will come of age as we approach the End Times just prior to God’s outpour of wrath upon the earth (Mal 4:5-6).

Elijah's Greatest Weapon

Based on 1 Kings 17-18

Khen Lim




Image source: pegponderingagain.com

The Bible is chock full of people whose testimonies are essentially centred on prayer. Of the many, the one classic examples was Elijah whose story about challenging Baal is the centrepiece of how he sought to save Israel from its idolatrous obsession. Here is certainly a man whose prayers are so powerful that even James said so voluminously (Jm 5:17-18), pointing to a righteous man who always listened to and was answered by God.

Why the Leaven?

Khen Lim




Unleavened bread (Image source: thereforenow.com)

On Friday, April 22 (Nissan 15-22) this year, the Jews will be celebrating the First Seder Night. This is a time when God’s people are with family and close friends, where they make special effort to ensure that the elders, the famished and the left-behinds can come together for a ceremonial meal called the Seder. These people are invited into homes or they’re given a gift basket each filled with Seder plates, food and wine. At the same time, they will also commence the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread.

In God, True Love

The Study of Leah in Her Quest for Love

By Asha Tamang and Khen Lim

Image source: loveiseverywhere.tiffany.com 

Love is everywhere

There is this website that goes by the web address http://loveiseverywhere.tiffany.com. Click on it and it’ll take you straight to a very simple but catchy front home page. You needn’t have to go any farther or deeper. Right there, you’ll see a Google Map that has numerous love icons scattered right across the topology.

As the web address suggests, love is really everywhere you look. On the map alone, it’s almost countless. And if you start to believe it, you’ll be convinced that at every block and every corner of every street, you’ll find love. Cross the Harlem River to the east, and there’s more love there. Get across Central Park on the west and love is for the taking. Right at the heart of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), love might just be that someone standing right behind you.

Wherever we go today, everyone is convinced love is everywhere. We’re also told that everyone is out wide-eye looking for love in every nook and corner. True love, that is. And the operative word is ‘true.’ Hollywood likes us to believe that the world can ‘give’ them love but there’re a lot of conditions attached to it. Notwithstanding being in the right place at the right time, Hollywood tells us dreamers that social status means everything, wearing the right bling is everything and living a glamourous life is more than everything. It doesn’t matter if you cannot afford it – just live the moment and make pretend in a Cinderella world, except you hope it doesn’t strike midnight before you find your beau.

So what’s wrong with that picture? More importantly, what is so right about it? Here’s what’s so wrong (using American statistics by McKinley Irvin, family law attorneys):

The Importance of Holiness

By Charles Brang Mai




Image source: susangaddis.net

Introduction

Holiness is one of the major themes of the Old Testament. The Pentateuch strongly emphasises the concept of holiness. God commended to the entire assembly of Israel through Moses in Lev. 19:2 (TNIV), “Be holy because I am the Lord your God, am Holy” and again in Lev. 11:44 (TNIV), “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”

Therefore this research will focus on what the term ‘holiness’ means in its original text, why Israel was to be  consecrated to God, what the reason of Holiness is and why it was so important for God, by concentrating on some main points that relevance for today.

Heroes of Faith Part 17 - Samuel

Image source: truth2u.org

As they said, “Last but not least.” This phrase could easily be used to describe Samuel, the last of the judges but by no means, the littlest for here is a prophet and judge who served the Lord with remarkable integrity and unstinting faith, demonstrating exemplary piety to God in ways that prove his love for Him.

Heroes of Faith Part 16 - David

Image source: wallpaper4god.com

Among the many heroes the Bible talks of, David looms large as a giant of Scripture. Well known throughout the world as the one after God’s heart, David rose from humble underpinnings, as a shepherd boy, to become the most illustrious king of Israel and more importantly, set the lineage that led all the way to the Messiah Himself, Lord Jesus Christ.

Heroes of Faith Part 15 - Jephthah

Image source: walk-by-faith.com

While there are many sad and tragic stories in the Bible, there aren’t many that are as gut-wrenching as Jephthah’s. Amidst his obedience as a warrior who trusted God’s judgement, he delivered victories none more profound than the one against the Ammonites where he made a vow that would forever change his life, a vow that would backfire so tragically because his one and only little daughter had to die as a result (Judges 11-12).

Heroes of Faith Part 14 - Samson

Image source: briancallart.com

Of all the twelve judges to have graced Israel, we had one woman by the name of Deborah but we also had one mighty man of God. And his name was Samson the Nazirite, making him yet another judge who had made it to the Hall of Faith. For him was God’s calling; that he would deliver Israel from the Philistines.

When Bragging Feels So Right

By Khen Lim



Image Source: biblestudyoutlines.org

Imagine that you’re the coach of a Junior League team where you have been training the boys from very young. You’ve come to know all of them like they’re your kids. You coach them like a father but you train them hard as well. Through the major tournament, you’ve inspired them, filled them with vision, armed them with faith, and equipped them with courage and determination. You’re fought for and with them. You’ve planned your strategies with wisdom and witnessed their faith being rewarded with victories.

Heroes of Faith Part 13 - Barak

Image source: bibleencyclopedia.com

Not one of the heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11 ever exhibited foolproof faith. Every one of them would, at some point, waver but eventually all of them would pick up on God’s calling to complete the work. In light of all these, Barak (also spelt Barach) remains an interesting case because he was a courageous warrior who struggled with his faith and was besieged in doubt and in the end, his accomplishments would be forever overshadowed by a woman.

Heroes of Faith Part 12 - Gideon

Image source: bible-stories-library.com

Like how we ourselves struggle constantly with our faith, Gideon is not much different. While we have some towering heroes in Hebrews 11 that are immensely difficult to relate to for the enormity of their achievements, here is a judge of Israel whose weaknesses match the manner in which he is constantly clouded by doubts. His is an inconsistent brand of faith – aren’t we all the same? – but he offers us an important lesson in how God can work in us only if we learn not to depend on the self but on Him.

Heroes of Faith Part 11 - Rahab

Image source: jamesbrett.wordpress.com

Other than Sarah, Rahab is the second and only other woman in a pantheon of patriarchs that make up the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. That may be astounding on its own but what is even more amazing is that the God is Israel is not fazed by her less-than-decent background in Jericho before she and her family was rescued by Israel’s advancing army. As such her inclusion in this much haloed list contains a humbling lesson for all of us in terms of how we view people.

Heroes of Faith Part 10 - Joshua

Image source: papermasters.com

For someone who stood against the odds and was prepared to stake his belief in trust of God, there’s not likely to be a better example that Joshua. Inducted into the Hebrews Hall of Fame, here is a young soldier whom we knew so little of until he became part of the team that returned from spying the Promised Land.

Heroes of Faith Part 9 - Moses

Image source: 10commandments.biz

Of the giants of the Hebrews pantheon, none match the stature of someone like Abraham except Moses. While Joseph is well depicted in a musical, Moses had a huge cinemascope motion picture directed by Cecil deMille that still ranks among the greatest ever filmed today.

Dealing with Giants

By Khen Lim

Image Source: sanmarcoscommunitychurch.org

I have a brother who used to advise me when I was young how he handled his exam preparations during his university days in Melbourne. It was an advice that has stuck to me till today and now that we’re both in our fifties, it’s now our turn to pass the advice down to the young ones.

He would tell me that of the questions in the exam paper, “do the difficult ones straightaway because they’re the ones that are easy to score. As for the impossible ones, those might take a tad longer.”

It was great advice and one that worked very effectively. It’s also an attitude that isn’t so common these days. Often our progress is stunted by problems that are seemingly impossible to overcome because we’ve made them larger than life. Invariably we back down before we knew what to do with them.

Heroes of Faith Part 8 - Joseph

Image source: understandchristianity.com

Very few patriarchs ever made it to the stage and screen where they celebrate him in a glitzy musical showcase…all, that is, except Joseph who had a hugely successful one made of him called ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.’ If that isn’t big enough, consider that the music and lyrics were the works of none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

Heroes of Faith Part 7 - Jacob

Image source: newsyoucanbelieve.com

Up till now the most colourful patriarch the Bible has yet to record is Jacob. With a story worthy of a Hollywood script, Jacob’s rise to prominence began with an act of shrewdness and deception. With trickery and help from his mother, Rebekah, Jacob stole his twin brother Esau’s birthright, right under the nose of a near-blind Isaac, his father.