In this passage St. Paul opens up to us with his Jewish claim. No one, he says, can claim a greater heritage, a greater right to boast of his Jewishness, than he. Notice vs. 5. “Hebrew of Hebrews” according to one commentator, means that he has no Gentile ancestors. Not even Jesus can claim that! Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba were not Israelite women. If that is what Paul is actually claiming, then he has more claim than David. Continue reading
When I first looked at vs. 1-3 my thinking was about legalism. I’ve pondered this and I still think that’s the issue. In Paul’s day it centered on the Circumcision Party…God was setting His People, the Hebrews, the Israelites, apart from the rest of the world. He wanted them to understand that they were different. They belonged to Him. Circumcision marked them as His. Continue reading
These verses are, I think, self-explanatory. Most of the information I found either restates the obvious or gets into some interesting speculation. If you are ready for a break and would like to do things differently, then this lesson will be refreshing… I provided these links just in case there was something here that might interest you. Continue reading
…explain in detail the situation as Paul, Timothy and, apparently, Epaphroditus see it. It seems to me that Epaphroditus not only brought a gift to Paul and Timothy, but he also came seeking their advice and help. Continue reading
“Lord Jesus, we are humbled by the thought that you made us out of the same stuff that stars are made. So, may we shine with your Light, illuminating truth wherever we go.” … tells us that the word means “a cause of light, a star” and indicates that the word appears… Continue reading