Jeffrey Earl
Memorial “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses, for if any one eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, scriptures from RSV). — Jeff Earl For the Passover celebration, God instructed the Israelites to eat unleavened bread for seven days and to remove leaven from their homes. Why did they need to do this? […]
Six Occasions “And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year” (Exodus 13:9, 10, Scriptures from RSV, Revised Standard Version, unless otherwise noted). — Jeff Earl The Old Testament describes six specific accounts of […]
Thanks Under Duress “Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Jeremiah 33:11, scriptures from Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted). By Jeff Earl Jeremiah chapter 32 describes the siege of Jerusalem by the army of Babylon and Jeremiah’s prophecy that the city would be taken, and King Zedekiah captured and taken to Babylon. Jeremiah was directed by God to buy the field at Anathoth from his cousin, with the deed of […]
John Chapter 10 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me” (John10:25. Scriptures taken from the Revised Standard Version, RSV.) by Jeffrey Earl The Gospel of John Chapter 10 contains two main themes — “Jesus as the Good Shepherd” in verses 1 to 21, and “I and the Father are One” in verses 22 to Following the miracle of […]
Period Two “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The words of the first and the last, whodied and came to life” (Revelation 2:8. Texts are from the Revised Standard Version). by Jeffrey Earl About 40 miles north of the ruins of Ephesus lies the modern city of Izmir on the Aegean coast in western Turkey. The city has an ancient history dating back to the initial settlement around the 11th century BC. It changed hands numerous times due […]