Jerry Leslie
Five Smooth Stones (1 Samuel 17:40)
One of the most notorious, heroic events of the Old Testament is the courage and faith of David in the slaying of Goliath. David was a humble lad and the youngest among eight brothers. The Philistines were an ominous foe and it took the strongest and bravest to stand against the enemy. There has been much written about this conquest. There are also two [...]
Walls, Bars and Gates
“I will go up to the land of unwalled villages ... having neither bars nor gates.”(Ezekiel 38:15) There is evidence that WALLS, BARS and GATES symbolically relate more to faith than natural defenses. They are the essential emblems of a city. The building of cities grew out of the desire for conveniences, safety, trade, concentration of wealth as well as the expression of human [...]
Turning Point¹
The year 1878 is significant in Bible Student reckoning It marked the end of the Jewish double or mishneh of 1845 years. The first half of favor began with the death of Jacob and blessing of the 12 tribes of Israel and extended to our Lord's death in 33 AD. The second half of disfavor commenced there and extends to the year 1878. Incidentally, [...]
Following the Star¹
Matthew 2:1-12 (Translations are from the NASV) “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him” And when Herod the king heard it, [...]
They Parted My Garments (John 19:23-24; Psalms 22:18)
John chapter 19 opens with a striking change of garments. Jesus had just endured a mock trial. The charge was blasphemy for saying he was the Son of God, that he was a king. Now he endured the contempt of common Roman soldiers. The arraignment was one of ridicule. The soldiers scorned him and braided for him a crown of thorns. And to further [...]
Solomon’s Sanctuary
'Walk about Zion, go round her, count up her towers, review her ramparts, scan her citadels, that you may tell the age to come what a God our God is forevermore. ' (Psalms 48:12-14, Moffatt) According to 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17, David planned a stone sanctuary for the Lord. He was inhabiting his own house of cedar, and God gave him [...]
Abraham and Melchizedek
Abraham's faith is well known. We remember him for his prompt obedience to leave his own country and go to a land God would show him. We remember the promise made upon his father's death for the blessing of all the families of the earth. God honored him for his faith and readiness to sacrifice his only son. The perception of these men of [...]
Twenty-Four Courses
To King David was accorded the privilege of assembling the materials for the Temple. To his son, Solomon, was accorded the privilege of construction, dedication and ordering of the Temple and its services. One of David’s last executive acts was to assemble the Levites and designate their appointment for the Temple services. The record begins in 1 Chronicles 23. This is the principle means [...]
Seventy Times Seven
It is commonly accepted that Matthew 18:21-22 is Peter's question about a reasonable limit of mercy. “How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Jesus' answer is essentially interpreted that forgiveness should be granted as often as it is sought with any manifestation whatsoever of sincerity. R3801. The lesson is that we are not to limit our [...]
Two Secret Numbers
“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 The tools by which we understand the word and plan of God are the Holy Spirit combined with a careful inspection of the dictionary/concordance meaning of words and [...]
Let This Cup Pass From Me
There are a few words of Jesus in the garden that should be most sobering for us. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt... O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done". (Matthew 26:39,42) We do not [...]
Say Ye Not, A Confederacy (Isaiah 8:12)
These words condemned the conspiracy of Pekah of Israel with Rezin of Syria against Jerusalem in the days of Ahaz of Judah. Yet the last kings of Judah could not avoid the same temptation to trust the arm of foreigners and doubt the arm of the Lord. The final years of the kingdom of Judah were plagued by relations with neighboring kingdoms to the [...]
Measuring Time
Our use and reference to time have both a general or accommodative framework as well as a level of very precise meaning. The expression, “Arrival will be at 6 pm when the sun sets” may be understood quite differently for a meal invitation, a train schedule or a scientist monitoring an atomic clock. A child may say, “I am five and a half” when [...]
Locating the Jubilees
According to Leviticus 25, the Sabbath and Jubilee year system of counting toward years of rest and restoration began upon entering the land after the exodus from Egypt and the wilderness wandering for forty years. Simply stated, Israel was to engage in cultivating the land for six years and allow it to rest in the seventh. After a cycle of seven of these Sabbath [...]
The Flood and the Days of Noah
Download PDF
Birthright
A “double portion” of the paternal property was allotted by a birthright of the firstborn son, under the Mosaic law. The “double portion” was the right of the firstborn, even if he were the child of a less favored wife. (Deut. 21:15-17) The blessing of the firstborn had a basis even in Genesis. In Genesis 49 Jacob called his sons, and began the blessing [...]
A Little Horn
The twelfth chapter of Daniel presents three significant time periods. These are the 1260,1290 and 1335 days. They appear to all have the same starting point but different terminal points. The 1260 days are referred to in a number of forms in Scripture including 1 Kings 17:1; Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2 -3; 12:6, 14; 13:5. The foundation of interpretation for the "days" of [...]
Jeremiah’s Purchase
Think of all the important documents that have touched your life. Insurance policies offer assurance to file claims in time of distress. You may keep some honorary degrees or certificate of credentials in a safe place to be used to acquire employment. Power of Attorney and letters of authorization empower you to act on behalf of another in the eyes of the law. Your [...]
Four Passovers
“Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews.” (John 5:1, NIV) “The identity of this feast is significant for the attempt to ascertain the number of Passovers included in Jesus' ministry, and thus the number of years his ministry lasted. John explicitly mentions at least three different Passovers: the first in 2:13, 23, the second in 6:4 and [...]