Roger Severino - Page 4 of 9 - Where Faith Meets Life

NEHEMIAH: THE OLD TESTAMENT CONCLUDES STILL AWAITING THE PROMISE

January 13, 2016

In 539 BC, the Persian king Cyrus defeated Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return to their land. Many did return, but not all. God had sent His people into exile for their rebellion and idolatry. Now, as part of their restoration, God raised up leaders like Ezra and Nehemiah to lead the post-exilic community back to the land, to worship at the rebuilt temple, to rebuild the city walls, and to renew their covenant with God.

Chapters 8-10 in the Book of Nehemiah focus on the reading of the law and covenant renewal. Nehemiah 9 is a prayer of national...more

Ezekiel: A Severe Mercy and Promise of the Spirit

January 6, 2016

This series of blogs is following our curriculum God’s Unfolding Story, Venture In, which attempts to tell the Old Testament story in 13 lessons, and to tell it in light of the entire Bible’s storyline continued in the New Testament. It may surprise you that Ezekiel is one of the books chosen among these top 13. Let’s be honest, if you have ever tried to read through the whole...more

Isaiah’s Prophecies: Cradle, Cross, and Crown

December 16, 2015

Last week’s blog focused on Elijah and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal and the rulers in the northern kingdom, specifically Ahab and Jezebel. Meanwhile, God also had His prophets doing their work in the southern kingdom of Judah. The divided kingdom, as we learned, occurred after Solomon, when 10 of the tribes broke to form the northern kingdom, and David’s lineage continued in the south. By the...more

ELIJAH: “How Long Will You Waver Between Two Opinions?”

December 8, 2015

Following Solomon’s reign, the kingdom is split in two. The northern kingdom composed of 10 tribes rebels against Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) because of the harshness of forced labor under Solomon and promised to continue under his son. The nation of Israel is now divided against itself, and consequently more vulnerable to her enemies. Each kingdom begins to see the rival kingdom as a threat. God had promised to tear...more

SOLOMON: A SON OF DAVID POINTS TO THE SON OF DAVID

December 1, 2015

In God’s covenant with David (2 Samuel 7), He says that David’s son, “Will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:13). The promises in this covenant include Solomon, David’s son and successor, but go beyond him and point to the ultimate “son of David” who was born in the fullness of time (see Galatians 4:4); the Son...more

JOSHUA: A FOREBODING FAREWELL ADDRESS, Reflections on Joshua 24

November 17, 2015

Last week’s blog focused on God delivering His people out of slavery in Egypt and the commemoration of Passover as the means to save God’s people from the tenth plague against Egypt. After delivering the Israelites out of slavery, the people rebel against God and are made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Moses takes them to the brink of the Promised Land, but then dies. God...more

MOSES: GOD RESCUES HIS PEOPLE FROM SLAVERY, Reflections on Exodus 12 and the Passover

November 12, 2015

Last week’s blog focused on God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants. As the story moves along through the rest of Genesis, we learn that this promise goes through Isaac, then through his son, Jacob, later named Israel. Jacob is the father of twelve sons, whose descendants become known as the, “twelve tribes of Israel.” The latter part of Genesis primarily follows one of these sons, Joseph, who encounters...more

ABRAHAM: THE STORY NARROWS IN ORDER TO EXPAND

November 3, 2015

Last week’s blog focused on what is known as the, “fall of man,” Adam and Eve’s disobedience and rebellion towards God. After the debacle of Genesis 3, the storyline gets even worse. We see murder (Gen. 4), the flood as judgment against evil (Gen. 6-8) and defiance of the Creator (Gen. 11). Genesis 12 is a turning point in the history of salvation as God calls Abram to form...more

The Fall: The Story Takes a Downturn Reflections on Genesis 3

October 27, 2015

I think it is helpful to see the Bible as a storyline that tells the story of redemption. Using this approach, we might say that the plot has four primary acts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. The first three chapters of Genesis are so important because we see the first two of these taught explicitly and the third element introduced, though perhaps in an obscure way. In Genesis 1-2,...more

The Beginning of the Story: Reflections on Genesis 1

October 20, 2015

The beginning of any story is important to lay out the setting, begin the plot, and introduce the main characters. The Bible is no different. The Book of Genesis tells the story of the beginning, not in scientific language, but in Hebrew poetry, recounting the main things we need to know. The Bible does not argue for the existence of God. It assumes it. We are introduced to the...more