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Seeing God in Both the Wonders of His Creation and His Written Revelation
I recently stood on the 14,114 feet summit of Pike’s Peak in Colorado, USA. 131 years ago, Katherine Lee Bates, a professor, poet, and writer, gazed out at the same scene and wrote the lyrics to “America the Beautiful.” Of course she did! Who can dispute the wonder of nature? But then I recalled another who instead praised the Creator of those wonders: The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry…
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The Power of Light…Seeking The Brightness”
Have you ever had to sit in the dark without lights for a few hours, perhaps overnight or a few days? Years ago, my husband and I were traveling from Texas to Delaware. This was a two-and-a half-day drive, so overnight stops were on the agenda. One stop was in Knoxville, Tennessee where we had stayed before and did not expect any surprises. Our hotel was booked for the night and there were a few restaurants close to our location. But as we approached the area, we noticed something was different and a bit strange. The streetlights were out, buildings were dark, and the whole area was in shrouded in…
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Declaring God’s glory
Psalm 96:1–13 is part of the lectionary readings for the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, which is October 18th. This ode is a royal hymn that celebrates God’s universal reign. The song seems to have been composed for use in public worship, most likely in the Jerusalem temple. The fact that it is quoted almost entirely in 1 Chronicles 16 points to its Davidic character and origin. The Septuagint version of the hymn also links it to him. The historical context included David bringing the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem to unite the religious and political life of the nation. Specifically, Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, set…
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From Zenith to Zero
I appreciate Bill Lawrence’s recent blog post here at Bible.org titled, ‘The Giants Are Going and the Pygmies Must Take Over’. I especially welcomed his grounded, theologically astute observation that, “No leader, man or woman, makes himself or herself a giant.” Lawrence’s piece brought to mind a 2010 journal article I wrote for Conspectus titled, “From zenith to zero: a historical-theological analysis of the demise of the kingdom of David and Solomon.” In that essay, I made modified use of Jim Collins’ study titled, How the Mighty Have Fallen. My intent was to leverage the conceptual framework Collins put forward to assess the collapse of the Davidic-Solomonic kingdom. …
