the ruminations of aaron eberline

As you read through stories in the Bible do you find yourself ignoring the chapters with long lists of names? It can be daunting to sift through all of the people listed that you can barely pronounce. In Ezra chapter 3 we have this exact issue of many names but I encourage you to take time to read through these names looking for details about the wall being rebuilt in Jerusalem. I’ll be honest that I was tempted to generalize the people that were rebuilding the wall but there is much more to be gleaned from the texts than the assumption that the wall was just rebuilt. What were these men thinking as they completed the work? Read more

The day of the battle between Israel and the Philistines arrives in 1 Samuel 31. How did Saul behave the morning of the battle. After Saul had the spirit of Samuel called from beyond the grave he knew that this was the day that he and his sons would die. How would you behave if you awoke in the morning and knew that your life would come to an end by the end of the day? I suppose that I wouldn’t have slept at all during the night. Were these the feelings of Saul? In 1 Samuel 31:1 it states that the men of Israel fled from the Philistines. Did the fear come from the lack of leadership from Saul because he knew it was the end? Read more

My reading of Judges 19 and 20 today filled me with a sense of sadness and fear. I initially started reading looking for the positive side of the story presented, looking for the judge that will come and deliver the people of Israel. I was filled with sadness when I read about the action and inaction of the sons of Israel and seeing how far they strayed from the desires of God. I was also filled with fear because I realize how much I am like the Israelites because our common inherent sinful nature. What was lacking that made the Israelites wander so far astray from God? Do I display their same faults that are leading me down a path of destruction and chaos just like the Israelites? Read more