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Showing posts from October 11, 2026

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Browse at Your Own Pace

Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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120. Ten Commandments: Whose Voice Will We Follow?

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God’s Image • Ten Commandments Study — Closing We began with the words spoken in Exodus. Following them through Scripture brought us into questions of worship, identity, authority, rest, life, relationships, testimony, and desire. The commandments repeatedly returned us to two questions: Whom am I following? Does the way I treat another reflect the love I claim to have? Jesus brings these responsibilities together in Matthew 22:37–40: love for YHWH (יהוה) with the whole heart, soul, and mind, and love for our neighbor as ourselves. His answer draws upon Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 and places the Law and the Prophets in relation to these commands. Read Matthew 22:37–40. Completing this study does not remove our responsibility to examine its contents. Your faith should not rest upon my words, a pastor’s words, or an institution’s claims. Take the passages to Scripture, and seek the Father’s understanding in Christ’s name. 1. No Other Gods: Preserve Whom We Are Following We exami...
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119. Ten Commandments: Receiving Without Coveting

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet The tenth commandment brought our attention to desire: Does wanting something give us a right to it? Exodus begins with the neighbor’s house, then names the neighbor’s wife and other things belonging to the neighbor. Deuteronomy places the wife first and explicitly includes the field. Both preserve the relationship we must recognize: what we desire belongs to another. Read Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21. Desire, Taking, and Harm Micah shows coveting becoming action. Fields are seized, houses taken, and people oppressed concerning their inheritance. The chapter also describes clothing stripped away and women displaced from their homes. Having the power to take does not establish the right to possess. Read Micah 2:1–9. James follows desire through its development into sin and death. Romans 7 brings the command against coveting directly into an examination of deception, indwelling sin, conflict, and deliverance through Jesus Christ. Together,...
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118. Ten Commandments: Does My Desire Honor My Neighbor?

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet The command against coveting repeatedly identifies what belongs to our neighbor. That detail requires us to look beyond the object of our desire and consider the person affected by it. Can I call my desire loving if fulfilling it requires depriving another of what belongs to them? Paul Connects Coveting with Love Romans 13:9 names adultery, murder, stealing, and coveting, then brings them together under the instruction to love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul follows with this explanation: “Love does not work evil against a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.” — Romans 13:10, LSB The commandments Paul names reach back to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The instruction concerning love for our neighbor comes from Leviticus 19:18. The relationship is explicit: what we desire and do must be examined through its effect upon another. Read Romans 13:8–10. What Would My Claim Require Another to Lose? Throughout this commandment, we ha...
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117. Ten Commandments: What Is Our Desire Producing?

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet Recognizing a mistaken claim brings us to a decision. Will we release it, or continue feeding the desire that holds us to it? James asks us to examine desire through what it produces. Follow the Progression James 1:13–15 distinguishes the source of temptation from YHWH (יהוה). He describes a person being drawn away by their own desire, desire conceiving and giving birth to sin, and sin reaching its outcome in death. These are connected stages. The attraction, its development, and its fruit deserve examination. Read James 1:13–15. This brings our attention beneath a defended claim. What am I nurturing by continuing to desire it? A title may promise recognition. A position may promise security. Neither attraction establishes that the thing sought belongs to us. Receiving Has a Different Source James then describes good gifts coming from above, from the Father of lights. He connects the Father’s will with bringing forth life through the word of ...
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116. Ten Commandments: Will I Release a Mistaken Claim?

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet A person may sincerely believe a place, title, or relationship belongs to them. That belief may have been taught long before they thought to examine it. Our question concerns what happens when the claim is challenged by Scripture. Will we examine it—or defend it because we have grown attached to it? What Did We Receive? Paul asks: “What do you have that you did not receive?” — 1 Corinthians 4:7, LSB, excerpt The surrounding passage describes servants and stewards who must be faithful. Paul warns against becoming proud on behalf of one person against another, then challenges boasting over what was received. Receiving a gift does not make us its source. Being entrusted with responsibility calls for faithfulness in how we exercise it. Read 1 Corinthians 4:1–7. Before defending a claim, we should therefore ask: What was actually given—and what have I added to it? A Confident Claim Can Conceal Need The message to Laodicea presents a striking differ...
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115. Ten Commandments: Whose House—and Who Is Taking It?

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet The tenth commandment begins with the neighbor’s house. Micah shows what happens when desire becomes the determination to possess it: people covet, seize, and oppress. Following that pattern into the sanctuary accounts brings another question into view: who acts against the house, and who is blamed for its destruction? The House Belongs to Another Micah describes people taking fields and houses because they have the power to do so. The passage identifies those harmed: a person, their household, and their inheritance. The taking does not erase the relationship that existed before the seizure. The house is not presented as ownerless, waiting for the strongest person to claim it. Read Micah 2:1–2. Later, the same chapter describes garments stripped away and women driven from their homes. These details connect possession with displacement: someone gains control while another suffers loss. Read Micah 2:8–9. The Sanctuary of His Body Jesus says: “De...
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114. Ten Commandments: Taking Does Not Establish Belonging

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet Coveting concerns what we desire. Scripture also shows that desire becoming an action against another: taking a house, stripping a covering, or depriving someone of an inheritance. As we examine those actions, we must distinguish the one taking, what is taken, and the person who suffers the loss . Desire Becomes Seizure Micah describes people planning wrongdoing and carrying it out because they have the power to do so. They covet fields and seize them; they take houses and oppress people concerning their inheritance. Their ability to take does not make the taking righteous. YHWH (יהוה)  announces judgment against their conduct. Read Micah 2:1–5. The chapter then brings clothing and households into the same examination. Robes are stripped from those passing securely. Women are driven from their homes, and God speaks of His Glory being taken from their children. Read Micah 2:8–9. These details connect coveting with the harm done to those who...
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113. Ten Commandments: Can We Rejoice Without Claiming Another’s Place?

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God’s Image • Commandment 10: Do Not Covet Returning from the Torn Curtain study, we carry forward an important distinction: receiving access does not make every relationship or responsibility interchangeable. The tenth commandment begins with the neighbor’s house, then names the neighbor’s wife and other things belonging to the neighbor. The repeated concern is desire directed toward what belongs to another. Read Exodus 20:17. As we compare this with the relationships Scripture describes, we must ask: Am I receiving what God gives—or desiring a place because I want it to be mine? John Knew Whom He Was Not When John’s disciples reported that people were going to Jesus, John answered: “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” — John 3:27, LSB He then reminded them that he had already distinguished himself from the Christ. His appointment was to go ahead of him. John did not treat another’s increasing recognition as a reason to enlarge his own claim. He explai...
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11. Torn Curtain: What Is Opened—and What Must Be Understood?

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study We began with the curtain torn at Jesus’ death. Following the surrounding passages brought us into darkness, mourning, garments, resurrection, recognition, and approach to God. Each detail contributes to the examination. None should disappear beneath a familiar explanation. Preserving What the Accounts Describe Matthew records darkness, Jesus yielding his spirit, the curtain tearing from top to bottom, and tombs opening. He places the emergence of the raised holy ones after Jesus’ resurrection. The account does not announce that every person has automatically entered God’s presence. Read Matthew 27:45–54. We compared the tearing with garments torn in grief and the darkness with mourning described in Amos. These remain comparisons through which to examine the event; Matthew does not explicitly call the curtain’s tearing an act of mourning. Read Genesis 37:29–35 and Amos 8:9–10. John preserves another distinction: Jesus’ tunic was not torn. Later, the cl...
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10. Torn Curtain: Drawing Near Through Christ

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study Our examination now reaches Hebrews, where the curtain is explicitly connected with Christ’s flesh. The passage identifies a way of approach and describes the heart of those drawing near. The Priest, the Offering, and God Hebrews 9 recalls the sanctuary’s arrangement, including the curtain, the ark, and the cherubim associated with Glory. The priests entered the first section, while the high priest entered the second with blood. The chapter then describes Christ entering through his own blood. He offers himself through the eternal Spirit to God, and his blood cleanses the conscience for service to the living God. Notice the relationships: Christ offers himself; the Spirit is named in that offering; God is the one to whom he offers himself. The passage preserves these details while describing the benefit received by others. Read Hebrews 9:1–14. Later, Christ’s entrance is identified with heaven itself, where he appears before God on behalf of others. Th...
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9. Torn Curtain: Believing Without Seeing

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study A covering may conceal what is present. Yet seeing something does not always mean recognizing it. John’s resurrection account brings these details together through people who encounter, hear, recognize, and believe. Mary Saw Before She Recognized Mary Magdalene saw Jesus standing near the tomb but did not recognize him. She supposed he was the gardener. When Jesus addressed her by name, she responded by identifying him as Teacher. Preserve the order: she saw, she misunderstood, he spoke, and she recognized. Visual presence alone had not given her understanding. Read John 20:14–18. Thomas Heard Before He Saw Thomas was absent when Jesus appeared to the other disciples. They told him what they had seen, but he required sight and contact with the wounds before he would believe. John then specifies an interval of eight days before the next encounter. Thomas is now present. Jesus invites him to examine his hands and side; the account records Thomas’s respon...
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8. Torn Curtain: When the Veil Is Taken Away

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study Our previous post examined the difference between what was presented and what was recognized. We now return to a passage where a covering is removed—and where Paul connects that removal with the heart. When Moses Went Before Jehovah After speaking with Jehovah, Moses descended from Sinai with his face shining. Aaron and the Israelites were afraid to approach him. Moses called them near and delivered the commands he had received. After speaking, he covered his face. Notice when he removed that covering: “But when Moses went in before Jehovah to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out” — Exodus 34:34, ASV, excerpt Moses received instruction, delivered it, and covered his face again. The account preserves the relationship between YHWH (יהוה), the one receiving His instruction, and the people hearing it . The covering did not make Moses the source of what he spoke. Removing it did not change that distinction. Paul Returns to This Account Pau...
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7. Torn Curtain: What Was Presented—and What Was Recognized?

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study A covering can conceal. Clothing can be presented as evidence. A name can suggest a relationship. Our examination now turns to the difference between what someone expects, what is presented, and what is eventually recognized . Jacob Names the One He Loves Genesis 29 identifies Rachel as the woman Jacob loves. His agreement with Laban is specific: seven years of service for Rachel. When those years are completed, Laban holds a feast. That evening, however, he brings Leah to Jacob. Morning brings recognition, and Jacob confronts Laban about deceiving him. Read Genesis 29:18–25. The details must remain distinct: Rachel is sought. Leah is brought. Jacob discovers the difference. The account does not explicitly describe a bridal veil or its removal. Its stated movement is from evening to morning and from deception to recognition. Laban then appeals to the local practice concerning the older daughter. After Leah’s wedding week, Rachel is also given to Jacob, ...
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6. Torn Curtain: Torn, Divided, and Taken by Lot

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study At Jesus’ death, the sanctuary curtain tears. At the cross, the soldiers decide that his tunic should remain whole. These actions belong beside one another, but their differences must remain visible. The Tunic They Would Not Tear John describes the soldiers dividing Jesus’ garments into four parts, one for each soldier. His tunic receives separate attention: it is seamless, woven in one piece from the top. The soldiers decide against tearing it. Instead, they cast lots to determine who will receive it. Read John 19:23–24. Notice the distinction: the garments are divided; the tunic remains intact but passes into another’s possession. Keeping something whole does not, by itself, explain the motives or authority of those taking it. The Same Verb, Different Actions John 19:24 uses a form of σχίζω — schizō (G4977), meaning to split or tear, when the soldiers decide not to tear the tunic. Matthew 27:51 uses the same verb for the sanctuary curtain being torn....
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5. Torn Curtain: Raised to Live Before Him

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study The curtain’s tearing belongs within an account that continues beyond Jesus’ death. Matthew describes opened tombs and holy ones appearing after his resurrection. Other passages bring resurrection, life, and receiving the Spirit into our examination. Who is raised, who receives, and what happens first? He Has Torn—and He Will Heal Hosea begins with a call to return to YHWH (יהוה), who has torn and will heal, who has struck and will bind up. The next verse states: “After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him.” — Hosea 6:2, ASV Notice us . The passage speaks collectively of revival and being raised to live before Him. Verse 3 continues with knowing Jehovah, the certainty of morning, and rain watering the earth. Read Hosea 6:1–3. Tearing is therefore not the only action in this passage. Healing and life follow within the call to return. After His Resurrection Matthew 27:52–53 describes holy ones bein...
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4. Torn Curtain: What Follows the Darkness?

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study The darkness in Exodus does not stand alone. The account continues toward the death of the firstborn, Passover, and departure from bondage. That progression gives us more to examine beside the darkness surrounding Jesus’ death. The Firstborn and a Distinction After the account of three days of darkness, Exodus announces another plague: the death of the firstborn. The announcement includes both people and cattle, while also declaring that YHWH (יהוה) will distinguish between Egypt and Israel. Read Exodus 11:1–7. We must preserve who dies, who is protected, and what instruction accompanies that protection. Blood upon the Houses Exodus 12 gives instructions concerning a lamb without blemish, its slaughter, the meal, and blood placed on the doorposts and lintel of the houses. YHWH (יהוה) declares: “when I see the blood, I will pass over you” — Exodus 12:13, ASV, excerpt The people are also instructed to remain within their houses until morning. The account ...
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3. Torn Curtain: Darkness, Tearing, and Mourning

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God’s Image • Torn Curtain Study Matthew places the torn curtain within an account of darkness, Jesus’ death, and the shaking of the earth. To examine that setting, we will bring it alongside passages where tearing accompanies grief and darkness marks judgment. A Father Tears His Clothes In Genesis 37, Joseph’s brothers remove his tunic and later dip it in a goat’s blood. They present it to Jacob for recognition. He recognizes his son’s garment and concludes that Joseph has been killed. Jacob then tears his own clothes and mourns. Read Genesis 37:23, 31–35. Preserve the distinction: Joseph’s garment is presented as evidence; Jacob’s garments are torn in grief. The clothing truly belongs to Joseph, but its presentation leads Jacob to a false conclusion. Recognition of the garment does not give him full knowledge of what happened to its wearer. This keeps clothing, deception, recognition, and mourning within the same account. Tearing in Response to Death Second Samuel describes David and...
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