ellauri155.html on line 1015: and Bertie; and you see how faithfully they prolong their friendship into old
ellauri156.html on line 588: Sixth, our text makes Uriah a hero and a dress model, not a chump and not a sucker. There are those who might conclude that Uriah's elevator may not “go to the top floor” (as my neighbor used to say of those she considered less than bright). Is Uriah gullible? Is he ignorant of what David is trying to do? Is he a coon? A spook? I don't think so. This is what makes his loyalty to David and to God's Law so striking. I think it is safe to say that here Uriah is very much like David in his earlier days, in terms of his response to Saul. As Saul sought to kill David unjustly, because he was jealous of his successes, so also David submitted himself to faithfully serving Saul, his master. He left his safety and future in God's hands, and God did not fail him. Who? Not Uriah, apparently.
ellauri156.html on line 590: Seventh, Uriah is a reminder to us that God does not always deliver the righteous from the hand of the wicked immediately, or even in this lifetime. This is a really crucial point! Don't except to be saved except ex post facto. Daniel's three friends told the king that their God was able to deliver them. They did not presume that He would, or that He must, only that theoretically, he could if he wanted to. And God did deliver them, though with late delivery, rather like today's postal services. I think Christians should look upon this sort of deliverance as the rule, rather than the exception. But when Uriah faithfully serves his king (David), he loses his life. God is not obliged to “bail us out of trouble” or to keep us from trials and tribulations just because we trust in Him. Sometimes it is the will of God for men to trust fully in Him and to submit to human government (what? like U.S. government? No way Jose!), and still to suffer adversity, from which God may not deliver us. Spirituality is no guarantee that we will no longer suffer in this life. In fact, spiritual intimacy with God is often the cause of our sufferings (see Matthew 5).
ellauri164.html on line 647: Now, after 40-years of faithfully serving God with perfect obedience to bring God’s people to the Promised Land, he would not be allowed to enter! Was that fair? Of course it was. Moses knew God was merciful and gracious. Surely God would forgive and relent, if he would only repent. Surely God would forgive one sin, and let him in, after how good he had been.
ellauri164.html on line 867: There are few characters that play a larger part in the story of the Bible than Moses. He is the human protagonist of four Old Testament books and is consistently held up in both the OT and NT as a shining example of faith in the promises of God. The law that he delivered to the people of Israel serves as the foundation of the nation of Israel, and is lauded by Jesus as a testament that would not pass until “heaven and earth pass away…[and] all is accomplished.” One of the great tragic moments of the Bible is where Moses is denied entrance to the Promised Land for his sin at the Rock of Meribah; after faithfully leading Israel for forty years, Moses strikes a rock instead of speaking to it and is condemned to die before living in the Promised Land. On its surface, this might seem unfair to Moses. One mess-up and God gives him this great punishment? How many times had Israel failed in their journey and at Mt. Sinai, and God had spared their lives and allowed them to keep going? Yet His most faithful servant is barred over this one, seemingly insignificant event? If we take a closer look at the text, however, we see why Moses’ failure was such a stark one. While it doesn’t diminish the tragic nature of the event, it does shed light on why God takes such a drastic step to respond.
ellauri164.html on line 923: Moses’ sin occurred in the final years of his life. After faithfully leading Israel out of Egypt, and after their rebellion in the matter of the 12 spies, he also faithfully led them during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Yet near the very end of that wandering, in a moment of anger and a lapse of judgment, Moses sinned, and God recorded that it led Him to refuse to allow Moses to enter the promised land. It is difficult to imagine the anguish and remorse Moses must have felt when God revealed this punishment. His failure to give God the proper respect and reverence, though provoked by the wicked rebellion and faithless murmurings of Israel, was a public sin and God chose to publicly and openly punish him for it.
ellauri191.html on line 146: "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist"
ellauri191.html on line 178: "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist"
ellauri270.html on line 242: "A Warning for Married Women" tells the story of Jane Reynolds and her lover James Harris, with whom she exchanged a promise of marriage. He is pressed as a sailor before the wedding takes place and Jane faithfully awaits his return for three years, but when she learns of his death at sea, she agrees to marry a local carpenter. Jane gives birth to three children and for four years the couple lives a happy life. One night, when the carpenter is away, the spirit of James Harris appears. He tries to convince Jane to keep her oath and run away with him. At first she is reluctant to do so, because of her husband and their children, but ultimately she succumbs to the ghost's pleas, letting herself be persuaded by his tales of rejecting the royal daughter's hand and assurance that he has the means to support her – namely, a fleet of seven ships. The pair then leaves England, never to be seen again, and the carpenter commits suicide upon learning that his wife is gone. The broadside ends with a mention that although the children were orphaned, the heavenly powers will provide for them.
ellauri408.html on line 340: The Bible is full of badly-told fairy tales. For instance, the book of Acts says Jesus flew into the clouds like Superman before a Jerusalem crowd, with angels preaching a sermon and prophesying that he would return “the same way.” But we know that didn’t happen because no other author of the New Testament mentioned the most miraculous thing human eyes ever witnessed. The four gospels and Acts all disagree on what Jesus said and did after the alleged resurrection. But if you were hearing the words of the resurrected God, wouldn’t you be sure to remember and communicate them faithfully? Clearly five different authors made up five different accounts of what happened post-alleged-resurrection because no one knew what really happened after the empty grave was discovered. Acts says Jesus taught the mysteries of the Kingdom of God for 40 days in Jerusalem, but no one bothered to record a single word he said. Can anyone really believe that is possible?
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