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Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don't eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish." - Esther 4:16 HCSB

Hadassah was a young Benjamite girl whose name in Hebrew meant “Myrtle”. When the people of Judah under King Jeconiah’s leadership lost a war, King Nebuchadnezzar dragged her family (along with thousands of others) to Persia.[1]

Along the way or shortly thereafter,…  ( Click for more )

Then He commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces! Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children. Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When…  ( Click for more )

But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the LORD's sight more than all who were before him. Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were a trivial matter, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. - 1 Kings 16:30-32 HCSB

There are three main reasons that many people have come to associate Jezebel with lewd sensuality. Jehu associated her with prostitution as well as witchcraft,[1] the Bible describes Jezebel…  ( Click for more )

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, "When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it's a daughter, she may live." The Hebrew midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?" The midwives said to Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they…  ( Click for more )

Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah's rebellion. These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts. They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn--fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots; - Jude 1:11-12 HCSB

I heard a story about an elderly Indian who had been invited to a church service in a big city. The service was impressive and creatively organized. There…  ( Click for more )

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight. - Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB

One of the most telling aspects of Mr. Pullman’s books, in regards to his personal philosophy, is that not only do the children accidentally kill God, Lord Asriel and Ms. Coulter are depicted as heroes who kill a Jesus-like character. In the end of the series, in spite of her earlier dalliances with the wicked, kidnapping…  ( Click for more )

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight. - Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB

According to Mr. Pullman’s point of view, one of the clear indications of the Church’s evil lies in the fact that the Church doesn’t want you to grow up or know sexual pleasure. The scientists that are directed by the “Board of Oblations” work to separate the kidnapped children from their daemons…  ( Click for more )

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight. - Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB

In article 2, I mentioned the tool given to Lyra by the house Master in The Golden Compass called the alethiometer, or as it should be understood “the truth measurer.” By this device, Pullman teaches children that occult tools are useful. The alethiometer enables Lyra to predict the future and learn information…  ( Click for more )

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight. - Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB

In the movie, The Golden Compass, Lucifer is good. Judaic tradition teaches that there is an archangel under Yawheh whose name is Azrael. This archangel became particularly associated with death. Though his intentions were good, he ended up on God’s wrong side, and he and other angels were cast out.

To my mind,…  ( Click for more )

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight. - Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB

In all the years that I have been writing, I only remember one other time I felt compelled to argue directly against a particular author. That occasion was when a Canadian pastor claimed the Bible was filled with errors, was racist and was misogynistic. Why he bothered to declare himself a Christian is beyond me.

Once…  ( Click for more )

The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the LORD's sight. LORD, I am indeed Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant. You have loosened my bonds. I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and will worship the LORD. - Psalm 116:15-17 HCSB

A righteous man lived in a country where it was against the law to worship God and read His Word. Disregarding this wicked law[1] and choosing to fear the Lord[2] rather than man, the tzaddik remained steadfast in his devotional life. Soon, an evil neighbor caught sight of the tzaddik at prayer and told the authorities.…  ( Click for more )

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'" "No! You will not die," the serpent said to the woman. "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."…  ( Click for more )

But they did not understand what He said to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people. - Luke 2:50-52 HCSB

In today’s culture of convenience, it has become commonplace for children to ignore their duty to their parents. As the parents age and become infirm, it becomes more and more difficult to care for them. Often their minds begin to slip and they develop a stubborn unreasonableness straining the relationship…  ( Click for more )

“Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe's household, that there are quarrels among you. What I am saying is this: each of you says, "I'm with Paul," or "I'm with Apollos," or "I'm with Cephas," or "I'm with Christ." – 1 Corinthians 1:10-12 HCSB

There once was a wise man who over…  ( Click for more )

"Appoint judges and officials for your tribes in all your towns the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.” - Deuteronomy 16:18-20 HCSB

“Tsedek, tsedek radaph…” “Justice, justice you shall follow…” this passage reads. Why use the word…  ( Click for more )

The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever doesn't take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it. - Matthew 10:37-39 HCSB

Discussions of what it means to have a Christ-centered marriage often fail to address the issue of the marriage in which only one of the two are actually Ransomed. How does one pursue a Christ-centered marriage when one half of the relationship is seriously…  ( Click for more )

A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. - 1 Samuel 25:2-3 HCSB

Though Saul was still on the throne, it was widely known that David had been anointed as the next king. The hatred Saul had for David and his relentless, mad pursuit for David’s death was also be well-known.

Abigail was not just any farmer’s wife.…  ( Click for more )

"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" "The one who showed mercy to him," he said. Then Jesus told him, "Go and do the same." - Luke 10:36-37 HCSB

A certain poor man came upon such hard times that he despaired for his life as well as the lives of his family. He tried everything, but it was a time of scarcity and people’s hearts had grown hard, thinking only of their own needs and unwilling to help.

One day he heard that there was a community of righteous people, true…  ( Click for more )

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this to you also. - Philippians 3:13-15 HCSB

I spent years as a professional martial artist. I lived for my sport. I would get up early in the morning so I could get my cardio done before school (and later, work). I got to the dojo while the sun…  ( Click for more )

"The LORD of Hosts says this: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace." - Zechariah 8:19 HCSB

An old tzaddik used to make a habit of fasting on a regular basis. He was an elder in the church and people were coming to him constantly for his help. The only way that he could get these precious times of spiritual renewal was to go out into the woods. He would fast for days at a time as he communed…  ( Click for more )

Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good. - Romans 12:21 HCSB

An elderly holy woman decided to serve God by living in a third world country and serving the destitute people there. She lived among them, as poor as they, yet radiated Hashem’s loving care to them. She showed them how to bathe upstream from where they defecated. She brought them mosquito nets and showed them the advantage of sleeping under them. She toiled all day long under the sweltering sun in a garden showing them how to increase their crops through irrigation so that they would not go hungry…  ( Click for more )

The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness. The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires. When the wicked dies, his expectation comes to nothing, and hope placed in wealth vanishes. - Proverbs 11:5-7 HCSB

What is the expectation of wealth if not power? What is its hope if not the ability to grant wishes? Quoheleth clarifies that the wicked will not necessarily fall to an outside threat. It is his wickedness, his selfish desire to place his desires above morality,…  ( Click for more )

"How can you say, 'I love you,'" she told him, "when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great!" Because she nagged him day after day and pled with him until she wore him out, he told her the whole truth. - Judges 16:15-17a HCSB

Delilah was a beautiful young woman who lived in the valley of Sorek. I think that it is somewhat telling that the Midrash[1] tells us that the sorek is a fruitless tree. If ever there was a fruitless pursuit, it was Samson’s pursuit of Delilah. …  ( Click for more )

If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your gates in the land the LORD your God is giving you, you must not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. - Deuteronomy 15:7 HCSB

A rich man’s daughter fell in love with a poor shepherd. Her father was so incensed that he vowed the couple would never receive so much as a penny from him. However, the daughter valued the shepherd far more than she valued her father’s gold, so after an appropriate time of betrothal, she left her father’s house and became one with the poor…  ( Click for more )