Posts by Josh Moody
Isaiah 9-10: A Great Light
Isaiah 9-10, Proverbs 20:1-15, Luke 21:20-28, Hebrews 2:10-18 Isaiah 9-10: Words here made famous by Handel’s Messiah and sung at every Christmas around the world, they are rich with meaning and applicability as well. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (9:2). “For to us a child is born, to…
Read MoreIsaiah 6-8: God-Sized Vision and Mission
Isaiah 6-8, Proverbs 19:15-29, Luke 21:1-19, Hebrews 2:1-9 Isaiah 6-8: Rather than attempt to explain each of these chapters—so rich with meaning—in such a short space of these few words, I’m going to focus particularly on chapter 6 and a few parts of chapter 7. Chapter 6 is the great famous vision calling of Isaiah.…
Read MoreIsaiah 3-5: The Branch
Isaiah 3-5, Proverbs 19:1-14, Luke 20:41-47, Hebrews 1:10-41 Isaiah 3-5: More extraordinary chapters from the great prophet Isaiah. First, in chapter 3, there is more judgment. Note the signs of judgment: they will have boys as their princes, infants shall rule over them (3:4). God’s judgment against a people is often shown in immature…
Read MoreIsaiah 1-2: Stop Regarding Man
Isaiah 1-2, Proverbs 18, Luke 20:27-40, Hebrews 1:1-9 Isaiah 1-2: We enter now perhaps one of the greatest works of literature ever written. More to the point, Isaiah is perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament prophetic books. The style is at times sublime, the message not only “timeless” but timelessly profound, and its words, while deep and…
Read MoreAugust 26-31, 2024
In keeping with the Bible reading plan we are using, the last days of each month are designated as “free days.” August 26-31 then are intended to allow you to catch up on reading you may have missed or to study passages more in depth that intrigued you during the first 25 days of the month.…
Read MoreEsther 9-10: No Such Thing as Luck
Esther 9-10, Proverbs 17:15-28, Luke 20:20-26, Philemon 12-25 Esther 9-10: Some of this is hard for us to read, for it seems very much as if the Jewish people—now that they have been relieved of the threat—make the most of their new opportunity to exact revenge (9:1-3). Indeed, a large number of people are…
Read MoreEsther 7-8: Tears and Joy
Esther 7-8, Proverbs 17:1-14, Luke 20:9-19, Philemon 1-11 Esther 7-8: Poor Haman, how could things get any worse? He who had thought to destroy God’s people on a whim of personal insult was now found to be begging for his life with the queen (7:7). Esther once more had proved very canny in her…
Read MoreEsther 5-6: Astonishing Sovereignty
Esther 5-6, Proverbs 16:17-33, Luke 20:1-8, Titus 3:9-15 Esther 5-6: We are coming closer to the pinnacle of this extraordinary narrative. Esther, canny as ever, puts on her royal robes, marking her out with distinction as holding a special position in the king’s eyes (5:1). She stands in his view, and again she wins…
Read MoreEsther 3-4: For Such a Time as This
Esther 3-4, Proverbs 16:1-16, Luke 19:39-48, Titus 3:1-8 Esther 3-4: The plot thickens. Haman is promoted to a position of unparalleled power—right beneath the king (3:1)—and it is the king’s command that all should pay him homage and bow down before him (3:2). But Mordecai refuses (3:2). Why Mordecai refuses is not made explicit, but we may surmise…
Read MoreChristian Political Thought in a Tense US Election Year
by Josh Moody I was recently browsing through (again) Oliver and Joan O’Donovan’s peerless From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought. For those who follow politics – whether in the USA, Britain, or indeed in France – the reason for such a perusal is probably obvious. For those who don’t, or wisely avoid political…
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