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Both the parable of the rich fool, and the incident which gave rise to it, are recorded only in Luke's Gospel. Jesus was preaching to "an innumerable multitude of people" (Luke 12:1), teaching them, amongst other things, to put their trust in God and to fear Him: "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (vv. 6-7).

Contrary to the attitude which Jesus was endeavouring to instil in his listeners, a man from the crowd confronted him with a personal, materialistic matter:

"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." (v. 13).

Readings: Leviticus 24; Psalms 131-134; Luke 7

In Luke 7, Jesus is busy at work in Galilee. It seems he now lives in the town of Capernaum, the hometown of Peter and others. Capernaum was on the shore of Lake Galilee, where some of the disciples fished for their living.

This study has been tagged an ‘introduction’ because it covers the basics. We are not told who wrote Psalm 119, the longest of the Psalms. Some think Ezra penned it, but others say David, which I prefer. We may be familiar with its construction, but here is a brief reminder. It is divided into 22 sections – each 8 verses long, with each section headed by successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Not only that, but every verse in a section begins with the section letter. This of course is not apparent in any language other than Hebrew, [but in the English King James Version, one section runs very close to it – the section headed Teth (vv. 65-72). So, for English readers only, by making two slight alterations to the KJV we can reproduce the original construction of this section.

Readings: Leviticus 16; Psalm 119:1-40; 2 Corinthians 12-13

In Hebrew, the title Leviticus means, ‘And He called’. It comes from the first word of the book. It is thus a book that concerns all those ‘whom God has called’. So, it is a book for the ‘the called-out ones’. In Leviticus we see the mercy of God in that he is willing to dwell with man, symbolised by the tabernacle, as a dwelling place, and also providing an acceptable way for sinful man to approach God, who cannot look on sin. So, the book details instructions on how sinful man can approach God on the basis of forgiveness of sins, through the offering of various sacrifices and by sanctification, and so obtaining God`s mercy and forgiveness.

Readings: Leviticus 7; Psalm 106; 1 Corinthians 15

In our daily readings in the first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul is writing by the Holy Spirit, on the subject of the resurrection; and what a wonderful subject it is.  We live in a world of sin, disease and death. Our burial grounds are the witness to the corruption and decay that is a reality of our short lives.  But the hope of the resurrection is, as we shall see, a certainty. And this certainty is fundamental to our belief in the coming of the Kingdom, and brings us comfort and assurance especially in our declining years.

Reading : Psalm 72

One of the things that elevates mankind above the rest of GODs creation is our ability to think about abstract concepts. We are not merely concerned with feeding and procreating, but have an emotional, spiritual and intellectual life.

Humans have an in-built sense of right and wrong which is largely similar across the globe. Alongside this is a concept of natural justice - that good behaviour ought to be rewarded, and wrongdoing ought to be punished. Most societies have developed rules or laws to formalise the concept of right and wrong, and a scale of sanctions for those who break the rules. And usually, particular people are given the role of ‘judge’, to decide whether individuals are guilty of a crime, and what punishment they should receive.

In our studies of the faith of Moses in his early life, we have seen how the Word of God was the basis of the faith of Moses and his parents, that God providentially helped Moses learn that Word so that he understood the sacrifice of Jesus, and how he decided to suffer the same reproach. We conclude with the third example of faith recorded in Hebrews 11 which involved Moses.

When did Moses forsake Egypt?

Hebrews 11:27 records that “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” To understand this act of faith we must determine when it took place. Some think this was after the Passover but, if they are correct, it would break the chronological order in Hebrews.

Readings: Exodus 36; Psalms 94-95; 1 Corinthians 6

It has always been the same. The proud and the wicked have triumphed over the righteous, causing them to cry ‘how long’ and wondering when it’s going to be over. There is a weariness in the suffering of the faithful, as they see the wilful attitude of the wicked who prosper in evil and troubled times. It had been so since the disaster of Eden when the serpent beguiled Eve and Cain murdered Abel. David appears to have the same experiences in the psalms and complains to God about the injustices. The godly cry “how long” (Psalm 94:3)  is a yearning for happier and better days when divine principles will govern the new society and the righteous rule of Christ will be evident.

Our first two studies have shown how Moses’ parents’ faith included in Hebrews 11 was based upon their knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. We have seen how Moses would have providentially been given access to that Word, which we will see was necessary for him to exhibit his own faith.

Called the son of Pharoah’s daughter