Read the Passage: Ecclesiastes 11
Diligence of Man (11:1–4)
The vanity of life can cause some people to question God and the idea of right living. The thought process here seems to be that if life is uncertain, then attempts at right living are useless. Continue reading Diligence and Providence – Ecclesiastes 11
Read the Passage: Proverbs 16
Listen to The Redeemed Mind Podcast: Proverbs 16
Sovereignty and Free Will (16:1–9)
As with most of the other chapters in this section of the book of Proverbs, so in chapter 16 many of the sayings are related to each other; yet, they are not necessarily connected in a logical argument. A main theme in Prov. 16:1–9 is the relationship between man’s free will and God’s sovereignty. Continue reading Sovereignty and Wisdom – Proverbs 16
Read the Passage: 2 Samuel 24
Command of David (24:1–9)
Since a large part of the book of 2 Samuel details David’s shortcomings, perhaps we’d expect the book of 2 Samuel to end on a positive note. Yet, this book concludes with a narrative of divine wrath against Israel, as well as detailing the sin of David in engineering a national census. Continue reading David’s Census – 2 Samuel 24
Read the Passage: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:7
Authorship and Date – Technically speaking, the authorship of both 1 & 2 Samuel is anonymous. Jewish tradition identifies the author as the judge and prophet Samuel (cf. 1 Sam. 10:25), with assistance from the prophets Nathan and Gad (cf. 1 Chron. 29:29). In any event, Samuel could not have written all (or even most) of these two books, as the book of 1 Samuel begins before his birth and his death is recorded in 1 Sam. 25:1. Continue reading Introduction to 2 Samuel – 2 Samuel 1:1-2:7
The Redeemed Mind 