Sturtz Stuff

Why is the world the way that it is? Why is there such hatred and violence? Why is there injustice and racism? The Bible’s answer to these kinds of questions is sin. The most common understanding of sin is that it is breaking God’s law . That is one way that the Bible describes what sin but not the only way that the Bible talks about sin. Read Judges 17:1-13                 This section of Judges is often ignored because everything up to this point has been really interesting. The book of Judges offers a brief history of Israel as they come into Canaan the Promised Land. The book also functions as an “apologetic” for the monarchy in general and David in particular. In the first 16 chapters of the book we have these fantastic stories. The people would slide into sin and when they did they soon became enslaved by some foreign power. The people would cry out to God to be rescued and saved. In response God wo...

The Book of Daniel describes a difficult time period for the Israelite people. The nation of Babylon has attacked. The Israelite army has been defeated, the City of Jerusalem is in ruin and the Temple has been destroyed. Along with this suffering a large portion of the population has been forced to march from Jerusalem to Babylon. These exiles are to be integrated into Babylonian society and culture. Included in those taken from Jerusalem was a Daniel. The King of Babylon wanted some of Israel’s best and brightest. Daniel is recognized as a young talented leader and administrator. After going through a three year Babylonian royal training program Daniel has proven himself as a trusted leader and skilled administrator. When the training program ends Daniel is appointed as an adviser to the King. King Darius decides that he would like to reorganize his kingdom so he appoints 120 satraps and to oversee those satraps the King places three administrators.   These administrators are ...

What was the world like at the time of Jesus’ birth? Answer: The world was ruled by the Roman Empire. They ruled everything. How did the Roman Empire come to rule the world? For starters the Roman general Germanicus. He is known for killing people all across the Rhine area. For 50 miles around the Rhine area he killed women, children, the old and the young. From the General Germanicus point of view only the total annihilation of the population would end war. How did Roman conquer the world? Well now you know. The Romans killed, murdered and beat nations and people groups into submission. Another Roman general named Pompey conquered the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in 64 BC. Because of his great conquest an inscription was placed in a temple in Rome in his honor. The inscription boasts that Pompey took 12 million subjects in surrender in 1,500 towns. [1] How did the Roman Empire rule the world? They dominated, destroyed, intimidated and killed anyone who attempted to stand in t...

If you’re considering making some New Year’s resolutions this year, consider this: like other exercises of raw willpower, most New Year’s resolutions fail miserably. According to research, 80 percent of those who make resolutions on January 1 have given up by Valentine’s Day. Nutrition experts say that two-thirds of dieters regain any weight lost within a year, and more than 70 percent of people who undergo coronary bypass surgery fall back into unhealthy habits within two years of their surgery.                 “Most of us think that we can change our lives if we just summon the will power and try even harder this time around,” says Alan Deutschman, the former executive director of Unboundary, a firm that counsels corporations on how to navigate change. “It’s exceptionally hard to make life changes, and our efforts are usually doomed to failure when we try to do it on our own.”     ...

Perhaps you are familiar with the story of Samson. Maybe when you hear the name Samson you think of long hair or his love affair with Delilah. If the story of Samson is familiar or not it is found in the Book of Judges starting in chapter thirteen.  Act 1 The Birth of Samson (Judges 13:2-5) This is the beginning of the story of Samson. Before he is even born his is given a job description. Samson is to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines. By the way the name Samson in Hebrew means “light”. Samson is to be a light that leads the Israelite people to victory over the Philistines. The Philistines are a formidable opponent due to their large navy, horse drawn chariots and enhanced armaments. Because of these advantages the Philistines have been able to invade some of the territories claimed by the Israelites as they settle into the Promised Land. Keep in mind that the story of Samson occurs before Israel has a King. Without a King there is no organized centr...

In the Book of Numbers chapter 22 the nation of Israel has been on a 40 year tour of the dessert. They are headed for the promised land of Canaan. Israel is entering Canaan from the East and is in the plains of Moab. The plains of Moab are a 10 mile stretch along the rift valley that goes up into the hill country of Jordan. The Israelites are there waiting to enter into the land of Canaan. The King of Moab is a fellow by the name of Balak. Balak is not convinced that Israel is simply going to leave him and his Kingdom alone. He is worried because Israel is powerful and has heard of their recent victories in battle. Balak wants to figure out a way to get the upper hand on the Israelites. In Numbers 22:4-5 we read about Balak’s plan “So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and...

This is post from the blog of  Larry Hurtado . Larry Hurtado is a retired professor from  Edinburgh. He has spent decades focused mainly on the origins and development of “devotion to Jesus” in earliest Christianity. Click here to read this post on Hurtado's own blog.  Scholars commonly see in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 material of an early “pre-Pauline” confession that focuses on Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and appearances to select witnesses.  But there are continuing disagreements over what kind of event is referred to in vv. 3-5 where Jesus is described as “raised on the third day,” specifically whether this refers to a resurrection/transformation of Jesus’ mortal body or some other kind of event, e.g., a “spiritual” one that left his mortal body in the grave.  I’ve just read a new study of the matter that seems to me pretty effective in guiding exegetes to the correct answer:  James Ware,  “The Resurrection of Jesus in the Pre-Paul...