Writing to Hebrews, James does not present a balanced approach to wealth. Rather he simply condemns its unjust accumulation and use. Since God uses wealth to motivate us, Proverbs presents both sides of wealth. James' advice on healing mirrors that of the Great Commission.

The history of Israel has long periods of exile during which there were leaders from different tribes. How each of those leaders performed was predicted by the words spoken by Jacob over his twelve sons before his death.

In the world as we know it, there are great spiritual forces contending for human worship and dominance.  In this, the world is a battleground. On side is YHVH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On the other side is everything else. While the forces on the other side may offer many temptations, their goal is ultimately our destruction. God, on the other hand, loves us and wants us to live and flourish. Further, the census in the wilderness, is taken by name. He cares for each of us as individuals known to Him by name.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about sacrifice. It is clearly a major subject in the Bible, but has not been practiced since the Temple was destroyed in 70AD. As such we have no real understanding of what it means either emotionally or spiritually.

Idol worship eventually leads to murder and Jezebel is not above murder to obtain what she wants. Elijah passes on his mantle to Elisha.

Given on the same day centuries apart, the Torah and Holy Spirit provide guidance on how to live this life. The two work together in harmony and are not at all at odds.

During the time before His crucifixion, Y'shua spent considerable effort contending with the Pharisees about their interpretation of God's law as given by Moses. In these encounters, there are several key phrases: "You have heard it said..." and "It is written..." What to these phrases signify and what does that mean to us today?

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob each represents one aspect of God.

Every six years God promises a bumper crop so Israel will let the land have a sabbath in the seventh year. Obeying this command requires no faith - the farmer can see the sixth year bounty. If he plants on the seventh year, he is taking more than God is offering. Such ill-gotten wealth creates all sorts of societal problems.

The Bible over and over tells believers to 'fear not.' That is true in context but not in general. The choice in life is between fear of the world or fear of God. The choice is binary, there is no other option. If one chooses the fear of God, the fear of the world becomes a non issue.