In Genesis 22 Abraham is called upon by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. This, of course prefigures the Crucifixion in nearly every detail. In addition it says something profound about the relationship between children and their father. Contrary to every other society at the time, fathers do not own their children. (Inspired by Rabbi Sacks, "The Binding of Isaac" on Aish.com)
Over and over the Bible tells Israel (and us) to rejoice in their relationship with God. This is because a lack of joy leads to fear, self focus and loss of faith. This progression is especially clear in the failure of the spies in Numbers 13. It is equally clear in today's response by the church to the panic induced by the spread of the Wuhan Flu.
After Paul's arrest in Jerusalem, he goes before the council where he causes a riot when he asserts that his only crime is believing in the resurrection. He is spirited away by night to Caesarea where he appears before Felix, the Roman governor.
Ideology has largely replaced idol worship as a vehicle for bad behavior. What standard should one use in evaluating the promises of an ideology or program?
Revelation 13 describes a world where only those who have a special mark can buy and sell. Recently banks in Europe and the US have been moving to get rid of cash entirely making bank accounts the only medium of exchange. This is very ominous.
Revelation 13 describes the second beast. It has always been great sport speculating who that will be, and popes are a perennial favorite. The current pope, however, is exhibiting some behaviors that elevate him into front runner status.
The story of Abraham marks the beginning of God's establishing personal relationships with people. Before Abraham Scripture simply records events. With Abraham we get much more personal and emotional information about His relationship with God. It is also significant that in order to develop that relationship God removed him from the big city and made him live in a tent. The patterns developed in this story have profound meaning for believers today.
In John 14-16 Y'shua gives final instructions to His disciples and promises them that His departure would allow them to receive the Holy Spirit. He says that He is sending them into an enemy controlled world and that there will be casualties, but He loves them and assures them of a place in the world to come. In doing this, He sets the church up as His weapons system to hold and take the fight to the enemy until the end when He personally returns. In this mission, the Holy Spirit is their power source.
In Jerusalem, Paul meets with James and the elders who discuss how to address the rumors that Paul is teaching a new religion. They decide that he will consecrate himself along with others who are coming to the end of their Nazarite vows and that he will publicly sacrifice in the Temple. This includes a discussion of Paul's attitude toward Moses.
Each of us has an unique voice. So when we sing the music God has written into His Scriptures, each will sound different. Each will approach situations differently.