In the Book of Numbers, Moab was terrified that Israel will defeat him - he needn't have been. Like Bugs Bunny, Israel is never the aggressor outside of their land.
Nations, like people have a life cycle - birth, growth, productivity and death. For Israel, Passover was its birth. Since then it has gone through several life cycles, always being reborn because God has had His hand on them. The United States, like Israel, was also explicitly formed on Biblical principles. We are now undergoing a civilizational crisis. Pray that the current turmoil represents birth pains.
The Hebrew word Chesed has no true English equivalent. It is translated using compound words like 'lovingkindness' or 'steadfast love'. It is one of the primary words used of God in Scripture. For us, it is love that sustains another physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.
Paul's letter appears to be a theological corrective for something going on within the church in Colossae. The exact nature of the problem is not made clear, but it has to do with the person of Christ and with competing philosophies. In this first chapter he makes it very clear who the Messiah is and what He has done and is doing.
The law of the red heifer is difficult to understand. It does bear on the events of Messiah's first miracle.
The sin offerings made in the tabernacle were only for unintentional sin and had to be repeated annually, because the people's hearts were not changed. Under the New Covenant God's law will be written on hearts of flesh instead of on tablets of stone. Thus, the offering Messiah made with His own blood needs only to have been done one time, since those cleansed by that offering will have had their hearts circumcised.
The Declaration of Independence is designed on Biblical principles and makes reference to God three times. As such it contains the outline of Constitution which defines the structure of our government.
The Gospel accounts after the Resurrection are different. Each one gives added instructions for the believer while we await His return. Taken together they form a complete mission statement for the believer - what to do, where to do it, what resources are available, etc.
Over time, all human institutions tend to become corrupt and self serving. We see this in Scripture where even structures ordained by God, such as the Temple, lose their way and have to be overthrown. In the United States the past four years have seen the rot in our institutions exposed and public trust eroded. People are angry and fearful as they try and find something solid to trust. This presents believers with a great opportunity to speak of God's love and provision to the lost and afraid.
This parable, where a father has broken relationships with both of his sons, may be a metaphor for Ephraim and Judah. The younger son has been gone for millennia. What will be the attitude of the older brother when he returns?