January 10, 2026

Yesterday I discussed the church that met in the house of Stephanas, how they “addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (I Corinthians 16:15).

Today, we’ll move back just two verses in this letter, to Paul’s admonition:

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Let all things be done with charity.”

–I Cor 16:13-14

The 1607 King James’ version of the Bible is beautiful, but sometimes that 400-year old translation uses words that leave us confused. But we shouldn’t have trouble with the first two phrases:

I. “Watch Ye”

“Watch ye” is really a multi-faceted jewel that warns us to use our eyes to constantly examine the world around us, and to carefully consider the circumstances that impact our lives. But it also cautions us to keep our spiritual eyes on the shifting sands of the world’s moral values, and protect them from the winds of perversity that threaten to blind us, sweep us off our feet, and even bury us in deep dunes of sin. But apart from the dangers of succumbing to the siren sounds of this world, we are to be alert for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Like the ten virtuous virgins, we are to keep ourselves pure, symbolized by having their lanterns filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and their wicks trimmed so that they might, at any moment, welcome the return of the Bridegroom. May he set us aflame with boldness to share the truth, knowledge, and grace of the Lord.

“Watch ye” is an admonition that echoes Jesus’ warning:

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”

Matthew 10:16, KJV

We must each learn from the past, for as George Santayana so wisely remarked, “Those who don’t read history are doomed to repeat it.”

The apostle Paul shared this reflection, which seems to discourage our looking back:

“this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

Yet Paul did not completely forget the past, for he repeatedly mentioned his origins, and stated categorically that he was “chief of sinners, and “…the least of all the saints.” I’m sure that Paul was thankful for these remembrances, however, both because it reminded him of the enormity of his deliverance from sin through faith in Christ, and provided opportunities to again consecrate himself—to make certain that his feet were solidly planted on the straight and narrow.

Often, in the dark of night, when my spiritual resistance is low, I am reminded of sins I’ve committed, both of omission and commission—unintentional and intentional—and while I may rebuke the enemy for temporarily depressing me in yet another effort to wreck my faith, I’m also reminded that God has a purpose in bringing these matters to mind. So as I pray to be delivered from each spiritual attack, I also thank God for reminding me of the depths to which I had sunk, and for the heights he had lifted me. Aand I am again reminded of the treacherous pitfalls of this world, not to speak of my proclivity to sin.

This leads me to paraphrase Santayana: “He who doesn’t read his own history is doomed to repeat it.”

Paul’s warning to the Corinthians was timely, for they were about to be misled by evil teachers:

“Watch ye….”

II. “Stand fast in the faith”

This is another phrase that, on its face, is easy for even the youngest believer to grasp, yet is rich in meaning.

Paul had already explained this concept in the preceding chapter.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil in the Lord is not in vain.”

I Corinthians 15:58

“Stand fast!” Be steadfast, immovable.

We are not to be shaken or moved by the events around us, nor moved by what happens to us.

III. “Quit you like men”

No, that phrase doesn’t imply that you, or any Christian, should quit when the going gets touch. Quite the contrary. The word is a root the the word “acquit,” which means to conduct ourselves properly.

When the Israelite army, under King Saul, quaked in fear at the daily appearance of the giant, Goliath, young David stood fearlessly before him, and acquitted himself as a man, demanding of Goliath how he dared mock God, and declaring his certain death. Which leads to the next phrase:

IV. “Be strong”

And, again, we can look to the young shepherd poet, the future warrior king of Israel, to young David–who gained godly confidence when he fearlessly slew both bear and lion—and who would use that strength to cast the stone that killed the ogre, Goliath.

And then Paul exhorts:

V. “Let all things be done with charity.”

“Let all things be done with charity,” or, more succinctly, “with love.” Our motives must always be to build up those around us, to protect, encourage, and even lift their burdens, even to do good to those who despitefully use us.

Is there ever an occasion when a Christian might injure or even kill another person? David didn’t hesitate to kill the reprobate, Goliath, who proved his own merciless and evil nature by slaughtering those he opposed, and by mocking the Lord and threatening the very existence of the nation of Israel.

David’s hands were clearly guided by God to take immediate judgment on Goliath and the army he championed.

Look at this seeming contradiction. In the night in which Jesus was betrayed, as he and his disciples were about to leave the upper room for the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said,

“…he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.” And they said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.” And he said unto them, “It is enough.”

Luke 22:35

Why did Jesus tell his eleven disciples—common laborers who had little knowledge or skill with weapons—to buy swords​? It seems curious that just a few hours later, Jesus admonished Peter for using a sword to cut of the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest, and commanded Peter to put away his sword. Jesus’ words to Peter, followed by his miraculous healing of the man’s ear, along with his earlier statement that “…that is written must yet be accomplished in me,” makes clear that Jesus did not want to resist Judas and the multitude that accompanied him when they came to arrest him.

So what was the point in Jesus emphatically stating that they should buy swords, even if it meant selling their garments to buy them? That too was related to up in his words, “… this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, … for the things concerning me have an end.” The point was that, if they were attacked by anyone—malcontents, brigands or thieves—on their way to his arrest, they were to use those swords to fight back, to make certain that nothing interrupted his appointed trial and crucifixion. His passion was the thing yet to be accomplished in him. Once being arrested, however, there was no more need for swords. They haad been needed only for self-defense!

The words of Ecclesiastes provide a beautiful illustration of this seeming paradox:

“To everything there is a season…A time to kill and a time to heal.”

Ecclesiastes 3:3

Jesus gave license to his disciples to defend against anyone who might hinder him from his appointed destiny, and when there was no longer a need for the sword, and his arrest was certain, Jesus turned around and healed the man who was despitefully using him.

I’ve spent a lot of time discussing Paul’s final exhortations in his first letter to the church at Corinth. Some of his words would seem harsh to young Christians in a vile pagan city. And considering how Paul had rebuked the Corinthian Christians earlier in the letter for their sinful behavior, it’s little wonder that some in that church would, during Paul’s absence, begin to mock him.

We learn from Paul’s next letter—the one which we call II Corinthians, that during the interim between the two letters—that false teachers had crept in, evil men who mocked Paul, who questioned his apostleship and the validity of his words, and who sought to poison the Corinthians against him and his authority.

So II Corinthians becomes an apologetic. It’s largely Paul’s defense against these people and their attacks, making II Corinthians perhaps the most defensive book in the Bible.

Ironically, When Paul wrote the second letter, he would find himself required to obey the words that he had written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit at the end of jos first letter. You know the words:

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”

And, most importantly,

“Let all your things be done with charity.”

___________________

Copyright 2026, Frank Becker

File: 10 JAN 26, Watch, Stand, Love

Week Two, 2026

“Those who walked in the dark have seen a bright light. And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of darkest shadows” (Isaiah 9:2).

It is something I try to do at least once every year: go hear the words and music of Handel’s Messiah. Written in just twenty-four days with thousands of notes and words, it depicts the totality of the life of Christ, from prophecy until the resurrection.

It is especially rewarding when the written script of words is displayed behind the orchestra. Each time, it seems that I find a new nugget, and this year was no exception. There it was, Isaiah 9:2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

It was the prophecy of salvation. We are all sinful creatures who walk through life as sinners in darkness until we see and accept the light of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is truly the great light.

Isaiah 9:2 is a prophetic verse about a great light shining on those living in darkness, often interpreted as a promise of hope and salvation significantly fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. The “darkness” symbolizes oppression, despair, and spiritual ignorance, while the “light” represents the hope and joy brought by the arrival of a Savior. The verse foretells a turning point where light breaks through gloom, offering both immediate encouragement and a lasting message of salvation. It truly is the great light.

Then I saw another nugget: “By His stripes we are healed.” This is a powerful biblical phrase from Isaiah 53:5, signifying that the suffering, wounds, and punishment Jesus Christ endured (His “stripes”) provide spiritual and physical healing, redemption, and peace for believers, as echoed in 1 Peter 2:24. It speaks to the profound sacrifice of the Messiah, who bore humanity’s sins and ailments so that people could be made whole.

And then, after going through the life of Christ, the question is asked: “Who is the God of glory?” This is a title for the one, transcendent God of the Bible, emphasizing His majestic splendor, power, and honor. Jesus Christ is identified as the embodiment of this glory in the New Testament, revealing God’s perfect nature, grace, and truth to humanity.

Then it ends, and the audience leaves to ponder who is their God of glory. I ask each of you who read this: Who is your God of glory?

Sometimes True Stories

Equating what we do with who we are, our performance with our identity, is not a worldview unique to many people. We are made with a “God-shaped emptiness,” to paraphrase Blaise Pascal. But if secularized people do not turn to God, they will turn to anything else to fill the void. For many in a materialistic culture, our gods are therefore material measures of success such as performance, possessions, and popularity.

Accordingly, perhaps we should not be surprised that Gallup is now reporting the current “drop in US religiosity” as “among [the] largest in the world.” In 2015, 66 percent of US adults said religion was an important part of their daily life. Today, only 49 percent agree. This seventeen-point drop “ranks among the largest Gallup has recorded in any country over any ten-year period since 2007.” —Jim Denison

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Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

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What do you think of when you see the word trustworthy? Someone you can rely on, someone honest, truthful, and dependable. These are all character traits we should endeavor to possess. When we receive trustworthy behavior from someone, it boosts our spirits and refreshes our soul. When we find such a person, we are blessed; if we can become that person, God will bless us.

Quotes You Can Use

If Christ provides only a part of our salvation, leaving us to provide the rest, then we are still hopeless under the load of sin. —J. Gresham Machen

You are only as powerful as you are weak in your own strength. —John MacArthur

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.

The Holy Spirit’s main ministry is not to give thrills, but to create in us Christlike character. —J.I. Packer

If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worrying that gets you, not the lack of sleep. —Dale Carnegie

God created everything by number, weight, and measure. —Isaac Newton

My job is not to worry about tomorrow, but to trust Jesus today.

Jesus, who died on the cross stands by you today.

Jesus knows what I am facing today.

The Lord stands by His people: through their persecution, through the words of His promise, and through the protection of His servant. Trust that the Lord Jesus is by you; be faithful where you are. —Edgar Aponte

Pride is the mother hen under which all other sins are hatched. —C.S. Lewis

Gratitude is never silent. People who are truly thankful for the Lord’s healing will always express it. Give thanks to God openly and often. —Zach Jernigan

Speech should be treated as though it were a loaded gun because we will be judged by what we do, as well as what we say. —Tony Ferguson

No man is too lost for Jesus to save, but no man is too good to escape hell.

Proverbs 8:33 says, “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.” This verse is not a suggestion, but a command from the Lord. Treat it with care. —Tony Ferguson

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Your feedback is welcome. If you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected].

©Thoughts on Life Copyright 2026

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January 3, 2026

The Pharaoh’s Name, part 1

His name is Rameses II, according to the classic 1956 movie, The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as the pharaoh. In fact, movies, documentaries and history books almost universally concur. But there are massive problems with this view. Let’s take a deeper dive.

Egyptian history is arranged into a series of dynasties, and for reference I’ll refer to a chart of the reigns of the pharaohs given in the first edition of Cambridge Ancient History, a respected secular source. The biblical date for the exodus is 1446 B.C., according to 1 Kings 6:1, but most secular historians date it to around 1270-1250 B.C. The biblical date falls into the period of the eighteenth dynasty (1570-1320) and the later date falls into the period of the nineteenth dynasty (1320-1223).

To begin our hunt for the pharaoh of the exodus we must remember that Moses fled Egypt under one pharaoh and returned forty years later only after that pharaoh died (Exodus 4:19), so we’re looking for a pharaoh in either one of the two dynasties who reigned for at least forty years. Turns out that there are only two—Thutmose III (1504-1450) and Rameses II (1304-1236). Aha! There’s the name Rameses! But wait! Thutmose III and Rameses II are the only two possibilities for the “oppression” pharaoh from whom Moses fled. The “exodus” pharaoh is not the “oppression” pharaoh whose death prompted Moses’ return to Egypt. The “exodus” pharaoh succeeded the “oppression” pharaoh. Therefore, the “exodus” pharaoh must be either Amenhotep II (1450-1425) or Merneptah (1236-1223). The “exodus” pharaoh cannot be Rameses II, for he would have died before Moses returned! I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to eliminate Rameses II from the running.

Three other quick points can be made in favor of Amenhotep II. First, most of the pharaohs of the eighteenth dynasty generally resided in Thebes, far south of the land of Goshen in the Egyptian Delta where the Israelites were enslaved, but Amenhotep II reigned regularly from Memphis (only around 75 miles from Goshen) and would have been readily accessible to Moses and Aaron.

Second, Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, records the words of Manetho, a third-century B.C. historian, who wrote a history of his native Egypt in the Greek language, based on his study of ancient Egyptian records. Although Manetho’s works didn’t survive, Josephus refers to them, noting that Manetho gave the name of the pharaoh of the exodus as Amenophis, the Greek spelling of Amenhotep.

Third, Amenhotep II’s successor to the throne was not his firstborn son, but rather a younger son named Thutmose IV, which gives credence to the biblical account of the premature death of the exodus pharaoh’s firstborn son. We’ll look at this pharaoh and his boy next time in a post that you simply won’t want to miss!

Daniel McCabe

Trivia

Which Israeli city is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world?

Week One, 2026

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

Christmas has recently passed, and we all sang “Joy to the world.” We have joy because the Lord has come. However, as the earth begins a new annual journey around the sun, we know not what lies ahead. In all likelihood, there will be trials—big or small, but trials nonetheless—in our lives.

How will you respond when trials come? One of my favorite books in the Bible begins with the admonition to count them as pure joy. James begins with: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4).

James continues from perseverance to prayer. Trials build Christian character and help us to mature in the faith. We should turn to prayer for wisdom as to how to handle and face our trials. In Philippians 4, Paul similarly admonishes us to “rejoice in the Lord always”—in both the good times and the bad.

James tells us that God does not find fault, even when the fault of the believer is clear. I have done some really stupid things that caused trials in my life, but James tells us that persistence in prayer paves the way for the believer to be strengthened to endure.

Salvation is the goal of the test. Verse 12 says: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

Respond to your 2026 trials in joy, prayer, and faith, not anger—no matter how the road ahead of you is paved. May we all grow in faith as we respond to each chapter of the road ahead in the new year.

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Sometimes True Stories

Romans 8:18–31 speaks of these seven things:

• God knows our sufferings.
• The Holy Spirit even mourns and groans alongside us.
• The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.
• God knows the mind of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God.
• “For those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
• God calls us and justifies us.
• In heaven, we are also GLORIFIED.

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We see examples time and again today of people acting in such a way that we say, “If only they were disciplined as a child, they wouldn’t be doing that.” Really? Do we look in the mirror when saying that?

I would guess that most of us wish we were disciplined more. We know that proper, loving discipline shapes good behavior. And good behavior shaping leads to a more fruitful, satisfying life. The lack of discipline nearly always ends badly.

That’s why God disciplines us. He does so by blocking us from doing something stupid or by lovingly letting us bear the consequences of our bad choices. But He also gives us His Word to discipline us so that we won’t make those bad choices. In which way would you like to be disciplined? —Rich Jensen

Quotes You Can Use

God can use your past as a platform for His mission in the future. Have Courage: Share your conversion story to point others to the Gospel. Trust God’s Redemption: Nothing in your past is wasted under the power of the Gospel. Press On in Mission: Don’t let present struggles keep you from proclaiming the Gospel.

Death is not the end of life; it is only the gateway to eternity. —Billy Graham

As long as I know the Lord is standing with me, I can face the trials of tomorrow and the uncertainties of the future.

Being hardened by sin, you find yourself doing things that you once swore you would never do.

Ideas do not reach perfection in a day, no matter how much study is put upon them. —Alexander Graham Bell

If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company. —Charles H. Spurgeon

Sure, we can trust in temporal things, but we were created to last forever. So, place your trust in the only One Who can provide everything you need both now and in eternity. —Rich Jensen

You can count the apples on the tree, but who can count the apples in a seed?

Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people. —Richard Gonzmart

Grace is when God gives us things we don’t deserve. Mercy is when He spares us from bad things we deserve. Blessings are when He is generous with both.

The goal of the Christian life is not external conformity or mindless action, but passionate love for God informed by the mind and embraced by the will.

It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy.

God gives you faith, but you must believe. God gives you repentance, but you must repent. —Charles Spurgeon.

The church is not an option for the true believer. It is the very family of God to which every true believer longs to be a part. —John MacArthur

When God forgives, He forgives forever, and He will never bring to mind again the sin of that man whom He has pardoned. —Charles Spurgeon

If your faith is a private thing, it’s not the Christian faith, which must not be hidden away. Your faith must be the most public thing about you. —John MacArthur

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected].

^©Thoughts on Life, Copyright 2026

December 27, 2025

In today’s post:

Dating the Exodus, Bethlehem, the Children of Bethlehem, the Place of Trumpeting

Dating the Exodus – the Period of the Judges

So far I’ve explained the two main competing dates for the exodus: 1) 1446 B.C. and 2) a later date during the time of Rameses II, approximately 1270-1250 B.C. Those who propose this later dating do not read 1 Kings 6:1 literally, preferring instead a figurative interpretation that allows for a thirteenth-century date, and they quickly double down on this interpretive preference after reading Judges 11:26. This verse states that 300 years (arguably a round number) had transpired between the entrance of the children of Israel into the Promised Land and the time of Jephthah, one of Israel’s judges.

Thankfully, there is little or no dispute among both biblical and secular historians that Jephthah dates to approximately 1100 B.C., so if we embrace a literal interpretation of Judges 11:26, the Israelites entered into Canaan around 1400 B.C., for obviously 1100 + 300 = 1400. Since 1 Kings 6:1 has already established a precise date of 1446 B.C. for the exodus and since Acts 7:36 (among other verses) teaches a forty-year period of wandering in the wilderness, then the biblical date for the beginning of the conquest under Joshua would be 1406 B.C., which dovetails with Judges.

Proponents of a thirteenth-century date for the exodus, however, must dismiss the number 300 in Judges 11:26 as yet another example of biblical error or gross hyperbole since they prefer a date for the conquest between 1230-1210 B.C. But if Jephthah lived in 1100 B.C. and if we accept this late dating for the conquest, then in the text of Judges 11:26 we should expect to see a number between 130 (1230 – 1100) and 110 (1210 – 1100).

It’s pretty clear that these numbers are nowhere close to 300, so then the biblical number must be swept under the carpet or else explained away. Here’s one popular attempt to do just that. The number 300 is divided into two periods—a 110-130 year period when all twelve tribes of Israel occupied the land and an earlier 170-190 year period when some of the tribes of Israel (who supposedly had no exodus tradition) were already living in the land. But this hardly helps. It is a confusing and desperate argument to brush aside the biblical chronology.

1 Kings 6:1 and Judges 11:26 present two reasonable, independent testimonies for a fifteenth-century dating of the exodus despite their authors’ having lived over 450 years apart, perhaps writing around 586 and 1050 B.C., respectively. There’s even more literary evidence for an early date for the exodus from 1 Chronicles 6:33-37 and from rabbinical literature (e.g., the Seder Olam Rabbah), but I’ll leave you with only two final points.

First, if the plain reading of the Bible makes good sense, then there’s no need to seek an explanation that requires mental acrobatics. Clearly the historical, literary and archaeological evidence available to scholars has led to two rather disparate conclusions regarding the date of the exodus, but it seems to me that the argument for a fifteenth century date requires far less speculation and manipulation of the evidence.

Second, why did I spend so much time on this question? Because once again the Bible has been shown to be accurate (or at least reasonable) in all that it presents, and if it speaks the truth about matters of dating like this, then it can be trusted to tell the truth about matters of eternal significance.

– Daniel McCabe

Trivia (Find the answer below)

Bethlehem is traditionally known as the birthplace of which biblical figure?

On Location: Bethlehem

Today the “little town of Bethlehem” boasts a population of roughly 30,000, and though 85% of its residents followed Jesus Christ as recently as 1948, now almost 90% recognize Muhammad as God’s final prophet. The words, “How still we see thee lie,” popularized by Phillip Brooks’ 1868 classic Christmas carol, no longer match a snapshot of modern Bethlehem with its ubiquitous tour buses, crowded sidewalks, happy church bells and punctual muezzins calling the Muslim faithful to pray.

A collage of historical, cultural and religious sites beckon two million tourists to Bethlehem each year, including Rachel’s Tomb, Solomon’s Pools, the cave of St. Jerome and a one-of-a-kind museum covering the history of olive oil production. Although many tourists load up on embroidered dresses, mother-of-pearl earrings and nativity sets carved from olive wood, the two main highlights of any visit to Bethlehem typically include stops at the Shepherds’ Field, the traditional site of the angels’ appearance to the shepherds on that first Christmas night, and the Church of the Nativity, the traditional site of the birthplace of Jesus. Annually on Christmas Eve the Roman Catholic Church televises a midnight mass to the world from a chapel adjoining the church. The Syrian, Coptic and Greek Orthodox also take their turn at celebrating Christmas on January 6th, and the Armenians follow on January 19th. Bethlehem is a busy place this time of year!

However, where once the hills surrounding Bethlehem witnessed the simple lives of Ruth, Boaz and a shepherd boy named David, now they are complicated by the jumble of nearby Jewish settlements, Bedouin villages, refugee camps, IDF outposts and a formidable border wall emblazoned with creative (often political) graffiti. Even so, “the hopes and dreams of all the years are met” in Bethlehem tonight.

– Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study: The Children of Bethlehem

Since it’s still the Christmas season, let’s look at the darker side of the birth of Christ, the great sin committed by Herod shortly after Jesus’ birth. When the magi from the east were looking for the baby who was to be king over Israel, Herod the Great (this title did not refer to his moral character, of course, but to his other worldly exploits), who was famously paranoid and zealous to maintain his own power, made a desperate attempt to eliminate the threat of this future king’s claim to his throne.

Matthew 2:16-18 reads, “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

This account gives us a timeframe of up to two years since Jesus was born, which could place his birth as far back as 6 B.C. since Herod most assuredly died in 4 B.C. Thankfully, Joseph had already taken his family to Egypt to escape this horrifying event upon the warning that an angel gave to him in a dream. Herod’s slaughter of the innocents, as it is known, was so evil and heartbreaking against the Jews, that Matthew cites Jeremiah 31 and applies the lamentation of Rachel herself to this event. Rachel here is serving as the symbolic mother over the whole people of Israel, even though Judah was born to her sister Leah. Rachel was, after all, Jacob’s first love.

The reference to the city of Ramah that hears Rachel’s weeping is a very good indication that Rachel’s tomb (which has competing locations), is actually not in the traditional site of Bethlehem, but rather about 10 miles to the northeast on the Benjaminite plateau, close to Ramah.

This mass murder by Herod is a classic example of what someone’s jealousy can do. The sin nature that lies in all of us is capable of taking us to extremes that would surprise even us, but thanks of course to the birth of Christ and what He would eventually accomplish on the cross, freedom from sin is available to all who believe.

– Adam Keim

The Greatest New Testament Archaeological Discoveries …

#6, Temple Inscriptions (part 2 of 2)—The Place of Trumpeting

Don’t picture the trumpet that you played in your high school or college band, but rather a narrow, almost yard-long, single-shafted, silver or gold trumpet with a pronounced bell, but no valves. The Lord instructed Moses to make two such silver trumpets for use by the priests to call congregational assemblies, to sound battle alarms and to instruct the people to move out from the camp. These ancient trumpets changed little in form over the generations and probably looked very much like the ones pictured on the Arch of Titus in Rome.

According to Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, the priests who served at Herod’s Temple in Jesus’ day marked a place on the wall for the trumpeter to stand at the southwest corner of the temple complex in order to announce the beginning and the ending of the Sabbath day. In 1968 while excavating at the foot of this corner of the wall an Israeli archaeologist found a stone inscribed in part, “The place of trumpeting.” In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Herod’s Temple stone by stone and threw each one over the wall, creating a layer of rubble that yielded this incredible find almost nineteen hundred years later.

Today a siren can still be heard in Jerusalem, announcing the beginning of every Sabbath, though not from a trumpet and not from this location on the wall. The Lord told Moses, “The sons of Aaron shall blow the trumpets … as an ordinance forever throughout your generations,” so it’s sad that the corner of the temple remains quiet, but one day soon a trumpet will sound again, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven … with the trumpet of God” and we will experience a “day” of rest that will last forever. What a day that will be!

– Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

B. David

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Who We Are

Shalom Y’all Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all gifts to our ministry are tax-deductible. SYM was formed in 2021 to teach the Bible and lead tours to Israel. Our teaching and presentations feature the acronym S-H-A-L-O-M, which means “peace” in Hebrew.

Our Mission

To teach and encourage those who love the Bible, the land of the Bible and the people of the land and to lead educational tours to Israel that forever change the way you read your Bible and worship the Lord

Our Prayer

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

If you have any questions, are interested in learning more about our trips, would like to support us by check or schedule a seminar for your church, school, camp or group, then please contact us for more information at [email protected].

© 2025 Shalom Y’all Ministries

Cullman, AL 35058

Week Fifty-Two, 2025

“When Moses’ arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. In this way Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites” (Exodus 17:12–13).

It is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms during the battle with the Amalekites, as described in the biblical book of Exodus. When Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when his arms grew weary and he lowered them, Amalek began to win. Aaron and Hur stood on each side of Moses, supported his arms, and kept them steady until sunset, which resulted in Joshua and the Israelites defeating the Amalekites.

During a battle with the Amalekites, Moses stood on a hilltop and held up the staff of God, while Joshua led the Israelite forces below. As the battle wore on, Moses’ arms became too heavy to hold up, and he started to lower them.

Aaron and Hur brought a stone for Moses to sit on and then stood on either side of him, holding his hands steady. The outcome was that as long as his hands were held up, Israel was victorious. With Aaron and Hur’s support, Joshua and the Israelites were able to completely defeat the Amalekites.

This event, though it happened many years ago, gives us a lesson for today. Moses, though a popular and powerful person, could not have defeated the Amalekites but for the help of Aaron and Hur—men not known by many.

I think of the unnamed men in Damascus who held onto the ropes that let Paul escape in a basket let down over the walls of the city. “Little” men enabled a “big” man to continue on his missionary journey and write over half of the New Testament.

Life is like that; it is filled with people assisting other people to accomplish great things. Think of the people who support you as you journey through life.

But better than that, think of whose arms you will hold up in the coming new year.

PS: On a personal note to all our readers, may 2026 be a most blessed year for you and your families. Please pray for us as we pray for you.

Sometimes True Stories

A recent American Bible Society report found that only 39 percent of Americans read the Bible even three or four times a year.

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More Americans now say religion is gaining influence in national life than at any point in the past 15 years, the Pew Research Center said. The share of U.S. adults who said religion is gaining influence jumped from 18 percent to 31 percent between February 2024 and February 2025. While a 68 percent majority still believed that religion was losing ground, that number dropped dramatically from 80 percent the previous year. Pew called the increase “a sharp rise.”

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America is at risk of population collapse. Birth rates are at a record low of 1.6 children per woman, while the population is aging.

Meanwhile, the number of adults under the age of 50 without children who say they’re “unlikely to ever have kids” rose by as much as 10 percent over the past five years.

The United States is not alone in this trend—globally, the fertility rate has hit a 60-year low.

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According to a national survey, nearly 40 percent of adults 65 or older drink alcohol. “Older people become more sensitive to alcohol, breaking it down more slowly. And men are more likely than women to have problems with alcohol.”

Quotes You Can Use

If you want to lift your spirits, say 10 things out loud for which you have gratitude.

I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. —Abraham Lincoln

“Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor” (Proverbs 29:23).

If you find that God has not blessed you with the desires of your heart, could it be that you are asking Him to approve your plans instead of asking Him for His plans for you? —Travis Eades

Because the Bible is inspired by God, it is infallible and inerrant.

We don’t need to know what our future holds, as long as we know who holds our future. —Tony Ferguson

It’s easy to be angry with the success of others until we hear that there are even more people who find us to be similarly privileged. —Dwight Short

Obedience is better than comfort. Sometimes, loved ones will stand in the way of God’s will for your life—but obedience to God must come first, even when it leads to suffering. —Edgar Aponte

Pursue the will of the Lord even when it puts you at odds with those who love you. —Edgar Aponte

He came to be our Savior, our Sacrifice, our Substitute, our Surety, our Head, our Friend, our Lord, our Life, our All. —Charles Spurgeon

Do not desire to be the principal man in the church. Be lowly and humble. The best man in the church is the man who is willing to be a doormat for all to wipe their boots on, the brother to whom it does not matter what happens to him at all, so long as God is glorified. —Charles Spurgeon

When a child is born, he is the closest he will ever be to the image of God. —Tim and Darcy Kimmel

You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.

You cannot conquer what you will not confront.

If you don’t have Christ, then you don’t have God… and you don’t have hope.

As long as I know the Lord is standing with me, I can face the trials of tomorrow and the uncertainties of the future.

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. —Marcus Aurelius

Does it seem strange that a society that is so consumed with winning and losing omits the opportunity to win in life by neglecting God’s Word and ignoring the saving grace of Jesus?

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected].

© Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

Dr. Mark Ballard, {hD, Chancellor,

NEBC students may be on Christmas Break, but they are not taking a break from serving Jesus!

This last week has found students serving in many places all across the Northeast. Here in Bennington some of our students kicked off the week by leading a worship service last Sunday that included baptizing two new believers. Others participated in a Sunday night Community Christmas Concert in Petersburg, NY. The event was hosted at a church led by an NEBC graduate, who was able to share the Gospel with the crowd of around 200 people. Several students participated in Christmas and Christmas Eve services in various churches throughout Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. God is at work in and through NEBC.

Your partnership throughout 2025 has made a significance difference not only in the lives of our students, but in the many lives they touch by sharing the real meaning of Christmas across this region. Our prayer is that the light of the Gospel will shine even brighter across the Northeast in 2026 as it has in 2025. Please join us in asking the Father to expand the work of NEBC more in 2026 than in any year since we began.

As we move into the last week of 2025, there is still time to help NEBC reach our 2025 Year-end goals. A gift to The Presidential Partner’s Scholarship Fund will enable us to continue to provide educational opportunities to students who would otherwise not be able to attend college. A gift to the Dr. Gray Allison Village Student Housing Fund will help us make room for more students to gain the mind of a scholar the heart of a shepherd, and the perseverance of a soldier. A gift to the Downtown Campus Fund will allow us to move forward in purchasing and renovating a long-term campus that will support our rapid growth for years to come.

Today we pause to consider the Baker’s Dozen Principle #11. We find this principle revealed in 2 Corinthians 9:8.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Notice several key words in this short verse. “God is able.” What a thought! Sometimes we want to do something, but we are not able. Yet, our God is always able to accomplish whatever is needed. Here the Apostle makes the point that He is able to “make all grace abound toward you.” God’s grace is not limited! God’s grace abounds! While we usually think of God’s grace in the context of the greatest gift of salvation, in this context, Paul says His grace abounds financially as well. Notice that he writes that God’s grace is able to abound in such a way that “you (will) always have all sufficiency in all things.”

When I was a teenager, I remember being surprised by a story my pastor shared. He told about how when he was in seminary, he pastored a small church in Texas. During the week, he attended classes and worked at a local grocery store to provide for his young family. On the weekends they would travel to a small town and preach at a church, where his weekly offering was typically more than the church could pay him. Things were always tight, but the Lord provided for him and his family.

One particular weekend, he had not been able to cash his check from the grocery store before the bank closed. So, he had the check in his wallet when he arrived to preach at his small church that Sunday. As the service began, the Lord convicted his heart that he should endorse the check and put it in the offering plate. Pastor Roy explained that he did not have any extra money. If he put his entire check in, they would not have money for groceries, gas for the car, and the other needs that would arise through the week. Yet, he sensed the Lord’s leading strongly.

When the offering was received that Sunday morning, Pastor Roy pulled out his check, signed the back of it, and placed it in the offering plate, trusting that God was able to meet the needs of his family.

As the week progressed, various people approached Pastor Roy with unexpected gifts. By the end of the week, 90% of the check he had placed in the offering plate on Sunday had been given back to him. His family had food, gas for the car, and every other need met that week. He concluded that when we give as our Lord leads, the Lord will make sure we have all sufficiency in all things we need. The fact is we can trust our Lord to meet our needs. We can never out give God!

Today’s principle is clear, We can experience the joy of giving by trusting God to meet our needs.

In Him,

Mark H. Ballard, PhD

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Northeastern Baptist College

PO Box 4600

Bennington, VT 05201 · USA

Dr. Mark Ballard, Chancellor, Northeastern Baptist College

It was my privilege to grow up the son of farmers. My mother grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado. My dad also grew up farming in North Carolina, northeastern Colorado, and on the western slope of Colorado. My first home was a small shack on a small dry land farm in southeastern Colorado. While most of my growing up years were spent living in Pueblo, CO, my parents taught me the ways of the soil. In town we always had a large garden. When I was a teenager, we lived in town, worked a large garden, farmed 80 acres outside of town, and kept a two-acre garden on the farmland.

Some of my earliest memories includes helping my parents prepare the soil, plant seeds, water the seeds, weed the garden, watch the crops grow, harvest the crops, and use the crops to feed family and friends. At every opportunity both my parents taught me Bible truths through countless farming and gardening illustrations. One of the things that was emphasized related to the laws of sowing and reaping. Here are a few of those principles.

• You harvest what you sow. (If you plant green peppers, you will not get jalapenos.)
• You harvest later than you sow. (You must sow, pray, trust God, and wait for the harvest.)
• You harvest more than you sow. (It always amazed me how much fruit could come from one seed.)
• The more you sow, the more you harvest.

Drawing on the principles of sowing and reaping, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians with the next Baker’s Dozen principle. Notice his words.

“But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

For someone who grew up around gardening and farming, the principle immediately connects. Years after we were married, Cindy and I began gardening while we lived in Virginia. Each year we planted corn, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, serranos, habaneros peppers. I really enjoy cooking with hot peppers, but don’t care too much for green (sweet) peppers. So, we would usually plant a half row of green pepper seeds, and several rows of the hotter variety of peppers. Every year, we had more than enough green peppers for our use. However, we had far more hot peppers. Why? The answer is simple, we planted far more jalapeno, serrano, and habanero seeds than green pepper seeds. We sowed the green pepper seeds sparingly, but the hot pepper seeds were sown bountifully.

Today’s verse is sometimes taken out of context to emphasize the importance of large gifts over small gifts. However, Paul has already set the stage with the surrounding context. In fact, Baker’s Dozen Principle #8emphasized that we are not responsible to give more than we are able. The Macedonians were commended not for the size of their gift, but for the heart attitude of their giving. This verse is not intended to guilt people into giving more than they are able. Rather, it is about encouraging us to give what we are able as the Lord leads.

In our Virginia garden, it would not have made any sense for me sow only a small portion of the hot pepper seeds I had available and still expect to have more hot peppers than sweet peppers. If I sow a little, I will indeed reap more than I sow, but I will not reap as much as I would if I sowed more hot pepper seeds. If I sow sparingly (as I did the sweet pepper seeds) I will reap sparingly. If I sow bountifully (as I did the hot pepper seeds) then I will reap bountifully.

For the Corinthians, if they expected to make a bountiful impact on helping their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, they needed to give bountifully, in accordance with their ability. If they gave sparingly (far less than their ability) they should not expect to make as big of an impact as if they gave in accordance with their ability. As the Corinthians gave bountifully, they could, and should, expect God to take their gift and bring forth a bountiful harvest of help for the Jerusalem church. This expectation allowed the Corinthians to give in joy, rather than to give out of stress.

Simply stated, Baker’s Dozen Principle #9 says, We can experience the joy of giving by sowing bountifully. When I think about this principle in relationship to NEBC, the reality of it simply amazes me. Since the earliest days until today, the Lord has taken the financial seeds sown by our partners, blessed those seeds, and accomplished far more than I ever dreamed possible. We see a bumper crop every year, as the Father takes the seeds sown by our generous partners and brings forth a large harvest. The harvest brings joy to the partners, joy to the faculty & staff, joy to the students, and joy to the new believers.

The dollar amount is not in view with this principle. To some $25 may be a bountiful seed gift, while for others a bountiful gift may be $250, $2,500, $25,000, or even $2,500,000. What determines whether we are sowing sparingly or bountifully is how we give in light of our ability and the Lord’s leading.

Yesterday, it was my privilege to see a bountiful harvest from seeds sown by our Three-Strands Partners. Last spring our students reached out to a lady in her 90s. They began bringing her to church faithfully every Sunday. In June she entered eternity. Most of her family do not live in the immediate area. However, one of our students persistently pursued connecting with her family in Maine. As a result, they asked the student if a local church plant would facilitate a memorial service for her this fall. Three of our students led that service, loved on the family, and shared the good news of Jesus with them. Yesterday, a member of the family followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.

These students would never have had the opportunity to minister this way, if it were not for the prayers, encouragement, and financial support of partners like you. We praise the Lord for you and your bountiful seed sowing!

If you’d like to help students prepare for the work of the Lord, please cllck here to visit our website:

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December 22, 2025

It has been some years since my historical novel, Saving Jesus,” was published,but it was just this morning that the Lord pointed out to me its true central theme. It addresses the old question:

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

Psalm 2:1

Solomon pointed out the futility of our ancestor’s vain and arrogant behavior:

There is no wisdom,nor understanding, nor counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared against the day of battle but safety is of the LORD.

Proverbs 21:30-31

That truth provides the reason that we are able to greet one another with the phrase, “Merry Christmas!” It’s because there is no counsel that can stand against the Lord. He will accomplish his purpose. He did so through the birth and death of Jesus Christ, and he is ready to accomplish it in you.

If you begin searching through the first two chapters of Luke and Matthew, and read the accounts of the birth of Jesus, you have to be struck by all the wondrous events and seeming coincidences that occurred prior to, during, and following our Lord’s arrival on earth as a helpless baby.

We certainly should be impressed by the angel’s visits to Elizabeth, Zechariah, Joseph, and Mary, as well as through dreams and outright appearances, and the countless amazing events that accompanied Christ’s birth. And in the Christmas story, we see the first of his escapes from his enemies, specifically certain death from the depraved King Herod. And this again demonstrates again that:

“There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

It’s this passage in Psalm 2 sets that the stage for man’s futile attempts to stymie God’s plan:

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.’ He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in sore displeasure.

Psalm 2:1-3

As you meditate over these passages, you will discover many miraculous events surrounding the birth of our Lord. For example, King Herod took counsel with the chief priests and scribes, and privily called the wise men, and sent them to Bethlehem to find the child. But he did not hint of his own evil plans, nor that he had taken counsel against the Lord and against his anointed.

But, as the apostle Paul was to remark decades later, “The wisdom of man is foolishness with God,” for Paul too understood that, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

We look at things in the short term, the cause and effect, but God knows the end from the beginning, even before he formed the heavens and the earth by the word of his power. And centuries before Jesus’ birth, no, even further back, from the foundations of the earth, God was prepared for this event.

Do you believe that Daniel’s work in Babylon ended with his death? Do you not believe that Hebrew Magi lived on after that great prophet?

And while we tend to see Christmas as a single glorious night in which God intruded in the affairs of men to set things right, our Lord had been working everything out from the beginning of time, and has always had everything under control, and that includes the visit of the magi, a year or two after Jesus’ birth, all the way down to the matter of your salvation today. The Magi saw,

“…and, lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went before them, til it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, the rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child (no longer a babe in a manger) with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him.

Matthew 2:9-11

These wealthy magi, almost certainly more than three, had traveled in a caravan from “the east.” People joined huge caravans because large groups of bandits lay in wait to prey upon small groups of travelers. One caravan is known to have had over 100,000 camels.

The Bible states that they came from the East, from far across the inhospitable desert that still separates Israel from the fertile crescent, that lush area comprising the basins of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, perhaps the site of the Garden of Eden. Those wise men were required to travel over a thousand miles because few dared the desert, and so their journey required at least two months, and, more than likely, close to a year, as they circled to the north around the fertile crescent.

They would have stopped over at a number of oases, where they’d stay in well-defended and often magnificent and elaborate caravansaries. You can find photos of these places on the web. Some of these were palatial, but they were first of all fortified hotels. There were hundreds of them along the trade routes of that age, from China in the far east, all the way to the Roman Empire and down into North Africa.

And somewhere north of Damascus, our Magi would have finally turned south, and traveled along the King’s Highway to Jericho, where they would turn west, and ascend to Jerusalem.

And there, because they began asking,

Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Mat 2:3

Well, you probably know what happened next.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Matthew 2:4-7

Of course, all Jerusalem was troubled. They had their king, though many despised him because he wasn’t really a Jew, and he was vicious and troublesome. But this new “king of the Jews,” could threaten political stability and perhaps damage commerce and their profits. Caesar himself was considered a God, and the people of the land would get in trouble with the Roman authorities if there was any civil or religious disorder. Apart from that, the people of Jerusalem were a fickle crowd which would one day soon sing Jesus’ praises, and the next week cry out, “Crucify him!”

But Herod was a brilliant politician. He wouldn’t dignify this young upstart by deigning to visit him, but wanted desperately to know how to find him.

Then Herod, when he had privily (secretly) called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

Matthew 2:7-8

These wise men, these Magi, were not merely magicians or sorcerers, but were literally “wise men,” and they were seeking their Messiah.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

Now examine the next verse, for it’s the last mention of these Magi who had traveled over a thousand miles from the east to lay this wealth at the Christ child’s feet. We might assume that they spent the night of their visit in Bethlehem at the home of Mary and Joseph, but more than likely they stayed at the local, and relatively humble caravansary, the very “inn” which had no room available for Mary and Joseph on the night they arrived in that little town, and were therefore forced to shelter in a stable while the child was born. But that was certainly not the end of the story, and God wasn’t quite finished looking to their interests.

First the Bible addresses the challenge facing the wise men:

And being warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their country another way.”

Matthew 2:12

Their lives were at risk, and there were only two routes back East, one that passed around the desert to the north, and the other to the south. But whether their home was the ruins of ancient Babylon, or some other city far to the east, they knew that they couldn’t travel back through Jerusalem for fear of Herod’s wrath. So they would have traveled south along the King’s Highway, which had its origin in Heliopolis, Egypt, but they would have left that route to turn east toward the Red Sea, and finally turn north along a caravan route that offered water and shelter. And that’s all we know of those magi. They were warned, and they found another way home.

But Joseph, like the Magi, also received a divine warning:

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

Matthew 2:13-14

Mary had evidently already received her last visit from an angel, and while we are told that she kept these things, and pondered them in her heart, Joseph was very much at the epicenter of events. Clearly a loving husband and father, he had, like Mary, revealed himself as totally committed to the Lord. And like his beloved wife, he never hesitated to do what the angel told him.

This was not the last visitation he would have from an angel, and it’s no coincidence that this humble Jewish carpenter would be the strong and godly man who would not fail to hear and obey the word of God, just as Mary did not fail to hear and joyfully submit to the Lord’s will. They were fit surrogates to train up the baby Jesus.

The account of the toddler’s escape from the evil king, and the escape of his parents as well—from a monarch whose malice would result in the slaughter of every boy child “…from the age of two years old and younger…” living in the vicinity of Bethlehem—would go down in history as the massacre of the innocent, but Jesus escaped!

But even those events, which would make a great motion picture, represent only a brief glimpse into the preparations that the Father made to prepare the world for his son’s advent. For Paul tells us,

But when the fullness of time was come, God sent for his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

But in spite of all these events, on the night of his birth, the angel heralded,

“Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For

Luke 2:10-11

There it is in a nutshell: “..unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

But what did this “fullness of time” that Paul wrote of, really mean? Most Bible scholars teach that God prepared the world for Christ’s advent, not simply for the time of his birth, but also for the planting of his church, so that the gospel could be spread throughout the world. This preparation required a world in which the Lord’s disciples, evangelists, teachers, and church planters could more or less freely and safely travel. The Pax Romana, or “Roman Peace,” permitted reasonably safe travel on sea or land, and they had the Roman roads, which ran for thousands of miles around the Mediterranean basin, many of which—from the British Isles to the holy land—may still be hiked. The fullness of time even included a common language, one known to the people of every land, which made communications about politics, economics, and religion easy—the Koine Greek. God established common laws, common language, even common coinage for the advent of Christ.

But there was far more. The Roman Empire reached 1,500 miles, from the east end of the Mediterranean Sea, to Spain and even the British Isles in the west. Few, however, know that another world power, Parthia, lay to Rome’s east, or that seventy years before Christ’s birth, the Parthians actually occupied Israel, and their kingdom reached 1,500 miles in the opposite direction, from the holy land east, all the way to India. Nor do most people realize that the Parthians were so powerful that they destroyed two huge Roman armies, including one under the leadership of Mark Antony, a politician, general, and friend of Julius Caesar.

The birth of Jesus was directly impacted by the religious and political relations between these two world powers, but any plans and actions they might have taken came against him for naught.

Consider just one question: If the “wise men” hadn’t shown up at the home of Mary and Joseph the day that they did, and given the Christ child the precious “gold, and frankincense, and myrrh,” where would Joseph have gotten the substantial sum he needed to escape with his family, so that they could live as aliens in Egypt, whose borders lay hundreds of miles away. And that’s not to speak of the funds required to provide their food, housing, and clothes for the years they remained there, until the angel told Joseph they could safely return. And why didn’t those funds come from some believing Jew in Bethlehem, or Jerusalem, or somewhere else in the holy land? Why did God have to send wise men from the east?

It certainly is more than a coincidence in timing that the Magi arrived when their assistance would prove vital? It is a remarkable account of God’s timing as he worked in the hearts of people separated by vast distances, where a star in the sky, and angels moving hither and yon, while a Roman emperor, a Parthian queen, a Hebrew king, Jewish priests, a virgin mother, a carpenter father, the shepherds, and the Magi, all acting independently, proved that,

There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

Look again, because Psalm 2 sets the stage for man’s futile attempts to stymie God’s plans:

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in sore displeasure.

Psalm 2:1-5

Were those wise men, as I suggest in Saving Jesus, actually Jewish magi who were descended from the prophet Daniel? Were these figures, whom the world has secularized, men who worshiped the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who still lived in the region of ancient Babylon, in far off Parthia?

The Magi were feared and hated by the evil Parthian queen, a queen who murdered her benevolent husband to gain his throne, and married her own son to consolidate their power. Those wise men, however, were somehow able to escape Parthia and travel a thousand miles to the north, west, and again south, around the “Fertile Crescent,” not just to worship the Christ child, but to also unwittingly provide the means of the child’s escape from Herod?

Do you see how the angel’s intervention, and the heavenly dreams, and the long preparation of the world itself, set the stage for the trials and glorious deliverances that God used to send his only begotten son to earth for our salvation?

In spite of every scheme of every king or queen who rose up against God—and because of every undistinguished man and woman who remained faithful to him—and after all the centuries of waiting, during which prophets like Isaiah suffered persecution for declaring the coming of the Messiah, through all the plots and counter plots that saw kingdoms rise and fall, from the first Adam to the Second, we are able here to catch a glimpse of the enormity of God’s love, grace, and incredible foreknowledge and power, and it suddenly becomes eminently clear that there weren’t any coincidences at all.

For while the wisdom of God seems foolish to men,

There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the LORD.

Proverbs 21:30

Have you begun to see to what lengths God has gone to secure your salvation? Are you, as I am, beginning to understand the angel’s words:

Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy.”

Luke 2:10.

And that’s why we can sincerely shout,

Merry Christmas, everyone!

***

Copyright 2025, Frank Becker

December 20, 2025

Included in this week’s post:

The Archaeology of the Exodus, Psalm 23, Schnitzel, God’s Relationship with Creation, Chorazin.

Dating the Exodus

(Scripture and Archaeology)

Did the exodus occur in 1446 B.C. as the Bible teaches when read at face value or did it occur two centuries later, approximately 1270-1250 B.C., as commonly proposed by most secular historians and even some Christian scholars?

The first of the three historical arguments for the late date, which we examined last time, holds that the city of Raamses, mentioned in Exodus 1:11, refers to the city of Rameses built by Rameses II (1304-1236). It can be demonstrated, however, that the name Rameses existed in Egyptian history long before the time of Rameses II, so putting all one’s eggs in the Rameses basket may not be the safest approach. In fact, Rameses cannot be the pharaoh of the exodus for one convincing reason, which I’ll state very briefly. According to Scripture, the pharaoh from which Moses fled reigned at least forty years (and historical records show that Rameses is the only thirteenth-century pharaoh who reigned that long), but Moses only returned to Egypt to lead the Israelites to freedom after this long-reigning pharaoh died. Therefore, a late date would require Rameses II’s son, Merneptah, to be the pharaoh of the exodus. Surely, the historians know this, and it’s simply baffling to me why they continue to hold on to this broken timeline which embraces a rejection of the Bible’s proven reliability.

Nevertheless there are two additional historical arguments for a thirteenth-century date of the exodus with which we should be familiar. In 1939 an eminent archaeologist named Nelson Glueck first presented his findings, based on pottery analysis, that large areas of the Promised Land showed no evidence of permanent settlements during the period from 1900-1300 B.C., prompting secular archaeologists to conclude that the Israelites did not settle in the land around 1400 as the Bible teaches. Following Glueck’s research, secular archaeologists with little exception adjusted their dating of the Israelite conquest to the 1200s, and they have remained committed to this date ever since even though Glueck’s findings have been fully discredited.

Lastly, proponents of a late date for the conquest have pointed to the archaeological evidence of a widespread devastation of Canaanite cities in the thirteenth century, which they routinely attributed to the conquest under Joshua despite the fact that there is not one scrap of inscriptional evidence from that time which identifies the invaders and despite the fact that the Israelites were instructed to spare the physical cities of Canaan except for Jericho, Ai and Hazor (cf. Deut. 6:10-11; Josh. 24:13). Thus, we should not expect to find large scale destruction at the time of the conquest.

All three of these historical arguments for a conquest around 1270-1250 B.C. fall dramatically short. It’s true that archaeologists are now moving on to new unsatisfying arguments in support of a thirteenth century exodus, such as the sociological, geographical and political timeline of Egypt, the Merneptah Stele, and Israelite settlement patterns, but they strike me as an attempt to shore up an already weakened theory that’s either rooted in a professional bias against the biblical account or in a failure to accept a literal rendering of biblical passages that date the exodus.

Daniel McCabe

Trivia

What is the name of the Israeli parliament? (Answer near bottom of page)

Life in the Land: Schnitzel

As a pre-teen, growing up in Longview, Texas, my older brother sometimes rewarded me with a visit to Der Wienerschnitzel on Marshall Avenue for a hot dog and root beer after helping him with his paper route. The name literally means, “Schnitzel from Vienna,” which sounds a lot more exotic than “Hot Dog Express,” the restaurant that sits on the same site today.

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans consume seven billion hot dogs each year whereas you can buy schnitzel on virtually every street corner in Israel. Hot dogs and schnitzel are actually quite different. Schnitzel is thinly-sliced, breaded, fried veal, pork, or chicken that originated in Austria and Germany and was introduced to Israel by Ashkenazi Jews. Schnitzel might be served on a plate with potatoes, salad, rice or chips, but as a street food it’s usually served in a pita, baguette, or laffa mixed with favorites like cabbage salad, pickles, garlic mayo, tahini, hummus and, yes, even French fries.

Next time you come with me to Israel, I’ll show you my favorite places to find one. You’re in for a treat!

Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study: God’s Relationship with Creation

The final subtopic we’ll study is God’s relationship with the created order. This is where you and I come in! God created the material universe out of nothing for His own glory, and I will die on this hill. What’s the meaning of life? What’s the ultimate reason for anything? God’s glory! That’s why the universe came into being. That’s the ultimate purpose of all things—for His glory (Isaiah 43:7; Ephesians 1:11, “to the praise of His glorious grace”). God has complete sovereignty over His creation. He’s a personal being. He’s available to His creatures, and I am so thankful for that. God is at once imminent, close at hand here within the created order, especially in the person of the Son, as well as transcendent. He’s also beyond the created order.

God is eternal, existing before, during, and after time although I might argue—as crazy as it sounds—that time doesn’t actually exist. There is no time as an object, but we can get to that another time. Anyway, God is completely righteous. He’s just and He is the only rightful judge. God continues to hold the universe together, and He governs its affairs. He orders the affairs of human government, even the animal kingdom. But as God reveals Himself in Scripture, there are many places at which He speaks anthropomorphically, which means in ways that we can understand. When He mentions the sun rising in the east, for example, does it really rise in the east? We know that it doesn’t because the earth rotates. But it’s a figure of speech. It’s an expression of ways that we communicate and can understand, and although the Bible sometimes seems to describe things casually, really it’s God orchestrating it.

He’s also in control of every aspect of people’s lives. Here again, we might find some disagreement, but I’m convinced that He does control every molecule of the universe and all that happens. It is all for His glory. Even though He controls all things, He’s neither the author nor an approver of any sin. He has orchestrated the created order and all that happens, but He is not at fault for sin. It is our fault. This is a real tension found in Scripture, which we try to solve. But we need to hold these two supposedly contradictory things in tension. If I sin, ultimately it’s in God’s sovereign plan that I did, but I’m responsible for it. I can’t claim before God, “Well, really, it’s Your fault because You orchestrated this universe.” No, it is my fault. The Bible presents the reality that God has ordained the created order and all that happens, but also that I’m the one at fault for my own sin. The Bible presents both. They’re not a contradiction. They’re not in conflict with one another. Both are realities.

He is the just judge, and He does not tempt anyone to sin. This is very clear from 2 Chronicles 19, Hebrews 1 and James 1. God tests all the time. In the Garden of Eden, for example, He tested Adam and Eve with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they failed. He has tested people at many times and in many ways, but He’s never tempted anyone to sin. God is not the one enticing somebody to do evil. He can test, but He doesn’t tempt. Thankfully, God is knowable by His creatures—that’s us!—through the nature of the creation. We see this in Romans 1, the general revelation we talked about in my previous bibliology series, but also specifically in Scripture. God is known optimally by Jesus Christ Himself who is the perfect revealer of the Father to us. Jesus Himself makes this clear (Matthew 11:27; John 1:18).

I know that I’ve worked through a lot of different things with you here—God’s essence, His nature, His attributes, and His relationship with the created order. There are many more things I could have said, and if I were sitting down with you, holding a cup of coffee in my hand, I would love to have a great conversation about all this.

I am so thankful that His ways are not my ways. His ways are better than my ways. His thoughts are not my thoughts. His thoughts are so beyond my thoughts. I wish my thoughts and ways were like His because then I would be better. I would be holier.

I would be walking closer with Him, and as believers, we all must have the humility to say, “God, I will never comprehend You, and I know that I can never be as holy as You.” But our prayers should always be to walk closer with Him and to represent Him well in this world by sinning less and obeying Him more, walking uprightly and justly.

Even though we will never fully comprehend Him, we can be ever thankful that God is our Father, and through the grace and mercy provided through Jesus Christ, we can enjoy life in His presence forever.

Adam Keim

Ten of My Favorite Places in Israel: #9, Chorazin

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes,” (Luke 10:13)

I could have picked any number of Galilean locations for this entry, considering the pleasant climate and meaningful history of the region. Chorazin, located up the hill just northwest of Capernaum, is one of those places that makes you feel like you are exploring an ancient town. Many basalt stone remnants of the 3-4th century AD city still stand, but they are very similar to what was there in biblical times.

You will be impressed by the sturdy architecture of the buildings (walk with confidence under the old archways!) and the implements of daily living: olive presses, mangers, millstones, etc.

Pictured is the synagogue that features a “seat of Moses,” a chair of honor in which the synagogue’s authoritative interpreter of the law sat. Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses, and so their instructions should be heeded. But their hypocritical actions should be avoided (Matthew 23:1-7).

Unfortunately, Chorazin is mentioned in the Scriptures for a sad reason. The only times the city is mentioned is when Jesus uses it as an example of faithlessness. Consider that the Lord wrought countless miracles throughout Galilee. There could have been almost no death or disease in the whole area for years, for those who bothered to come to Jesus.

Those miracles drove people to heed His teachings, at least ideally. Chorazin and Bethsaida are chided for not responding positively (Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13). Surely some individuals believed, but the towns at large apparently did not. Even Tyre and Sidon, Gentile Phoenician cities, would have repented if they had seen what the Galilean did!

Adam Keim

Answer to the Trivia

A. Knesset

Who We Are

Shalom Y’all Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all gifts to our ministry are tax-deductible. SYM was formed in 2021 to teach the Bible and lead tours to Israel. Our teaching and presentations feature the acronym S-H-A-L-O-M, which means “peace” in Hebrew.

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