In the first article in this series, we established that the Bible is the most important tool in our toolbox for improving our relationships. The next piece of equipment we need? A mirror. When I am serious about working toward better relationships, the first place to start and the only element I can control is myself. In this and the next three articles, we will look to improve ourselves using as a guide James 1:19, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

In verse 11 of Hebrews 11, the writer shifts momentarily from Abraham’s faith to that of Sarah.  It is through Sarah’s faith in God’s promise that she is able to conceive at the age of 90 and jointly with Abraham receive the blessing of the promise.

Mary of Bethany and her siblings were very dear friends of our Savior. It is quite possible that Jesus stayed in their home in Bethany many times when he visited Jerusalem, which was just a 20 or 25 minute walk just over the Mount of Olives.  Luke 11:38-41 notes one particular visit: “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’”  Mary, her sister Martha, and their brother Lazarus were all disciples of Jesus.  But in this text, we are reminded of how important our discipleships must be to us, how carefully we must dedicate ourselves to them, and how sincerely we must devote ourselves to them.  Mary deserves our consideration as we examine the nature of our own discipleship.   I would like to meet her; I know I would like her very much.

Mary was born somewhere around 16-20 BC, and though we do not know where she was born, she certainly lived at least some of her teenage years in Nazareth of Galilee. The Galilee of the time of Jesus was not only the richest, fertile farmland, cultivated to the utmost – it was covered in towns and villages filled with working class families and served as the center of many trades and industries; it was important land for the nation of Israel. Galilee was in an area with several very busy roads that accommodated the commerce of the world at that time. Nazareth was a city with one of the great caravan routes – leading from the sea to Damascus. People of all nations, busy with another life than that of Israel, would appear in the streets of Nazareth daily. For Mary, this meant she was accustomed to many thoughts and associations related to the outside world that would be discussed and introduced in Nazareth by these travelers. Mary would have gone to the market and done her daily business in the streets with people from all over – with all kinds of new products and ideas.

I just checked, and a search on Amazon for “Improving” and “Relationships,” brings over 10,000 results! Apparently, there’s quite a market for people looking to improve their relationships.

It has been said that the 20th century was the bloodiest in human history. With two World Wars and countless other smaller wars, millions of human beings were killed. However, history is filled with cruel empires, and Nahum was prophesying to one such kingdom – Assyria. As many would feel some level of hope in hearing of the fall of the Axis powers, likewise, those who had been victims of the Assyrians held out hope that Assyria would fall. The Assyrians were cruel and advertised freely on tablets and palace walls the different forms of torture they would inflict on their conquered. A quick internet search or visiting some of the museums that have archeological finds from this empire can show you exactly how cruel the Assyrians were. Nahum the Elkoshite delivered his message after the fall of Thebes occurred in 663 BC (Nah. 3:8) but while Assyria was still in a dominant position – so most likely, Nahum prophesied sometime between 630 – 612 BC. His poetry is quite powerful and expressive and includes a chiasm in chapters 2-3 centered on the “Woe” speech in 3:1-4.

Joel is a difficult book to date and, depending on the scholar, can be placed as early as 900 BC to as late as 400 BC. In addition, there is not much information about the prophet himself. His name means “Jehovah is God,” and we do know from the book that he is “the son of Pethuel.” Although we aren’t given enough details to know the date for certain or very much about Joel, his message remains as timely today as to his audience at the time.

In Acts 9, we view a small snapshot of the life of Ananias from Damascus. We meet him after he has accepted the gospel of the Way, in the capital city of Syria, about three years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. We don’t know how Ananias has become a disciple of Christ, but verse 10 tells us that he is a disciple. It is possible that he has heard the gospel message of the new kingdom while visiting Jerusalem or another area of Judea or from another zealous disciple who had returned with the good news. But he is a Christian, he is living in Damascus, and he is defined by his belief and obedience to do the will of God. I would love to meet him; I know I would like him.

Micah was a younger contemporary of Amos and Hosea (in Israel) and Isaiah (in Judah) and was from the town of Moresheth-Gath in Judah. Interestingly, this town was near the fortress town of Lachish which was besieged by the Assyrian empire. He prophesied from approximately 740-690 BC, and his name means “Who is like Yahweh?”

Continuing our look into Hebrews 11, after the examples of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, the Hebrew writer mentions Abraham. He’s going to speak about Abraham in verses 8 - 10 and then again in 17-19. I’m also going to deal with Abraham in two sections because I don’t know how you wouldn’t…I mean, if it’s good enough for the Hebrews writer…

Hosea prophesied in the reign of Jeroboam II, most likely after Amos had prophesied to Israel, around 750 B.C.  His name means “salvation” or “deliverance,” and although we don’t know exactly where he was from, it appears that he was originally from the northern kingdom of Israel.  Knowing he was sent to Israel in a similar timeframe as Amos is interesting as these men appear to be very different.  Whereas Amos is stern, and his language emphasizes justice, Hosea seems to be focused on mercy and filled with more emotion.  Hosea is still bringing a message of judgment against the Israelites, but the tone is very different from that found in Amos.

Several years ago, Russ, Lee, my nephew, and I stopped at a Taco Bell while traveling in Orlando, Florida.  As we walked into the place, all seemed calm; the seating area was clean but almost empty, and Donna greeted us from the register with a radiant and friendly smile and disposition.  “Whatcha need, baby?” she said as we stepped up to the counter.  As I proceeded to give my order, I glanced over to notice about 6 to 8 customers standing to my left and several of Donna’s colleagues answering questions and attending to the concerns of these customers the best they could.  

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

In Hebrews 11:6, we are told that without faith, we can’t be pleasing to God.  It is the beginning; the seed of our hope rests in the knowledge that God is and that He will keep His promises and reward those who seek to be with Him, which has been the rule since the beginning of time, one which Abel and Enoch obviously lived by.  

I love the song that Solomon wrote; it is one of my favorite texts to teach. There are several opinions about how many main characters there are in the beautiful “Song of Solomon.”  The opinion that I am most comfortable with is that there are three main characters who interact in the song.  There is the King, who I believe is Solomon himself.  There is a young Shulamite woman, who has been taken to the palace to become part of the court of young ladies.  There is a shepherd, who tends sheep in the hills of Ephraim having already won the heart of the young Shulamite.

In the last article, we started looking at the historical figures of faith listed in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. The writer begins, literally, at the beginning with Cain and Abel and assures us that Abel’s faith speaks to us even today.

Luke 19 tells us of an interesting encounter as Jesus makes his way through Jericho to the capital.

Amos was not your typical prophet. He was a herdsman from the small village of Tekoa. This blunt and direct outdoorsman was sent to the northern kingdom of Israel to preach to a complacent, corrupt, and wealthy upper-class citizenry.

Jonah was written in approximately 780 BC and appears to be about the same prophet mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. Jonah prophesied to Israel for a king who is said to be evil, and we have no record of his prophecies in 2 Kings other than they seem to center on the restoration of Israel’s borders due to God’s mercy. Keep this in mind as we now get a detailed snapshot of a story in Jonah’s life.

Sacrifice has, from the beginning, been a bond between man and God. God through grace and with mercy gave a series of instructions for His people concerning the sacrifices that they would continuously offer as they lived their days on earth. Leviticus chapters 1-7 are the instruction and guide for the faithful worshipers and priests, under the new law, concerning the burnt offerings, the cereal offerings, the peace offerings, and the transgression offerings.