Habakkuk and Easter In the festive Paschal service, during which the congregation is captivated in the joy of Christ’s resurrection, we hear an interesting reference to the Old Testament. The fourth ode in the paschal canon of St John of Damascus tells us that the Prophet Habakkuk foretold of the Incarnation and the triumph of the Son of God. This arises in the third chapter of his Old Testament book, being the Hymn of Habakkuk. Habakkuk wrote that God ‘will be revealed when the time comes’, being in Christ’s incarnation where he took on flesh and sanctified humanity. We then [...]

Jael and Sisera (Judges 4:17-23)   The book of Judges records that the Israelites fell away from God after arriving in the Promised Land. Having fallen into idolatry, Israel was enslaved for twenty years to King Jabin of Canaan. When the Israelites realised their sin and repented, Deborah and Barak led them to victory over the Canaanite army led by Sisera. However, the victory was not complete because Sisera fled the battlefield. In fleeing, Sisera reached the tent of Jael, who was the wife of Heber the Kenite. Jael received Sisera and gave him a blanket. When Sisera asked for [...]

Ruth   Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, is a role model to us all. She is one of only three women to have a Biblical book named after her, and one of the few women and non-Jews named in St Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. Her story begins in Bethlehem with a man named Elimelech, who had a wife Naomi and two sons. When famine struck, the family travelled to the idolatrous country of Moab to live. The Fathers teach that we are like Elimelech when, due to temptations and difficulties, we leave the Church to find haven in other [...]

Abraham and Melchizedek In Genesis 14 we read the story of how Abraham warred against the King of Sodom to rescue Lot. After his success, Abraham met a mysterious man named Melchizedek, King of Salem, who is described as a “priest of God Most High” (Gen 14:18). Melchizedek's name and title respectively translate as “King of Righteousness” and “King of Peace.” Melchizedek then blessed Abraham and, in turn, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe. This event is remarkable. Abraham was the father of the Jews and God had directly made a covenant with him, yet he made an offering to Melchizedek. [...]

Ezekiel’s Vision   The Prophet Ezekiel ministered to Israel in the 6th century BC. He was a contemporary of the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah. The Book of Ezekiel records several visions he saw from God. Visions are difficult to understand and interpret as they involve an attempt to describe – with human language – things that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard” (1 Corinthians 2:9). One such vision was Ezekiel’s vision of God and the four creatures in Chapter 1. Ezekiel describes seeing “four living creatures”, each with four faces and four wings (v 5 and 6). We later [...]