Dr. Mariottini

«Venid, adoremos y postrémonos; arrodillémonos delante de Jehová nuestro Hacedor. Porque él es nuestro Dios; nosotros el pueblo de su prado, y ovejas de su mano» (Salmo 95:6–7). El salmista nos invita a adoptar una postura que nuestro mundo moderno resiste cada vez más. «Venid, adoremos y postrémonos; arrodillémonos delante de Jehová nuestro Hacedor.» Estas palabras del Salmo 95:6–7 nos llaman a…

“来啊，我们要屈身敬拜，在造我们的耶和华面前跪下。因为他是我们的神，我们是他草场的羊，是他手下的民。”（诗篇95篇6至7节） 诗人邀请我们进入一种姿态，而这正是现代世界日益抗拒的姿态。“来啊，我们要屈身敬拜，在造我们的耶和华面前跪下。”诗篇95篇6至7节的这些话语，呼召我们离开那种我们常常对神所采取的随意态度，转而进入一种在身体、情感与心灵上都深深降服的位置。然而，在这呼召我们谦卑的话语之中，却蕴含着圣经中最温柔的肯定之一：我们不是在一位遥远暴君面前的奴隶，而是一位充满慈爱的牧者所宝贵的羊群。 希伯来文中“屈身”一词带有俯伏的含义，意即将自己降卑在另一位面前。这个词在旧约中反复出现，所涉及的处境从恭敬的问候到宗教的敬虔，无所不包。当它用于宗教的语境中（正如此处），它所表达的是在全能者面前对自己的意志与骄傲的彻底交出。随后“跪下”一语进一步强化了这种身体降服的意象。诗人不仅仅是在建议一种内…

“Vinde, prostemo-nos e adoremos; ajoelhemo-nos diante do SENHOR que nos criou. Porque ele é o nosso Deus, e nós somos o povo do seu pasto e as ovelhas do seu aprisco” (Salmo 95:6–7). O salmista nos convida a uma postura que o mundo moderno resiste cada vez mais. “Vinde, prostemo-nos e adoremos; ajoelhemo-nos diante do SENHOR que nos criou.” Estas palavras do Salmo 95:6–7 nos chamam a abandonar a…

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:6–7). The psalmist invites us into a posture that our modern world increasingly resists. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” These words from Psalm 95:6–7 call us away from the casual stance…

The Egyptians Admire Sarah’s Beautyby James Tissot The story of Abraham’s descent into Egypt, recorded in Genesis 12:10–20, stands as one of the most morally troubling episodes in the entire patriarchal cycle. Coming so swiftly on the heels of the great divine call in which God promised Abraham land, posterity, and blessing for all nations (Gen. 12:1–3), the Egyptian sojourn reveals the patriarch…

Note: This post is based on a sermon preached at Trinity Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, February 8, 2004. Introduction Prayer is the heartbeat of the Christian life. It is the means by which believers commune with God, express their dependence on Him, and bring their needs and the needs of others before His throne of grace. Yet despite its centrality, prayer is one of the most…

Claude MariottiniEmeritus Professorof Old TestamentNorthern Baptist Seminary Deborah is one of the most remarkable women in the Hebrew Bible. She is the only woman in the Old Testament who was involved in a military struggle to deliver her people from oppression. As a prophetess, judge, and leader, she summoned the tribes of Israel to battle against the Canaanites and led them to victory. Despite…

Prehistoric handaxes discovered in the ancient cave near HaifaCredit: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority Every so often the ground of the Levant opens to reveal something that reframes how we think about the land we study. The latest discovery comes from the slopes of the Carmel, near the town of Fureidis, just south of Haifa. There, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority…

Remains of Bronze Age storage jar recently discovered at the ancient site of Shiloh, June 12, 2026.Credit: Mishkan Shiloh Foundation A recent report from The Jerusalem Post has once again drawn attention to one of the most important religious sites in ancient Israel. During the annual excavations at Tel Shiloh, archaeologists working under the direction of Dr. Scott Stripling uncovered three…

Divine Violence and the Character of God In my book, Divine Violence and the Character of God (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022), I discuss Israel’s mission in the world. Here is a summary of how Israel’s mission takes shape through the arguments in my book: 1. Witnesses to the Divine Pathos Rather than portraying Israel’s mission as simply surviving or enacting judgment, my book emphasizes that…

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9). In the middle of Psalm 36, nestled between David’s observations about human wickedness and his plea for God’s continued protection, we encounter one of Scripture’s most luminous declarations: “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” This verse does not merely describe God’s attributes; it…

Paul Gustave Doré(b: January 6, 1832; d. January 23, 1883) The Text “The word that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, ‘Woe is me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my…

Rape of DinahBy Giuliano Bugiardini (b. 1475)Public Domain, Wikipedia Commons The Text “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the region. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the region, saw her, he seized her and lay with her by force. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the girl, and spoke tenderly to…

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:2). There is a hunger built into the human heart that nothing earthly can satisfy. The psalmist captures this profound truth with visceral language that speaks to our deepest experience. He does not merely say he wants to go to the temple or that he thinks worship is important. He…

A New Devotional Journey Through All 150 Psalms There is a book in the Bible unlike any other. It does not simply tell us about God. It teaches us how to speak to God. For three thousand years, the Book of Psalms has been the living prayer book of the people of God, carried through the wilderness, sung in the Temple courts, whispered in exile, chanted in cathedrals, and murmured at bedsides in…

“Why does your anger burn” (Exodus 3212) Part 1 – Click Here Part 2 – Click Here Theological Synthesis: Prayer, Repentance, and the Triumph of Love The Efficacy of Intercessory Prayer The first theological affirmation that Exodus 32:7–14 yields is the genuine efficacy of intercessory prayer. The narrative is constructed in such a way that Moses’ intercession is the decisive turning point. Before…

“Why does your anger burn” (Exodus 3212) Read Part 1 by clicking here. A Close Reading of Exodus 32:7–14 The Transfer of Ownership and the Irony of “Your People” The dialogue in Exodus 32:7–14 opens with God addressing Moses in an immediately startling manner. Rather than speaking of “my people,” the standard covenantal designation for Israel, God says: “Go down at once! Your people, whom you…