The Prophet Samuel was one of the holiest prophets of the Old Testament. But what I find most interesting is that Samuel grew to be a holy prophet while living in the midst of a very corrupt religious and political context. Samuel’s holy mother, Hannah, was barren. But God heard her prayer after many years and much humiliation. God gave her a son, and at the age of three, Hannah gave her…
Many are called, but few are chosen. Who are the elect? Throughout the Bible the term “the elect” is used to refer to “God’s chosen people,” and I had always assumed, influenced by culture and my Protestant background, that the elect were synonymous with the saved. However I read an article lately that has challenged this unexamined assumption. The article was written by a Russian Orthodox priest, R. P, Alexander Turincev, in…
Saint Paul warns Timothy twice (1 Tim. 6:11 and 2 Tim. 2:22) to flee temptation. On an external level, this fleeing takes the form of exiting yourself from the situation, like Joseph fleeing the temptation of Potiphar’s wife. This leaving the situation may have adverse consequences, as it did for for both Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Joseph suffered losing his position and ending up in prison, but Potiphar’s wife also suffered adding…
