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Uncommon Wisdom: The Book of Job
Author: Unknown. Some suggestions include Job himself, Elihu, Eliphaz, Moses, and Solomon. Of these, the mostly likely seems to be Elihu. Date of Writing: 2100–1900 B.C. — Patriarchal Period. See next paragraph.
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Creation Science: My Vision of Its Future
The organizers of the International Conference on Creationism 2023 assigned me this topic as the keynote address on opening night at Cedarville University. My paper included more examples than I used during the address since my allotted time would not allow the fuller presentation.
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Creation: Critical to Biblical Faith
The Master’s University invited me to speak in chapel on February 21, 2024 as part of the 30th Creation Summit. For that chapel I chose to address the student body and faculty on the topic of biblical faith as related to biblical creation. My text: Hebrews 11:1–3.
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A Pilgrim’s Look Ahead
Leaping from 2022 into the unknown territory of 2023 could be likened to an airline pilot’s anxiety when faced with the necessity of landing a 747 safely in the Alaskan bush. Or, it can be likened to the proverbial “leap in the dark.” Taking leaps of faith challenges all of us as Christians. We know
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A Biblical Worldview
Many people today feel like they are adrift in a deep and expansive sea of competing worldviews. They are searching for truth and meaning for their lives. Too often, however, they ignore the greatest treasure they have access to for building their own worldview — the Bible.
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Israel Research Trip, Post #13
Tel Dan No site in Israel combines all the elements that Tel Dan displays: a delightful walk through the forest along the rushing waters of a source for the Jordan River, a high place notorious in the Old Testament, an example of a gateway containing both a judgment seat and massebot, and a Middle…
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CTS Memberships Available
As a member of the executive board of the Creation Theology Society (CTS), I’m thrilled to be able to pass on the following announcement to everyone visiting my personal website: We, the CTS Executive Board, are pleased to announce the formation of the Creation Theology Society, which will partner…
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Israel Research Trip, Post #9
Magdala For myself personally, Magdala provided a new opportunity to visit a site I had not previously visited. I was enthralled with the archaeological finds at this location and enjoyed walking through the excavations.
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Israel Research Trip, Post #3
Timnaʿ The valley of Timnaʿ sits about 20 miles north of the Gulf of Aqaba. The location stands out for its copper mining operations for at least 5,000 years. Only Spain’s southern region of Rio Tinto can claim such a long history of mining metals.
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Israel Research Trip, Post #1
After one week of research on the ground in Jordan, we turned our attention to Israel for the next two weeks. On our first day, six of us drove a rented van south to the Negev and the Gulf of Aqaba. We went with two purposes in mind: (1) to visit the site of ancient
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Dr. John C. Whitcomb, Jr. — In Memoriam
As he slept the night of February 5, Dr. John Clement Whitcomb, Jr. entered his Savior’s presence to hear his Lord’s “Well done, good and faithful servant.” For me he was a spiritual cedar of Lebanon, one of the giants of the faith who impacted my life for the past 57 years, especially as mentor
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #10
Where should we expect to find the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? I already addressed this matter in part in Post #9 about Lot’s Cave in the vicinity of Zoar. In that post I used the evidence of the biblical text, of toponomy (linguistics of place names), and the Medeba Map. In addition, we
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #9
This particular research trip set as one of its goals the evaluation of three lines of evidence with regard to identifying the locations of Sodom and Gomorrah and attempting to establish chronological timelines: (1) Biblical evidence within the text of Scripture itself as the prima facie evidence;…
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #8
Petra Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time. — John William Burgon Biblical Connections Preparing for a tour of Petra provides an opportunity to think about its biblical connections.
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #7
Aroer and the Arnon Gorge Most references in the Old Testament to Aroer occur with reference to a fortress on the edge of the Arnon Gorge known also as Wadi Mujib. Such a location fits “crest of a mountain” as the possible meaning of the name Aroer — another possible meaning would be “juniper,” a
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #4
Rabbah Ammon / Amman Citadel Today Amman serves as the capital of the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. In ancient times it was known as Rabbah of the Ammonites. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods the city was named Philadelphia (honoring Ptolemy II Philadelphos, ruler of Egypt 285–247 BC).
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #3
Peniel / Penuel Traveling southward from Haran (cf. Genesis 27:43), Jacob fled from Laban with Rachel and Leah to the hills of Gilead (Genesis 31:21).
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #1
For the first week of December 2019 my travels take me to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with a group connected with Shepherds Theological Seminary and The West Institute. As we visit various sites of significance for biblical studies, I will post a few pictures and a brief description.
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Priceless Treasures in Familiar Settings—Psalm 23:1
Priceless treasures of propositional truth reside in divine Scripture. Priceless, because their value exceeds anything this world has to offer. Treasures, because such truths enrich the soul, infuse life with supreme joy, and produce contentment no amount of earthly treasures can supply.
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Digging for Truth Interview, June 23
In May Henry Smith of Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) interviewed me on his program, “Digging for Truth.” WBPH TV-60 of Bethlehem, PA works with ABR to make this broadcast/podcast. ABR has made a preview available (click on this link).
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The Authority of Scripture in the Book of Jeremiah
Introduction Jeremiah “combined the fearlessness of Amos, the loving concern of Hosea, and the stern grandeur of Isaiah.”[1] The Word of God is one of the major themes of the Book of Jeremiah. “‘And those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number.
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My Recommendation: Qumran Interpretation of the Genesis Flood
Jeremy D. Lyon, Qumran Interpretation of the Genesis Flood (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2015) focuses on four key Qumran fragmentary manuscripts with significant contributions to the study of the Genesis Flood: the Genesis Apocryphon (1QapGen), a commentary on Genesis (4Q252), an admonition…
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Shalom Living for God’s People
In 2014, as part of my participation in the ministries of Abraham Lincoln Foundation of Albania (ALFA), Robb Provost (ministry director) asked me to prepare and present a study about “shalom living” from the Old Testament.
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Uncommon Wisdom: Old Testament Wisdom Books
Introduction Overall, Old Testament (OT) wisdom books are fairly anthropocentric (man-centered) since they address the issues of everyday living faced by God’s people. That does not mean that they are not also theocentric (God-centered).
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The Book of Genesis and Resurrection Sunday
HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Sometimes we allow ourselves to so compartmentalize the Bible’s teachings that we fail to grasp the overarching unity of Scripture. On this Resurrection Sunday, I found a tremendous blog at the website for Is Genesis History? Yes, the superb film produced by Dr.
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My Recommendations: Book of the Week, December 31
What do you read as you enter into a New Year? What about reading a book about radical change? Michael J. Oard and John K. Reed give us How Noah’s Flood Shaped Our Earth, a new publication of Creation Book Publishers in 2017.
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My Recommendations: Books of the Week, September 10
I’ve taken the unusual step of recommending two books on the same topic this week. Too often, commentaries on Genesis 1-3 and Psalm 104 (just to cite two examples) conclude that “cosmic-conflict mythological language” permeates the biblical account (Longman, Psalms, TOTC, 360, about Psalm 104:5-9).
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The Self-Existence of God: What does it mean? Why does it matter?
When someone uses words like “the self-existence of” anything, it sounds like something philosophical and esoteric.
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Hebrew Whiteboard Update, Psalm 104:1-12
Completing the first third of Psalm 104, our analysis takes another distinct turn in its point of reference: the topic becomes the ongoing natural order of the earth as determined by its Creator.
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Messianic Hope and the Gentiles–Thinking Through Romans 15:8-13
Romans 15:8-13 provides us with the apostle Paul’s theology of Messianic hope as founded upon the scriptures of the Hebrew Bible. In this significant text he builds upon the revelation of hope about which he speaks in Romans 15:4.
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Messianic Hope and the Gentiles
Even before the creation of the world (1 Peter 1:17–21), God appointed Christ and His perfect sacrifice as the basis for showing mercy to the Gentiles. Through Christ they could experience hope in spite of being strangers to Israel and not being recipients of God’s covenants with
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Blessing–Even in Affliction
Sometimes our lives seem as fragile as a bluebell clinging to its perch on an ancient chapel’s stone wall. The prophet Jeremiah caught the deep emotional pain disobedient Jerusalem must endure as the Lord brings upon her the covenant curses as discipline.
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Hebrew Whiteboard Update: Psalm 104:5-8
Continuing with our analysis of Psalm 104, we soon discover that the exegetical evidence favors a change of topic at verse 6. The transition commences with mere implications–a delicate poetic transference that gradually prods the reader into a different direction.
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My Recommendations: Book of the Week, July 23
In yet another superb ebook, Michael Vlach tackles the issues involved in determining how the New Testament writers use the Old Testament. How Does the New Testament Use the Old Testament?: A Survey of the Major Views examines seven major viewpoints.
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My Recommendations: Book of the Week, June 19
Seven weeks ago I recommended the Grand Canyon companion to this guide book in the True North Series.
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Hebrew Whiteboard Update: Psalm 104:1-4
Psalm 104 provides a break from the early psalms (Psalms 1-6) and from the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120-122). This psalm presents the poetic description of Creation as compared to the narrative of Genesis 1:1-2:3.
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Identifying the imperatives in Biblical Narratives
Narratives occupy a large portion of the Bible, whether its pages record the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph or the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness, or the events surrounding the judges and kings of Israel, or the stories of Ruth or Esther.
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Identifying the Imperatives in Biblical Narratives
Narratives occupy a large portion of the Bible, whether its pages record the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph or the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness, or the events surrounding the judges and kings of Israel, or the stories of Ruth or Esther.
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Implications or Applications?: Preaching Biblical Narratives
Some preachers produce abundant applications (or, implications?) for their congregations from biblical narratives, whether they are Old Testament historical narratives like Judges 4 or New Testament Gospel narratives like Mark 3. Other preachers insist they should offer only theo
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My Recommendations: Book of the Week, May 8
Instead of a book this week, I am recommending a DVD of one of the best documentaries I have ever seen on the historicity of the early chapters of the Book of Genesis: “Is Genesis History?” Del Tackett (who directs The Truth Project ministry) was on one of our first rafting trips into the Grand…
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My Recommendations: Book of the Week, May 1
For the past ten years I have had the great privilege and joy to take rafting trips through the Grand Canyon teaching from Genesis 1-11 about Creation and the Flood. Tom Vail, the founder of Canyon Ministries and a co-author of this book, has been one of my mentors in the canyon and has become a
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My Recommendations: Book of the Week, April 24
What Happened in the Garden: The Reality and the Ramifications of the Creation and Fall of Man, edited by Abner Chou (Kregel Academic, 2016) offers a collection of essays by Dr. John MacArthur and the faculty of The Master’s University.
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Hebrew Whiteboard
Structural or logical line diagramming serves as one of the chief means by which the exegete can identify verse structure in the Hebrew Bible.
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Biblical Genealogies: Begetting a Devotional Reading
What do you do when you come to the book of 1 Chronicles in your Bible reading? Skip?–Jump over genealogies without reading. Skim?–Read the inserted headings, but not the text. Scavenge?–Read only the narrative inserts, like the one about Jabez. Squirm?–Read with distinct discomfort.
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Biblical Genealogies: Begetting a Devotional Reading
You’ve heard it and maybe even said it yourself, “When I get to a genealogy in my Bible reading, I just skip it.” Genealogies (lists of names telling who is related to whom) can be boring and intimidating—especially if you have to read all those hard-to-pronounce names aloud for
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Creation Summit, The Master’s University
The Master’s University hosted the Creation Summit 2017 on February 24-25. Dr. Abner Chou opened the summit with his TMU Chapel message on Friday, February 24. On Saturday, February 25, Dr. Todd Wood, myself, and Dr. John MacArthur spoke in the day’s three sessions.
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Hi-def Leadership in a Hi-def World: Attributes of Godly Leaders
High-definition (or, Hi-def , or HD ) refers to increased visual resolution as compared to the commonly used standard of resolution. This involves twice as many scan lines per frame, a proportionally sharper image, and a wide-screen format. In other words, this technology produce
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What Books Do You Recommend Most Highly?
Everyone who loves books, selects certain books as their favorites. Through 54 years of Christian faith and over 50 years of ministry and study, I have come to appreciate a large number of authors and titles. A full listing remains outside the purpose of this post.
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Dr. Barrick’s Books
Over the years God has given me the opportunity to write. Many of the items listed under this site’s Publications consist of journal articles published by The Master’s Seminary Journal. The list I’ve created, however, consists of books I have written or to which I have contributed.
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New Parkingspace23 Blog Post
Royal Priests–Similarity, Not Identity If you have ever wondered about the identification and nature of the Christian’s priesthood, this brief study should be of interest.
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Royal Priests—Similarity, Not Identity
How is the Church’s priesthood like that exercised by Melchizedek or by believing Israelites? Melchizedek’s functional role joined together kingship and priesthood—his was the first royal priesthood (Genesis 14:18). An echo of Melchizedek’s priesthood occurs when God appoints Isr
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NEW BOOK — Searching for Adam
Searching for Adam: Genesis and the Truth about Man’s Origin, edited by Terry Mortenson (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2016) has now been published. Available on Amazon.
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Noah’s Flood and the Biblical Record
Over the past two weeks the Dispensational Publishing House Blog published a two-part article on what the Bible reveals about the global and catastrophic Flood of Noah’s time.
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Creation–Peripheral Doctrine?
Is the doctrine of creation a peripheral or secondary (or even tertiary) biblical doctrine? Some scholars opine that instantaneous, miraculous, divine creation as a doctrine should be exchanged for natural evolution.
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≈ ≠ =
This ancient inscription caught my eye as I walked through the Pergamon Museum in Berlin in November 2015. The inscription above the raised hand says, “I am Barrakib, son of Panammu.” King Barrakib ruled in Sam’al (modern Zincirli) in Turkey.
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Enemies of Truth Willingly Falsify
Isn’t it amazing how truth attracts falsehood and how enemies of truth will even manufacture a falsehood as their weak attempt to battle truth? Jesus pointed to the source of such falsification when He said that Satan was “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
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Brazilian Creation Conference PowerPoints and Notes–in Portuguese
In June 2015 I had the great privilege of participating in teaching and preaching in Fortaleza, Brazil. The organizers translated my PowerPoint presentations and conference notes into Portuguese. The topic for the conference was Creation.
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The Noahic Covenant’s Impact on Caring for Creation
For the 2012 National Meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society I presented a paper providing what I believe to be a biblical contribution to the topic of environmental ethics.
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Elihu and Moses (the Book of Job and Genesis)
Starting in Job 33, Elihu, the youngest of Job’s friends, addresses Job, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad regarding their erroneous views about God’s character and Job’s problems.
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The Rain and the Rainbow: When Did They Begin?
Any search for mention of “rain” in the Old Testament finds it mentioned only in Genesis 2:5 prior to the rain that brings the Flood in 7:4.
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Salvation in the Old Testament
In the week prior to Resurrection Sunday, the minds and hearts of all born-again believers turn to the marvelous redemptive work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in His sacrificial death.
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Is there a gap in Genesis 1:2?
[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] (The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was upon the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the water.) Some expositors propose that verse 2 represents a gap in the record of creation events.
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2013 McDonald Lecture Series
Recently Dr Barrick was asked to speak at Central Seminary on the theme “In the Beginning: Creation and Biblical Authority.” Central Seminary has now put these lectures online for free download. You can click the links below to play the lectures.
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Revelation 21:9-22:5–The Holy City, The New Jerusalem
The final vision that John receives reveals details concerning the New Jerusalem. Readers normally ask two questions: (1) Does this city exists in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ or in the Eternal State? (2) Who are its citizens?
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Ancient History and Dating the Flood
Q: I would like to know where, historically, would you place the Tower of Babel and Noah’s Flood and what effects those dates might have on ancient near eastern history. I have not found a reasonable response to a question about Genesis 11:10–32.
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How does the doctrine of last things complete the doctrine of first things?
This message was delivered at Impact Bible Conference in New Zealand on June 3, 2011 from various scriptures.
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Adam’s Rib
Many preachers have used Genesis 2:18-25 as a selected passage to read at weddings. On a number of occasions I have heard a pastor talk about the fact that God selected a “rib” in Gen. 2:21 to use to “fashion” the woman. I have heard several pastors claim that there is significance for the selection
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“Ur of the Chaldeans” (Gen 11:28-31): A Model for Dealing with Difficult Texts
Scholars are still puzzled over the appearance of “Ur of the Chaldeans” in Gen 11:28 and 31.
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The Openness of God: Does Prayer Change God?
A proper understanding of two OT prayers, one by Hezekiah and one by Moses, helps in determining whether prayer is the means by which God gets his will done on earth or the means by which the believer’s will is accomplished in heaven.
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The Integration of OT Theology with Bible Translation
Translation of Scripture should be faithful to the original languages of the text, but should also communicate the text’s meaning accurately to the modern reader so that he may reach proper theological conclusions.