John Mark Hicks

Despite Israel’s adulteries and idolatries, Yahweh makes a surprising announcement. “Behold,” Yahweh says, I will renew my relationship with Israel as in the day when I brought her out of Egypt, loved her in the wilderness, and gave her prosperity in the land. A day is coming when Yahweh covenant with Israel in justice and […]

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the joy of several creation values in Psalm 128:1-3 (work, intimacy, and family) that are blessings from the Lord who dwells in Zion. Those who fear the Lord and walk in the ways of God are blessed from Zion and experience the peace and good of God’s creational […]

Ruth Seeks Naomi’s Security (Ruth 3:6-16) So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered […]

Naomi Seeks Ruth’s Security (Ruth 2:17-3:5) So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.  She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her […]

Imperial residents, submit to the empire. Slaves, submit to your masters. Wives, submit to your husbands. “In the same way” (homoios) heads the Greek sentence and connects Peter’s advice to the wives to the same ethic as his directives to slaves and imperial residents. This places the whole discussion under 1 Peter 2:12-13, that is, […]

“Faithless” is the word that dominates this section of Malachi. It occurs five times in Malachi 2:10-16 (10, 11, 14, 15, 16) and only here in Malachi. “Faithless” comes from the root bagad that means to deal with another treacherously. This word characterizes Israel’s covenantal relations and thus epitomizes what is broken in the life of post-exilic […]

Within the narrative of Mark, Jesus now leaves Galilee (Capernaum–the upper purple region on the map) and begins his journey to Jerusalem (10:1, 32). His route takes him into Perea (the lower purple region), the region “beyond the Jordan, on the eastern side of the river.” This is particularly significant since Jesus, though having left […]

This is quite daring, I must admit. Or, it might be rather idiotic. But in my quest to place my published writings on this webpage, I now turn to the 1970s.  It is rather chilling and sometimes quite illuminating to actually read what I wrote thirty years ago (wow! I really am that old). It […]

Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes by email and comments.  I appreciate them very much.  My wife and I had a wonderfully relaxing, peaceful and calm time in the mountains of Virginia as we camped together. It was a blessing to see God’s good creation, sit by the fire at night and spend lots of […]