Tommy Mann

The Old Testament, specifically in books like Exodus and Deuteronomy, contains numerous laws that might seem pointless to us today. What can we glean by reading these ancient commands given to the Jews? Please allow me to offer one important truth.  The Jews were not the only ancient people to have laws. For example, the Law Code of Hammurabi, established in 1726 BC, states that if a man commits murder, his daughter can be executed in his stead. The Laws of Eshunna (circa 1800 BC) says that if a man kills someone’s female slave, he must make restitution by giving the slave owner two new female slaves. These law codes make it quite clear that men were of far greater value than women, and slaves were property. When we compare those Babylonian and Akkadian law codes with the law of God in the Old Testament, we see a completely different picture. Far from the modern claims that the Bible is chauvinistic, the Scriptures stand in stark contrast to the nations around them. Consider Deuter...

  The unknown author of Hebrews went to great lengths to tell us that Jesus is better. Using the word better 13 times in 13 chapters, the author shows that Jesus is better than Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Melchizedek; He gave a better promise, made a better sacrifice, mediated and better covenant, serves from a better temple, and is a better priest.    In the opening chapter Jesus is shown to be better than the angels, which the Jews held in very high regard. Alluding to Deuteronomy 32:43, the author reminds his audience that the angels worship Jesus, not the other way around: “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him (Hebrews 1:6).’”   The Jews’ obsession with the angels bordered on the line of worshipping them. I realize you probably don’t struggle with the temptation to worship angels, but maybe you feel the pull to do something “religious.” The Hebrew Christians were battling the thought that Jesus was not e...

  In 1959 a new football franchise in Los Angeles was created as part of the new American Football League. The team owner, Barron Hilton of the Hilton Hotel family, held a competition to name the team. The winning name was the Chargers, which, according to Hilton, was based on the tradition at LA Dodgers baseball games of playing a bugle and the fans yelling, “Charge!” While that may be true, critics of Hilton accused him of picking the name because it happened to coincide with the launch of his new charge card company.    When we talk about charging, we can think of troops (or athletes) charging into battle; or we can think of charging a credit card. But I want us to think of a different kind of charge for a minute. Deuteronomy 11:1 says, “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His rules, and His commandments always.”   This is Moses speaking, knowing he was at the end of his life. The Lord allowed him to address Israel one las...

  Before he became the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer in Illinois. On one occasion a man came to see Lincoln about hiring him for a lawsuit. This gentleman felt as if he had been wronged by another man, and he was determined to take him to court and seek $2.50 in damages.    Lincoln felt that this man was being petty and even tried to talk him out of the suit. But the man could not be dissuaded. He wanted more than a few bucks; he wanted revenge. After thinking about it, Lincoln decided to take the case, but he raised his usual rate. For his services Lincoln was going to charge ten dollars. The client agreed and paid the money.    The future President took $2.50 from his fee, gave it to the defendant, and told him to plead guilty. The plaintiff literally paid himself the money he was owed, and to Lincoln’s amazement, he was proud of himself at the trial’s conclusion. It was never about justice or getting what was rightfull...