In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines took the ark of the covenant from Ebenezer to Ashdod and placed it in…
In 1 Samuel 4, Israel went to battle against the Philistines. They were defeated, losing about 4,000 men (1 Samuel…
In Judges 21, the Israelites mourned the desolation of the tribe of Benjamin and sought the Lord's guidance (Judges 21:1-4).…
In Judges 18, the Danite tribe was looking for land to settle in and sent five men to scout the…
In Judges 15, Samson visited his wife (from Judges 14) but found that her father had given her to another…
In Judges 12, the Ephraimites confronted Jephthah angrily for not calling them to battle, threatening to burn his house (Judges…
In Judges 11, Jephthah, a warrior from Gilead and the son of a prostitute, was driven away by his half-brothers…
In Judges 8, Gideon was criticized by the men of Ephraim for not including them in the battle against Midian,…
In Judges 7, Gideon gathers his troops near the spring of Harod to face the Midianites. However, God instructs him…
In Judges 6, the Israelites once again sinned against the Lord and were oppressed by the Midianites for seven years.…
Judges 5 is the Song of Deborah, a victory hymn sung by Deborah and Barak after Israel’s triumph over King…
Judges 4 recounts how Israel once again turned from the Lord after Ehud’s death. In response, God allowed King Jabin…
In Judges 1, we pick up on the journey after Joshua's death. Verse 1 states that the Israelites sought guidance…
Joshua 17 - Essentially, what is happening over this chapter is that the other half of Manasseh's tribe is being…
Joshua 13 - As you read through the inheritance distributed to the different tribes, you will notice that the Levites…
Joshua 12 - Joshua 12 lists the 31 kings defeated by the Israelites during their conquest of Canaan. The chapter…
Joshua 11 - Let's set the backdrop. Joshua has just led Israel in defeating the cities in the south. News…
Joshua 10 - So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.…
Joshua 8 - Joshua 7 left a bad taste in our mouths. After discovering the sin that had caused Israel…
Joshua 7 - Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings…
Joshua 6 - Joshua 6 is one of the most vivid demonstrations of God’s power in the Old Testament. The…
Joshua 4 - In Joshua 4, after the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord instructed Joshua to choose…
Acts 27 - It's interesting to me that Paul could have fallen by the wayside so many times in his…
Acts 22 - Paul never wastes an opportunity to talk about the Gospel. Whether he's imprisoned, being beaten, being interrogated,…
Acts 12 - King Herod never saw it coming. The grandson of the infamous Herod the Great was part of…
Acts 11 - Unfortunately, the attitude that Peter experiences here in Acts 11 is all too common in our church…
Lamentations 4 - With graphic detail, Jeremiah describes all the ways in which his people suffered during the Babylonian attack…
Leviticus 2 - The grain or cereal offering of the OT symbolized man's work for God. The offering would be…
Revelation 19 - After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven,…
Revelation 17 - We have already reiterated it over many chapters, but Rome stood proudly as a pagan symbol against…
Revelation 16 - The continuity of the seals and the trumpets is broken up with the bowls as they move…
Revelation 15 - The divine judgment which was revealed by the seals and proclaimed by the trumpets will now be…
Revelation 14 - First question I asked myself... who is Babylon? John, again, is writing symbolically here. Literal Babylon was…
Revelation 13 - The First Beast At the end of Revelation 12, we read of Satan's rage. He sets out…
Revelation 12 - The Woman It is out of Israel that the Messiah will come, therefore, it makes sense that…
Revelation 6 - I grew up in Berne, Indiana which sits directly on top of the continental divide. If you…
Revelation 1 - The comparison game. We all do it. When life throws us unpredictable storms, (and especially when we…
Jeremiah 50 - “Their Redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is His name.” Jeremiah 50:34 As the book of…
Jeremiah 8 - I love the Good News Bible translation of this chapter. The LORD told me to say to…
2 Chronicles 35 - Armchair Quarterback (noun) a person who offers advice or an opinion on something in which they…
2 Chronicles 20 - Did God command his people to go into battle singing? I read this over and over…
2 Chronicles 16 - There is so much in this chapter that is personal and meaningful for me. As someone…
2 Chronicles 14 - The attack that comes upon Israel is from the Ethiopians but that is deceiving. During this…
1 Chronicles 26 - The house of God in verse 20 referred to a place where treasuries and gifts would…
1 Chronicles 20 - "In the spring of the year..." Great military conquests were routinely conducted in the springtime. Most…
1 Chronicles 19 - The Ammonites strategy was to force David's army between two enemy forces. The Israelites were stationed…
1 Chronicles 18 - So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.…
1 Chronicles 14 - Following on the same theme from 1 Chronicles 13, we now see David correcting his previous…
1 Chronicles 9 - Psalms 99:5-6 ESV Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! 6…
1 Chronicles 5 - For many fell, because the war was of God. And they lived in their place until…
Isaiah 36 - The goal of the enemy is to render us hopeless in the face of our circumstances. The…
Isaiah 25 - Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to…
Isaiah 7 - War has broken out and Jerusalem is under attack. Amazingly, God shows King Ahaz mercy by commanding…
Isaiah 3 - Strong Christian leadership is important. Most likely during the time that Isaiah was writing this, the readers…
Colossians 4 - A very practical and important set of instructions are given here by Paul on how we should…
Colossians 3 - Ironically, the ethics listed here in Colossians 3 are not foreign to the Jewish law. No one…
Ephesians 6 - It all begins with Psalm 82:1. God presides in the heavenly council; in the assembly of the…
Ephesians 5 - For this reason, it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on…
Ephesians 1 - The readers of this letter in Paul's day would have received a rolled up scroll that required…
Exodus 39 - At the end of the chapter, Scripture tells us that everything God had commanded, the children of…
Exodus 17 - The team was assembled and ready to go! Joshua would lead the army into battle. This is…
Exodus 16 - I've had the opportunity over the years to witness many young people and adults get confronted with…
Exodus 4 - Moses was uncertain about serving God, and his fears represent the same struggles many of us have…
2 Thessalonians 3 - In his final letter, Paul encourages the believers of the Thessalonian church to remain true and…
Jude 1 - Jude was one of four half-brothers of Jesus. In the Greek, the name Jude was synonymous with…
Job 31 - The tenderness of Job's heart comes through in this chapter. He is certain that even if he…
Job 24 - Job continues on his theme of questioning why the wicked get away with so much. To the…
Job 20 - The cruel misjudgment of man stems from an ignorant and arrogant attitude. I've written this many times…
Job 13 - If it's true that the enduring attitude of a believer is a great threat to everything the…
Job 7 - Job now turns his attention to God. He is fully convinced that he will die soon, and…
Job 3 - In this chapter, we see the pendulam swing completely in the opposite direction from where it began.…
Ezra 9 - This chapter is a perfect example of why context is so important when reading Scripture. The Israelites…
Matthew 21 - During the Passover festival, scores of Jews came from all over Israel and the Roman Empire to…
Matthew 5 - I love the depth and practicality of Jesus' message here. Many of his critics thought he was…
Proverbs 28 - "The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find…
Proverbs 20 - This chapter really addresses a diverse range of topics. Excessive drinking, gossip, pride, and disobedience, just to…
Proverbs 18 - Communication is essential for life, and it's a big part of how we reach the world as…
Proverbs 16 - "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9 HCSB This passage…
Proverbs 15 - "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good." Proverbs 15:3 HCSB This…
Proverbs 12 - Discipline is hard. Accepting instruction is difficult. They both require us to delay our satisfaction. When we…
Titus 1 - Parenting is not an easy task. It involves incredible commitment, unyielding problem-solving, and loads of diapers. Parenting…
2 Samuel 21 - King David was seemingly indestructible. He was a beast on the battlefield and a musician at…
2 Samuel 18 - This is a difficult chapter to absorb. On one hand, justice was served and the rightful…
2 Samuel 11 - Most of us know the story of 2 Samuel 11. David's sin and repentance are well-documented.…
2 Samuel 10 - After David's men were humiliated by the Ammonites, a war was sure to break out. The…
2 Samuel 8 - In many ways, David is presented as the "anti-Saul" even though at times, their behavior does…
2 Samuel 2 - There is an interesting backstory on the relationships that take place in this chapter. Abner crowns…
2 Samuel 1 - There are three versions of Saul's death mentioned in Scripture and one of them is found…
1 Samuel 31 - Let's do a quick recap. In desperation, Saul traveled to see a witch who brought back…
1 Samuel 30 - David returns to Zikleg, where he had fled from Saul only to find that while he…
1 Samuel 29 - Can you imagine David fighting against his friends and family? Can you imagine him going to…
1 Samuel 27 - The life of David is not all sunshine and rainbows. Though he was a man after…
1 Samuel 14 - Those who are dialed into the Spirit are sensitive to the timing of the Lord. In…
1 Samuel 13 - Here in 1 Samuel 13, we see the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites begin…
1 Samuel 12 - When our vision is blinded to reality, sometimes the most effective reminder comes from God flexing…
1 Samuel 6 - 7 months. 7 months of terror, suffering, and death. The Philistines experienced the white-hot flame of…
2 Timothy 4 - I have never really noticed this before, but I am struck by Paul's confidence in 2…
Romans 15 - This week, I learned a very relevant historical fact that alters the way I read and understand…
Romans 8 - Christ lived a sinless life. He willingly gave Himself as a living sacrifice for our sin so…
Romans 7 - What is the purpose of the law? In Romans 6 we saw the law cannot make us…