Acts 7 – I can vividly remember the old seat belt PSA that was shown on TV all the time when I was a kid. Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies, would facetiously admit that they …
disobedience
89 posts
Lamentations 2 – In the second chapter of Lamentations, God expresses His hatred for sin. It’s important for us to remember that although God hates sin, it does not cloud His compassion for us. However, when we …
Leviticus 26 – First off, this is a crazy awesome chapter that raises many significant questions. In the most direct and straightforward language that He can use, God lays out the future possibilities for His people. These …
Leviticus 25 – After 7 cycles of the sabbatical years came the 50th, or, Year of Jubilee. It was a release from debt and bondage. All slaves were released, all captives were set free, all debts were …
Leviticus 10 – By the end of Leviticus 9, everything seems to be going great… until we turn the page to Leviticus 10. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan, put live coals in …
Revelation 18 – Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 NASB Paul’s words ring true …
Revelation 9 – The 5th Trumpet The 5th trumpet releases a key to open the abyss. Many scholars believe this is the same abyss that the demons begged Jesus not to throw them in. It may be …
Jeremiah 46 – Just as God promised, He outlines some of the details that will take place as Babylon prepares to destroy Egypt. It is proof of His justice and his power, as well as His grace …
Jeremiah 43 – What we see here in chapter 43 is just the usual for Jeremiah. Once again, after all that has happened, the men of Judah decide he is a liar and they will not obey …
Jeremiah 21 – It has finally happened. Babylon is bearing down on Judah and God is allowing it to happen. He has warned them over so many chapters of this coming doom if they did not repent …
Jeremiah 15 – The insecurities of Jeremiah are starting to show. He’s really stuck between a rock and hard place. He knows he needs to continue to obey God, but it’s costing him so much with his …
Jeremiah 12 – We have all been in a situation like this before. We cry out to God over something we just can’t take anymore. Jeremiah has had it. He’s calling out the hypocrites and asking God …
2 Chronicles 27 – The people continued in rebellion under Jotham. Although he was a faithful king, he did have one flaw that stood against him outlined in 2 Kings 15. He did …
1 Chronicles 10 – The Philistines Who were the Philistines? They were sea-faring people who immigrated from the island of Crete. According to archeology digs, it is speculated that the Philistines were heavy drinkers with heavy weapons. …
1 Chronicles 8 – Within the tribe of Benjamin, we are reminded of Israel’s first king. He was the best looking man in all of Israel. He towered above all of his fellow Israelites. He seemed to …
Isaiah 59 – In a beautiful example of what it is like for the Lord to work in a person’s heart, Isaiah speaks directly to the blindness of Israel. In reality, it is the blindness that all …
Isaiah 40 – The theme of chapters 7-39 focuses directly on the punishment of God. It’s easy to read this chapter and become discouraged. We must remember that God’s heart was not to needlessly punish his people …
Isaiah 36 – The goal of the enemy is to render us hopeless in the face of our circumstances. The world, Satan, and even our own hearts influence our minds to these dark places. Even though the …
Isaiah 30 – The people resisted God’s counsel, and instead, they received His judgement. It sounds harsh, but remember, we live under the New Covenant. There should be an aspect to this that is somewhat foreign since …
Isaiah 26 – Disease. Affliction. Poverty. The kingdom of man wrestles with the birth pains of this world. The city of God, however, is strong and unwavering. “Go into your houses, my people, and shut the door …
Isaiah 4 – Isaiah 4:2 describes the Branch of the Lord. The time is coming when the LORD will make every plant and tree in the land grow large and beautiful. All the people of Israel who …
Ephesians 6 – It all begins with Psalm 82:1. God presides in the heavenly council; in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision: Psalms 82:1 GNB That word gods is translated from the Hebrew word …
Exodus 10 – In verse 3, Moses asks Pharaoh how long he will go before humbling himself. This seems to be a contrast to the many verses thus far which have outlined God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. …
Judges 18 – I recently heard of an episode that Dr. Phil did about a religious cult. What began as a typical 60’s communal-type gathering became a den of alleged sexual molestation, prostitution and extreme physical abuse that …
Judges 4 – It’s such a strange story with so many characters. First, I think it’s important to break down the roles and relationships. Barak and Deborah are working on the front-lines to defeat Sisera and his …
Judges 3 – The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Judges 3:7 NASB Now the sons of …
Judges 2 – Let’s take a look with fresh eyes at the scene that’s unfolding. The moral and spiritual roller coaster of Israel continues on even after all they have seen and done through Joshua. God lifted …
Judges 1 – Judges is a fitting name for a book that highlights the leaders God gave to Israel to protect and deliver them from their enemies. If you remember the commentary we did on the preceding …
1 John 5 – At the time of this writing, John was battling the incredible deception that had come against the church. There were false teachers parading around true believers and teaching that when Jesus died, He …
Ezra 6 – The people trusted God they were delivered from the threat to their temple. God knew exactly where the scroll was, and He allowed Darius to endorse it. But that’s not all. God went above …
Ezra 2 – Why was genealogy so important to the Jews? We see this many times in Scripture and often it’s hard to make it through the list because we don’t know or understand the history. To …
Joshua 7 – Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:15 NASB This is a sad story after such a joyful victory for Israel. …
Joshua 1 – Joshua was elevated in responsibility and trust based on his faithfulness. In Exodus, he became captain of the host and in Numbers he and Caleb brought back a report of the land of Canaan. …
Matthew 25 – Leonard Kevin Bias was born on November 17, 1963, in Landover, Maryland. He was a tall, quiet young boy who was nicknamed “Frosty” by his pastor at church because of his cold, relaxed attitude. …
Matthew 13 – Here in Matthew 13, there are so many great parables it is hard to just reflect on one aspect of this chapter! You could do an in-depth study of each story. I want to …
Proverbs 21 – A very intriguing verse in this chapter of Proverbs includes a reference back to the days of King Saul. “Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” Proverbs …
Proverbs 20 – This chapter really addresses a diverse range of topics. Excessive drinking, gossip, pride, and disobedience, just to name a few. Here is what stuck out to me… “The one who lives with integrity is …
2 Peter 2 – 2 Peter 2 opens by describing two different kinds of false people within the church. Maybe we have never taken the time to consider the difference between false prophets and false teachers? Maybe …
1 Samuel 28 – I’ve always had lots of questions about 1 Samuel 28. Was David actually going to fight with the Philistines? Why did Saul think that he could contact Samuel through a witch? Was it …
1 Samuel 15 – Do what you want, and ask for forgiveness later. If God is full of love, and He always forgives, then I can just follow my heart and apologize on the way. Do you …
1 Samuel 14 – Those who are dialed into the Spirit are sensitive to the timing of the Lord. In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan demonstrated that kind of dialed-in mindset. Unfortunately, Saul operated on his own timing. …
1 Samuel 6 – 7 months. 7 months of terror, suffering, and death. The Philistines experienced the white-hot flame of God’s fiery judgment. This was their encounter with the Living God because He will not share His …
2 Kings 18 – A major theme the past several chapters has begged the question – who will step up and wholeheartedly trust the Lord to defend them? We’ve seen some kings who have trusted for a …
2 Kings 16 – This was a horrific compromise by Ahaz as he decided to trust the Assyrian army to bail him out of this looming threat. When we read this same story from the book of …
1 Kings 20 – There are some incredible spiritual metaphors we can glean from these passages which build on the disobedience of Ahab in 1 Kings 19. Right off the bat, there is the threat of warfare. …
1 Kings 13 – As we read in 1 Kings 12, Jeroboam’s kingdom was in a terrible state and God had a message for him. There are three different scenarios we see play out in this scene. …
1 Kings 2 – After the peaceful resolution in chapter 1, we are now back to the chaos of David’s family lineage. As David lies on his deathbed, he gives Solomon a list of action steps to …
1 Kings 1 – The book of Kings picks up with an older David (70) still serving as king but declining in health. The time to pass the torch was near, and this sets the backdrop for …
Genesis 50 – It is always fascinating to me when we come across a chapter in the Bible that captivates us with incredible detail and then quickly moves across history with sweeping summaries. We get both in …
Genesis 35 – Which is more dangerous, heading to Bethel or disobeying God? We often justify disobedience with fear. We often convince ourselves that safety is more important than a total commitment to Jesus. But the truth …
Genesis 34 – There are so many issues here and they are glaring. What is clearly evident in this story is that one disaster builds upon another when we refuse to obey God. Jacob’s refusal to go …
Genesis 29 – Jacob is here in Genesis 29 doing “Jacob-like stuff.” Like a smooth-talking used car salesman, he approaches these shepherds as if they were his long lost buddies from college. His reference to it being …
Genesis 6 – What does the text mean when it says the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men” were beautiful and took wives for themselves? The phrase “sons of God” is used in other places …
Genesis 3 – Blatant evil is not our greatest threat as believers; it is deceptive evil wrapped in a package of truth. But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may …
Genesis 2 – Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing that God’s wrath is greater than His grace. In Genesis 2, we read of God’s unbelievable grace when allowing Adam to roam freely in creation. And …
Malachi 1 – Malachi’s ministry would have overlapped with Nehemiah. The temple had been rebuilt (v. 13), and there was a presiding governor over the nation (v. 8), but the people were struggling with the same sins …
Zechariah 8 – Oh my! There are few verses more worthy of our desperate pursuit than Zechariah 8:6. The verse illustrates a life of faith, trust, and perseverance. The LORD of Hosts says this: “Though it may …
Jonah 1 – Nineveh was both a great and wicked city. It was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and the Assyrians had a reputation for being extremely cruel. It was quite possibly the largest city in …
Obadiah 1 – Obadiah is unique in the sense that he one of the only minor prophets to address a nation other than Israel or Judah. Most likely being a contemporary of Elijah and Elisha, He would …
Joel 1 – The book of Joel centers around The Day of the Lord. Here is a brief synopsis of what that entails… The Day of the Lord Though it probably refers to future events, it …
Daniel 6 – I am simply in awe when I read these passages about Daniel. It is inspiring to think about what this mentality would look like in our current culture. I am so intrigued by it. …
2 Corinthians 10 – Most likely, Paul was dealing with a false teacher or many false teachers who had infiltrated the Corinthian church and discredited his ministry and teaching. He pivots here in chapter 10 to bring …
Psalm 137 – How do we worship in a foreign land? Being completely cut off from their native land, and without their temple to worship in, the people of Israel were heartsick. They had no high priest, …
Psalm 126 – Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes… “The Psalms are full of Christ. There is a more complete picture of Him in the Psalms than in the Gospels. The Gospels tell us that He went to …
Psalm 89 – In similar fashion to Psalm 88, the writer here boldly introduces some deep theological questions. He records some of our deepest fears and most troubling mysteries about God. But you are angry with your …
Psalm 74 – He purchased. He redeemed. He dwelt. The invasion by their enemies has devastated the people of Israel and Judah. They know that these enemies are a manifestation of His punishment for their waywardness. However, …
Psalm 60 – Defeat is never easy. Never. But since Jesus took on sin and death and triumphed over it through His resurrection, we have the power to face it. For the believer rooted in faith, defeat …
Psalm 21 – There is a theme of kingship within this psalm. It’s likely it was originally composed for recital during the ceremony of enthronement for a king. In his commentary titled “Psalms,” James Luther Mays writes, …
Psalm 14 – When the psalmist refers to the unbeliever as a fool, he isn’t insulting his intelligence. It’s a moral charge. Sye Ten Bruggengate, a Christian apologist, relates this thought to a personal story. “My father …
Deuteronomy 31 – “But was his momentary failure not far too severely punished?” Alexander MacLaren We tend to look at old man Moses and feel sorry for him. The fiery temper that ended the life of an …
Deuteronomy 11 – Remember. Teach. Obey. This is the instruction given to those who were responsible for raising the next generation. Remember today what you have learned about the LORD through your experiences with him. It was …
Deuteronomy 4 – “No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the LORD our God is to us. He answers us whenever we call for help. …
Deuteronomy 1 – What should have taken 11 days took 40 years. If you have read the book of Numbers, you already have a good understanding of these events. Deuteronomy opens by …
Numbers 36 – Unfortunately, the evangelical church today has become a place where people feel they cannot seek truth through difficult questions. Many churches discourage seekers from “questioning God,” and while questioning Him without faith can be …
Numbers 35 – When we take a deeper look into the cities which were selected as places of refuge and we utilize the Hebrew text, we see obvious parallels to the refuge Jesus provides for His church. …
Numbers 25 – The Bible was not written to convince us that we are good, but rather, to illustrate that God is good despite how much we fail. This is clearly seen in the book of Numbers. …
Numbers 15 – Nestled in the middle of this chapter is a bizarre story for our modern society. A man is caught collecting sticks on the Sabbath and he is brought before Moses and Aaron. God commands …
Numbers 11 – Moses needed help, and God responded. The Lord commanded the gathering of 70 men from the elders of Israel, and Moses began assembling his team. The word elder means “aged” or “old.” Hebrew tradition …
Ezekiel 48 – Some view the final chapters of Ezekiel as a literal prophecy to be fulfilled during the end times. This is definitely possible. However, I tend to lean more toward the immediate context for readers …
Ezekiel 43 – In chapters 8-11 of Ezekiel, we find the presence of the Lord leaving the temple. This was symbolic of what was about to happen to the people as their protection was removed and they …
Ezekiel 40 – Ezekiel’s ministry began with a vision of God. The last 9 chapters end with a vision for his people. This vision is one of reconciliation, protection, trust, and blessings. Throughout his book, Ezekiel has …
Ezekiel 24 – Ministry is hard. And I don’t just mean formal ministry positions. I really mean following Jesus is hard. There are so many days I feel like I’ve run for miles and traveled nowhere. Love …
Ezekiel 20 – For a good part of my adult life, I chased after the hopes and dreams of man. I had my eyes set on the material pleasures and the finite comforts of this world. God’s …
Ezekiel 18 – Turn away from your sins and live. In this chapter, a foundational Christian belief is described in detail. Though the punishment during Ezekiel’s time was on a national scale, the sin that caused the …
Ezekiel 7 – The Babylonians invaded Judah twice but the people could not comprehend the severity of the destruction. It’s like they could not connect the dots. They couldn’t see the connection between their sin and the …