In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah offers a heartfelt prayer of praise while rejoicing in God's salvation, justice, and power over…
In 1 Samuel 1, a man named Elkanah from the hill country of Ephraim had two wives: Hannah (who was…
In Ruth 4, Boaz meets the nearest kinsman at the city gate and presents the case of redeeming Elimelech’s property…
In Ruth 3, Naomi seeks to secure provision for Ruth through marriage to Boaz. (Ruth 3:1-2). She instructs Ruth to…
In Judges 16, Samson visits Gaza and sleeps with a prostitute. The Philistines plan to ambush him, but Samson escapes…
In Judges 9, Gideon's son Abimelech persuades the people of Shechem to make him king by arguing that it's better…
Judges 2 emphasizes Israel's cycle of sin, disobedience, and God's grace. Despite reminders of the covenant, they abandoned the Lord,…
In Judges 1, we pick up on the journey after Joshua's death. Verse 1 states that the Israelites sought guidance…
Joshua 24 - In Joshua 24, Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their leaders to present…
Joshua 23 - Joshua gives the people lots of encouragement but also many warnings. He knows that if they are…
Joshua 21 - This statement of God's promises is such an encouragement. Let's take a look back and review some…
Joshua 20 - It's one thing to say that we believe in God as our refuge and strength, but it's…
Joshua 15 - Joshua 15 details the land allocation for the tribe of Judah, highlighting Caleb's victories in Hebron and…
Joshua 14 - The rest of Joshua slows in pace with the land distribution becoming the focal point. However, we…
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 8 - Joshua 7 left a bad taste in our mouths. After discovering the sin that had caused Israel…
Joshua 6 - Joshua 6 is one of the most vivid demonstrations of God’s power in the Old Testament. The…
Joshua 5 - There was a series of events that the Lord required of Joshua prior to conquering Jericho. Joshua…
Joshua 4 - In Joshua 4, after the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord instructed Joshua to choose…
Joshua 2 - It would not be an easy task to get a view of Jericho. Spies were sent by…
Deuteronomy 34 - So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the…
Deuteronomy 33 - Moses gives his final blessings to the tribes of Israel. I was drawn to the guidance given…
Deuteronomy 28 - "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They…
Deuteronomy 26 - Once again we enter into an Old Testament story which has significant implications for how we understand…
Ezekiel 20 - For a good part of my adult life, I chased after the hopes and dreams of man.…
Ezekiel 14 - After introducing His hand of judgment, God reveals four ways in which He will punish the rebellious…
Ezekiel 12 - "Son of man, what is this proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, 'The…
Ezekiel 10 - Think for a moment about the devastation caused by sin. This was not just a "mistake" or…
Ezekiel 9 - It's tough to read about the judgment of God with regard to sin, however, it reveals the…
Ezekiel 6 - "However, I will leave a remnant, for you will have those who escaped the sword among the…
Acts 27 - It's interesting to me that Paul could have fallen by the wayside so many times in his…
Acts 24 - Paul now finds himself in limbo and at the mercy of the political system. He continues to…
Acts 12 - King Herod never saw it coming. The grandson of the infamous Herod the Great was part of…
Acts 9 - Saul We are reminded here in chapter 9 that even the most rebellious and hard-hearted people can…
Acts 4 - As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and…
Lamentations 3 - The first 20 verses of Lamentations 3 recall the conditions that God has allowed to take place…
Leviticus 1 - The book of Leviticus picks up right where Exodus left off. The opening verse begins with "Then…
Revelation 21 - There is a lot of crossover between what Isaiah writes in chapter 65 and the 21st chapter…
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 11 - I think a major issue with Revelation 11 is the fact that it relies heavily on Revelation…
Revelation 7 - God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation. I think it's important to understand…
Revelation 3 - Lukewarm I remember several years ago going to a music festival in Kentucky called Ichthus. It was…
Revelation 2 - Although these letters are addressed to specific congregations in the first century, I believe they are representative…
Jeremiah 52 - The final chapter of Jeremiah gives a summary of the events which have occurred, giving us some…
Jeremiah 51 - As I look over the book of Jeremiah and see now how the final judgment of Babylon…
Jeremiah 45 - This is a flashback to the 4th year of Jehoiakim so it's not happening here alongside the…
Jeremiah 40 - We find Jeremiah here being permitted to go and live anywhere he wants. It was a great…
Jeremiah 39 - After 2 ½ years of the people watching and wondering when the Babylonian army would penetrate their…
Jeremiah 38 - The brutality against Jeremiah is taken a step further. Led by officials, they inquired with the king…
Jeremiah 35 - What excuses are we giving for our lack of faithfulness to Jesus? Where are we settling for…
Jeremiah 34 - Every 7 years slaves were to be released. This had been an ordinance God had established hundreds…
Jeremiah 33 - There’s a saying, “When you least expect it, expect it.” In essence, this is what God states…
Jeremiah 30 - God works in mysterious ways. It's cliche but truth for this chapter. He is flexing his muscles…
Jeremiah 23 - In this chapter, we see God really target the people in positions of leadership among the Jews.…
Jeremiah 22 - God has a message and it will be delivered. It may not come the way we expected.…
Jeremiah 16 - The loneliness of Jeremiah sets in as once again he looks around and sees what others have…
Jeremiah 15 - The insecurities of Jeremiah are starting to show. He's really stuck between a rock and hard place.…
Jeremiah 13 - Burdens for people can be so heavy. When we sense that the ways of Jesus are not…
Jeremiah 8 - I love the Good News Bible translation of this chapter. The LORD told me to say to…
Jeremiah 7 - A lot of people act like the God of the Old Testament and the God of the…
Jeremiah 2 - "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To…
Jeremiah 1 - When my wife and I first moved into our house, we immediately fell in love with the…
2 Chronicles 31 - What we notice about the kings of the past two books (1 & 2 Chronicles) is…
2 Chronicles 30 - Hezekiah wanted to do the right thing. He believed that Israel and Judah should come back…
2 Chronicles 29 - In the first month... There were many decisions that needed attention when coming into power as…
2 Chronicles 27 - The people continued in rebellion under Jotham. Although he was a faithful king, he did have…
2 Chronicles 26 - It may not seem like a big deal to us, but in that time, it was…
2 Chronicles 24 - But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the…
2 Chronicles 22 - The family tree of Jehoshaphat and Ahab can get overwhelming. If you are reading and getting…
2 Chronicles 17 - Leadership has a trickle-down effect. Judah or Israel had not seen a king like Jehoshaphat since…
2 Chronicles 16 - There is so much in this chapter that is personal and meaningful for me. As someone…
2 Chronicles 13 - After reading this chapter, I am reminded of a common situation we have all encountered. It's…
2 Chronicles 6 - "But can you, O God, really live on earth among men and women? Not even all…
2 Chronicles 5 - There are moments when God shows up in a mighty way and we are simply called…
2 Chronicles 2 - Solomon knew the dwelling place for God would not do Him justice. He makes this statement…
2 Chronicles 1 - Solomon commanded the people to go to a high place of worship at Gibeon. This was…
1 Chronicles 29 - 1 Chronicles 29:25 GNB The LORD made the whole nation stand in awe of Solomon, and…
1 Chronicles 22 - Though David served Israel in many ways, his primary role was as a military leader. He…
1 Chronicles 19 - The Ammonites strategy was to force David's army between two enemy forces. The Israelites were stationed…
1 Chronicles 17 - I am drawn to David's actions over the second half of this chapter. As I read,…
1 Chronicles 16 - For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared…
1 Chronicles 11 - David's ascent to king was not as simple as three verses. In the book of 2…
1 Chronicles 10 - The Philistines Who were the Philistines? They were sea-faring people who immigrated from the island of…
1 Chronicles 9 - Psalms 99:5-6 ESV Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! 6…
1 Chronicles 7 - God has used women to build, lead and change the world from the beginning of time.…
Isaiah 66 - As the book of Isaiah comes to a close, I am drawn to the writings of F.F.…
Isaiah 63 - At the beginning of Isaiah 63, we find a familiar theme in Scripture. There is someone with…
Isaiah 62 - *If you haven't read the Isaiah 61 blog entry, it would be helpful for context. Isaiah 62…
Isaiah 53 - The opening verse grabs my attention. "Who has believed our message?" It's a rhetorical question but one…
Isaiah 51 - In verse 9 of this chapter the writer appears to believe that the Lord is asleep. Awake,…
Isaiah 45 - Exodus 33:20 NASB But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me…
Isaiah 43 - Should we forget the past or remember it? This is a troubling question. On the surface, it…
Isaiah 38 - Let's review what's happened thus far and what will happen in the future. Assyria has built the…
Isaiah 33 - The book of Isaiah is very clear. Trust in nations; destruction. Trust in God alone; deliverance. The…
Isaiah 26 - Disease. Affliction. Poverty. The kingdom of man wrestles with the birth pains of this world. The city…