Exodus 40
Exodus 40 - The glory of God came down and dwelled in the constructed tent. Previously, when God came near to the people, they were terrified. Now, they are overjoyed at His presence. They have been obedient ...
Exodus 39
Exodus 39 - At the end of the chapter, Scripture tells us that everything God had commanded, the children of Israel completed. The construction went without a hitch. We see no evidence of an argument or distraction. ...
Exodus 38
Exodus 38 - The values are given here for the exact weight of the gold, silver and bronze used in construction. The GoldCommentators differ in their opinion of just how much gold was actually used. The weight ...
Exodus 37
Exodus 37 - Let's take a moment to briefly summarize what makes this chapter so fruitful. We have the Holy Spirit, working among the people, filling them with gifts to craft together the elements that God had ...
Exodus 36
Exodus 36 - Can you believe it? I don't recall very many stories in the Bible where a cheerful giver was giving so much that they had to be restrained. Exodus 36:3-5 NASB They received from Moses ...
Exodus 35
Exodus 35 - Think upon the skills that were required of a master craftsman. Obviously, the person would be gifted in craftsmanship, but according to Scripture, that trait is not enough. Craftsmanship alone has a tendency to ...
Exodus 34
Exodus 34 - The term glory is not really an accurate depiction of what Moses asked for and received from God. We tend to associate the word "glory" with majestic light. A lot of times it has ...
Exodus 33
Exodus 33 - Perseverance. Can you imagine being Moses? On one hand, he is a spiritual leader for these obstinate people. He lives among them. He leads them. He loves them. On the other hand, the Lord ...
Exodus 32
Exodus 32 - The first question I asked when reading this chapter was - what caused this? We read in the very first verse that it was because of a delay. How many times have we allowed ...
Exodus 30
Exodus 30 - The ability to come before God is an opportunity, not a right. Aaron was given the duty of burning sweet incense at morning and at twilight on this smaller altar. To us it may ...
Exodus 29
Exodus 29 - From the beginning we get a glimpse of God's design for sacrifice. Consecration. This word was translated 'hallow' and meant distinct, holy, and set aside for God's purposes. Most of us probably think of ...
Exodus 28
Exodus 28 - "You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: Exodus 28:33 NASB You may ask, why ...
Exodus 27
Exodus 27 - "You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. Exodus 27:20 NASB Light is the essence of God. ...
Exodus 26
Exodus 26 - "You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver. 37 "You shall make five pillars of ...
Exodus 24
Exodus 24 - What does the manifestation of God look like? For Moses and these others, they received a small glimpse of His glory. The description, as in Revelation as well, hardly does it justice. In fact, ...
Exodus 22
Exodus 22 - I am most struck by verses 22 and 25 in this chapter. God has, from the beginning, always had special feelings toward the orphaned, the widowed, and the poor. If anyone wanted to set ...
Exodus 21
Exodus 21 - God, through His law, established some basic truths that the people were to follow. It's interesting how things are viewed somewhat differently today. During a less civilized time, and without the indwelling Holy Spirit ...
Exodus 20
Exodus 20 - The 10 Commandments illustrate the vertical and horizontal obedience that God desired for humanity. Jesus came to fulfill and (in many ways) raise the standard of the law. Mount Sinai was a particular summit ...
Exodus 16
Exodus 16 - I've had the opportunity over the years to witness many young people and adults get confronted with the Gospel and respond to the call. In most of those situations, the moment their hearts are ...
Exodus 15
Exodus 15 - The structure of this song can be broken up into four sections with a one-line closing declaration. The first stanza briefly mentions the powerful victory of the Lord. Stanza two mocks the enemy's failed ...
Exodus 13
Exodus 13 - The way God led was definitely the "road less traveled." The people did not go directly toward Canaan. There were traditionally three main routes from Egypt to Asia. The most ...
Exodus 12
Exodus 12 - The Passover is a powerful event in both Jewish tradition as well as Christianity. One major difference, obviously, is that the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. It's tradition when the Jews celebrate the ...
Exodus 11
Exodus 11 - It's agreed upon by scholars that the first three verses of this chapter be read in the past tense. This means as the plague of darkness swept over the land, God began to prime ...
Exodus 9
Exodus 9 - Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. Exodus 9:26 NASB There are many instances of this same theme in Scripture. Here in Exodus, it reminds ...
Exodus 8
Exodus 8 - Pharaoh was so hardened that even when the supernatural evidence was directly before him, he refused to acknowledge it. Notice that God not only sends Moses and Aaron to testify to His power, but ...
Exodus 7
Exodus 7 - The hardening of Pharaoh's heart was something God had reminded Moses of time and time again. We read it in Exodus 4, Exodus 7, and twice in Exodus 14. The hardening of the heart ...
Exodus 6
Exodus 6 - Leap of faith. Failure. Encouragement. Repeat. This pretty much sums up the journey of Moses. Likewise, it may sum up our spiritual lives. God not only reminds Moses of His promises, but He gives ...
Exodus 5
Exodus 5 - This is just the beginning of Moses' journey and, understandably, he's ready to give up. We often feel like this. God calls us to something, and we try and follow through the best of ...
Exodus 4
Exodus 4 - Moses was uncertain about serving God, and his fears represent the same struggles many of us have today. God was asking for Moses to go all in, and his hesitancy can be categorized into ...
Exodus 3
Exodus 3 - God shows His character to Moses by both coming down to him and promising to be present with him. We read the details in verses 8 and 12. "So I have come down to ...
2 Thessalonians 3
2 Thessalonians 3 - In his final letter, Paul encourages the believers of the Thessalonian church to remain true and steadfast to the authentic faith they were taught. Evidently, some in the church were doing nothing while ...
2 Thessalonians 2
2 Thessalonians 2 - In case you haven't grasped by now, the Thessalonians were deeply concerned with future events. It's confirmed in Paul's first set of letters that they were mourning death like unbelievers. Paul attempted to ...
1 Thessalonians 4
1 Thessalonians 4 - What do we know about the coming of the Lord? Paul gives us a clue at the end of this chapter. Verses 13-18 are controversial, and (surprise, surprise) they center around the end ...
2 Thessalonians 1
2 Thessalonians 1 - Paul knew that the Thessalonian church was enduring suffering, and he wanted to continue to encourage them in their suffering. This is what we read in verses 4-5. Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly ...
1 Thessalonians 3
1 Thessalonians 3 - Dear Thessalonica, I'm burdened for you. Love, Paul In this chapter, we get a glimpse into the heart Paul had for the people he ministered to. You have to imagine that Paul, Silas ...
1 Thessalonians 2
1 Thessalonians 2 - Paul covers a broad range of topics in this chapter. He starts with defending, and moves to loving, laboring, modeling, leading, feeding, and suffering. He also took care in leaving no doubt that ...
1 Thessalonians 1
1 Thessalonians 1 - In the opening verses of this letter, we read Paul's words which seem to indicate he had a high regard for the church of the Thessalonians. He is assured of their calling, and ...
Jude 1
Jude 1 - Jude was one of four half-brothers of Jesus. In the Greek, the name Jude was synonymous with Judas. "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James ...
3 John 1
3 John 1 - Gaius was the Greek way of writing the Roman name Caius. Believe it or not, there are many references to Caius in Scripture. In Romans 16, Paul mentions a Caius who lived in ...
2 John 1
2 John 1 - We read in 2 John a more traditional opening as it's a letter written to a particular individual. However, we can assume this was written to a larger group of people as it ...
1 John 5
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 ...
1 John 4
1 John 4 - When I worked in the computer software industry, I became familiar with the latest viruses and malware that would infect our client's computers. It seemed like every few months or so, there was ...
1 John 3
1 John 3 - This really is an incredible chapter! It's hard to summarize these thoughts in just a few paragraphs. I was really drawn to the first several verses that speak to believers being children of ...
1 John 2
1 John 2 - and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 NASB Pro·pi·ti·a·tion. I'll admit it. It's a fun ...
1 John 1
1 John 1 - In this first chapter, John does not identify himself as the author, nor does the writing contain the typical structure of a letter. Many have speculated that this was a written sermon. Nevertheless, ...
Job 42
Job 42 - Without... Without knowing answers to all of his deepest questions, Job bowed his knee in humility to the Lord. Without understanding how everything works together, he repented. It's no coincidence this happened. While so ...
Job 40
Job 40 - Consider Job's humility in this chapter. Consider that he takes up none of the words with God that he had planned. The entire book culminates to this point; Job is given permission to speak ...
Job 38
Job 38 - After all of Job's questions, and his friends weighing in, God answers their questions with some questions of His own. Do they sound familiar? We see the same pattern in the New Testament when ...
Job 36
Job 36 - God is the most patient, relentless, and loving Father we will ever encounter. Unfortunately, many people of our day have turned to the false teaching that says if everything isn't "good" in your life ...
Job 35
Job 35 - This is arguably Elihu's harshest language against Job. It is a message of condemnation with truth mixed in. I am somewhat puzzled by commentaries who defend Job in being completely righteous and not deserving ...
Job 33
Job 33 - As I read Elihu speak, I feel the tension of two different angles. On one hand, Elihu is young and a little bit cocky. He says things like, "Keep silent, and I will teach ...
Job 32
Job 32 - Elihu may have been younger, but he had the genealogy going for him. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger ...
Job 31
Job 31 - The tenderness of Job's heart comes through in this chapter. He is certain that even if he were weighed by God Himself, there would be no transgressions held against him. He has put forth ...
Job 30
Job 30 - Which is more agonizing for Job - the suffering he is currently enduring or the exasperation of God's silence? Which is more agonizing for you? Now I am about to die; there is no ...
Job 29
Job 29 - What does it mean to reflect on the former times? We've all heard people talk about the "good old days." Many of us have gone back to a time in our lives when things ...
Job 24
Job 24 - Job continues on his theme of questioning why the wicked get away with so much. To the theology his friends have adopted, it makes no sense for Job to question this if he is ...
Job 22
Job 22 - When we do not pay attention to the needs before us, true care can turn to condemnation. This is what summarizes Eliphaz's words to Job. He has a mold of what he understands to ...
Job 21
Job 21 - Job thoroughly rejects the doctrine of retribution and he draws from common knowledge to do so. Throughout these chapters, Job's friends have questioned him, and he has responded. Up until this point, he hasn't ...
Job 20
Job 20 - The cruel misjudgment of man stems from an ignorant and arrogant attitude. I've written this many times over in this series on Job, but it remains true - his friends understood truth, but misunderstood ...
Job 19
Job 19 - The most magnificent phrase in this chapter shines in verses 25-26. It is so surprising and unexpected. Job has lamented for many chapters now, and wished death upon himself. In this chapter, he concludes ...
Job 18
Job 18 - The dating of this time period would have meant that Job and his friends were highly influenced by mythopoetic language. In Ugaritic mythology, death was thought to be ruled by the god Mot who ...
Job 17
Job 17 - Job is pretty depressed here in Chapter 17. He reiterates that he expected his friends to support him but they have not. He asks that God would hear him directly. If his friends will ...
Job 15
Job 15 - Eliphaz brings a load of sarcasm to this chapter. He claims that his understanding of Scripture and his wisdom is completely reliable. He knows that Job is wicked because he's seen wicked people and ...
Job 14
Job 14 - Be quiet and give me a chance to speak, and let the results be what they will. 14 I am ready to risk my life. 15 I've lost all hope, so what if God ...
Job 11
Job 11 - I think Zophar is right on one thing; he understands the wisdom of God. It actually feels like he is trying to "impress" Job with his knowledge about God's wisdom. Of course, his delivery ...
Job 10
Job 10 - Job's attitude takes a turn in this chapter. When I read these passages I picture a courtroom scene. God is the prosecution and Job is the defense. Job is complaining that since the prosecution ...
Job 9
Job 9 - The description of God's power in verses 5-9 is breathtaking. I like the HCSB version... God is wise and all-powerful. Who has opposed Him and come out unharmed? 5 He removes mountains without their ...
Job 8
Job 8 - As the New International Commentary states, "Bildad is a champion of 'old-time' religion." God's ways are right. The wicked are punished. Justice will prevail quickly. Affirming thoughts that were already shared, he states that ...
Job 7
Job 7 - Job now turns his attention to God. He is fully convinced that he will die soon, and the only option he has is to convince God not to prolong his suffering, but to speed ...
Job 6
Job 6 - Here are some points we can draw from Job's response in chapter 6: Job is under tremendous stress. On top of his physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pain, he is also dealing with ignorant ...
Job 4
Job 4 - There is a difference between theology and common sense. I know that the word 'theology' sounds like a churchy, religious concept that only "the holiest people" can understand. The truth is, we all have ...
Job 1
Job 1 - The entire book of Job explores tough themes and deep theological questions. Namely, it seeks to answer the ancient question we still hear so often today - "If God is so good, why does ...
Ezra 8
Ezra 8 - This trek consisted of over 900 miles on foot. But also consider that there would have been 1754 men that Ezra had to lead, and with women and ...
Ezra 3
Ezra 3 - Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid ...
Matthew 28
Matthew 28 - The appearances of the resurrected Christ are astonishing! Many people will concede that Jesus was a real man who died, but few will place their faith in His divinity. Naturally, more people take issue ...
Matthew 27
Matthew 27 - Although we are typically hard on the Pharisees in Scripture, there were a few who sincerely had a heart change through Jesus' ministry. Joseph of Arimathea was one of these men. Mark and Luke ...
Matthew 26
Matthew 26 - Judas Iscariot is an interesting person to study. There are so many questions that center around his existence and ministry alongside Jesus. First, we must realize that even before Satan entered him, Judas had ...
Matthew 25
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 24
Matthew 24 - There is a break between verses 2 and 3 that separate the thoughts of Jesus. He starts by describing the ransacking of Jerusalem which eventually happened in 70 AD. Legend has it that future ...
Matthew 23
Matthew 23 - Jesus uses a lot of phrases of that time period to describe what the Pharisees were like. In this scathing rebuke, it's important to understand what He was talking about so we can relate ...
Matthew 22
Matthew 22 - The Sadducees and Pharisees were always playing games with Jesus. They, like some today, thought they could outsmart God. Here in Matthew 22, we find some intense back-and-forth debating from the teachers of the ...
Matthew 21
Matthew 21 - During the Passover festival, scores of Jews came from all over Israel and the Roman Empire to worship and celebrate. Since many traveled long distances, it was cumbersome to carry with them their animal ...
Matthew 20
Matthew 20 - Our plans and God's plans never really pan out the same. He gives us the main idea, but the details are usually mysterious and unexpected. God is not predictable. You can't put Him in ...
Matthew 19
Matthew 19 - The topic of divorce was a hot-button issue back in Jesus' time, and it remains the same today. Back then, it was the issue that ultimately landed John the Baptist in prison shortly before ...
Matthew 18
Matthew 18 - How do you approach confrontation and accountability in the church? The worldview of Jesus was not simply focused on "winning your brother" for the sake of a good deed, but because each person has ...
Matthew 17
Matthew 17 - The half-shekel tax was equivalent to about 2 days of wages. It was collected annually from every male Jew above the age of 20. This was required for the upkeep of the temple. It ...
Matthew 16
Matthew 16 - The Pharisees and Sadducees (who demanded signs in this chapter) were two of the five major political parties during the time of Jesus. There were also the Herodians, the Zealots, and the Essenes. The ...
Matthew 15
Matthew 15 - It's the worst feeling that any human can experience in this life. It's the realization that I wasted my life. I can't imagine a more horrifying reaction than those who thought they were living ...
Matthew 14
Matthew 14 - The miraculous feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Matthew 14:21 specifies 5,000 males, and further emphasizes the point by adding, “Besides women and children.” Many Bible scholars believe the actual ...
Matthew 13
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 ...
Matthew 12
Matthew 12 - This chapter contains the controversial "unpardonable sin" which involves blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The first question we must ask is, what is blasphemy of the Spirit and how is it different from blasphemy ...
Matthew 11
Matthew 11 - Yet another piece of evidence that confirms Jesus was indeed the Messiah is the presence of John the Baptist. As prophecy foretold, in Malachi, there would be a forerunner. "Behold, I am going to ...
Matthew 10
Matthew 10 - Jesus' selections were complete. Among his disciples were some strange picks by human standards. Among those chosen were a tax collector, several fishermen, and a religious zealot who opposed Rome. Many were unschooled men. ...
Matthew 9
Matthew 9 - Interestingly, as Matthew writes his account of his own selection as a disciple, he chooses to use his new name, Matthew, instead of his old name, Levi. As Levi, he was a tax collector, ...
Matthew 8
Matthew 8 - Jesus marveled. It's a strong phrase. What was it like for Jesus to marvel? What did it take? It was definitely a rare event. The only other time we read that Jesus marveled is ...
Matthew 7
Matthew 7 - Judge not so you will not be judged. What was Jesus getting at here? This is a quote that is so often misrepresented, in my opinion. Was Jesus saying we should lower our standard ...
Matthew 6
Matthew 6 - The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Many people came to hear about the kingdom and left hearing about a lifestyle in the kingdom. I would imagine most people who came to hear Jesus ...
Matthew 5
Matthew 5 - I love the depth and practicality of Jesus' message here. Many of his critics thought he was abolishing the law. In his teaching, Jesus was verifying that the law is both temporary and eternal. ...
Matthew 4
Matthew 4 - "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Matthew 4:1 NASB Wow! What a chapter! Let's read and re-read this opening verse. Satan didn't just ...
Matthew 3
Matthew 3 - Photo credit: Nelson's New Illustrated Commentary Pictured is the traditionally accepted site (the Jordan River) for the baptism of Jesus. As I read this chapter, there are many questions that come to mind. Why ...