Ezekiel 21 – Ezekiel was a unique and inspired writer that often used abstract visuals to drive home deep spiritual principles. Although the topic is horrific, this chapter is a prime example of this. Take, for instance, …
repentance
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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 12 – “Son of man, what is this proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are long and every vision fails’? Ezekiel 12:22 NASB “Son of man, behold, the house of …
Ezekiel 9 – It’s tough to read about the judgment of God with regard to sin, however, it reveals the character of God. The standard set by the holiness of God is not the same as our …
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 …
Ezekiel 6 – “However, I will leave a remnant, for you will have those who escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. Ezekiel 6:8 NASB Since the beginning of God’s plan, …
Ezekiel 3 – First, let’s paint a backdrop of what Ezekiel is dealing with here. The people of Israel have continually rejected the Word and the prophets. They are stubborn and obstinant (Eze 3:7). They, like us, …
Ezekiel 1 – Ezekiel was 25 years old when he was taken into captivity and was 30 when he was called into ministry. Outside of the book named after him, there is no other reference to Ezekiel …
Acts 13 – Paul and Barnabas visit multiple synagogues and work there way across the island of Cyprus from east to west. When they reached Paphos, they encounter a snag. A Jewish false prophet by the name …
Acts 9 – Saul We are reminded here in chapter 9 that even the most rebellious and hard-hearted people can be powerfully used by God. In fact, I believe wholeheartedly in the saying, “whoever is forgiven much, …
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 …
Lamentations 4 – With graphic detail, Jeremiah describes all the ways in which his people suffered during the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem. Those who survived the siege lived under horrific suffering. It was so bad, that women …
Lamentations 1 – The mere existence of the book of Lamentations shows us that God takes seriously our need as humans to process and grieve. “In this world, you will have trouble… ” Jesus promised. Trouble comes …
Leviticus 4 – While the peace offering in Leviticus 3 was optional, the sin offering was mandatory. The sin offering, or, purification offering, had many layers which will span Leviticus 4 and 5. The reason for the …
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 …
Revelation 8 – Continuing on the theme from Chapter 7, John either heard or saw something with every seal that was opened. Here in Revelation 8, the seventh seal is broken and he hears and sees nothing …
Revelation 6 – I grew up in Berne, Indiana which sits directly on top of the continental divide. If you are not familiar with the continental divide, it is an area of raised terrain that …
Revelation 4 – The Throne We just recently studied the book of Ezekiel and Leviticus which have some strong ties to the language here in Revelation. Before God’s throne, John sees brilliant and vivid imagery that is …
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 34 – Every 7 years slaves were to be released. This had been an ordinance God had established hundreds of years before. As the people’s hearts became hardened, they failed to follow this law. They were …
Jeremiah 29 – Context is everything. One of the most misused and misunderstood verses in all the Bible is found here in Jeremiah 29. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, …
Jeremiah 28 – We get to see the incredible discernment of Jeremiah here in this chapter. He is challenged by Hananiah, a false prophet, and publicly humiliated when the yoke is taken from his neck and shattered …
Jeremiah 27 – It is fascinating to me to see the way that God is handling wayward Judah in these chapters. Back in Chapter 21 of Jeremiah, we saw the Lord first introduce this idea of submission …
Jeremiah 25 – The warnings of God to the people were constant. Most of these chapters seem to say the same thing over and over again. It’s easy to skim past and overlook it as it often …
Jeremiah 24 – Captivity has now set in and Jeremiah is once again given a message as to the fate of his people. Essentially, the vision is two baskets of figs – one good and one bad. …
Jeremiah 14 – So the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.” Jeremiah 14:11 NASB Don’t pray for these people. What??? If you read the blog a few weeks ago you …
Jeremiah 8 – I love the Good News Bible translation of this chapter. The LORD told me to say to his people, “When someone falls down, doesn’t he get back up? If someone misses the road, doesn’t …
Jeremiah 3 – Married people, how would you feel if your spouse wanted to share their love equally with another? Would you be fine with that? God challenges the people to consider their ways. They have left …
2 Chronicles 33 – Sometimes it has to hurt in order to draw genuine Godly repentance. It’s not a concept we like to think about, but it is true. Though Manasseh’s acts were heinous and evil, God …
2 Chronicles 31 – What we notice about the kings of the past two books (1 & 2 Chronicles) is that their actions are described in detail. Generally speaking, the kings either followed the Lord and backed …
2 Chronicles 9 – Jesus actually spoke of this encounter between the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. In Matthew 12 the teachers of the Law and Pharisees question Jesus’ authority and they demand a sign. Technically, they …
2 Chronicles 7 – The temptation of reading this promise from God is to universally apply it to national and personal situations. For instance, many believe that if we as a nation would repent, God would hear …
1 Chronicles 15 – Chapter 16 ends with an interesting and dramatic detail. And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of …
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. …
Isaiah 64 – What does it really look like to come before God in humility and express your deepest grief for the sins of you and your people? I’m not talking about grief for consequences or fear …
Isaiah 57 – And it will be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.” Isaiah 57:14 NASB Remove every stumbling block! If this phrase sounds familiar …
Isaiah 37 – Much of what Isaiah has written leading up to this point has been about the rebellion of God’s people. They were living like they really didn’t trust the Lord, and continually went back to …
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 34 – The idea of this chapter is that the Lord will conquer all who oppose Him. There is no question about it. Within the text, the language is bold and abrasive. Divine wrath will be …
Isaiah 33 – The book of Isaiah is very clear. Trust in nations; destruction. Trust in God alone; deliverance. The irony is that God would use nations to humble His people, but He would command them not …
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 25 – Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to His faithfulness. It almost reads like a prayer, and this is significant. When we face trials, struggles, …
Isaiah 23 – Babylon was the great city along the eastern side of the ancient world and Tyre was considered the great city of the west. Tyre was known for their fabulous wealth – a benefit to …
Isaiah 7 – War has broken out and Jerusalem is under attack. Amazingly, God shows King Ahaz mercy by commanding him to stay calm and courageous, even though he was a terribly immoral king. The Lord sends …
Isaiah 6 – The first 5 chapters of Isaiah outline his prophecies, but do not establish his calling. In chapter 6 we read the details of God’s calling for Isaiah. In many ways, Isaiah filled a role …
Isaiah 1 – The book of Isaiah is full of prophecy. Hebrew poetry used a literary style called parallelism, much like a modern-day analogy. In the first several verses, we see the parallels being drawn. “An ox …
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. …
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 …
Judges 20 – The story we read from the Levite priest in Judges 20 is not the same story we read in the previous chapter. Here, the priest states that it was “the men of Gibeah” who …
Judges 10 – Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, Jdg 3:7 The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the …
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 …
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 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 …
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 – 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 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 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 …
Ezra 10 – A powerful victory is found here in Chapter 10 with humility and repentance. In fact, the whole event takes place after Ezra’s intense act of grief. Notice that what spoke to the people in …
Ezra 9 – This chapter is a perfect example of why context is so important when reading Scripture. The Israelites have already been through the humiliation and anguish and being exiled. The reason for this exile, very …
Joshua 22 – The one thing that sticks out as a positive note is how seriously the western tribes took the possibility of falling back into sin. This had been something that plagued Israel for years, and …
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 29 – “Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him.” Proverbs 29:10 HCSB “When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall.” Proverbs 29:16 HCSB “An unjust man …
Titus 3 – Have you ever been involved in a foolish conversation? How about an endless quarrel about a technicality? Most likely, all of us have been …
2 Samuel 24 – This account of a census is a puzzling chapter. We wonder today, what could be wrong with taking a census? It seems pretty harmless to us. In the ancient world, a man had …
2 Samuel 23 – David was never ashamed of who he was and where he came from. In a culture that was all about notoriety and popularity, David was still the youngest son of Jesse, the peasant …
2 Samuel 13 – What a mess here in 2 Samuel 13! It’s hard to know where to begin. Amnon was obsessed. The thought of sinning consumed him. He seemingly had no relief from these lustful thoughts …
2 Samuel 12 – Sin often causes innocent people to perish. This is because sin cannot be overlooked. Though David was forgiven for his sin, there was still a cost to pay. In this case, the consequences …
2 Samuel 11 – Most of us know the story of 2 Samuel 11. David’s sin and repentance are well-documented. The story is familiar to us because it’s real. The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat the sex, scandal, and …
2 Samuel 8 – In many ways, David is presented as the “anti-Saul” even though at times, their behavior does not seem all that different. Thus far in Samuel, we’ve witnessed several questionable decisions by David. Here …
1 Samuel 31 – Let’s do a quick recap. In desperation, Saul traveled to see a witch who brought back Samuel from the dead and predicted Saul’s death the next day. Today is the next day. Also …
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 26 – If there was ever a justifiable moment for David to end Saul’s life, this was it. Saul had repented of his wrongdoing back when David had his first opportunity to kill Saul in …
1 Samuel 12 – When our vision is blinded to reality, sometimes the most effective reminder comes from God flexing His muscles. It would be the power found in a storm that would shake the people’s selfish …
1 Samuel 8 – Samuel’s reputation as a judge was top-notch. He followed in a long line of judges who would call God’s people back to repentance, but only for a specific period of time. Because Samuel’s …
1 Samuel 7 – Coming off the heels of their defeat to the Philistines, Samuel would bring forth a challenge. Often in our weakest moments is when God’s voice will speak the loudest. God had stirred their …
1 Timothy 5 – Through Jesus’ sacrifice and forgiveness, we enter into a new relationship with God. As our father, He loves us unconditionally and leads us into truth and light. The point is, it is Jesus …
Romans 2 – When you hold up God as the standard, as you should, that standard is one that not only condemns the person you are correcting but yourself as well. As the old saying goes, “You’re …
2 Kings 25 – It’s definitely fitting that the fate of Israel was determined at Jericho. “It seems ironic that here, at the very spot where Israel first set foot on the Promised Land, the last of …
2 Kings 22 – It is through the Word of God that we are able to see and feel the conviction our heart needs to change. For Josiah, it occurred during a tough time for the nation. …
2 Kings 21 – This chapter is filled to the brim with the evil of Manasseh. He would be remembered as the king who led his people back into the darkness of which they hadn’t seen since …
2 Kings 15 – If you get bored and skim through 2 Kings 15, you will miss a very significant detail in verse 19. Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a …
2 Kings 13 – What’s the context here? Well, as we have read, 2 Kings is a terrible time for Israel. The nation is continually at war because God is using their enemies as a means of …
2 Kings 9 – One of my favorite parts to this story is the fact that Jehu was recognized by his furious driving. Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And …
1 Kings 22 – What’s the deal with Ramoth-Gilead and why did they want it back? Ramoth was a Levitical city so it was considered important to the Jews. During King Solomon’s reign, it was a key …
1 Kings 21 – When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He refused food, slept in the sackcloth, and went about gloomy and depressed. 1 Kings 21:27 The tearing …
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. …
Genesis 42 – According to Wikipedia, The Conscience Fund is one of three gift funds maintained by the United States Department of the Treasury. It was put into place for voluntary contributions from people who have stolen from …
Genesis 27 – What a story! As a Chicago fan, this is kind of like watching the Green Bay Packers play the Minnesota Vikings. There is no one to root for! First, we have Isaac. Though …
John 3 – If we take a bird’s eye view of chapter 3, we find that John is intentional about giving us stories that refute the familiar view of Salvation in ancient times. The Path To Salvation …
Nehemiah 10 – Cutting corners. To me, this is what the covenant was all about. The people vowed to obey God’s law and swore a penalty on themselves if they broke it. We don’t do this today, …
Nehemiah 9 – Nehemiah 9 describes a scene of revival. God was working collectively and personally to bring about reflection, ownership, repentance, and obedience. There is something to be said about reflecting on our history with God. …
Nehemiah 8 – Why is it important to read and hear the Word of God? The one who reads this is blessed, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in …
Nehemiah 1 – Back in the minor prophets, we learned that very few Jewish people left Babylon to return to their own land when they were granted permission. Out of approximately 2.5 million Jews, only about 50,000 …
Hebrews 6 – Here we go. You want to start a heated debate among your Christian friends? Look no further than Hebrews 6. It all centers around the question of whether or not someone can lose their …
Malachi 3 – “Because I, Yahweh, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. Malachi 3:6 HCSB Picking up on the truth of God’s refining process, we read in verse 6 that He is …
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 14 – In Philippians, Paul urges the church to “hold onto the truth we have attained.” This means as truth is revealed to us, we must continue to move forward and not lose ground with regard …
Zechariah 13 – In order to understand this chapter, we must rewind to the end of Zechariah 12. In the end times, after Jesus has returned, Zechariah predicts a time of mourning where Israel will finally realize …