In 1 Samuel 4, Israel went to battle against the Philistines. They were defeated, losing about 4,000 men (1 Samuel…
In Ruth 2, Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side who was a noble man named Boaz (Ruth 2:1).…
In Judges 17, Micah, a man from the hill country of Ephraim, returns 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother…
In Judges 11, Jephthah, a warrior from Gilead and the son of a prostitute, was driven away by his half-brothers…
In Judges 10, Tola from the tribe of Issachar led Israel for 23 years and was buried at Shamir. Jair…
In Judges 9, Gideon's son Abimelech persuades the people of Shechem to make him king by arguing that it's better…
In Judges 8, Gideon was criticized by the men of Ephraim for not including them in the battle against Midian,…
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…
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 22 - The one thing that sticks out as a positive note is how seriously the western tribes took…
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 18 - Spiritually, Shiloh is an important landmark for worship during this time period. In both Judges and Samuel,…
Joshua 14 - The rest of Joshua slows in pace with the land distribution becoming the focal point. However, we…
Joshua 2 - It would not be an easy task to get a view of Jericho. Spies were sent by…
Deuteronomy 26 - Once again we enter into an Old Testament story which has significant implications for how we understand…
Ezekiel 22 - Spiritual sin = practical consequences. This is a fact. Though the OT and NT are under different…
Ezekiel 19 - In this elegy, Ezekiel mourns the lion cubs (kings of Judah) who were brought up by the…
Ezekiel 18 - Turn away from your sins and live. In this chapter, a foundational Christian belief is described in…
Ezekiel 17 - Let's start by getting an understanding of the allegory. The first great eagle represents Babylon, or, King…
Ezekiel 16 - This chapter is an anti-entitlement message. Once again, there is application that is extremely relevant for our…
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 4 - Just as Isaiah was asked to walk naked and barefoot for 3 years, Ezekiel is asked to…
Acts 24 - Paul now finds himself in limbo and at the mercy of the political system. He continues to…
Acts 21 - This was a tough chapter for me. We read that the voice of the Holy Spirit is…
Lamentations 2 - In the second chapter of Lamentations, God expresses His hatred for sin. It's important for us to…
Leviticus 21 - This chapter primarily deals with the holiness of the religious leaders. We read that higher standards were…
Revelation 22 - Tree of Life The final chapter of the Bible bookends the story that God started in the…
Revelation 21 - There is a lot of crossover between what Isaiah writes in chapter 65 and the 21st chapter…
Revelation 20 - If someone comes up and asks you, "How do you interpret Revelation?" most likely, they are referring…
Revelation 19 - After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven,…
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 11 - I think a major issue with Revelation 11 is the fact that it relies heavily on Revelation…
Revelation 8 - Continuing on the theme from Chapter 7, John either heard or saw something with every seal that…
Revelation 6 - I grew up in Berne, Indiana which sits directly on top of the continental divide. If you…
Revelation 5 - The Scroll In ancient times, the Romans would seal their wills seven times. Each wax seal usually…
Revelation 4 - The Throne We just recently studied the book of Ezekiel and Leviticus which have some strong ties…
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 46 - Just as God promised, He outlines some of the details that will take place as Babylon prepares…
Jeremiah 32 - This chapter essentially reiterates the destruction we've known will come upon Jerusalem and the peace and prosperity…
Jeremiah 31 - There is a lot going on in this chapter, and it can seem kind of confusing. I…
Jeremiah 30 - God works in mysterious ways. It's cliche but truth for this chapter. He is flexing his muscles…
Jeremiah 24 - Captivity has now set in and Jeremiah is once again given a message as to the fate…
Jeremiah 22 - God has a message and it will be delivered. It may not come the way we expected.…
Jeremiah 20 - Are you overwhelmed by Jesus right now? Yes, it's a convicting question, but it reveals so much.…
Jeremiah 15 - The insecurities of Jeremiah are starting to show. He's really stuck between a rock and hard place.…
Jeremiah 11 - The people of Judah and Jerusalem were not helpless. They continually chose their sin over God. The…
Jeremiah 10 - Let's face it; we love idols. Consumerism is drilled into us at an early age. Most of…
Jeremiah 9 - Have you ever been torn between sorrow and anger? On one hand, we are incensed at the…
Jeremiah 8 - I love the Good News Bible translation of this chapter. The LORD told me to say to…
Jeremiah 6 - A few years ago, I discovered that the agitator in our washing machine was not turning like…
Jeremiah 4 - Judah’s lovers have become her murderers. And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you…
Jeremiah 2 - "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To…
2 Chronicles 36 - The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His…
2 Chronicles 35 - Armchair Quarterback (noun) a person who offers advice or an opinion on something in which they…
2 Chronicles 33 - Sometimes it has to hurt in order to draw genuine Godly repentance. It's not a concept…
2 Chronicles 24 - But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the…
2 Chronicles 18 - Would you rather be a well-liked king or a ridiculed prophet? In a bizarre revelation, God…
2 Chronicles 8 - Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of…
1 Chronicles 10 - The Philistines Who were the Philistines? They were sea-faring people who immigrated from the island of…
1 Chronicles 1 - It was a bittersweet time for Israel. The Jews had just returned from 70 years of…
Isaiah 61 - Isaiah 61 is such an interesting chapter. In Luke 4, Jesus reads the first two verses of…
Isaiah 54 - This chapter focuses on the wonderful love God has for His people. Amazingly, even though human sin…
Isaiah 41 - In this chapter, God is reminding His people of His promises. The people of Israel would be…
Isaiah 35 - The promise at the end of the chapter is beautiful. There will be no lion there, and…
Isaiah 34 - The idea of this chapter is that the Lord will conquer all who oppose Him. There is…
Isaiah 30 - The people resisted God's counsel, and instead, they received His judgement. It sounds harsh, but remember, we…
Isaiah 27 - This chapter, as a whole, is about the destruction of Israel's enemies. The smaller story line, however,…
Isaiah 26 - Disease. Affliction. Poverty. The kingdom of man wrestles with the birth pains of this world. The city…
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 4 - Isaiah 4:2 describes the Branch of the Lord. The time is coming when the LORD will make…
Isaiah 2 - The first five verses of this chapter relate to the future Messiah and hint at the admission…
Colossians 3 - Ironically, the ethics listed here in Colossians 3 are not foreign to the Jewish law. No one…
Galatians 2 - As we read in Chapter 1 of Galatians, Paul's message that he was delivering to the Gentiles…
Exodus 22 - I am most struck by verses 22 and 25 in this chapter. God has, from the beginning,…
Exodus 13 - The way God led was definitely the "road less traveled." The people did not go directly toward…
Exodus 9 - Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. Exodus…
Exodus 6 - Leap of faith. Failure. Encouragement. Repeat. This pretty much sums up the journey of Moses. Likewise, it…
2 Thessalonians 2 - In case you haven't grasped by now, the Thessalonians were deeply concerned with future events. It's…
1 Thessalonians 4 - What do we know about the coming of the Lord? Paul gives us a clue at…
2 Thessalonians 1 - Paul knew that the Thessalonian church was enduring suffering, and he wanted to continue to encourage…
1 Thessalonians 1 - In the opening verses of this letter, we read Paul's words which seem to indicate he…
Job 33 - As I read Elihu speak, I feel the tension of two different angles. On one hand, Elihu…
Job 22 - When we do not pay attention to the needs before us, true care can turn to condemnation.…
Ezra 10 - A powerful victory is found here in Chapter 10 with humility and repentance. In fact, the whole…
Ezra 1 - It is fascinating to consider the faith of Cyrus, King of Persia. Was he a believer in…
Matthew 25 - Leonard Kevin Bias was born on November 17, 1963, in Landover, Maryland. He was a tall, quiet…
Matthew 24 - There is a break between verses 2 and 3 that separate the thoughts of Jesus. He starts…
Matthew 14 - The miraculous feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Matthew 14:21 specifies 5,000 males,…
Matthew 13 - Here in Matthew 13, there are so many great parables it is hard to just reflect on…
Proverbs 25 - "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him…
Proverbs 4 - As a kid, I remember going down to the beaches of Florida for our family vacations. One…