Jeremiah 44
Jeremiah 44 - Once again the people of Judah have hardened their hearts to God. It's unreal. To be honest, this is such a hard chapter to read because Jeremiah stands here confronting them as a prophet ...
Jeremiah 41
Jeremiah 41 - The scene here in chapter 41 is reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster action movie. The nation is already mourning the total destruction of Jerusalem, and with a dramatic twist, the body count continues to ...
Jeremiah 38
Jeremiah 38 - The brutality against Jeremiah is taken a step further. Led by officials, they inquired with the king for permission to do what they had planned. Zedekiah gave the approval to cast him into a cistern where there was no water. His body sunk deep into the mud ...
Jeremiah 37
Jeremiah 37 - If you have been following along in Jeremiah you may be confused at how the chapters skip around. I know I am...
Jeremiah 30
Jeremiah 30 - God works in mysterious ways. It's cliche but truth for this chapter. He is flexing his muscles once again and showing that His plan cannot be thwarted - even by our rebellious sin. There ...
Jeremiah 28
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
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 26
Jeremiah 26 - Jeremiah is threatened with death. My first takeaway from reading this was just how similar it is to Jesus' encounter with the religious leaders who heard his truth and immediately wanted to kill him. ...
Jeremiah 24
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 22
Jeremiah 22 - God has a message and it will be delivered. It may not come the way we expected. It may not come at the time we thought it would. It may even come from someone ...
Jeremiah 21
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 19
Jeremiah 19 - What happens when we flirt with sin? For whatever reason, our society has divided sin into many different levels and categories. Though Jesus taught that a sin in the heart is equal to a ...
Jeremiah 17
Jeremiah 17 - Does the Bible encourage us to "follow our heart?" What we find in chapter 17 of Jeremiah is such a sharp contrast between the destiny of a man who follows his heart and the ...
Jeremiah 13
Jeremiah 13 - Burdens for people can be so heavy. When we sense that the ways of Jesus are not a priority in someone’s life, there is heartache and sorrow. God brings our attention to His heart ...
Jeremiah 11
Jeremiah 11 - The people of Judah and Jerusalem were not helpless. They continually chose their sin over God. The point being made in this chapter is that God's justice is inevitable if sin becomes natural and ...
Jeremiah 9
Jeremiah 9 - Have you ever been torn between sorrow and anger? On one hand, we are incensed at the lack of spiritual depth in others' lives. On the other hand, we grieve for the turmoil and ...
Jeremiah 7
Jeremiah 7 - A lot of people act like the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament is simply not the same being. Although they may call Him God, they live as ...
Jeremiah 6
Jeremiah 6 - A few years ago, I discovered that the agitator in our washing machine was not turning like it was supposed to. After disassembling the whole thing, I discovered that the bolt had worn down ...
Jeremiah 5
Jeremiah 5 - The people of Israel and Judah have betrayed me completely. I, the LORD, have spoken." 12 The LORD's people have denied him and have said, "He won't really do anything. We won't have hard ...
Jeremiah 4
Jeremiah 4 - Judah’s lovers have become her murderers. And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with ...
Jeremiah 3
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 36
2 Chronicles 36 - The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually ...
2 Chronicles 33
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 28
2 Chronicles 28 - Wow. What a chapter. Where do we begin? There are times in Scripture where we read that the Lord handed over the people to their own consequences. This is one of those times. ...
2 Chronicles 20
2 Chronicles 20 - Did God command his people to go into battle singing? I read this over and over to make sure I wasn’t missing something. As far as I can tell, we don’t read they ...
2 Chronicles 18
2 Chronicles 18 - Would you rather be a well-liked king or a ridiculed prophet? In a bizarre revelation, God asks for a lying, deceitful spirit to go an entice Ahab to fall at Ramoth-gilead. Why was ...
2 Chronicles 15
2 Chronicles 15 - Several years ago my wife was trying to get me onboard with adoption. Shamefully, I was hesitant. It just wasn't the direction or the plan I thought would unfold. For months, she would ...
2 Chronicles 9
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 8
2 Chronicles 8 - Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. Psalms 20:7 NASB "Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall ...
2 Chronicles 7
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 ...
2 Chronicles 6
2 Chronicles 6 - "But can you, O God, really live on earth among men and women? Not even all of heaven is large enough to hold you, so how can this Temple that I have built ...
2 Chronicles 5
2 Chronicles 5 - There are moments when God shows up in a mighty way and we are simply called to step back. This was one of those moments. in unison when the trumpeters and the singers ...
2 Chronicles 4
2 Chronicles 4 - Then he made the ten golden lampstands in the way prescribed for them and he set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. 2 Chronicles 4:7 ...
2 Chronicles 3
2 Chronicles 3 - The effort and detail Solomon and his people put into the newly constructed temple was simply amazing. They went all out. God is in the details. This is true. It's also a fact ...
1 Chronicles 22
1 Chronicles 22 - Though David served Israel in many ways, his primary role was as a military leader. He was considered a man of war. Before a nation can build a palace or temple, they must ...
1 Chronicles 21
1 Chronicles 21 - To David's credit, he takes responsibility for the error in judgment. He even asks God to spare His people and instead punish him and his family. Anytime sin separated the people from God, ...
1 Chronicles 20
1 Chronicles 20 - "In the spring of the year..." Great military conquests were routinely conducted in the springtime. Most often, it would be late spring, when the rains had subsided and the dry warmth of summer ...
1 Chronicles 15
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 14
1 Chronicles 14 - Following on the same theme from 1 Chronicles 13, we now see David correcting his previous error. He engages in two battles against the Philistines. In both situations, he directly consults the Lord ...
1 Chronicles 8
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 ...
1 Chronicles 4
1 Chronicles 4 - I also find the mentioning of Jabez to be fascinating in this long list of names. His name meant "pain." More specifically though, it was translated "he causes pain" which ...
Ruth 4
Ruth 4 - You may remember a few chapters back when Ruth worked hard pacing the fields and following the reaper's footsteps. Now, as she has become one with the owner, that land becomes her inheritance. As ...
Isaiah 66
Isaiah 66 - As the book of Isaiah comes to a close, I am drawn to the writings of F.F. Bruce. "As the book has stated again and again in a variety of places and ways, however, ...
Isaiah 65
Isaiah 65 - God has made Himself available. He is standing with arms outstretched ready to help His people. God says one thing, but the people say another. God offers His help, but the people will not ...
Isaiah 64
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 63
Isaiah 63 - At the beginning of Isaiah 63, we find a familiar theme in Scripture. There is someone with blood-stained clothes who is robed in splendor and striding forward in the greatness of strength. This can ...
Isaiah 59
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 57
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 54
Isaiah 54 - This chapter focuses on the wonderful love God has for His people. Amazingly, even though human sin has corrupted the future God had promised, His words will not return void. Given the current exile ...
Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53 - The opening verse grabs my attention. "Who has believed our message?" It's a rhetorical question but one that was referenced twice in the New Testament. But though He had performed so many signs before ...
Isaiah 52
Isaiah 52 - God's people will be redeemed. They were sold for nothing but they will be bought back without money. The foreshadowing of the future for Israel is also a foreshadowing for humanity. The Messiah will ...
Isaiah 49
Isaiah 49 - His words were like a sharp arrow ready to pierce the heart. Israel would be his servant and he would be their master. But something was wrong. Their response was rejection! Though he came ...
Isaiah 48
Isaiah 48 - We who know Christ understand that the Gospel message is not a one of mystery and mysticism. Yes, some may claim this because our God is a mysterious God, however, the sending of His ...
Isaiah 43
Isaiah 43 - Should we forget the past or remember it? This is a troubling question. On the surface, it would seem that Isaiah has contradicted itself. For instance, in Isaiah 43:18 it says… "Do not call ...
Isaiah 42
Isaiah 42 - God is the only Savior. His creation will bring glory to Him alone and it will not be shared with an idol. In the beautiful and symbolic open verses, the theme of restoration continues. ...
Isaiah 41
Isaiah 41 - In this chapter, God is reminding His people of His promises. The people of Israel would be used to glorify the one and only true God of this world. Even though consequences were coming, ...
Isaiah 36
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 31
Isaiah 31 - God had willed captivity for His people. He also willed restoration. When we must go through a season of captivity in order to receive restoration, we tend to resist. We want to take the ...
Isaiah 29
Isaiah 29 - I can remember times in my life when I was simply neglecting the spiritual wisdom of God. Like a nagging fly that kept landing on me, I swatted those thoughts out of my mind ...
Isaiah 25
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 24
Isaiah 24 - The somber truth is that our world is headed for judgment. In the end, God will reign. Although much of humanity believes we are self-sufficient and in control of our own destiny, reality tells ...
Isaiah 14
Isaiah 14 - There are some deep theological principles at work in this chapter. There is also some controversy as to the correct translation of the phrase, “Oh Lucifer, Son of the morning” in verse 12. Many ...
Isaiah 12
Isaiah 12 - Isaiah 12:1 is a mirror image of Paul's writing in Romans 6:17. Compare the two passages. Then you will say on that day, "I will give thanks to You, O LORD; For although You ...
Isaiah 11
Isaiah 11 - There is a good point here to be made about the wrath of God. Many skeptics are quick to point out God's wrath, especially in the Old Testament. Of course, we have all heard ...
Isaiah 9
Isaiah 9 - Here we get a description of Jesus as a child, son, and eventually, prince. He is called the Prince of Peace. He follows in His Father’s footsteps. The God of peace will soon crush ...
Isaiah 5
Isaiah 5 - Six woes are given to the nation of Israel starting in verse 8. The woes include greed, debauchery, unbelief, perversion, arrogance, and injustice. "To these sins are added prophecies of judgment: desolation, captivity or ...
Isaiah 4
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 ...
Isaiah 3
Isaiah 3 - Strong Christian leadership is important. Most likely during the time that Isaiah was writing this, the readers were under the leadership of King Uzziah. He was a wise and godly king, however, a time ...
Isaiah 1
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 ...
Colossians 3
Colossians 3 - Ironically, the ethics listed here in Colossians 3 are not foreign to the Jewish law. No one who grew up learning the law of Moses would scoff at the morality prescribed here by Paul. ...
Colossians 2
Colossians 2 - Think of it in these terms. Any philosopher, theologian, scientist, professor or quantum physicist, whether Christian or not, has borrowed their wisdom and knowledge from God. Without God, there is no logic or reason. ...
Colossians 1
Colossians 1 - Who has ever seen God? Jesus answered this question. "Lord," said Philip, "show us the Father, and that's enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been among you all this time ...
Philippians 3
Philippians 3 - Have you ever met someone who always tries to one-up you? No matter how the story goes, they always pull the trump card with some experience or credential that's bigger and better. It's not ...
Ephesians 6
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 ...
Ephesians 2
Ephesians 2 - Many of us today live under the illusion that we simply can’t change. Hidden deep under a “that’s just the way I am” attitude is a deadliest of all sins - human pride. It’s ...
Ephesians 1
Ephesians 1 - The readers of this letter in Paul's day would have received a rolled up scroll that required unrolling before reading. It was important to quickly see who the writer was and what the letter ...
Galatians 6
Galatians 6 - The problem in the Galatian church was two-fold. As we've already outlined, the Jewish Christians were loading laws on top of grace. However, this was causing a huge divide in the church. Here in ...
Galatians 5
Galatians 5 - The fruit of keeping the law is exposed here in Galatians 5. According to Paul, the devotion to the law was leading to a cold, empty legalism. They were "biting and devouring one another." ...
Galatians 4
Galatians 4 - I admit that sometimes I get so caught up in my own wants and needs that I miss the bigger picture. We all tend to gravitate toward a "me first" attitude even if we ...
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 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 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 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 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 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 14
Exodus 14 - Like the Canaanites, ancient Israel thought of the sea as an uncontrollable beast. At creation the Lord hovered over the waters of chaos. At the flood, the raging waters engulfed the sinful generation that ...
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 ...
Exodus 2
Exodus 2 - He was given the name of Moses by Pharaoh's daughter because she "drew him out of the water." It Hebrew his name means "one who draws out." This would be a common theme in ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
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 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, ...