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 1, Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, leave Israel because of a famine…
In Judges 21, the Israelites mourned the desolation of the tribe of Benjamin and sought the Lord's guidance (Judges 21:1-4).…
In Judges 19, a Levite's concubine was unfaithful to him and left for her father’s house in Bethlehem. After four…
In Judges 16, Samson visits Gaza and sleeps with a prostitute. The Philistines plan to ambush him, but Samson escapes…
In Judges 15, Samson visited his wife (from Judges 14) but found that her father had given her to another…
In Judges 11, Jephthah, a warrior from Gilead and the son of a prostitute, was driven away by his half-brothers…
In Judges 1, we pick up on the journey after Joshua's death. Verse 1 states that the Israelites sought guidance…
Joshua 11 - Let's set the backdrop. Joshua has just led Israel in defeating the cities in the south. News…
Joshua 9 - The Gibeonites, fearing Israel's conquests, deceive Joshua and the Israelites by pretending to be from a distant…
Acts 8 - It's an awesome thing when the Holy Spirit begins to transform lives and show himself in amazing…
Acts 4 - As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and…
Lamentations 4 - With graphic detail, Jeremiah describes all the ways in which his people suffered during the Babylonian attack…
Lamentations 2 - In the second chapter of Lamentations, God expresses His hatred for sin. It's important for us to…
Leviticus 15 - The verses here in Leviticus 15 are not directly discussed in the NT but they are alluded…
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 11 - I think a major issue with Revelation 11 is the fact that it relies heavily on Revelation…
Revelation 9 - The 5th Trumpet The 5th trumpet releases a key to open the abyss. Many scholars believe this…
Revelation 7 - God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation. I think it's important to understand…
Revelation 5 - The Scroll In ancient times, the Romans would seal their wills seven times. Each wax seal usually…
Jeremiah 44 - Once again the people of Judah have hardened their hearts to God. It's unreal. To be honest,…
Jeremiah 34 - Every 7 years slaves were to be released. This had been an ordinance God had established hundreds…
2 Chronicles 20 - Did God command his people to go into battle singing? I read this over and over…
2 Chronicles 8 - Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of…
2 Chronicles 6 - "But can you, O God, really live on earth among men and women? Not even all…
1 Chronicles 29 - 1 Chronicles 29:25 GNB The LORD made the whole nation stand in awe of Solomon, and…
1 Chronicles 28 - Loyalty of heart. I once had a pastor give me advice on how to preach a…
1 Chronicles 25 - Attention musicians! Does the name Asaph mean anything to you? Anyone....anyone.....Bueller? Although it might not mean…
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 45 - Exodus 33:20 NASB But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me…
Isaiah 20 - Let's first set the stage. Coming on the heels of Isaiah 19 and the oracle concerning Egypt,…
Isaiah 4 - Isaiah 4:2 describes the Branch of the Lord. The time is coming when the LORD will make…
Ephesians 1 - The readers of this letter in Paul's day would have received a rolled up scroll that required…
Exodus 35 - Think upon the skills that were required of a master craftsman. Obviously, the person would be gifted…
Exodus 32 - The first question I asked when reading this chapter was - what caused this? We read in…
Exodus 1 - The bitter labor that was given to Israel actually made them multiply and grow. In the future,…
Job 35 - This is arguably Elihu's harshest language against Job. It is a message of condemnation with truth mixed…
Ezra 8 - This trek consisted of over 900 miles on foot. But also consider that there would have been…
Matthew 28 - The appearances of the resurrected Christ are astonishing! Many people will concede that Jesus was a real…
Matthew 14 - The miraculous feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Matthew 14:21 specifies 5,000 males,…
Matthew 1 - The Gospels do not record a single word spoken by this man. Yet, the Gospel account written…
Proverbs 31 - Proverbs 31 is a famous chapter describing a virtuous woman of God. Many of us have heard…
Proverbs 5 - Upon an initial read of this chapter, it seems as if Solomon is painting a negative picture…
2 Peter 3 - Peter was writing, at the time, against the theory of uniformitarianism. It states that the processes…
2 Peter 2 - 2 Peter 2 opens by describing two different kinds of false people within the church. Maybe…
1 Peter 3 - It's in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after…
2 Samuel 20 - Concubines, intestines, and a severed head being thrown over a wall! This chapter is not for…
2 Samuel 16 - The reason why we read several chapters back about the grace David extended to Saul's family…
2 Samuel 8 - In many ways, David is presented as the "anti-Saul" even though at times, their behavior does…
2 Samuel 4 - In 2 Samuel 4, we see the collision of two different kingdoms. Humanity's kingdom operates within…
1 Samuel 30 - David returns to Zikleg, where he had fled from Saul only to find that while he…
1 Samuel 22 - There's no doubt that David felt completely isolated. Living in a cave, he was completely humiliated.…
1 Samuel 18 - “Saul has slain his thousands,And David his ten thousands.” The wording here says that "all cities…
1 Samuel 14 - Those who are dialed into the Spirit are sensitive to the timing of the Lord. In…
2 Timothy 2 - There's only one Gospel. There's only one Gospel. There's. Only. ONE. Gospel. The Gospel = Suffering…
1 Timothy 3 - Paul moves from congregational conduct to leadership. There are two offices he addresses: the overseer and…
1 Timothy 2 - As a child, I would sometimes hear my parents say, "As long as you are under…
Romans 16 - This is a phenomenal chapter that champions the role of women in the church. Romans 16 begins…
2 Kings 15 - If you get bored and skim through 2 Kings 15, you will miss a very significant…
2 Kings 8 - The pattern of Elisha's service to the Lord consistently reflects the act of leading others to…
2 Kings 4 - Open containers. What a metaphor. A widow comes to Elisha in a panic. Her husband has…
1 Kings 21 - When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He…
1 Kings 11 - When Solomon was old, his wives seduced him to follow other gods. He was not completely…
1 Kings 3 - Incredibly, we see both the pinnacle of Solomon's character as well as a foreshadowing of his…
1 Kings 1 - The book of Kings picks up with an older David (70) still serving as king but…
Genesis 39 - Set against the backdrop of Joseph's brother Judah pursuing a harlot who was actually his daughter-in-law, here…
Genesis 36 - The bullet points of Esau's life were not great. God blessed him and his family, but the…
Genesis 30 - Jacob married sisters... just think about that. Rachel had her husband's love but could not produce sons.…
Genesis 29 - Jacob is here in Genesis 29 doing "Jacob-like stuff." Like a smooth-talking used car salesman, he approaches…
Genesis 27 - What a story! As a Chicago fan, this is kind of like watching the Green Bay Packers…
Genesis 21 - In previous chapters, we may have been tempted to wonder, "Why has God stuck with Abraham for…
Genesis 17 - The question we all ask ourselves at one point or another is, why circumcision? First, in the…
John 6 - Jesus was not going to be defined by the people’s interpretation of who He should be. He…
Esther 8 - Throughout the book of Esther, I have been drawing lines connecting Haman with Satan and this chapter…
Nehemiah 13 - So, remember that guy Tobiah? Back in Nehemiah 6 he was one of Israel's enemies who formulated…
Hebrews 11 - The Hall of Faith. It is by far the most popular and most quoted chapter of Hebrews.…
Zechariah 12 - Zechariah's name means "The Lord Remembers" and in this chapter, we get a striking image of God…
Amos 1 - Nelson's Commentary gives an informative but concise background on the book of Amos. "The Lord sent Amos,…
Hosea 3 - What impacts me the most about this short chapter in Hosea 3 is the fact that God…
Daniel 11 - Daniel 11 contains some of the most specifically accurate prophecies in the entire Bible. Critics have often…
1 Corinthians 11 - 1 Corinthians 11 opens up a can of worms in our culture today. At the very…
Psalm 106 - What is risk? It is a decision to act in a way that opens us to danger,…
Psalm 49 - Death. No one can escape it. It is a certainty that all of humanity agrees upon regardless…
Psalm 15 - The term "Christian" can mean many different things. Some people immediately think of a moral person who…
Mark 16 - The Great Commission is important. So important, in fact, that we find it 5 times in the…
Mark 14 - In Mark 14, Jesus sat down with his disciples during the Last Supper and broke the bread…
Deuteronomy 20 - A lot of us have never thought about what it means to go to war vastly outnumbered.…
Deuteronomy 13 - When did self-appointed titles become a "thing" in the church? When did "a word" become more important…
Deuteronomy 3 - They told Moses, "We explored the land and found it to be rich and fertile; and here…
Numbers 31 - Although the lesson of this chapter is overshadowed by the war, there are some very miraculous accomplishments.…
Numbers 27 - Don't gloss over this chapter too quickly or you will miss a moment that is very rare…
Numbers 26 - The census here marks a turning point in Israel's history. The first generation that was delivered from…
Numbers 25 - The Bible was not written to convince us that we are good, but rather, to illustrate that…
Numbers 24 - To me, the most striking verse in this chapter begins with verse 1. When Balaam saw that…
Numbers 6 - People are probably surprised to learn that this famous prayer of blessing comes from the book of…
Numbers 4 - Numbers 1 dealt with numbering the tribes. Numbers 2 was all about the ordering of the camps.…