Zechariah 1-7 Return and Be Blessed The OT prophets have a recurring theme for the Jews: they must return to God and His ways in order for Him to bless them. They remind the Jews that way back in Moses’ time, God clearly told them how He would bless them, and here it is again […]
Haggai 1-2 Way back in the times of Moses, the large book of Deuteronomy lists the blessings and curses for obedience vs. disobedience. Fast forward to Haggai, and we see that the Israelites have yet to learn or recall what God had said, and now they are floundering. God graciously, [How often do we see […]
Ezra 4-6, Ps 137 Liars can feign truth through words and actions; therefore, we must be discerning. Ezra notes that the enemies came saying let us join you. Let “us” build the temple with you because we “are like you,” We seek your God, etc. Note “your” God, not their God but “your God.” Today, […]
Ezra 1-3 One of the promises God gave his errant children is that after 70 yrs. they could return to Israel. Ezra believed that promise and prepared himself to not only go there but also to guide the people in this large company. Imagine being in this company of many, many people with large gifts […]
Daniel 10-12 We have been asking how patient we are, and these chapters show us Daniel patiently waits for answers about the vision he has received. He wants an answer, and we, too, want answers. Are we willing to wait for God to answer, or are we like many who start strong but then fall […]
Daniel 7-9 Do you find waiting hard? We want it now! Daniel lived and moved in time when life moved at a snail’s pace in comparison to today. He saw kingdoms rise and fall, and he had a front-row seat to it all. He may have wondered, as I often do, why God is delaying […]
Daniel 4-6 Choices… Daniel has now been in the Babylonian capital for many, many years. His character and integrity have been proven over and over to three successive kings, and yet we see each come to a point where they, like us, must choose. Will they choose to follow and obey Daniel’s God, or will […]
Daniel 1-3 Today, our children are bombarded with the enormity of decisions. As it is true today, it was in Daniel’s time. Our arch-enemy seeks their souls, but God’s ways are not our ways, they are higher and superior. [Is 55:8-9] Century after century, God has sent His prophets and men to speak to His […]
Joel 1-3 Climate Change is the buzzword of the day. We hear about it and are reminded that the cause is humans and their thirst for fossil fuels. Yet, in the years 1930-1939, the USA experienced what has been termed the Dust Bowl. It was because the farmers in the Midwest over-plowed and removed the […]
Ezek 45: The picture of the shed blood begins in Exodus as a picture of God’s overarching protection. Ezekiel is told that in the future, the priests will reinstitute that practice, and it mirrors that of Exodus 12, where the angel of death would see the shed blood and pass over the household on the […]
