Malachi 1 to 4 When you begin to write a letter to someone precious, how do you start? God starts by saying: “I have loved you,” [Mal 1:2] Instead of thanking God for His love, they ask Him: “How have You loved us?” Why is it we ask that question when the very evidence of […]
Nehemiah 11 to 13, Ps 126 Nehemiah reminds God! Do we? Over and over, one refrain is used by Nehemiah “remember me, O God” for what I have done. Does God forget? No, He does not. In Exodus and throughout, God remembers His covenant. Why then does Nehemiah tell God to remember? Could it be […]
God is good; his commandments are good. If we obey Him and them, He will give us joy and blessing. Ezra had spent many years in Babylon, “dedicating himself to the study of the Law of the Lord, to its observance and to teaching its statutes and judgments.” [Ezra 7:10] Now the people asked him […]
Nehemiah 6-7 Principle #1 When you are in leadership, there will be opposition. Principle #2 Fear is our biggest enemy. Principle #3 Believers need discernment. Nehemiah had learned all three as he served the pagan king. and therefore was successful in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. God uses any time we serve to learn the […]
Nehemiah 1 to 5 Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah all lived in or around the palace in Susa, yet as Moses taught, they were separated religiously from the pagan idolatry of the land. They were examples of fasting and prayer before executing their duties, and God blessed them to serve. We live in a land that idolizes […]
Ezra 7 -10 – 2 Tim 2:15 Ezra 7 to 10 takes place after the drama of Esther in the palace. King Xerxes has passed on, and King Artaxerxes is in power. What took place in the book of Esther prepares us for the drama in Ezra, a man dedicated to God. “Now Ezra had […]
Esther 6 to 10 As Peter reminded us, our arch-villain seeks to destroy [1Pet 5:8], but God in His providence will always overrule his plans because long before this story, God told Abraham in Genesis 12: 3 “I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse.” We left […]
Esther 1 to 5 In every Hallmark movie, there is a knight in shining armor who swoops in to rescue a damsel in distress. God is Esther’s knight and He is ours as well. Since time began our arch-enemy, “Haman,” has sought to destroy the line of Christ. He tried it first in the Garden, […]
Zechariah 8 to 14 There is a song with one stanza: “O the King is coming, The King is coming! I just heard the trumpets sounding, And now His face I see;” It indeed will be a glorious day when our King plants his feet on the Mt of Olives and splits the earth to […]
Zechariah 1 to 7 The remnant has returned to Jerusalem, but they have carried “old baggage” with them. When we travel, do we take clean clothes or dirty? The dirty laundry that they dragged with them was an unclean heart and mind. They still had wicked hearts that listened but did not heed or apply. […]
