Malachi 1-4 Malachi, Malachi, what are you telling me? You are telling me the same thing Jeremiah has told me in chapter 3 of his book. People are sinful and unrepentant. They are told that simple statement and reject it. Both authors use the Socratic method of God asking a question and the people responding. […]
Nehemiah 11- 13, Ps 126: Are you Fickle or Faithful? As we close this book, we are reminded that God is sovereign. He sees and knows all that is going on, and He alone raises up and puts down men/women for his purpose. We also see that hearts need to be changed before work and […]
Nehemiah 8: “Do Not Grieve, This Day is holy” When you hear or read God’s Word, do you grieve as these had done? The people had been weeping when they heard the words of the Law. [Neh 8:9] What is our response when the Word is read each day or each time we are with […]
Nehemiah 6 Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, had been given permission to return to Jerusalem. He knew from being in the king’s presence that day after day, challengers arose. Nehemiah watched stored insights and became astute in how to handle these challengers. What a great learning environment that God had planned for Nehemiah. Have you stopped […]
Nehemiah 1-5 God’s Answer Nehemiah is a profile in courage and determination, but before he spoke, he had spent hours in prayer. This shows us his priorities in life. Here was a man who lived in exile, but God had placed him in a prestigious position in the court. He had the eye and ear […]
Ezra 7-10 What would you ask for if you sat under a king and had lived in exile for several years? One king asked that question of his queen, Esther, with the promise of half of his kingdom. Ezra, on the other hand, only wanted to go to Jerusalem and teach the Law of Moses […]
Esther 6-10 As we have been studying, one theme continues to repeat itself. The people of God are to remember that God is our protector and our deliverer. [Ps 78:35] Here in the story of Esther, the Jews set up a day each year called Purim to remember that principle. The backdrop of this story […]
Esther 1-5 One thing we learn from this story is how God can and will use even the impulsiveness of a king to bring about His plan to preserve His people. King Ahasuerus, as we have seen in chapter one, is an impulsive king. He makes snap judgments without thinking of the long-term consequences. He […]
Zechariah 8 Jealousy and Zealousness When we think of jealousy, what comes to mind? Often, we think of only the negative side, but this word can mean both good and bad to represent right and wrong passion. When it is attributed to God, it is used in a good sense. That helps us when we […]
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 […]
