Luke 3 Are you in the wilderness? What is it like? It is a quiet place apart from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It may be a place for wild animals to hunt and be hunted. But it is also a place where God comes to speak to our hearts as He did […]
Matthew 1 How would you respond if you had heard the news of your fiancee’s pregnancy and you knew it was not from you? Joseph was obviously very distressed as he was a man of integrity. Matthew records these words about him: “a righteous man,..he did not want to disgrace her,” He took these words to heart but did not act unrighteously […]
Luke 1; John 1:1-14 Malachi has passed off the scene, and 400 years of silence have taken place. The people have waited for the Messenger about whom Malachi spoke. Perhaps they had read and reread the scroll that had been prepared listing the names of those who respected and honored the Lord. [Mal 3:16] But […]
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 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 […]
