Thought for the Day:
“Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” 2 Kings 2:14
Elijah (“My God is Jehovah”) and Elisha (“God is my salvation”) are two prophets who demonstrated God’s power in their generation. They were different in character and temperament, but were willing channels of the Spirit of God. Both … Read the rest
Malachi means “my messenger.”
Perhaps it was his name or perhaps it was a way of describing himself. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets. A period of silence followed—a long period of 400 years; after which came the prophetic voice of John the Baptist about whose arrival Malachi had foretold.
The book … Read the rest
Zechariah was both prophet and priest. His prophecies began two months after Haggai’s first message around 520 B.C. His message full of visions was given to a people who were discouraged and going about slowly in the task of rebuilding the temple of God. Zechariah made the people lift up their eyes from their present … Read the rest
Introduction
“Eighteen years had passed since Cyrus’s decree in 538 B.C. had allowed the Jews to return from exile to Jerusalem. Because they were busy building their own homes, the people still had not finished building God’s temple.
Haggai’s message was that the time had come to build the house of the Lord. Under the … Read the rest
Zephaniah means “The Lord hides” or “hidden of Yahweh.”
He was of royal blood, descended from Hezekiah. He began his ministry in the early days of the reign of the good king Josiah (641–610 B.C.) Zephaniah foresaw that Judah would experience the judgement of the Lord which he expressed repeatedly through the phrase “The Day … Read the rest
This Book is written as a dialogue between the prophet and God. The great question in this book is why God was allowing the wicked to have their way? And God’s answer to this question.
Comment: “Habakkuk, in all his difficulties, went to God in prayer and waited patiently for His answer (2:1). He went … Read the rest
“Nahum is a book of prophecy against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The prophet describes the cruelty of the Assyrians as they conquered nation after nation. He predicts the siege and destruction of Nineveh and the end of the kingdom of Assryia”–Taken from Introduction to Nahum, NIV Bible.
Comment: “At the height of Nineveh’s … Read the rest
Micah :The man, his message, and the secret of his power
Micah came from the countryside who found the city life in conflict with God’s values. His message was one of judgement on the national sins of Judah—corruption, idol worship, injustice and prophets and priests who cared for money more than for God.
He was … Read the rest
Highlights
1. Jonah’s Disobedience
2. Jonah’s Prayers
3. Jonah’s Message
4. Jonah’s Anger
Chapter 1
I God’s Command
The Book of Jonah opens with God’s command to Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against it. From this it is seen that when God speaks, He gives clear directions which leave no room for doubt. … Read the rest
The name Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah.”
Nothing more is known about this prophet than this short book containing his prophecy.
Obadiah is a book of prophecy against the nation of Edom. This country had invaded and plundered Jerusalem at least four times, so Obadiah announced God’s judgement against them and prophesied that their kingdom … Read the rest
“Amos” means “burden-bearer.” He was a shepherd who also took care of sycamore fig trees (7:14). He was neither a priest nor a prophet. But he was layman whom God called to fearlessly proclaim the message of God’s judgement. This he faithfully did in spite of opposition (7:10, 12).
He was from a small town … Read the rest
Joel means “Yahweh is God.” He prophesied only to the southern kingdom of Judah. But his message is for all the world. This book ends with the certain future: “The LORD dwells in Zion” (3:21b).
I The Invasion of Locusts
Joel opens with a graphic description of an invasion of locusts in the land. Locusts … Read the rest
Introduction
Hosea means salvation or deliverance. The Book of Hosea is a record of God’s complaint against His people Israel. He primarily uses the symbolism of a wife going astray from her husband into an adulterous relationship to tell the people that they had sinned greatly against their God (their Husband) (Hosea 2:2). At the … Read the rest
Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, … Read the rest
Jesus Christ the Rock!
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of … Read the rest
The Context
Ezekiel means God is strong or God will strengthen. A favourite phrase used by God to address Ezekiel is “son of man,” used over 90 times in this book (later this title was used by Jesus for Himself).
Ezekiel was God’s prophet to the exiles in Babylon. He ministered to God’s people while … Read the rest
Lamentations means “funeral songs.” Possibly authored by Jeremiah, it talks about the total destruction that happened to Jerusalem and the temple. The cause of this destruction is identified as the sin of the people and the destruction itself acknowledged as God’s judgement. But in the midst of it the author sounds notes of hope of … Read the rest
A Message Set in History
This part of Jeremiah focuses on the reigns of the last kings of Judah, Jehoiakim (who ruled 11 years, 608—597 BC), Jehoiachin (3 months, 597 BC ) and Zedekiah (11 years, 597–586 BC). As Jeremiah is a book where chronological sequence of events is not strictly followed, it might be … Read the rest
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29 NIV).
Highlights
I Context of the Book
II The Call of Jeremiah
III God’s Complaint Against His People
IV God’s Call to His People
V Jeremiah and Jesus: A Comparison
VI Communication in Symbols … Read the rest
Isaiah 49:1—7, 50:4—9, 52:13—53:12
Jesus Christ, the Messiah is described here as The Servant of the Lord. Jesus clearly exhibited servanthood during his life. John 13:1—7, Mark 10:42—45, and Philippians 2:6—8 make His servant attitude very clear.
Isaiah 49 opens with reference to God’s eternal plan of bringing Jesus to … Read the rest
In this portion of Isaiah we find God—the Holy One of Israel. His attributes are presented here forcefully. We will try to see these one after another.
I God the Comforter
II God Who Sends Messengers
III The Incomparable God
IV God the Creator
V God’s Salvation
VI God’s Forgiveness… Read the rest
Jesus Christ is the focus of the Book of Isaiah. John tells us, Isaiah “saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him” (John 12:41). That is perhaps the reason why this book is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament.
Insight: “We see Christ in this book and … Read the rest
Symbolic vs Literal Interpretation
Some scholars have presented Song of Songs as symbolic of Christ’s love for His bride, the Church. Each image in the poem according to this line of thought were given meaning to suit this interpretation.
But the more accepted view is that Song of Songs is a collection of love poems … Read the rest
“MEANINGLESS! MEANINGLESS!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless”
(1:2 NIV).
The Book of Ecclesiastes surprises us with many thoughts which seems to contradict the rest of the Bible. So it is quite natural to ask the question why this book should at all be included in the Bible. Let … Read the rest
Every word of God is flawless (Proverbs 30:5).
The Book of Proverbs contains practical wisdom. It deals with everyday life, work and relationships. It teaches the fear of God.
Topics
I Wisdom
II Relationship with Parents
III Unanswered Prayer
IV Your Heart
V Work
VI Success
VII Wealth
VIII Health
IX Giving
X Communication
XI … Read the rest
Introduction
“The Psalms are poems or songs of praise, worship, thankfulness, and repentance, and each one of them is complete by itself. They also show a variety of feelings, emotions, attitudes and interests. . . .
Because the Psalm are written by so many people, from different time periods, and they show such a variety … Read the rest
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8, 9 NIV
● The first … Read the rest
“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” — (Esther 4:14).
Highlights
I The Seeming Absence of God
II God Keeps His Instruments Prepared and Hidden
III God Causes Others to Remember You!
IV God Puts You in a Position of Influence to Fulfill His Purposes… Read the rest
Nehemiah is an outstanding character of the Old Testament. Let us take a sweeping glance at his life at the very outset. Nehemiah was a man of prayer and action. He held a high position of trust in a royal court as a cupbearer to the king.
He was a master-builder, an able administrator, a … Read the rest
Two Psalms Tell the Story
Let us begin by looking at two Psalms:
The first one, Psalm 137 talks about the captivity of God’s people in Babylon: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion” (Psalm 137:1 NIV). The people remembered Zion, and made a resolve in their hearts not … Read the rest
