Short and Inspiring Meditations from the Old Testament for Daily Reading.
“Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God (Isaiah 66:9 NIV).
This is a question that we need to give careful thought to. It reveals one important characteristic of God’s dealing with His children.… Read the rest
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies … Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31:10,30 NIV).
A wife of noble character. She is a young man’s dream. No scheming of his can bring him … Read the rest
He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth–the Lord God Almighty is his name (Amos 4:13 NIV).
Look at the myriad works of God. He forms the mountains. They are a tower of strength. Full … Read the rest
Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel (Amos 4:12 NIV).
This is a direct challenge. It calls you to prepare to meet your God. He is going to strike in greater judgments than so far seen. The … Read the rest
“I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord (Amos 4:11 NIV).
What greater mercy can God show you than let you escape from His judgment? Others were taken away when He struck. … Read the rest
Be sure! This is a wise advice. Many do not know for sure what is their situation in life. They live in … Read the rest
Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said, “We are not guilty, for they sinned against the Lord, their true pasture, the Lord, the hope of their fathers” (Jeremiah 50:7 NIV).
When you sin against God you lose God’s protection on your life. You are then an easy target for the enemy. They fail not … Read the rest
Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you (Proverbs 20:22 NIV).
The message in this verse needs no explanation. It is crystal clear. Yet is it that simple when it comes to real life? Do we follow this principle when we are wronged? It … Read the rest
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:11 NIV).
The number “seven” is usually associated with completion or perfection. This idea primarily comes … Read the rest
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us.” (Exodus 32:1a NIV).
God has His own reasons to allow delays in our lives. These delays are sometimes not easy to accept. Because we are … Read the rest
Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel (Jeremiah 7:12 NIV).
Shiloh was the first place of worship for the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land of Canaan. There stood the … Read the rest
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because he will drive them out of his country” (Exodus 6:1 NIV).
God is not taken aback by setbacks. It is we who get perplexed by them. We need … Read the rest
Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you (Jeremiah 17:4a NIV).
Let us face the truth. We can lose what God has given to us to keep as our own. His blessings can be lost.
This is a possibility. There is no advantage in pretending that such a possibility does not … Read the rest
The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon (Genesis 41:32 NIV).
We all need guidance. A Christian life is impossible without getting guidance from God. The topic of guidance is an area where lots of misunderstandings … Read the rest
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145:18,19 NIV).
Our calling on the Lord is never in vain. Though at times we never hear a response for … Read the rest
I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl (Job 31:1 NIV).
There are many agreements made in this world. It is usually between two or more parties. But here Job is making an agreement with himself. That sounds strange but it is true. He made an agreement with his … Read the rest
The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. When two full years had passed, Pharoah had a dream (Genesis 40:23,41:1a NIV).
A dream and its interpretation was the basis upon which Joseph planned his release from prison. Of course he had done nothing to deserve being in prison.
But that is not … Read the rest
When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me (Psalm 142:3 NIV).
There are times when we lose our physical strength. But there are also times when we lose the strength of our spirit. That is what … Read the rest
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain (Psalm 127:1 NIV).
We need God. The truth is as simple as that. When the master builder Solomon says it we need to take note. And when Solomon who never faced … Read the rest
Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria. You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them (Jeremiah 2:36,37 NIV).
Those who do not … Read the rest
My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13 NIV).
It is amazing if you really look at the way people throw away the priceless things of life to settle for cheap things. Nowhere else … Read the rest
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:2b NIV).
We all love to be esteemed by men. We also make every effort to obtain the respect and admiration of men. And knowingly or unknowingly these efforts get carried over to our relationship … Read the rest
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind (Isaiah 65:17 NIV).
God creates. Man also makes a lot of things.
Yet his efforts have created a lot of destruction. The earth was corrupted by mankind which was created by God … Read the rest
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord…. (Genesis 28:12,13a NIV).
The dream of a stairway is symbolic of blessing. The author of blessing is God … Read the rest
He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate (Isaiah 28:6 NIV).
The enemies are attacking. We are inside our fort. The fort is high and strong. It cannot be easily climbed over or broken down. So … Read the rest
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14 NIV).
It is a safe and easy option not … Read the rest
If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp (Judges 7:10,11a NIV).
There are times when we should listen to what our enemies are saying. We think that our enemies are always talking … Read the rest
Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you (Isaiah 44:21,22 NIV).
God is asking His … Read the rest
So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning (Ruth 1:22 NIV).
“Bethlehem” means “house of bread.” Yet this account in the Bible tells us that even in this “house of bread” a famine can occur.
As a result Naomi and her husband … Read the rest
But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart (2 Chronicles 32:31 NIV).
Hezekiah was a godly king who sought God with all his heart. There … Read the rest
