Will You Repent?

Will you repent?

Repentance has to begin with asking God to search our hearts (Psalm 139:23, 24). It is when you allow the Holy Spirit to turn the spotlights on, that he will show you the secrets of your heart—sins of pride and self-righteousness and many more. David never allowed God to search his heart … Read the rest

Have You Seen Real Angels?

During Christmas celebrations at schools and churches, we often see many young children dressed up as angels in bright and shining clothes and waiting in the wings behind stage. The very spectacle reminds us of the first Christmas when angels played key roles in the unfolding drama.

Many wonder who the angels really are? Angels … Read the rest

Prayer Is Conversation with God

A better understanding of prayer can help us be great communicators; for prayer is conversation with God. When Jesus taught about prayer (recorded in his famous Sermon on the Mount), he said:

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who … Read the rest

Psalm 103 Easy Notes

A Note of Praise
Psalm 103 is a psalm of praise. It stirs up the soul to praise God. There are no complaints and no requests in this psalm.

Verse 1
The Psalmist David stirs himself up to praise God. It teaches us that there are times in life when we should deliberately praise God. … Read the rest

Psalms 51 and 32 Easy Notes

The Context
Both the Psalms were written after David realized what a great sin he had done when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. It was nearly a year after he had sinned that he was able to acknowledge that he had sinned against the LORD. It was Prophet Nathan who came to rebuke him.

The … Read the rest

Psalm 34 Easy Notes

The Promises
There are several promises in this Psalm that makes its reading give great comfort and encouragement to a believer.

The Context
The title of the Psalm tells us that this Psalm was penned by David recalling his experience before King Abimelech. This incident is found in 1 Samuel 21:10—15. David had fled from … Read the rest

Psalm 23 Easy Notes

The LORD is my shepherd (Yahweh­-Rohi)
The use of God’s proper name (Yahweh) here is significant. Even though the name brings to our mind the fact that God is self­-existent, more importantly the name stands for God’s covenant relationship with His people.

Above all, we should appreciate the context in which the name was revealed … Read the rest

Psalm 22 Easy Notes

The Crucified Messiah

This Psalm is not just an experience of David who is the author. So many references can only fit one person—Jesus the Messiah and His sufferings on the cross. So the Psalm can be seen as a prophetic portrayal of the sufferings of the Messiah and His glory that followed. Or it … Read the rest

Psalm 8 Easy Notes

Introduction
This is a hymn of praise. Its subject is the glory of God and the dignity of man. The Psalm also speaks about how the lost dominion of man is fully restored in Jesus Christ.

Verse 1
The Psalmist cannot find words to describe the glory of God. So he starts by saying, “O … Read the rest

Old Testament Walk Through: Malachi

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Zechariah

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Haggai

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Zephaniah

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Habakkuk

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Nahum

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Micah

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Jonah

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Obadiah

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Amos

“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

Old Testament Walk Through: Joel

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Hosea

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Ezekiel

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Lamentations

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

Old Testament Walk Through: Jeremiah 1–33

“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

Old Testament Walk Through: Isaiah 49–66

The Servant of the Lord

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