The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak for your servant is listening'(1 Samuel 3:10 NIV).
This chapter opens with a very important statement. It tells us that during the times described here “the word of the Lord was rare.” And it is also added … Read the rest
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you”(Hosea 10:12 NIV).
There is a description about the sins of Israel given in this passage. Yet in the midst of it there is … Read the rest
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:18,19 NIV).
Here is God’s blueprint for our lives. He is telling us the secret … Read the rest
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me” (Psalm 66:18,19,20 NIV)!
The psalmist is here calling people to come and listen to … Read the rest
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land (Ecclesiastes 11:1 NIV).
What the writer is advocating is really surprising! He is asking us to throw our bread upon the … Read the rest
In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go (Deuteronomy 1:32,33 NIV).
The Israelites are now … Read the rest
… Read the restMen cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten–the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm–my great army that I sent among you (Joel 2:25 NIV).
Prophet Joel describes a great invasion on the land of Judah by an army of locusts. Their devastation was thorough and … Read the rest
Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down (Leviticus 9:22 NIV).
Aaron and his sons were ordained as priests to serve before the Lord. They were anointed with oil and also sprinkled by the blood of … Read the rest
A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work! A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed! (Jeremiah 48:10 NIV).
The context here is God’s command of the destruction of the Moabites. That is why there is mention of bloodshed. The command is so important that God has put a … Read the rest
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined (Genesis 39:19,20 NIV).
Resisting temptation does not automatically bring praise or rewards to you. In fact, … Read the rest
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house (Genesis 39:11,12 NIV).
Joseph had taken all precautions … Read the rest
“How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her (Genesis 39: 9b,10 NIV).
It is amazing to note that this incident is not from modern times. Actually this happened … Read the rest
He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in–a river that no one could cross (Ezekiel 47:5 NIV).
Prophet Ezekiel was given a lengthy vision of the New Temple of God in Jerusalem. He was given … Read the rest
When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them” (Psalm 126:1,2 NIV).
The people of Jerusalem were in captivity in Babylon for … Read the rest
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing (Genesis 12:2 NIV).
This is God’s promise to Abram (later Abraham) when He called him to leave his country and go to the land that God would show him. Even … Read the rest
When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth (Genesis 8:11 NIV).
God may have caused you to be shut up in His ark. You may have thought that being shut up like that … Read the rest
Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel (Jeremiah 18:6b NIV).
God asked Prophet Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house. God promised to give Jeremiah a special message there. At the potter’s house Jeremiah saw him working at the wheel. He saw that … Read the rest
… Read the restWhen Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; and then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:21,24 NIV).
Then they said to each other, “We are not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace” (2 Kings 7:9 NIV).
Four lepers from the Israelite camp … Read the rest
Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand” (1 Samuel 23:4 NIV).
One of the great characteristics of David’s life is the fact that he always inquired of God whenever he wanted to take a decision. … Read the rest
Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash (2 Chronicles 24:24 NIV).
There are occasions in life where we meet with unexpected defeat. There seems to … Read the rest
I destroyed the Amorite before them, though he was tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below (Amos 2:9 NIV).
In this passage God is declaring to Israel what He had done for them. God had dislodged and destroyed the Amorite people from before the … Read the rest
That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew (Judges 6:40 NIV).
Gideon stands here as a representative of all new believers. They are willing to believe and do what God wants them to do. But they just feel the need of some kind of reassurance.
And … Read the rest
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11 NIV).
We often think that many of the sins that we do affect only ourselves or sometimes other people. It may or may not be true. But all sin affects Someone else. This Someone is God Himself. All … Read the rest
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people (Jeremiah 26:23 NIV).
Who was this Uriah? He was a prophet who lived during the time of Prophet Jeremiah. Uriah also prophesied the … Read the rest
When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted (Psalm 138:3 NIV).
There comes some desperate times in our lives when the need is so great that we just call out to others for help. Those who trust in God immediately call out to Him in such situations. It is deep need … Read the rest
And he said to man, “The fear of the Lord–that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (Job 28:28 NIV).
Job here is trying to find out where wisdom can be found. He is seeking the dwelling place of understanding as well. He makes a search and ends up saying that only God understands … Read the rest
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13 NIV).
This is very plain. It looks simple. But it is not easy. Those who have tried might have found it difficult and stopped trying. The problem is that when one sins, that person derives some sinful … Read the rest
I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1,2 NIV).
Where do our eyes look when we are in need of help? First of all it will look inside us. That is, we will try to look … Read the rest
