Isaiah proceeded to glorify the faithfulness of God by painting it against the dark background of Israel’s unfaithfulness. The Lord explained how Israel could possibly rejoice in the repossession of its homeland if such malicious neighbors as the Edomites still surrounded i …
The Lord said: If any of your people become poor and unable to support themselves, you must help them, just as you are supposed to help foreigners who live among you (v. 35). Don’t take advantage of them by charging any kind of interest or selling them food for profit. Instead, …
This passage brings us face to face with The Day of the Lord. In both the Old and New Testaments there is much that is not fully understood unless we know the basic principles underlying this time period. The Jews divided time into two ages. There was The Present Age, which was utterly evil …
Contrasts between people who are the Lord’s servants and those who have departed from Him are dramatically presented (vv. 13-16). Those who obeyed His covenant will enjoy all types of blessings, while those who rebelled will experience all types of curses. In the remainder of thi …
John Phillips in his book “Exploring the Psalms” says, “The path to the throne was not an easy one for David. He was in God’s school and God gives stiff exams. He does not grade on the curve. He put those He intends to exalt to the sternest of tests. David’s experi …
God promised the exiles in Babylon that He would continue to be with them even though they were not in Jerusalem (vv. 14-15). This was a major concern to the Jews because they believed that God was present primarily in the temple. However God assured them that He would co …
This book is the revelation concerning Jesus Christ. God gave the revelation of His plan to Jesus who in turn revealed it to John (v. 1). John opens the book by describing what he saw as “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” (v. 2). A blessing is promised to those who read this …
Nehemiah’s enemies left no stone unturned in trying to keep him from building the wall (vv. 10- 13). First they tried to draw him into the country to talk to them. When this didn’t work, they tried to get him to go into the temple and hide, saying it was for his own safety.T …
Once again, Antiochus IV tried and failed to conquer Egypt (v. 29). Egypt had a powerful ally in this fight. A Roman Navy came and defeated the navy of Antiochus IV off the coast of Egypt (v. 30). After the battle was lost, the Romans gave Antiochus an ultimatum, Surrender or be destroyed…
Jesus and His disciples again move back to the east side of the Sea of Galilee and are surrounded by a large crowd with nothing to eat (vv. 1-5). As usual the Lord saw a need and He wanted to supply the need. From the wording here it would seem that the disciples had soon forgotten …