Psalm 194 from Beyond Psalm 150 As we move from the first psalm of lament to the second, the focus shifts to God’s judgment of the city and his people who live there. From this passage it would be easy to conclude that Yahweh is a mean, vindictive, judgmental deity. Yet if we pull back […]
Consider the Life and Legend of Job Among those who care about such things there is a debate as to the veracity of the story of Job. Succinctly, was Job a real person or is the book about him a work of fiction? Supporting evidence that Job wasn’t a real person: Supporting evidence that Job […]
Acts Bible Study: Day 21 Today’s passage: Acts 12:18–24 Focus verse: Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:23) After God answers the church’s prayer and Peter receives a divine jailbreak, the next morning there’s quite […]
Through Jesus Our Sins Are Forgiven and Forgotten What happens after we sin? From a physical and emotional standpoint there may be consequences that we’ll have to deal with. From a spiritual standpoint, those who follow Jesus need to confess their sins to their Savior. He will forgive us and purify us. We can count […]
A Descendant of David and an Ancestor of Jesus As we read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1, we read many familiar names in the first eleven verses. After the nation is exiled to Babylon, we see many unfamiliar names. But one name pops out. It is Zerubbabel, whom the Bible identifies as the […]
Psalm 193 from Beyond Psalm 150 The book of Lamentations serves mainly as a postscript to the book of Jeremiah. It consists of five funeral dirges that mourn the loss of Jerusalem, as proclaimed in Jeremiah’s prophecy. Many Bible scholars consider Jeremiah to be the author of Lamentations, and some ancient translations list the book’s […]
Power, Knowledge, and Wisdom Jeremiah provides a succinct summary of God’s creative force: power, knowledge, and wisdom. Through it, he established the entire universe, our physical realm of existence. Power God is a god of power. He is all-powerful, that is, almighty; he is omnipotent. There’s nothing he can’t do; nothing is too big for […]
Acts Bible Study: Day 20 Today’s passage: Acts 12:1–17 Focus verse: “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” (Acts 12:15) After Saul decides to stop fighting Jesus and follow him, the church enjoys a time of peace, one with little […]
Consider What Loving Our Lord Means in Tangible Ways If you’re like me, you may readily state that you love God. Emphatically so. But what do we really mean when we say this? What does our love for God look like? Do we truly love him? Love God and Love Others Jesus says that we’re […]
Daniel and a Den of Hungry Lions When Darius becomes king in place of Belshazzar, he establishes a hierarchy to help him rule, with Daniel as one of three administrators overseeing 120 province governors. Daniel conducts himself so well that the king plans to set him over the entire kingdom. The other two administrators and […]