Psalm 189 from Beyond Psalm 150 This is another passage of mixed genres. It reads very much as a psalm, but it also contains prophecy, as well as direct quotes from God. Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for from now on the uncircumcised and […]
Psalm 187 from Beyond Psalm 150 Several of the Psalms have prophetic elements. This passage is an example of prophecy that reads like a psalm. Here is Isaiah’s prophetic psalm: The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.Every […]
Psalm 184 from Beyond Psalm 150 A psalm can contain prophecy. And a prophecy can read like a psalm, but the two don’t usually overlap. After Isaiah prophesies about the earth’s devastation in Isaiah 24 (which we’re not treating as a psalm), he affirms that through it all God will continue to reign with great […]
Anticipating Jesus Today’s passage: Luke 24:25–27 Focus verse: Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:27) After hearing the two men tell Jesus about himself, the Savior responds. He begins with some harsh criticism. He calls them foolish and slow to […]
God Will Restore the Fortunes of the Land Jeremiah faithfully proclaims God’s words to the people, but he suffers greatly for his steadfast obedience. At one time, he’s confined in the courtyard of the guard. In effect, he’s imprisoned. Yet from this dismal place, Jeremiah gives the people God’s promise of restoration. While Jeremiah is being […]
The Prophet Speaks Truth, but the People Won’t Listen The prophet Micah gives some strong words from God to his chosen people. Although Micah’s proclamation—his prophecy—should convict them, instead they take offense. At one point the people even tell him to stop talking—they say, “Stop it Micah”—as if his silence would keep God’s plans from […]
Discover How Jesus Fulfills Old Testament Prophecy Today’s passage: Luke 24:44–47 Focus verse: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45) After Jesus appears to the disciples, Luke records additional details not found in John’s account. The risen Savior begins with a polite I-told-you-so reminder to his disciples of what […]
Joseph and Pregnant Mary Travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem Today’s Passage: Luke 2:1–5 Focus Verse: Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David. (Luke 2:4) As our journey toward Jesus’s birth unfolds, another complication arises. Caesar Augustus decrees that a census will take place […]
Ezekiel Prophesies to Dry Bones and Breathes Life into Them One of the most evocative images in the book of Ezekiel is him speaking to dry bones scattered before him. It’s a valley of dry bones. The bones animate and reassemble. Tendons connect them. Flesh covers the skeletons. Breath enters these reconstituted bodies, mere corpses, […]
Isaiah’s Prophecy Today’s Passage: Isaiah 9:1–7 Focus Verse: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. (Isaiah 9:6) This passage in Isaiah’s prophecy opens with the word nevertheless. To gain insight as to what this means we must consider the end of the prior chapter. There Isaiah writes of the […]