When Josiah was confronted by God's law he saw only one choice for himself: to fall on his knees in repentance. He realized the sins of the leaders before him, and he began a systematic elimination of everything in Judah that related to the worship of any god other than Yahweh. He cleaned house, and he restored Judah to the place where it should have been ... [Continue Reading]
A personal God (Nahum)
As I've done with some of these short prophetic books, I want to share some of the background info I read:When Jonah preached repentance on the streets of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the people responded and were spared. A century later (about 650 b.c.) Nahum preached in a time when Nineveh would not repent. Nineveh, which had destroyed Israel’s northern kingdom ... [Continue Reading]
A heart test of a different nature (2 Chronicles 32-33)
In the book of James we learn that God does not tempt people but people are tempted by their own evil desires. There are several examples of God testing people, however, and one of those is found in 2 Chronicles 32 where Hezekiah was tested by God to see what was in his heart. Did God really not know what was in his heart? That's doubtful since God ... [Continue Reading]
More evil (2 Kings 20-21)
One of the saddest things for me to see in people bad choices that result in life hardships. I honestly don't understand sometimes how people are unable to see the long-term consequences of their actions. That's why it's so incredible that these kings of Israel and Judah could stray so far away from God's plan for the nation. Couldn't they see the end of the road they ... [Continue Reading]
Two important qualities (Isaiah 64-66)
It's fairly humbling to think that God views the earth as His footstool. We can try to impress God with amazing buildings and structures, but ultimately the one to whom God looks only needs to do two simple things: be humble and contrite in spirit AND tremble at His word. The humble and contrite person recognizes his or her place in the world and accepts ... [Continue Reading]
Mighty to save (Isaiah 59-63)
I really love the fact that on "The Lord's Day of Vengeance" (according to my Bible's header for chapter 63) the Lord says, "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." Though God's wrath is a very real thing, He is also mighty to save, and His desire is that all people would come into a relationship with Him. What a ... [Continue Reading]
Thoughts on the Sabbath (Isaiah 54-58)
When I was a kid we had a neighbor who wasn't allowed to play outside on Sundays. It was part of "keeping the Sabbath holy." I thought it was kind of silly, especially since there seemed to be some inconsistencies in the way they lived Monday through Saturday. At any rate, now that I'm older and "wiser," I think there is ... [Continue Reading]
All we like sheep… (Isaiah 49-53)
I could just hear the soundtrack of Handel's Messiah going on in my head as I read through these chapters. More foreshadowing of Christ is pretty fascinating when one considers how many years this was written before He even came to earth. Specifically, I appreciate the reminder that we have all gone astray. Sometimes it's easy within a ... [Continue Reading]
The name that endures forever (2 Kings 18:9-19:37; Psalm 46, 80, 135)
I like buying things that will last. My parents taught my brothers and me that you "get what you pay for." So when I buy stuff (like a washing machine, a television, or even clothes), I want to choose things that will hold up versus things that will fall apart after a short period of time. The reality is, however, that even those things that ... [Continue Reading]
Lift up your eyes (Isaiah 40-43, 44-48)
Have you ever gone star-gazing? I was in an astronomy class in college, and one night we were able to climb up to the observatory to look at God's creation through the huge telescope at the top. My freshman year in college we were even able to see a lunar eclipse. Pretty amazing. When you look up to the sky and see the expanse, when you look ... [Continue Reading]
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