Priority

Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha - John 11:17 – 11:27 (commentary)

Lazarus probably died about the same time the messenger arrived to tell Jesus about his sickness (v. 17). Since Palestine is a warm climate and decomposition sets in quickly, a person was usually buried the same day he died. Therefore, Lazarus had been placed in a tomb. Since Bethany was ...

The command to build God’s house - Haggai 1:1 – 1:15 (commentary)

The opening verses of Haggai delivered a message by the prophet, from the Lord, to a nation who had failed to rebuild the temple. The Jews who had returned from Babylon in 538 B.C. to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem were not able to finish their job because they were hindered by …

No Substitute For a Pure Heart For God - Jeremiah 9:17 – 9:26 (commentary)

Beginning with verse 17, Jeremiah lists three separate pronouncements.: God called for the professional mourners (wailing women) to lament for Jerusalem. “The “skillful wailing women” refers to women wise or skillful at mourning. Jeremiah urges these women to wail …

Solomon Prepares to Build The Temple - I Kings 5:1 – 5:18 (commentary)

Hiram, King of Tyre, located on the Mediterranean Sea north of Israel, sent his envoys to pay his respects to Solomon the new King. Hiram had been an ally and friend of King David and had supplied materials and laborers to build David’s palace (II Sam. 5:11). Now Solomo …

Isaac’s Wife is Found - Genesis 24:29 – 24:49 (commentary)

We are introduced to Rebekah’s brother Laban who on the surface was willing to pay lip service to God (v. 31) but without any real interest in spiritual things. When he heard about the gifts that Rebekah had received he became very interested and ran out to see the servant …

Asa Continued His Reform Efforts - II Chronicles 15:1 – 15:19 (commentary)

Asa was the fifth king of the House of David and the third of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Abijah, and great-grandson of Solomon. Azariah the son of Obed, a prophet of the Lord went to meet Asa and challenged him to remain true to the Lord so he could continue to enjoy the ...

The People arrive for the Passover - John 11:53 – 11:57 (commentary)

From this point on, the Sanhedrin had reached their final verdict concerning Jesus. They wanted to find a way to have him killed (v. 53). Jesus was later tried before the religious leaders 3 times. These “trials” however were only a formality, meant to give the appearance of justice. He was ...