Every Jewish man coming to Jerusalem for the Passover feast had to pay a temple tax. Many types of currencies were circulating, and, since only special temple coins were acceptable, money changers could charge a fee and make handsome profits at the expense of the people. …
Luke starts by connecting Luke and Acts (vv. 1-2). At the close of Luke’s Gospel, the believers were in the temple praising God. Acts is the story of what came next. Luke tells what Jesus did and said in His human body; Acts tells what He did and said through His spiritual body, the church …
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 …
Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness. The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recognition. It will devise su …
Zephaniah is no ordinary preacher. He is the great-great- grandson of King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s most famous rulers. He has royal blood in his veins, but more important, he has the message of God on his lips. Strange to say, Zephaniah preached during the reign of godly King …
The second of Job’s three friends, Bildad, jumps into Job’s troubles. He is obviously the most dogmatic and legalistic of the three friends. He calls Job a windbag full of hot air (vv. 1-2) and goes directly to the heart of Job’s complaining that God is unjust ( …
In this passage Paul resumed the story that he left in 2:13, where he said he went to Macedonia to look for Titus. Though Paul still had many problems and hardships to face, he found comfort and joy in the ministry God had given to him. Titus had visited the Corinthian church and now he …
During David’s last sickness, many chief priests and Levites were at Jerusalem. David called a meeting for all of Israel’s leaders, including the tribal leaders, the government officials, the army commanders, the officials in charge of the royal property, the palace officials, and the brave …
When Saul realized that he could not destroy David personally, he was determined to let the Philistines kill him. His scheme was that he would give his oldest daughter to marry David (v. 17). However, before he was able to pull this off, she married another man (vv. 18-19). Then …
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of lost loved ones. Memorial Day can be a day when we reflect upon any individual who has had an impact upon our lives, and with this in mind I want to reflect upon and remember how both the Lord and his Son, Jesus Christ, touched our lives. Let us …