In Isaiah’s day Israel had become perplexed by God’s indifference toward them. They had prayed and even fasted and yet God seemed to ignore them (v. 1). They even appeared eager to know God and His ways. They attended worship services faithfully (v. 2a). They participated in worship …
This chapter of Deuteronomy provides the central theme of Deuteronomy. It sets a pattern that helps us relate the Word of God to our daily lives. (vv. 1-5). Furthermore, Moses explains that the key to teaching your children to love God and to follow Him is that you must make God a part of …
The counterpart to cleansing (chapter 5) is consecration (chapter 6). Priestly, Levitical service was the exclusive privilege of those who belonged to the tribe of Levi but the Lord here instituted a provision whereby any man or woman of Israel who wished could take a vow before …
It appeared that Paul’s plans had completely fallen apart. He had sent Titus to Corinth to find out their spiritual condition and had arranged to meet him in Troas for a firsthand report. When Titus failed to show up, Paul became very concerned. For all Paul knew, Titus might have been carrying …
This Chapter has to do with God’s Judgements against Moab. The Moabites were descendants of Lot through an incestuous relationship with one of his daughters. The Lord told Jeremiah to tell the nation of Moab that the town of Nebo is doomed and Kiriathaim will be captured, d …
This portion of Scripture contains what is commonly called “The Golden Rule.” It is a mistake to think that our Lord was teaching a system of ethics that will do away with evil and raise us to a higher spiritual plane. The Jews despised the Romans because they oppressed …
As soon as Hezekiah finished talking the Levite leaders went to work (vv. 12-14). These leaders gathered all of the Levites together and they went through a ceremony to make themselves clean (v. 15). Then they began to purify the temple according to the law of the Lord. The pries …
Zechariah began his book with a short speech telling the people to repent (vv. 1-3). This means ‘to be sorry. There is an old saying that he who will not learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Zechariah starts off with a solemn warning to the people to not repeat the …
Ruth was not from the children of Israel but from one of the heathen nations, the Moabites. God had commanded His people to have nothing to do with this nation because of their sinfulness (Deut. 7:3, 23:3). Ruth grew up in Moab and she knew nothing about living for God, instead she …
This passage contains Jeremiah’s anguished cry as he wept over the destruction of the city he had loved and he calls for the people to cry out to God (vv. 11-19). He vividly portrays five sketches of Jerusalem’s condition which prompted his cry:Of the starvation that had de …