Haggai 2:1-9; Zechariah 1:1-6; Haggai 2:10-19; Ezra 5:2; Haggai 2:20-23; Zechariah 1:7-5:11 How do you respond to new opportunities? Are you filled with excitement, anxiety, concern, joy, or a mix of all these things? The Israelites have started returning to the Promised Land and are resettling. Amid this new opportunity, God speaks. He speaks through Haggai, Zechariah, and others. God's command f...  Read More

Daniel 10:1-12:13; Ezra 4:24-5:1; Haggai 1:1-15 What an incredible passage today! Daniel is so packed it is a challenge to pull out one central idea from each verse let alone a couple of chapters. In these verses I think it is clear Daniel’s interaction with God is referring to the ultimate final judgement. You can read 20 different commentaries and get 20 different answers to how long a “time, ti...  Read More

Ezra 2:1-4:5; 1 Chronicles 3:19-24 First things first. This proverbial statement speaks to the issue of priorities. Generally, the first thing we do shows what is important to us. Do we check social media accounts first thing in the morning, scan the news, check our emails, read our Bible, or something else? As the Israelites returned from exile, one of the first things they did was build an altar...  Read More

Daniel 6:1-28, 9:1-27; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-11; 1 Chronicles 3:17-19 There is a cost to every decision we make. If we decide to do one thing, we are giving up the opportunity to do all the other things we might have done. Further, sometimes there is a real cost in deciding to follow God. Daniel chose to remain obedient in praying to God alone rather than the king. The result was being t...  Read More

Daniel 7:1-8:27, 5:1-31 God knows all truth, and the future, and sometimes chooses to reveal it to us. In Daniel 5, 7, and 8 God reveals the future, and thus his truth in three ways. First, Daniel sees four beasts and it takes the "son of man" (Daniel 7:13) (Jesus) to explain these are four kingdoms. The fourth kingdom will include a king that will oppose God and his people, but he will be overthr...  Read More

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, 29:17-30:19; 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34 The final image of Ezekiel's temple is a massive river flowing from the threshold of the temple. The river begins as a trickle but soon becomes so massive it purifies the Dead Sea. That which was formerly dead becomes alive through the power of this river. This river is meant to remind us that all life ultimately comes from God. ...  Read More

Ezekiel 44:1-46:24 The temple Ezekiel describes seems to be a still future temple. So the natural question we might ask is, why all the sacrifices? If Christ is the once for all sacrifice, then why would there still be sacrifices offered in Ezekiel's temple? This is a great question. It may help to consider the chronology of sacrifices throughout the Old Testament. Initially, all people could offe...  Read More

Ezekiel 40:38-43:27 Unless you are really into architecture, you may have found today's reading a tad dry. It is like we have entered a construction office and are staring at floor plans on a desk. Since this vision came immediately after Israel's exile, it would be natural to assume this temple must have been that which was built upon Israel's return, but it is not. The size of this temple is des...  Read More

1 Chronicles 8:29-9:1; Daniel 4:1-37; Ezekiel 40:1-37 Humility. This crucial quality is often missing from our lives and seems to be completely devoid from Nebuchadnezzar's. For us to have a relationship with God, it demands humility. God’s work in the life of Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most drastic acts of God to humble someone. God lowered him to almost animal status so that he might acknowled...  Read More

1 Chronicles 5:18-26, 6:3, 6:49, 6:4-15, 7:1-8:28 Unless you are my grandmother, genealogies tend to be tedious, especially when it is not your family. Yet the Bible is filled with genealogies. As we read them, I think it teaches us a few important lessons. First, every person matters to God. People like Ibsam, Iri, Aniam, Suah, and others are only included here in the Bible. We know nothing about...  Read More

Ezekiel 32:17-33:20; Jeremiah 52:28-30; Psalm 137:1-9; 1 Chronicles 4:24-5:17 Our world is filled with brokenness and sin. As we look inside our own hearts, we discover brokenness is not just somewhere out there in the world but inside each one of us. One of the appropriate responses to this is brokenness is sadness. We find this attitude expressed in Psalm 137. Judah had been exiled to Babylon an...  Read More

Ezekiel 37:1-39:29, 32:1-16 As we read the Bible, it is important we understand the difference between the meaning of a passage and its application. If we knew anything about the book of Ezekiel before this reading it may have been the image in chapter thirty-seven of dry bones coming to life. This image is so popular it has made it into many worship songs. Yet with any passage, it is important fo...  Read More