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

Ezekiel 34:1-36:38 Shepherding is a foreign concept to us but not to the pages of the Bible. One of our most familiar passages from Psalm 23 is that God is our shepherd. The imagery of God being our shepherd extends beyond that one well known chapter. Ezekiel 34 speaks of God as our loving, caring, and concerned shepherd. God meticulously provides for his people─every one of us, every day. This sa...  Read More

Jeremiah 42:1-44:30; Ezekiel 33:21-33How many times have you asked for someone's opinion when you really did not care what they said because you already had your mind made up? You may have been looking more for validation rather than information. The remnant in Jerusalem claimed they were willing to do what God told them, but when the answer was not what they expected, they refused to listen. They...  Read More

Lamentations 5:1-22; Obadiah 1:1-21; 2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:7-41:18 As we saw yesterday, the book of Lamentations is filled with great sorrow but also substantial hope. The exile has happened, the remnant has no leader, and the land is no longer theirs. Yet in the midst of it all, God is still enthroned, and Obadiah speaks of a future return to the land. Hopelessness and despair are never t...  Read More

Lamentations 2:1-4:22 A long time ago my wife went into my daughter's kindergarten class to present a feelings chart. It was a series of pictures that could help the kids identify their emotions. The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah essentially pointing to the saddest picture on the chart and emphatically announcing that is what matches his feelings. Lamentations 2:11 says, "My eyes fail from weep...  Read More