Song 1:1-8:14 Song of Songs is one of two books in the Bible that does not mention God. That may seem strange that there is even one book that does not explicitly speak about God, but, even when his name is not mentioned, God is there. For example, as Song of Songs describes a love relationship, it cannot help but remind us of God's love for us. The book is a masterful description of the beauty, i...

Proverbs 22:17-24:34 Today we finish up the proverbs of Solomon (we will pick up the end of Proverbs in a month). One of the themes we encounter is envy. Envy reveals what we value. If we envy someone with a bigger house, it reveals we value material possessions. If we envy someone with more money, it may reveal we value comfort or security. If we envy someone with a more prestigious job title, it...

Proverbs 20:1-22:16 One distinction of Judaism and Christianity among world religions is the way they value work. When Adam and Eve were created in God's image, even prior to the fall, they were created to work. We will spend over 20% of our waking life working, so it is vital that we honor God during this time. To do this we need to first be people who work hard (Provers 20:4). God has designed t...

Proverbs 17:1-19:29 Relationships are critical in shaping who we are. They can shape us for good or evil, bless us or leave us with scars. As we look at the Proverbs, we see how wisdom should shape our relationships. Proverbs 17:1 tells us material possessions are nothing compared to healthy relationships of love and peace. If we pursue what we value, then we should pursue Christ-centered relation...

Proverbs 14:1-16:33 The average person speaks 7,000 words a day. Those can be words that bring life and encouragement, or pain and destruction. Proverbs often discuss the differing speech that comes from the wise and from the foolish. Proverbs 14:3 tells us fools speak from a place of pride. They are defensive and self-centered in their words, while the wise speak differently. Further, in 14:5 we ...

Proverbs 11:1-13:25 Is it worth it to follow God? Choosing to follow and obey God means we must humble ourselves, not give in to our broken desires, and may mean suffering, difficulty, and persecution in the moment. Since this is true, we must count the cost of following Jesus. In our Proverbs today we see the value of following God in the destiny of the righteous. The righteous are people who hav...

Proverbs 8:1-10:32 The voices we pay attention to often determine the trajectory of our lives. Who we listen to will lead our lives. In Proverbs, there are two voices competing for attention. These voices are wisdom and folly. One voice speaks to a path that leads to life, while the other path leads to death. They both may sound enticing. They both seem to offer wonderful things. Only one (wisdom)...

Proverbs 5:1-7:27 If someone questions whether the Bible is practical for modern life, they do not need to look any further than the Proverbs. Solomon's instructions with his son will deal with almost every area of life, including sex. There is warning after warning regarding the consequences of sexual immorality. The critical skill Solomon wants to pass on to his son is prudence. One of the aspec...

Proverbs 1:1-4:27 Our culture is focused on the accumulation of knowledge, but what about the acquisition of wisdom? People accumulate multiple degrees, but this pursuit rarely leads to greater skill in living. Solomon asked for wisdom above all else, and God provided it. He then was to walk in this personal wisdom and communicate it to others. Over the next week we will sit at Solomon’s feet and ...

1 Kings 4:1-34; Psalm 72, 127 As Americans we are raised with a deep sense of individualism. We grow up with the ethos that we can do anything we put our mind to do. Though there may be positives to this mentality, on some levels it is deeply unbiblical. From the beginning to the end, the Bible speaks of a deep need for community in our lives. We are to live deeply connected to others, not as isol...

2 Chronicles 8:1-18; 1 Kings 9:15-10:13; 2 Chronicles 9:1-12; 1 Kings 10:14-29; 2 Chronicles 9:13-28, 1:14-17 God's heart is for all people, for all nations to come and worship Him. If you have had the opportunity to travel, every person you have encountered has value, dignity, and worth, because they are made in the image of God. God created them so they might have a relationship with him. The Qu...

1 Kings 8:54-66; 2 Chronicles 7:1-10; 1 Kings 9:1-9; 2 Chronicles 7:11-22; 1 Kings 9:10-14 Most of the psalms deal with praise. Praise is a planned or immediate response to the greatness and beauty of an object. As we see the response of Solomon and Israel to the temple, their immediate response is praise. Solomon praises God for the rest he has given his people, his faithfulness, and his presence...

1 Kings 8:1-11; 2 Chronicles 5:1-14; 1 Kings 8:12-21; 2 Chronicles 6:1-11; 1 Kings 8:22-53; 2 Chronicles 6:12-42 Recently, I heard a radio commercial that spoke of a plague which has struck relationships in America. It has crippled intimacy, love, and a feeling of connectedness. This plague is the inability to listen. According to the advertisement, our inability to listen is destroying our most i...

1 Kings 7:1-51; 2 Chronicles 3:15-4:22 There are moments in our lives when a huge shift happens. This change may come when we move, take a new job, get married, have kids, retire, etc. The construction of the temple and its furnishings is one of the most dramatic pivots in the history of Israel. Prior to the Exodus, people could worship God without a priest anywhere and at any time. With the const...

1 Kings 3:16-28; 1 Kings 5:1-18; 2 Chronicles 2:1-18; 1 Kings 6:1-13; 2 Chronicles 3:1-14; 1 Kings 6:14-38 The first thing we do each morning says a lot about our priorities. Do we reach for our phone first? Do we grab a newspaper or a cup of coffee? In the same way, what a politician or king does at the beginning of their reign speaks about their passions, interests, and agenda. We see the key pr...

Psalm 83; 1 Chronicles 29:23-25; 2 Chronicles 1:1; 1 Kings 2:13-3:4; 2 Chronicles 1:2-6; 1 Kings 3:5-15; 2 Chronicles 1:7-13 Life is like a rollercoaster. Our days are filled with highs and lows. We have great victories that are followed by crushing defeats. In the Psalms, David freely expresses the highs and lows of his emotional condition to God. In Psalm 83, David pleads for God not to keep sil...

Psalm 79-82 Young children think that a dinner of ice cream and brownies would be the greatest meal ever, not realizing the stomachache that would follow. Many of our psalms today speak to a similar mentality in the heart of every human. We are all prone to what feels good in the moment without any understanding of wisdom, eternity, or truth. God desires to lead us to freedom, while we are prone t...

Psalm 75-78 There are times when our emotions are not in line with what we know to be true. We know God loves us, but we do not feel like he does. We know that God is present, but we do not sense his nearness. Psalm 77 describes this situation in the life of Asaph, or possibly his reflection on this in the life of his friend Jeduthun (who oversaw music for God's house like Heman). The psalm reflec...

Psalm 50, 73-74 Over the next few days, we will work our way through the psalms of Asaph. Asaph is the assistant to Heman, who was head of music for the house of the Lord. So, in our terms, Heman is the worship leader and the singers or musicians on the stage would be Asaph. One of the themes Asaph focuses on is God as judge. Asaph looks around at his world and notices the financial prosperity of ...

Psalm 144-145, 88-89 It may be easy to trust God after things have worked out─when a challenge is over, or when God shows up in a big way─but what about when we are still waiting? Do you find yourself easily praising and trusting God when you are waiting for an issue to be resolved or a prayer to be answered? This is the situation of Psalm 143. David calls out to God for mercy, relief from enemies...