Reading Zechariah

This week we’ve been reading Zechariah in our Old Testament reading plan. Are you confused about this book of visions? One of the dominant emphases of the book is the revelation of the Messiah. The concept of the Messiah is extremely prominent in this book. No other Old Testament book seemingly is so filled with […]

Daniel’s 70 weeks

As a young man, Daniel was taken captive by Babylon in 605 B.C. There he served under several rulers and two empires (the Babylonian and the Medo-Persian). Near the end of his life, while reading the book of Jeremiah (9:2; cf. Jer. 25:11-12), Daniel realized that the promise of 70 years of judgment under the […]

Daniel’s visions

In Daniel’s prophecy, he received a number of visions relating to future empires and their relationship with Israel. Here is a simple chart to overview and explain these visions:

Some lessons in God’s story of Nebuchadnezzar

The story about Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4) is remarkable — not only for the bizarre events that Nebuchadnezzar endured, but also the interpretation of his dream by Danie and the response of Nebuchadnezzar after the dream (vv. 34-37). Yet whatever else we learn about Nebuchadnezzar in this story, the story is not ultimately about him. The […]

Let us examine our ways

You may not know the name Wilhelm Roentgen, but his discovery has undoubtedly impacted you. It was in November of 1895 while the German physicist was replicating a common electrical experiment that he noticed an oddity. A little curiosity combined with further testing, and Roentgen was able to conclude that not only are there light […]

Building idols

In a remarkable — almost comical — passage, Jeremiah exposes the folly of ungodly worship: “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because […]

Why pray?

This morning’s Old Testament reading recounts the story of Assyria’s threat against Judah. It seemed that Judah was hopeless. But Hezekiah, having received the threat from the king of Assyria through the words of his servant Rabshakeh, went to pray. The content of his prayer was direct: You are the God, you alone (Is. 37:16) […]

Real joy

How fickle our joy is. If our favorite sports team (or our child’s sports team) wins “the big game,” or even just “a” game, we’re happy. If a T-bone steak shows up on the dinner plate, we’re happy. Brussels sprouts and sauerkraut? Not so happy. If there’s more money than month? Happiness. More month than […]

The Lord has planned…

“For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?” (Is. 14:27; NASB) A few years ago, the United States Department of Transportation set aside $200 million for research and development of an automated highway system that would alleviate traffic congestion in […]

Naaman’s dream

Have you ever had a dream? I have… When I was five, I dreamed of being a garbage man. When I was ten, I dreamed of being fifteen. When I was fifteen, I dreamed of being a baseball player. When I was twenty, I day-dreamed. When I was twenty-five, I dreamed of finishing school. When […]

Sin became a trifle

Epitaphs take a life and synthesize it into a concise statement. Some are humorous. “I told you I was sick.” Or “She lived with her husband for fifty years and died in the confident hope of a better life.” Some suggest a wasted life. “She loved the phone.” Others are tragic. “One miserable soul; lived […]

Q&A with King Solomon

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon does a Q&A with himself on a variety of life topics. Listen in as Solomon conducts this “interview” with himself. Q: What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun? (1:3) A: All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is […]

Life in the Son

Solomon says that life on this earth — life under the sun — is vanity. But the New Testament says even more clearly what Solomon can only hint at: that life in the Son is satisfying, fulfilling, and the only ultimately worthwhile venture.

Spiritual food

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is…” (Prov. 23:7a; NASB) A quick trip to the local bookstore and even a superficial perusal of the food section will yield a plethora of books on dieting and eating designed to help the reader change his habits of consumption. The tenor of the books? “You are […]

Integrity

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.” (Prov. 19:1; NASB) A number of years ago, Ted Engstrom told this story in his book Integrity: For Coach Cleveland Stroud and the Bulldogs of Rockdale County High School [Conyers, Georgia], it was their […]