Reading Job

The book of Job has long been of interest to Biblical readers for the question of theodicy (how can God be righteous if evil exists), the relationship between Satan’s activity and God’s providence, and the historicity of Job. Yet as one writer has noted, the bigger concern of the book than any of those questions […]

Reading 2 Timothy

When persecution and trouble become temptations to become apathetic, a recommitment to the standard of God found in Scripture is in order. Since Paul is soon to leave the world through death, this “valedictory” letter of 2 Timothy also serves as a commission to Timothy to remain faithful to teach and preach the truth of […]

Reading Esther

The book of Esther is unique because of the fact that the name of God is not mentioned in the book. Yet the sovereignty of God and Mordecai and Esther’s trust in Him is on high display throughout the book. It is a book of intrigue, sinister plots, wise planning, justice, faithful trust, and God’s […]

Reading 1 Timothy

Ephesus was an important city in ancient Asia Minor. It was a port city and had several major highways emanating from it, making it important economically in its day. It was also the center of pagan worship with the temple of Diana. It also was a cultural center with a major theater, a library, and […]

Reading Nehemiah

Nehemiah is closely related to the book of Ezra. In fact, the Hebrew Bible has them as one single book. Nehemiah follows the story of Ezra by nearly 100 years. When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in the third wave of the return from exile in 445 B.C., the initial returnees had been in the land […]

Reading Ezra

This week we read both Ezra and Nehemiah in our daily Bible reading. The books share a common historical background. The people had been taken into captivity to Babylon in three different segments, the first in’ 605 B.C., then 597 and 586. Jeremiah prophesied in 605 that Judah would face a 70-year captivity (Jer. 25:1). […]

What did the temple look like?

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to step inside Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem? It may surprise you to learn that Jesus himself never had this experience, since he never entered the Temple itself. Read the rest of Justin Taylor’s post (with drawings!) here…

Reading Chronicles

This morning we begin reading the book of 1 Chronicles. Often this book is pointed to as one of the more difficult to read because of its lengthy genealogies; moreover, many fail to see the relevance of both books of Chronicles. Even while reading these lengthy lists of names, we do well to remember that […]

Reading Amos

This week we are reading the book of Amos — one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. [Remember the minor prophets are not considered minor in importance, but minor (or shorter) in length than the major prophets.] Perhaps the saddest verses in the book reflecting the repeated theme of judgment are found in […]

Reading Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes may be one of the more misapplied books of the Bible because it has been often understood to be pointing out the hopelessness of life only. Many writers have failed to see in this book any measure of hope and joy. And perhaps if one excluded reading the final verses of the book that […]

Reading 2 Kings

I’ve already posted the background material for 1 & 2 Kings, but recently discovered I’d also put together a chart some time ago for 2 Kings. This may help you understand the flow of this book:

Jonah and his Bible

A note that I should have included in my comments about “Reading Jonah:” he was a man of the Scriptures. In his prayer from the belly of the fish, Jonah either quotes or alludes to 11 different Psalms: 2:2 — Ps. 18:4-6; 30:3; 120:1-3 2:3 — Ps. 42:7 2:4 — 5:7; 31:22 2:5 — 69:1-2, […]

Reading Jonah

Jonah has often been decried as inspirational but mythical. Yet the historical account was authenticated by Christ. Further, the story is ultimately a great demonstration of the character of God and His grace to redeem even Gentiles. Read more about Jonah and its background here. Keith Palmer also preached on the book of Jonah last […]

Help for remembering Israel’s kings

The daily Scripture reading for this morning includes the beginning of the breakup of the unified kingdom of Israel. Instead of one king over the entire nation, as had been the practice under Saul, David, and Solomon, the nation (because of Solomon’s evil sin) was divided into the northern ten tribes and the southern two […]

Reading Kings

This morning, we begin reading the book of 1 Kings in our Bible reading. This book was actually written with 2 Kings as one book by the Biblical author (we don’t know with certainty who that was, but Jeremiah is one possibility). Together, these two books are a sad documentary of the sins of the […]