1 Chronicles 3:19b-24; Ezra 2:1-4:5.  “How Big is Our God?”          It’s fascinating to review the fulfillment of a prophecy.  Isaiah (chs. 44,45,48) prophesied that God would use a man named Cyrus to guarantee the return of Israel’s remnant and that Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt.  That was 150 years before Cyrus was even born!  Now in 538 BC Cyrus releases the captives.  What an exci...  Read More

1 Chronicles 3:17-19a; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1; Daniel 6, 9.  “Praying Powerfully”          People who knew Daniel knew that he was a man who prayed fervently.  He prayed three times each day and regularly gave thanks to God.  We are not let in on the details of what exactly he prayed for and about each time, that is with the exception of one instance in chapter nine.         The situation o...  Read More

Daniel 5, 7-8.  “Oh, To Be a Prophet”          King Belshazzar offered to reward Daniel greatly with purple robes of honor, gold chains and a promotion to the third highest in the kingdom just for interpreting the writing on the wall (5:16).  Daniel’s reputation preceded him.  People knew he could do it.  He could have opened a little shop called “Divine Daniel’s” and have made quite the living in...  Read More

2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34; Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; 47:1-48:35.  “Fishing the Dead Sea”          With the exception of a rare torrential rain, the Mojave River is always dry.  Seeing a fisherman reel in a fish on the bank of that river would be just as amazing as seeing one caught on the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea, 1,300 feet below sea level has many salt pillars at its south end.  The Sea is 5...  Read More

Ezekiel 44-46.  “Dirty Faces”          Ezekiel’s vision reminds him of who is to be allowed in the Temple and how they must treat the privilege.  Ezekiel was being reminded of the seriousness of entering into God’s Temple.  He was made aware of the rules of admission, conduct and dress.         I appreciate reading Ezekiel’s response to seeing God’s glory fill the Temple.  It says he fell to the g...  Read More

Ezekiel 40:38-43:27. “Always Fulfilled”          The visions God provided for His prophets varied in some degree as to their figurative or literal fulfillments, but their fulfillment itself was never in question.  Ezekiel had a vision of the Temple that contained incredible detail.  The only question that arises has to do with the time of its complete fulfillment.  Was it the Temple Zerubbabel sh...  Read More

         After Jesus healed the paralytic Luke noted that, “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” (5:26). I am impacted that way when I consider the way God worked through His prophets and some of the tasks and miracles that were performed.  The section this week focuses on visions, prophecies and interpretations, and...  Read More

After Jesus healed the paralytic Luke noted that, “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” (5:26).  I am impacted that way when I consider the way God worked through His prophets and some of the tasks and miracles that were performed.  The section this week focuses on visions, prophecies and interpretations, and not just seeing the display of the visions but the fulfillment of the visions.  Read More

1 Chronicles 5:18; 6:3b-15, 49; 7:1 – 8:28. “News of Record”          In our town, the paper has a section called News of Record, which reports every 911 incident and arrests or violations of the law.  When appropriate, the names of those involved are listed in the paper.  You would think that, because people in this town know they will face public humiliation for breaking the law, even traffic l...  Read More

1 Chronicles 4:24-5:17; Psalm 137; Jeremiah 52:28-30; Ezekiel 32:17-33:20.  “Failed Watchmen”          Before the invention of modern fire suppression systems, it was required for a hotel of significant size to employ a watchman during the night hours to alert guests in the case of fire.  One such hotel in Omaha, Nebraska had a fire on January 23, 1911, and the watchmen failed to notify the guests...  Read More

Ezekiel 32:1-16; 37:1-39:29.  “Taking the Good with the Bad”          In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, the lead character George Bailey, played by James Stewart, makes the statement that he wished he had never been born.  Those of you who know the movie know that George was given a glimpse of what his family, friends and whole town would have been like if he had not been born.  Even though Geo...  Read More

Ezekiel 34:1-36:38.  “Forgiveness”          Forgiveness is a really curious thing.  All this week we have been thinking about consequences in life.  Now, forgiveness is like the exact opposite of consequences.  When we are forgiven, the one who forgives decides not to bring about potential consequences against us.  For example, some insurance companies offer what is called accident forgiveness.  I...  Read More

Jeremiah 42:1-44:30; Ezekiel 33:21-33.  “Seeking Wisdom”          “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” – Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)         Have you ever found yourself asking for advice and yet you have already concluded in your mind what you think should be done?  This is precisely the situation that the leaders of Israel were in.  When Jeremiah gave the answer from...  Read More

2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:7-41:18; Lamentations 5:1-22; Obadiah.  “Compassionate Response”          When hurricane Katrina leveled the gulf coast and nearly destroyed the entire city of New Orleans, I heard someone comment on how they felt the city was being judged because of the excessive sin it promotes.  Now, I do not pretend to know why God allowed that hurricane and the massive damage tha...  Read More

         The reality of the exile has set in, and life as the Israelites knew it is gone.  They are now living with the consequences of their idolatry and disobedience to the Lord’s covenant.  Thus, our theme for this week is consequences.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all live with consequences.  As we will discover, some consequences are good and some are bad, and all of them are real....  Read More

The reality of the exile has set in, and life as the Israelites knew it is gone.  They are now living with the consequences of their idolatry and disobedience to the Lord’s covenant.  Thus, our theme for this week is consequences.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all live with consequences.  As we will discover, some consequences are good and some are bad, and all of them are real.  Read More

2 Kings 25:8-21; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Jeremiah 39:11-40:6; 52:12-27; Lamentations 1. “Time’s Up!”          “The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.  But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words.  They scoffed at the prophets until the LORD’s anger could no longer be restrained ...  Read More

2 Kings 25:3-7; Jeremiah 39:2-10; 52:6-11; Ezekiel 26:15-28:26.  “Restoration Prophecies”          Bible prophets often spoke of a future restoration of the land of Israel.  Many of those prophets lived during times in which their homeland was being conquered and destroyed by a succession of ancient empires.  Today, we can see with our own eyes what some of those prophets saw with theirs—the curre...  Read More

Jeremiah 32-33; Ezekiel 26:1-14.  “Fully Restored”          God’s encouraging words of restoration came in the form of promise to Israel.  His promises of restoration were part of His plan for Israel.  It’s important for us to remember that His plan covers everything; the beginning, middle, and end.         His restoration is not haphazard.  I can think of some building projects I’ve been involved...  Read More

Jeremiah 21, 34; Ezekiel 24:15-25:17; 29:1-16; 30:20-31:18.  “Crime but No Time?”          Picture the familiar scene:  A wrong has been done, a punishment must be made, and the offender is suddenly sorry.  It is possible to apologize for getting caught and not for the offense.  This was the case with King Zedekiah.  He had been warned time and again of God’s coming judgment if he would not change...  Read More

2 Kings 24:20b-25:2; Jeremiah 39:1; 52:3b-5; Ezekiel 22:17-24:14.  “In the Cooking Pot”          Have you ever felt like you were in the “cooking pot”?  In the 1987 AFC Championship football game between Cleveland and Denver, Ernest Byner fumbled the ball just as he got ready to score a touchdown.  That mistake cost the Cleveland Browns the championship, a trip to the Super Bowl and is what most p...  Read More

Ezekiel 20:1-22:16.  “Preventing Decay”          One of the aspects of the dictionary definition for “restore” is “to recover from ruin or decay.”  The importance of that spiritually is enormous.  Restoration is expressed throughout Scripture, and the facet of its recovering something from decay is foundational.  We are ruined and decaying because of sin, and we need the salvation that Jesus Chris...  Read More

We just spent the weekend with longtime friends who have fully restored the home he grew up in.  It is a beautiful place on a tremendous piece of property.  They could tell you firsthand of the work, planning and money spent to tackle such a project.  He now has a plethora of new stories about planning departments, architects, permits, unrealistic estimates, and on and on.         There may well b...  Read More

  We just spent the weekend with longtime friends who have fully restored the home he grew up in.  It is a beautiful place on a tremendous piece of property.  They could tell you firsthand of the work, planning and money spent to tackle such a project.  He now has a plethora of new stories about planning departments, architects, permits, unrealistic estimates, and on and on.          There may well be a downside to restoring anything (work, money, etc.), but there is also an upside, and that is the finished project.  God offers restoration (reconciliation, salvation and forgiveness) to us, and in a similar way there was a downside.  A tremendous cost was necessary; the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.          As you read this week’s passages, note the emphasis on various aspects of restoration.  Read More