Category: Scripture

This week we started reading chronologically through the New Testament with Matthew 1-4, 8-9, Mark 1-2, Luke 1-5, and John 1-4. The New Testament begins with the four biographical eyewitness accounts about Jesus. Each of these accounts is written from the perspective of one of Jesus' apostles and have very specific structures and goals. Matthew [...]

This is our final week (in this series) in the Old Testament. Our passages for consideration are Ezra 9-10, Nehemiah, Malachi, and Joel. The book of Nehemiah tells the story of Nehemiah, who was a slave cupbearer in the courts of King Artaxerxes, who gained the favor and blessing of the king to return to [...]

This week's passages are Daniel 10-12, Ezra 4-8, Haggai, Zechariah, and Esther. The passages this week essentially tell two parallel stories. Ezra tells about some of the exiles who are released from Persia (which conquered Assyria) to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Haggai and Zechariah prophesy words of encouragement to the Israelites to [...]

This week's passages were 1 Chronicles 3, 8, Daniel 4-9, Ezekiel 29-30, 40-48, 2 Kings 25, Jeremiah 52, 2 Chronicles 36, and Ezra 1-4. I want to discuss two sets of passages from this week's readings. They are typically considered eschatological, or prophecies concerning end times, when God issues His final judgments on humankind and [...]

This week I'll discuss passages from Lamentations 2-5, Obadiah, 2 Kings 25, Jeremiah 40-44, 52, Ezekiel 32-39, 1 Chronicles 4-8, and Psalm 137. Tradition holds that the book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah. There is no direct evidence of this, but it definitely was written by an eyewitness (like Jeremiah) who lived through the [...]