Bonus Text, November 2016. Ezekiel 29–30 (click to read). One of the best blessings in life is to have a great friend, someone who shares in our happiness and makes life enjoyable. A friend is someone who encourages us and cares for us. And best of all, a friend is dependable. When things go wrong, […]
13–19 November 2016. Ezekiel 17–18 (click to read). When we Christians read the Old Testament, sometimes we get the feeling that God is so frightening. Whereas Jesus spreads the good news of God’s love and amazing grace, the Old Testament seems to talk so much about God’s anger, judgement, and the way he punishes Israel. […]
6–12 November 2016. Ezekiel 5–6 (click to read). Ezekiel is a strange and often difficult book to read because it is full of confusing and even frightening prophecies. And Ezekiel himself doesn’t just use words to share God’s message with the people. Instead he also uses dramatic and often disturbing actions. If any of our […]
30 October – 5 November 2016. Jeremiah 49–50 (click to read). All through the Book of Jeremiah we have listened to God’s announcements of destruction and punishment for Judah. Now at the end in chapter 49, we find prophecies about some of the other countries nearby. Interestingly, even though those countries worship other gods, and […]
23–29 October 2016. Jeremiah 37 (click to read). In Jeremiah 37, Jerusalem is in serious trouble! King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon chose Zedekiah to be the new king over Judah, hoping that he would be loyal to Babylon. But Zedekiah rebelled against the king – and his rebellion failed! So now the Babylonian army has come […]
16–22 October 2016. Jeremiah 27–28 (click to read). It makes us feel so good when people say nice things about us! It really lifts our spirits, and fills us with joy. But while we all need to hear nice things, it’s just as important that we also hear the truth. That’s the job of a real […]
9–15 October 2016. Jeremiah 15–16 (click to read). In our world today, we are so used to watching as the rich and powerful get away with all sorts of crimes. Sometimes it even seems like there are two sets of laws: one for ordinary people, and a different one for those at the top of […]
2–8 October 2016. Jeremiah 1–2 (click to read). A few years ago, a friend came to me in tears and told me that his wife was leaving him. While he was heartbroken, most of all he was hurt and confused. He had done everything for her, given her everything she wanted, made sacrifices to support […]
25 September – 1 October 2016. Nehemiah 11–13 (click to read). Here at the end of the book of Nehemiah we are confronted with two problems. The first is that we have to read through all these genealogies, these long, long lists of names! But the second problem is much more serious, and is connected […]
18–24 September 2016. Ezra 7–8 (click to read). Over the last few months we have read how the Israelites attacked each other, went to war against each other, and killed each other. This went on for centuries until outside empires finally came and stopped it all by destroying both Israel and Judah! As a result, […]