Chapter 1 tells us that in previous days, God spoke to man through the prophets, but in these last days (meaning the final age, the age of grace that was ushered in with the birth of Jesus, who is the Messiah, the Savior) God spoke to man through His Son, Jesus. And the beginning verses…
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Paul’s tender love for both Philemon and Onesimus is evident in this short letter, isn’t it? If the message of the Gospel could be boiled down, it’s all about forgiveness. And Paul, who at one time persecuted Christians, even to the point of holding the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death, could speak…
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Well David is finally king over all Israel. At God’s direction, Samuel had anointed him as the future king when he was a shepherd boy of about 12 or 15 years old. As we read today, he was 30 when God finally put him there. God always keeps his promises, but we never know what…
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The last time we heard from Job, he had asked his friends to pity him, give him words of comfort, understand how much he was suffering. But it’s obvious from Zophar’s words here that he heard none of that. He was so upset by Job’s assertion that he really had done nothing to deserve what’s…
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In chapter 18, Bildad comes at Job once more, and tells him that wicked people will suffer all sorts of calamities here on earth and in the afterlife, with the implication that Job is obviously guilty of some sort of wickedness since he is in such a bad state. Job’s answer is heartbreaking. These are…
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In chapter eleven, Zophar has had enough of what he considers to be just a rash of wordy nonsense. In essence he accuses Job of running off at the mouth. He asks, “Just because you like to hear yourself talk, are we supposed to shut up?” And he accuses Job of saying things he didn’t…
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I’m going to focus on chapter 9:22-24 today. “It is all the same. That is why I say, ‘He destroys both the man of integrity and the wicked.’ When a sudden disaster brings death, he makes fun of the despair of innocent people. The earth is handed over to the wicked. He covers the faces…
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Paul was telling the church at Thessalonica that they shouldn’t panic when people come around saying that Jesus had already returned. Yes, Jesus is coming back, to be sure. And it will be a very good thing when He does, but there are some things that must happen before that takes place. And then Paul…
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In chapter 23, we saw the Saul was still after David, and he almost had him, but God intervened with the report of the Philistines attacking the land. And then in chapter 24, we saw that David had the perfect opportunity to take Saul out, but David spared Saul’s life because Saul was God anointed…
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Oh my goodness. Job’s despair is palpable in these two chapters, isn’t it? His physical pain is unbearable, but that’s only part of the pain he is suffering. His spirit is broken, too. He had to sit and listen as his so-called friend said that he must have done something to deserve the calamities that…
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