Posts with the tag “old-testament”
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Discovering Malachi
April 14th, 2024
Background InformationThis book was written by a man named Malachi. We know nothing significant about this man other than that he wrote this book. “By Malachi,” in 1:1, means literally “by the hand of... Read More
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Discovering Zechariah
April 7th, 2024
Background InformationThe author of this book is Zechariah (1:1). He was “the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo, who was also a prophet (1:1). Zechariah began his prophetic ministry in the eig... Read More
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What the Old Testament Says about the Resurrection
March 31st, 2024
We know that the New Testament (NT) teaches the fact and reality of the resurrection, teaching which includes the foremost resurrection of Jesus Christ, the eventual resurrection of all believers, and... Read More
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Discovering Haggai
March 17th, 2024
Background InformationWe know surprisingly little about the author of this book, the prophet Haggai. Though he is named nine times in the book (1:1, 3, 12, 13; 2:1, 10, 13, 14, 20) and twice in the hi... Read More
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Discovering Zephaniah
March 10th, 2024
Background InformationWe don’t know much about the author of this book, but he does identify himself by means of a genealogy (1:1), tracing his ancestry back through four generations. This is a unique... Read More
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Discovering Habakkuk
March 3rd, 2024
Background InformationLike other minor prophets, this book was written by a man whose name is also the title of the book. We know little about him other than that he was “Habakkuk the prophet” (Hab 1:... Read More
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Discovering Nahum
February 25th, 2024
Background InformationA man named Nahum (1:1) delivered this message, a man from the city of Elkosh. This city (later renamed Elcesi) was located in southern Judah, near Moresheth, where the prophet M... Read More
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Discovering Micah
February 18th, 2024
Background InformationThis book and message was given by a man named Micah, who lived and served as a prophet during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of I... Read More
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Discovering Jonah
February 4th, 2024
Background InformationThough the book of Jonah, the fifth of the minor prophets, is only 48 verses long, it provides one of the most controversial, fascinating, and well-known Old Testament stories. T... Read More
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Discovering Obadiah
January 7th, 2024
Background InformationObadiah is the shortest, smallest book in the Old Testament, containing only twenty-one verses. About the messenger, named Obadiah, we know almost nothing. His name means “servan... Read More
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Discovering Amos
December 17th, 2023
Background InformationGod provided the message of this book through a man named Amos. This man was He was from the village of Tekoa, approx. 10 mi. southeast of Jerusalem and 18 mi. west of the Dead S... Read More
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Discovering Joel
December 10th, 2023
Though not the shortest of the Minor Prophets (Obadiah and Haggai are one and two chapters respectively), the three-chapter book of Joel is still quite brief, consisting of only three chapters. And wh... Read More
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O Come, O Come Emmanuel
December 10th, 2023
Isaiah 7:14In 1999, George Bell, CEO of the search engine Excite (second largest at the time, only behind Yahoo), turned down a game-changing offer, the opportunity to purchase a young startup called ... Read More
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Discovering Hosea
December 3rd, 2023
This book begins our study of what are called the Minor Prophets. By “minor,” though, we do not mean “less important.” Instead, we are referring to those Old Testament books of prophecy which are smal... Read More
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O Little Town of Bethlehem
December 3rd, 2023
Micah 5:2When we scan news headlines, local or worldwide, we are reminded of the sad reality that our world is in turmoil. We find little to encourage us, wonder when this turmoil will end, and feel t... Read More
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Discovering Daniel
November 27th, 2023
Some of the most well-known Bible stories and often-discussed Bible prophecies come from this Old Testament (OT) book. But what is the purpose of this book? Why were these stories and prophecies given... Read More
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Discovering Ezekiel
November 12th, 2023
Of the four major prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel – Ezekiel may seem like the most unfamiliar and elusive. In reality, however, it may be one of the most familiar, since a large amoun... Read More
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Discovering Jeremiah
November 5th, 2023
Jeremiah is the longest prophetic book in the Bible and the second longest book in all of Scripture, behind only Psalms. What is the purpose for this outsized prophetic record?Background InformationJe... Read More
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Discovering Isaiah
October 22nd, 2023
Type your new text here....... Read More
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Discovering Lamentations
October 15th, 2023
Like the Song of Solomon, Lamentations is uncomfortable to read, but it is uncomfortable for a very different reason. Whereas Song of Solomon is awkward and uncomfortable due to its openly romantic ma... Read More
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Discovering Song of Songs
October 8th, 2023
Type your new text here....... Read More
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Discovering Ecclesiastes
September 24th, 2023
Ecclesiastes is a fascinating entry in the Old Testament (OT) wisdom literature. It has solicited a variety of impressions, some interpreting the book as presenting a disenchanted, existential, and me... Read More
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Discovering Proverbs
September 3rd, 2023
Proverbs stands out as the primary collection of wisdom literature in the Bible. To be sure, all Scripture provides wisdom, but by “wisdom” here we refer to a specific kind of Hebrew poetry called “wi... Read More
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Discovering Psalms
August 27th, 2023
Psalms may be the most familiar, well-known book in the Bible. It is the largest book in the Bible, features the shortest (Ch. 117) and longest (Ch. 119) chapters in the Bible, and is quoted more time... Read More
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Discovering Job
August 6th, 2023
Historical SettingThe events of this book occur in patriarchal times, which is that period during or near the lifetime of Abraham. We conclude this in because of Job’s lifespan (42:16), how he offered... Read More
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Discovering Esther
July 23rd, 2023
IntroductionThough we don’t say it in words, we often live as though the details of our lives are guided by fate rather than God. We expect God’s involvement at church, when we read the Bible and pray... Read More
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Discovering Ezra / Nehemiah
July 9th, 2023
Do you ever get your hopes up, only to be disappointed again and again? In the U.S., we get our hopes up every four years for a President who will finally solve our nation’s problems. Every year we ge... Read More
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Discovering Chronicles
July 2nd, 2023
As with Samuel and Kings, though Chronicles appears as two books in our English Old Testaments, it was originally given as one unified book in Hebrew. Like these books, it gives detailed historical in... Read More
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Discovering Kings
June 11th, 2023
Like the book of Samuel, Kings was written as one complete book (though our English Bible divides it into two). It provides a continuation of Israel’s history from the end of David’s reign to the midd... Read More
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Discovering Samuel
May 21st, 2023
In our English Bibles, the Old Testament (OT) features a special six-book series: 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles. These are actually three books in the Hebrew Bible: Samuel, Kings, and Chro... Read More
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Discovering Ruth
May 14th, 2023
A Series of Unfortunate EventsDoes the story of your life ever feel more like a tragedy than a triumph? Like a nightmare instead of a happy-ever-after? The book of Ruth begins this way – with a series... Read More
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Discovering Judges
April 30th, 2023
IntroductionHave you ever had one of those days that went from bad to worse? The book of Judges feels like one of those days, only it describes far more than one day! This period probably lasted from ... Read More
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Discovering Joshua
April 23rd, 2023
BackgroundThe book of Joshua serves as the sequel to the first five books written by Moses called the Torah (or “Law”). It serves as a climax to all that Moses had written.Joshua also begins a new Old... Read More
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Discovering Deuteronomy
April 16th, 2023
BackgroundSometimes we believe the mistaken idea that generations just gradually decline, that the next generation will automatically be less spiritual or godly that the last. The book of Deuteronomy ... Read More
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Discovering Numbers
April 2nd, 2023
Two Names for the BookTwo names describe this fourth book of Moses. The Hebrew name is “In the Wilderness.” This name fits because the book describes the experiences of Israel as they journeyed from S... Read More
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Discovering Leviticus
March 26th, 2023
IntroductionCan you guess which Old Testament (OT) book Jewish children studied first in the synagogue? The answer is Leviticus.Unfortunately this is not the case for believers today. If anything, we ... Read More
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Discovering Exodus
March 21st, 2023
Exodus means exit or escape. The Old Testament (OT) book by this title gives the record of how God caused Israel to escape from oppression in Egypt. This book is more than history though because it is... Read More
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The Origin and Organization of the Bible
March 21st, 2023
Scripture was provided for us by God through inspiration. (1 Tim 3:16) The words themselves carried a “God-breathed” quality.God provided his inspired words to us through prophets. (2 Pet 1:20-21)OT –... Read More
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