“Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord…” (Ezra 4:1 ESV). After 70 years of exile in Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return to the land of Judah by the Persian king, Cyrus, who charged them to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV). It is God’s plan that the “word of the cross” should enliven human hearts, yet it is also that which certifies that others are already
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV). Perhaps more than any other epistle, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was corrective. He had heard that there were divisions
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them” (Romans 16:17 ESV). The apostle Paul gave two instructions concerning those who cause divisions and upset people’s faith: First, watch out for them. Literally, keep an eye out
“This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works” (2 Chronicles 32:30 ESV). King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians, by closing the “upper outlet of the waters
‘I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”’ (Romans 15:20-21 ESV). The apostle Paul had a gospel
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” (Romans 14:13 ESV). In Romans 14, the apostle Paul addresses how Christians should treat one another concerning matters of liberty and conscience. Specifically, he mentions diet, drink
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalms 23:1 ESV). When he wrote this psalm, King David must have been reflecting on his youth when he shepherded his father’s flock. As he remembered how the sheep trusted and depended on him as their shepherd, he wrote of his determination to depend on the
‘Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?’ (Proverbs 20:9 ESV). Solomon’s rhetorical question assumes a negative response. The sinfulness of humanity was an accepted reality in his day. Yet, this wisdom has been thrown into question in modern times by the tenets of humanism. The philosophy of
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1 ESV). David wrote this Messianic psalm that prophesied not only what Christ would say on the cross but the manner of His death as well. For centuries before the Romans had devised the torture of crucifixion, David described it some detail in this psalm.