Day 271: The Coming of the Lord
The day of judgement is coming. The Lord will come with a refiners fire. Then the sacrifices will be acceptable again. The people are robbing God. He tells them to bring the whole tithe. Again, they seem to be giving leftovers and God should be first. A small amount sacrificed with the right heart means [...]
Day 270: Malachi
Many believe that Malachi was the last prophet until the time of Christ. His ministry seems to be after the temple was completed by the returned exiles. This would put him in the same time as Ezra and Nehemiah. The exiles have been successful in finishing the temple and now find themselves not as committed [...]
Day 269: All Nations Worship God
The last two chapters tell of the cleansing of sins for Jerusalem. The shepherd will be struck and the sheep scattered. Many will fall but a remnant will be refined and will call on the name of the Lord. Then, he seems to be talking of the future, of a time when God returns to [...]
Day 268: God Cares For Judah
God cares for man. When his people ask for rain, He sends rain. However, the false diviners speaks lies and lead people astray. Again, we hear that these leaders will be held accountable for their actions. And, God will care for Judah. The next section talks about a shepherd. He refers to His price being [...]
Day 267: Fasting and Mercy
Chapter 7 talks about fasting. God is asking the people and the priests if they were really fasting for Him or just for themselves. Then, He tells them to show mercy and care for the poor. In chapter 8, God speaks of His love for Zion. He will return to her and she will be [...]
Day 266: Lampstands and Flying Scrolls
Today we continue reading Zechariah’s vision. He sees a lampstand and two olive trees. The lampstand is Zerubbabel, who will begin and finish the rebuilding of the Temple. The two olive trees are two who are anointed to serve God. Next, he sees a flying scroll that is a curse. Then, there is a woman [...]
Day 265: Zechariah
Zechariah was born in Babylon during the time of the exile and then returned to Judah for the rebuilding of the Temple. The book opens with a call to the people of Judah to return to God. Return to Him and He will return to them. Zechariah has a vision of a man and horses [...]
Day 264: Haggai
Haggai talks about the return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple. Haggai calls for the people to rebuild. Apparently, they kept putting it off saying that the time wasn’t right. Haggai says otherwise. Why should they live in comfortable homes while the Lord’s house lies in ruins? The people hear and they come. [...]
Day 263: Zephaniah
Zephaniah prophesied during the time of King Josiah, who led a great reform. Some scholars think that Zephaniah’s preaching may have been the voice that brought Josiah to this point. This is a theme we’ve heard before. All of these prophets seem to be leading us somewhere. Here, Zephaniah speaks of the coming disaster for [...]
Day 262: Habakkuk
Habakkuk was a prophet during the time of Jeremaih and Nahum. He has one big question: Why aren’t You doing anything about all these horrible things that are happening?? He calls out his questions/complaints to God. God answers that he should watch for He is planning great things. God assures Habakkuk that He hasn’t forgotten [...]
Day 260: Israel Will Rise Again
God calls to Israel to stand up and hear the accusations against her. They will be punished according to their guilt. Given over to ruin and humiliation. Micah now speaks for all of Israel. He tells the nations not to gloat for Israel will rise again. Even though she has sinned and God is punishing [...]
Day 259: A Ruler From Bethlehem
The reading today begins with a wonderful glimpse of what is to come. A day when the nation of Israel will not be afraid of others anymore. Micah now tells of a ruler who will come from Bethlehem. This ruler will rule in the strength of the Lord. His greatness will cover the earth. What [...]
Day 258: Micah
Micah lived during the time of Isaiah and saw as the sins of Israel crept through the country. His prophecies speak not only of the imminent dangers but of the distant future and the coming Messiah. Micah begins by talking of the wrath of God. He then goes on to tell how he will weep [...]
Day 257: God Spares Nineveh and Jonah Complains
More of our whiney prophet. He goes into Nineveh and tells the people they have forty days until God’s punishment. Guess what? They believe in God and begin to fast! When God sees how sincere they are, he has compassion and spares them. So, do you think our hesitant prophet rejoices? Of course not!! He [...]
Day 256: Jonah and the Whale
Jonah has got to be the whiniest prophet in the Bible. When God first calls him, he runs the other way! However, God deals with that in a most unique way. This is one of the earliest stories I remember from Sunday School. When faced with certain death inside the whale, Jonah cries out to [...]
Day 255: Obadiah, Servant of the Lord
I love saying that name–Obadiah. It means servant of the Lord. Obadiah was a prophet, probably during the time of Jeremiah. Although, some think it may have been during the time of Elisha. Either way, he has the shortest book in the old testament and most of it is about Edom. Because they stood by [...]
Day 254: Israel will be Restored
In chapter 7, God shows Amos two different ways that He will destroy Israel. Both times, Amos cries out for mercy and God gives it. Then, the king of Israel calls for Amos to be kicked out because of his prophecies. Amos points out that he wasn’t even a prophet, but a shepherd. Things were [...]
Day 253: Do Not Be Complacent, Israel
In chapter 4, we hear of many of the things that God has done to bring Israel back to Him. Famine, plagues, fire and yet they still do not turn to God. He also mentions how they make their offerings and yet continue to sin. When an offering is made, when forgiveness is sought, if [...]
Day 252: Amos, the Shepherd
Amos is introduced, not as a prophet, but as a shepherd who had a vision. And, what a vision! It begins with punishment for different nations for their sins. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon—they all have sinned and will be punished accordingly. Finally, after Moab is mentioned, is Judah. She too will see punishment for [...]
Day 251: Joel
Joel is a prophet who wrote during a time of national disaster. A plague of locusts hit Judah and apparently destroyed everything. Joel calls for the people to go into mourning and call out to God. The description of the locusts quickly turns to a description of the day of the Lord. A time when [...]
