Psalm 2

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” (v3). This psalm reminds us that the raging of humanity against God will ultimately fail. The “kings of the earth” (the rebellious, the winners, the arrogant) have no power to block God’s plan, which is to redeem the world through the Son: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (v7). In Acts, when the authorities threatened the church, believers quoted this psalm and remained confident that the Holy Spirit’s powe

Genesis 4

“And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door ...” (7). In this sin-darkened world, the new reality was that humans struggled against many temptations. Cain fell immediately into competition and envied his brother Abel, leading to murder (8). He could not “rule over” his own impulses, emotions, and desires, and his lack of control harmed his brother (7). Cain faced terrible consequences – banishment, estrangement - yet God also showed him extraordinary mercy (15

Genesis 3

“What is this that you have done?” (13). The rebellious actions of the first humans brought a darkness into the world that was not God’s intention. Because they wanted to be like God, rather than serve Him, they soon faced the consequences: work and child-bearing poisoned by trouble, broken relationships, and, worst of all, separation from intimacy with God (8, 14-19). However, rather than turning away from this mess, God came looking for them. “Where are you?” (9), God as

Genesis 2

“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat ...” (16-17). God gave humans a world teeming with plants and animals, rivers (10), and minerals (12). He even gave them access to the “tree of life” (9). The only thing God prohibited was the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil”. Determining good and evil was for God alone; humans, with all their God-given gifts, are still creatures.

“Then the Lord forme

Genesis 1

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (1:27). The creation story displays God’s character and explains that humans are made in His image. By His own will, God created a world of abundance: “let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures” (20). He created a world of joyful life and growth: “Be fruitful and multiply ...” (22). Above all, God made a world intended to reflect His character of goodness a

Matthew 2

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (v2). The wise men sought Jesus eagerly, but Herod’s response was murderous fury. From the time of Christ’s birth, there were those who rejected Him and sought to destroy Him, and those who welcomed His arrival.  Matthew records King Herod’s response when he heard of Jesus (v1-3), sought to destroy Him but failed (v4-15), and gave vent to his hatred and anger by having all the male babies in Bethlehem under two years of age

Matthew 1

“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v1).  The author of Matthew, the first New Testament book, begins his account with a genealogy that roots Jesus in history. The most critical element of faith in Christ is that it is grounded not in feelings, religious fads, or charismatic individuals, but in reality.  Jesus was God in flesh. His birth, life and teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection are real history,

Psalm 1

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water ... he prospers” (v3). The psalmist declares that there are only two possible life paths: to “prosper” (v3) or to “perish” (v6).  The wise person commits wholly to God and His ways, delighting in God’s law, day and night (v2). The foolish person dismisses God and His ways and instead takes his cues from the wicked, the sinner and scoffer (v2).

Many voices claim to tell us how to find the good life.  But the only way to experien

Malachi 3-4

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?” (3:2). Malachi cautioned those who thought that ancestry or residence in Judah gave them permission to sin. God’s judgment, like a refiner’s fire, was coming against “sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers ... those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless. and deprive the foreigners among you of justice” (3:5). God called out to them to change their ways (3:6).

“Su

Malachi 1-2

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’" (1:2). Amid the slow work of rebuilding their small nation, Judah’s returned exiles wondered about God’s love. God reassured them of His faithfulness, yet through Malachi explained that His covenant of love was also a calling to an obedient life. God was “wearied” by their empty words. Their self-centered tears could not cover up their unacceptable sacrifices, partnerships with idol-worshipers, or t

Zechariah 13-14

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (1). Zechariah’s prophecies encouraged the returned exiles that ruined Jerusalem still had a future. New Testament authors recognized that these promises of God’s salvation were accomplished through the Messiah. The “Shepherd” was indeed struck (and pierced, 12:10), and the sheep scattered (13:7), and yet through Jesus’ suffering, men and wo

Revelation 22

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life ...”  (1). The promises of Eden are resurrected in the New City, just as we are. The freely-offered “water of life” becomes a river flowing from the Lamb’s throne through the city, and the tree of life (lost due to sin) reappears, available to all (2). The sadness and scars of the old world are not ignored: “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (3). 

“Let the one who wishes take the free gift of

Revelation 21

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (21:3). Scripture’s great story concludes with the fulfillment of God’s plan to dwell among His image-bearers. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Israel, and finally the “Word made flesh”, God has been calling sinful humanity back to Himself so that we can live in fellowship with Him. When He makes everything new (21:5), no hint of suffering or evil will remain. The “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb

Revelation 20

“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God” (20:4). In John’s time, as in many times and places, those who refused to worship the powers and idols of the world (symbolized by the beast and its image) were attacked and even killed. But John saw that in the final reckoning, these seeming “losers” would rise and reign with Christ, sharing in His authority and being “priests of God” (20:6). 

“Books w

Psalm 150

“Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!” (1). The psalmist exhorts us to praise the Creator who rules and reigns from His holy heaven. But, instead of remaining distant, He came to His own rebellious creation and intervened with “acts of power” for our deliverance. This God of “surpassing greatness” deserves to be praised with cymbals and harps, trumpets and dancing. 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (6). Our natural response to the Gi