In the final chapter of Nehemiah, we see his account of salesmen coming to Jerusalem on the sabbath day. Jews were not supposed to be buying and selling on the sabbath, but I assume because the salesmen were there, many did.Nehemiah banishes the salesmen and orders the gates of the city closed during the sabbath. This stopgap measure protected the Israelites from themselves. If they could not with...  Read More

Nehemiah 2:4-5 KJVThen the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. [5] And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.The first thought I had when reading these scriptures was that of silent prayer. I ...  Read More

The Solid RockUpon returning to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, the very first thing the remnant that returns to Israel does is set up the altar for the sacrifices:Ezra 3:3 KJVAnd they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.Those sacrifi...  Read More

God wants you. He wants you to be in a right relationship with Him. He wants you to serve Him and only Him. Because of this great desire, He will use any means necessary to get your attention.Some people need to only hear the preaching of the Gospel a few times, and they will surrender their heart to their Lord. Others, it takes a traumatic experience to help them realize their need for God. And f...  Read More

Psalm 61:5 KJVFor thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.The word fear in this verse denotes reverence - not being scared of something. David says he was given a heritage of people who fear the Lord. This means his parents and grandparents spent time speaking of their faith in the Lord and practicing it in front of David.The faith of those who ...  Read More

The books of Psalms and Proverbs are probably my favorite portion of the scripture. They are filled with wisdom, promises, and reminders of God’s faithfulness. One of the promises given in the Psalms is as follows:Psalm 55:22 KJVCast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.This verse tells us that God will take our burdens and carry us t...  Read More

1 Chronicles 22:14-16 KJVNow, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto. [15] Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, ...  Read More

Psalm 42:1-2 KJVAs the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. [2] My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?These verses tell us that as a deer longs for water, the author’s soul longs for God. Anyone who has ever been out in the heat for a long period of time, especially while exerting themselves knows how desperatel...  Read More

Psalm 34:11 KJVCome, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.As parents it is our duty to teach our children about the Lord. It is our job to teach them everything honestly: how to walk, talk, eat, bathe, make friends, cook, clean, balance a checkbook, pay bills… The tasks get more complicated as the child grows older, but the responsibility never changes. We are to ens...  Read More

After the Israelites were carried away into Assyria and the Assyrians used other people groups to resettle the Israelite lands, God made a way for the gospel message to come to the new inhabitants:2 Kings 17:25-28 KJVAnd so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord : therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.[26] Wherefore they spake to ...  Read More

Before the rapture of Elijah, several prophets from neighboring towns knew today was the day that Elijah would be “taken away.” How they knew this information, we don’t know for sure but since the Bible calls them prophets, we can assume the Lord revealed this information to them.Obviously though, the information they had was partial. They didn’t know or didn’t understand that Elisha and Elijah be...  Read More

When we read the account of David’s life in scripture, we find a man who has great highs and great lows. One moment he defeats Goliath, the next he’s on the run from a murderous king. He makes several bad choices throughout his life: serving the Philistines, moving the ark without consulting God’s word, adultery with Bathsheba, murdering Uriah, and conducting the census without taking the required...  Read More