“THE POWER OF THANK YOU”
DISCUSSION In Isaiah 38, King Hezekiah had grown sick and was at the point of death. God has already told him to get his house in order because he was not going to recover from this sickness. It is then that we see a prayer that the King utters, literally on his death bed. This prayer is recorded in Isaiah 38.3 … “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before…
“There is Power in the Pause”
DISCUSSION As you read through the book of Psalms, you will inevitably come to a word with which you are not familiar. The word “Selah” is found seventy-one times within the book of Psalms. As for its definition, no one can be completely sure; although it does seem to be a musical term. Many people believe this to be a musical term that signifies a place in the psalm that requires a…
“The Folly of Idolatry”
DISCUSSION In Isaiah 44-48 it seems God is trying to get His people to understand just how ridiculous their idolatry has become. The items that they have been worshipping have all been made by human hands. How can a deity claim any power over humanity if it was fashioned by the hands of a human? The answer is clear; it shouldn’t have any power over man at all. Yet it did, but only…
“THE ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY”
DISCUSSION Isaiah’s words continue to be those of gloom and doom, due to the wickedness of the nation and the impending punishment to come at the hands of the Babylonians. God does offer a ray of hope to those that will be able to return afterward. “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with…
Hosea continued…
DISCUSSION The book of Hosea has to be studied while understanding the religion of the Canaanites. Israel was coming back to Palestine being inhabited for over a thousand years. They learned farming from the people that they did not drive out of the land. However, Canaanite farming was integrally woven with their spiritual beliefs. El, Baal, and Dagon were very popular deities in the Canaanite religion along with the female counterparts…
Hosea
DISCUSSION So often in life, we are looking for our purpose. We ask questions like, “Why am I here?” or “What does God want from me?” Imagine if you’re Hosea. You’re God’s prophet. You’ve seen and heard stories of so many prophets before you and the great things they’ve done. You wonder what God’s great purpose will be for you. Then, God tells you, “Go, and take yourself a wife of…
“Time to Clean House”
DISCUSSION King Hezekiah is one of the bright spots in a list of evil people who served as king. As he begins his rule, one of the first things he commands to be done is to carry the filth out of the Holy Place of God. The filth he was referring to was the pagan cult objects that had been placed by his predecessors in the sanctuary of the Temple. This was such an…
“Victory Over Death”
DISCUSSION The greatest gift that we have today is the complete will of God revealed to us on the printed pages of our Bibles. The Bible contains the greatest love story that has and will ever be told. It tells of the love that God has with His creation; our humanity. Yet just as all good love stories, this one has a tragedy as well. The tragedy happened during the fall of man in…
“God Bless America”
DISCUSSION It wasn’t that long ago that you were celebrating our countries independence with hot dogs, stews and fireworks. As we gather every year with family, we too share in some of those same traditions. We celebrate because we feel that the United States is the greatest country in the world and that God has blessed our…
“The Goodness & Severity of God”
DISCUSSION In recent years there seems to have been a rise of televangelists, ministers and teachers that teach the goodness and love of God. It is hard to argue with them about God’s goodness and love. Yes, God has been very good to us. Yes, God loves us so much He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for us. However, these teachers omit a very important part of their theology of God. Notice Paul’s…
“WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE?”
DISCUSSION The divided nation of Israel has fallen into idolatry. To pull them back, He sends them messengers to relay His will to the people. One of those messengers was Micah. He was from the town of Moresheth, a town from the kingdom of Judah. Micah will accuse the nation of Israel and bring His judgment on all the cities that have done wickedness, specifically stealing and having corrupt prophets. However, Micah’s message is not…
“A NEW HOPE…”
DISCUSSION As a product of the seventies and eighties, the phase “A New Hope” would spark images of Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker into my imagination. The evil Empire, lead by Darth Vader, had been winning the war against the Rebel forces to the point of extinction, that is until the New Hope arrived. Luke Skywalker and his new-found Jedi powers offered a hope to the Rebel forces that…