Joel: locusts and the day of the Lord
What is Joel about? Locusts. Locusts everywhere. A devastating swarm had come to Judah, the Southern Kingdom. This was no small infestation; the people had never seen anything like it: "What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; And what the...
What’s a covenant? A quick definition and overview
"Covenant" is one of those words that just keeps coming up when you read the Bible---and certainly when you study it. When we hear of "covenant" today, it sounds like lofty legalese for "contract," or "agreement." But covenant is a weighty theme that dominates...
Esther: the Jews persevere
What is Esther about? Courage. Faith. Betrayal. Politics. Plots of genocide. The book of Esther is a drama about how two Jews risked everything to save their people. The story is set in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire. Not long ago, the Jews were taken from...
Ezra: Israel returns to her foundations
After 70 years in exile, the people of Israel were coming back home. The new Persian emperor Cyrus had decreed that they return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of their God---which had lain in ruins the whole time (Ezr 1:1--4). Zerubbabel and Jeshua, descendants...
1 & 2 Chronicles: the Story of Jerusalem
What if you had the job of communicating your nation's entire history---its rulers, wars, religious events, economic cycles---starting with the beginning of mankind? First and Second Chronicles is that history for Israel. It's the story of Israel's kings and God's...
Jude: fight for the faith!
Jude came from an important family: The Lord Jesus Christ was his brother Mary was his mother James, the church leader was also his brother Jude hadn't always believed in Jesus (Jn 7:5;Mk 3:21), but after He rose from the dead, things changed. The world changed (Acts...
3 John: the fellowship of truth
Gaius knows the truth. He was baptized by Paul and traveled with him (1 Co 1:14; Acts 19:29). Later, he hosted Paul and a local church (Ro 16:23). Now he's earned a reputation for his hospitality among the Christians (3 Jn 5–6). And hospitality is a good, powerful...
2 John: walking in truth, love, and obedience
The auhtor of 1 John set several things straight in his first epistle. He'd told the churches how to know if they were of the faith, he'd dressed down the false teachings that were making their rounds, and he'd strongly urged the Christians to love one another. He'd...
1 John: how to recognize the children of God
False teachers had arisen from among the church. Now some people were teaching that Jesus wasn't human, denying that He was the true Messiah. It was probably easier to get away with than it ever had been: the apostles were growing older, and churches were springing up...
1 Corinthians: a new perspective for a troubled church
The church in Corinth was in trouble. They were divided. They were immature. They were abusing the sacraments, spiritual gifts, and each other. The apostle Paul had founded this church earlier (Acts 18), and when he hears of the young church's struggles, he writes...
