Ecclesiastes 7-8: Contrasts.

November 19, 2015. Daily Reading: Ecclesiastes 7-8. Background: Ecclesiastes 5-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 Contrasting: In this chapter, the preacher sets forth many contrasting ideas and reveals wisdom from these juxtapositions. The first half of the chapter is dedicated to proverb-like sayings, focusing at first on the contrast between death and life, sadness and…

II Chronicles 25-28: Kings of Judah.

November 17, 2015. Daily Reading: II Chronicles 25-28. Background: II Chronicles 21-24. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 25 Amaziah: After Joash is assassinated, his son Amaziah is set up to be king. Amaziah had a strong start in doing what was right in the sight of the Lord, even adhering to the Law when delving out…

Psalm 111-113: Praise the Lord.

October 14, 2015. Daily Reading: Psalm 111-113. Background: Psalm 108-110. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 111 Great are the works of the Lord: This psalm is an acrostic, meaning that each line in Hebrew beings with the successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and a psalm of praise to the Lord for His great works. Note…

Proverbs 11-12: The righteous and the unrighteous.

July 9, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 11-12. Background: Proverbs 10. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 11 Proverbs of the righteous and unrighteous: As we move into the bulk of the proverbs of Solomon, it will become difficult to see an overview of a full chapter as each couplet can be autonomous, though many of them are…

Proverbs 4: A father’s plea.

June 4, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 4. Background: Proverbs 2-3. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 4 A father’s wisdom: Solomon reveals the purpose of his instruction in this chapter, emphasizing the importance of gaining wisdom and insight to his sons, just as his father and mother had taught him as a child. It is interesting to…

Job 1-2: Serving God through the tough times.

January 8, 2014. Daily Reading: Job 1-2. Background: The book of Job is set in one of the earliest times in the bible, still in the Patriarchal age before the time of Moses, despite is position in the biblical cannon. Job could have been a contemporary with Abraham, though no one actually knows. Job lives…

Psalm 1-2: Godly Counsel and Messianic Prophecy.

January 7, 2014. If you have been following along so far, I hope this journey has been profitable so far and I hope it continues to bless you and I both as we continue along. I have realized that this project is going to take a lot more time than I expected, as I pour…

The Christian Virtues, Part 6: Godliness.

October 10, 2014. “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus…

Blurred lines.

June 20, 2014. “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up…

Hosea.

May 19, 2014. Today we started our English lessons with the readers who wanted to learn English, and I would say it was a success. We had to do an impromptu VBS type ordeal in the afternoon because so many kids showed up who we weren’t prepared for entirely. Tomorrow we should be ready if…