Ecclesiastes opens with this introduction: “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). The Hebrew word for Preacher is Qoheleth, meaning one who assembles or speaks before an assembly. The strongest internal and historical...
The book of Amos opens simply: "The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." (Amos...
Galatians is one of the clearest, most forceful defenses of the Gospel of grace in all of Scripture. It confronts legalism head-on, rebukes compromise, and elevates the sufficiency of Christ above all else. Paul was writing to the churches in Galatia, a region in...
The Pentateuch, from the Greek pente (five) and teuchos (scroll or book), refers to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In Hebrew, this portion is called the Torah, meaning “law” or “instruction.” These books...
The Book of Hosea opens with a startling command. In Hosea 1:2, the Lord says, “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.” Hosea, a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel...
The book of Joel is a powerful prophetic message calling God’s people to repentance in the face of judgment, while also offering a glorious promise of restoration and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Though it is a short book with only three chapters, its themes...
The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, consisting of only 21 verses. Despite its brevity, it delivers a powerful message of judgment against Edom and a prophecy of Israel’s restoration. Who Was Obadiah? Obadiah is one of the minor prophets,...
Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church are some of the most direct and corrective writings in the New Testament. The church in Corinth was a mess. It was filled with division, immorality, pride, false teachings, and abuse of spiritual gifts. Paul wrote 1...
Nehemiah was a Jewish cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, serving as a high-ranking official in the royal court. Though he lived in a foreign land, his heart was set on the welfare of Jerusalem, the city of his ancestors. When he learned that the walls of...
Proverbs 31 is one of the most well-known and beloved passages in the Bible, often read in the context of godly womanhood, marriage, and virtuous living. It paints a picture of a woman whose life is marked by wisdom, diligence, kindness, and the fear of the Lord....
