Bible Reading: SEP30: Malachi
Malachi means “my messenger.” The prophecy of Malachi emphasizes the Day of the Lord, with its judgment of the wicked and the deliverance of a righteous remnant from the sinful mass of people. His immediate message deals with the sins…
Bible Reading: SEP29: Zechariah 8-14
Questions about fasting arise in chapters 7 and 8. Fasting on the Day of Atonement was the only required fast, but the Jews fasted to remember fallen Jerusalem. Why fast if the city will be destroyed? Zechariah uses this to…
Bible Reading: SEP28: Zechariah 1-7
Zechariah ministered with Haggai during the difficult days when 50,000 Jews had returned to Palestine to reestablish their city and their Temple worship. The remnant went back in 536 b.c., and laid the foundation of the Temple in 535 b.c….
Bible Reading: SEP27: Zephaniah, Haggai
Zephaniah was no ordinary preacher. He was a great, great grandson of King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s most famous rulers. He was of the royal line but, more important, he had the message of God on his lips and in…
Bible Reading: SEP26: Nahum, Habakkuk
Nahum wrote concerning the future destruction of Nineveh. The book was written at a time when Assyria was at the very peak of her power. No man would have dreamed that mighty Nineveh would fall! But God knows the future,…
Bible Reading: SEP25: Micah 5-7
Chapter 5 speaks of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. It was this prophecy in Micah that led the wise men to Jesus. Of course, the Jews rejected their Prince of Peace, so there has been no peace in the world…
Bible Reading: SEP24: Micah 1-4
Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, and prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Jotham and Hezekiah were good kings who helped the nation, but Ahaz was a wicked man who sold the nation into idolatry. Thus the…
Bible Reading: SEP23: Obadiah, Jonah
The Book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Bible (21 verses), written by Obadiah, whose name means “the servant of the Lord.” It was written about 586 b.c., and contains Edom’s condemnation, because of her treachery toward Judah;…
Bible Reading: SEP22: Amos 6-9
Chapter 6:1-7 is a warning about self-indulgences. The people were self-secure and were depending upon themselves and their riches. Amos gives solemn warning that they must turn from those things of the flesh and return to the Lord, or punishment…
Bible Reading: SEP21: Amos 1-5
Amos wrote his book about 25 years before the fall of Israel. In it we are visiting the city of Bethel, where King Jeroboam II has his private chapel, and Amaziah is his priest. The nation is enjoying peace and…