Simple Gifts

EZEKIEL, Chapter 32

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 28

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

AMOS, Chapter 5

The prophet Amos is famous as a fig-farmer who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, but prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. When I think of Amos I am reminded of the problem of place-idolatry, of religious formalism and the placing of our trust in things other than or in addition to the God of Israel. Jenny and I call this "Yahweh-plus," and we think it is definitional of idolatry itself, as in direct conflict with the fundament from which all else follows:
Matthew 22:37–38
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
When places (or even structures/temples/cathedrals and churches) become religiously important in their own right idolatry is either looming or already present.
Amos 5:4–7:
... thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
 
“Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
 
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
 
As always, getting an overview from a secondary source like this helpful video useful, but should never be a substitute for reading it yourself, allowing God's spirit to instruct you.
Perhaps you will find the next great insight in Amos! God's wisdom and instruction in His word is infinitely deep:
https://youtu.be/mGgWaPGpGz4?si=NdT60fNResrdLNyd

JEREMIAH, Chapter 33

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 19

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 31

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 27

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

AMOS, Chapter 4

The prophet Amos is famous as a fig-farmer who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, but prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. When I think of Amos I am reminded of the problem of place-idolatry, of religious formalism and the placing of our trust in things other than or in addition to the God of Israel. Jenny and I call this "Yahweh-plus," and we think it is definitional of idolatry itself, as in direct conflict with the fundament from which all else follows:
Matthew 22:37–38
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
When places (or even structures/temples/cathedrals and churches) become religiously important in their own right idolatry is either looming or already present.
Amos 5:4–7:
... thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
 
“Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
 
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
 
As always, getting an overview from a secondary source like this helpful video useful, but should never be a substitute for reading it yourself, allowing God's spirit to instruct you.
Perhaps you will find the next great insight in Amos! God's wisdom and instruction in His word is infinitely deep:
https://youtu.be/mGgWaPGpGz4?si=NdT60fNResrdLNyd

JEREMIAH, Chapter 32

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 18

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 30

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 26

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

AMOS, Chapter 3

The prophet Amos is famous as a fig-farmer who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, but prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. When I think of Amos I am reminded of the problem of place-idolatry, of religious formalism and the placing of our trust in things other than or in addition to the God of Israel. Jenny and I call this "Yahweh-plus," and we think it is definitional of idolatry itself, as in direct conflict with the fundament from which all else follows:
Matthew 22:37–38
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
When places (or even structures/temples/cathedrals and churches) become religiously important in their own right idolatry is either looming or already present.
Amos 5:4–7:
... thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
 
“Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
 
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
 
As always, getting an overview from a secondary source like this helpful video useful, but should never be a substitute for reading it yourself, allowing God's spirit to instruct you.
Perhaps you will find the next great insight in Amos! God's wisdom and instruction in His word is infinitely deep:
https://youtu.be/mGgWaPGpGz4?si=NdT60fNResrdLNyd

JEREMIAH, Chapter 31

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 17

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 29

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 25

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

AMOS, Chapter 2

The prophet Amos is famous as a fig-farmer who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, but prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. When I think of Amos I am reminded of the problem of place-idolatry, of religious formalism and the placing of our trust in things other than or in addition to the God of Israel. Jenny and I call this "Yahweh-plus," and we think it is definitional of idolatry itself, as in direct conflict with the fundament from which all else follows:
Matthew 22:37–38
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
When places (or even structures/temples/cathedrals and churches) become religiously important in their own right idolatry is either looming or already present.
Amos 5:4–7:
... thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
 
“Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
 
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
 
As always, getting an overview from a secondary source like this helpful video useful, but should never be a substitute for reading it yourself, allowing God's spirit to instruct you.
Perhaps you will find the next great insight in Amos! God's wisdom and instruction in His word is infinitely deep:
https://youtu.be/mGgWaPGpGz4?si=NdT60fNResrdLNyd

JEREMIAH, Chapter 30

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 16

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 28

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 24

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

AMOS, Chapter 1

The prophet Amos is famous as a fig-farmer who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, but prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. When I think of Amos I am reminded of the problem of place-idolatry, of religious formalism and the placing of our trust in things other than or in addition to the God of Israel. Jenny and I call this "Yahweh-plus," and we think it is definitional of idolatry itself, as in direct conflict with the fundament from which all else follows:
Matthew 22:37–38
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
When places (or even structures/temples/cathedrals and churches) become religiously important in their own right idolatry is either looming or already present.
Amos 5:4–7:
... thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
 
“Seek me and live;
but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
 
Seek the LORD and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
O you who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
 
As always, getting an overview from a secondary source like this helpful video useful, but should never be a substitute for reading it yourself, allowing God's spirit to instruct you.
Perhaps you will find the next great insight in Amos! God's wisdom and instruction in His word is infinitely deep:
https://youtu.be/mGgWaPGpGz4?si=NdT60fNResrdLNyd

JEREMIAH, Chapter 29

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 15

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 27

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 23

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

JOEL, Chapter 3

Joel means Yahweh (Ya) is god (el) in Hebrew, which is a reverse of the order of the prophet Elijah's name - God (el) is Yahweh (Ya). Both make the case that there is but one God, and He is Israel's God, Yahweh. Both names, I think, are designed to call to mind the passage from Deuteronomy enshrined in Judaism's famous Shema prayer:
Deuteronomy 6:4–5
“Hear (Heb. Shema), O Israel: The LORD (Yahweh) our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (ESV)
Jesus quotes this passage in all three synoptic gospels, so that its truth is fully established (Matthew 18:16).
We might say that the theme of Joel is The Day of the LORD - past, present, and future, and how we are to respond to it, even in the midst of the judgment:
Joel 2:12–14
 
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God? (ESV)
There is a great deal to think about in this book - a mix of past, present and future days of the LORD.
As usual, this summary of Joel may be useful as you read/listen to this book of God's word.
https://youtu.be/zQLazbgz90c?si=-Fho0nlpDqiqZxOH

JEREMIAH, Chapter 28

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 14

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 26

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 22

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

JOEL, Chapter 2

Joel means Yahweh (Ya) is god (el) in Hebrew, which is a reverse of the order of the prophet Elijah's name - God (el) is Yahweh (Ya). Both make the case that there is but one God, and He is Israel's God, Yahweh. Both names, I think, are designed to call to mind the passage from Deuteronomy enshrined in Judaism's famous Shema prayer:
Deuteronomy 6:4–5
“Hear (Heb. Shema), O Israel: The LORD (Yahweh) our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (ESV)
Jesus quotes this passage in all three synoptic gospels, so that its truth is fully established (Matthew 18:16).
We might say that the theme of Joel is The Day of the LORD - past, present, and future, and how we are to respond to it, even in the midst of the judgment:
Joel 2:12–14
 
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God? (ESV)
There is a great deal to think about in this book - a mix of past, present and future days of the LORD.
As usual, this summary of Joel may be useful as you read/listen to this book of God's word.
https://youtu.be/zQLazbgz90c?si=-Fho0nlpDqiqZxOH

JEREMIAH, Chapter 27

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 13

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 25

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 21

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

JOEL, Chapter 1

Joel means Yahweh (Ya) is god (el) in Hebrew, which is a reverse of the order of the prophet Elijah's name - God (el) is Yahweh (Ya). Both make the case that there is but one God, and He is Israel's God, Yahweh. Both names, I think, are designed to call to mind the passage from Deuteronomy enshrined in Judaism's famous Shema prayer:
Deuteronomy 6:4–5
“Hear (Heb. Shema), O Israel: The LORD (Yahweh) our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (ESV)
Jesus quotes this passage in all three synoptic gospels, so that its truth is fully established (Matthew 18:16).
We might say that the theme of Joel is The Day of the LORD - past, present, and future, and how we are to respond to it, even in the midst of the judgment:
Joel 2:12–14
 
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God? (ESV)
There is a great deal to think about in this book - a mix of past, present and future days of the LORD.
As usual, this summary of Joel may be useful as you read/listen to this book of God's word.
https://youtu.be/zQLazbgz90c?si=-Fho0nlpDqiqZxOH

JEREMIAH, Chapter 26

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 12

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 24

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 20

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

DANIEL, Chapter 12

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners.
The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context.
It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah."
Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years.
Confused?
It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar).
Length of reigns?
3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah).
See the pattern?
What does it mean?
If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word.
Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon.
This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance:
As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV)
God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts."
As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend:
https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62
May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

JEREMIAH, Chapter 25

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 11

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!

EZEKIEL, Chapter 23

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE BOOK OF JOB, Chapter 19

The book of Job is wisdom literature, like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
What can we add to what has already been written on the Book of Job?
Is it the oldest book in the canon as its historical milieu would place it, or was it written (down) much later?
Is it merely a literary story meant to illuminate the relation between God and man-in-the-created-order, or is it historical?
We are not so foolish as to claim that we know any of these answers, or how God has in fact put His word together, but we have learned not to put the plausible stories of man in the place of what He says in His word. We will never go far wrong if we simply trust what God says, being careful readers of scripture.
What we do know is that Job is a masterpiece of literature by any metric, and one of (if not) THE greatest works of wisdom literature ever crafted. I cannot help but end with a quote from another such brilliant work:
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.... Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things — which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found.... See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (ESV)
Ecclesiastes 12:10–13
The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)

DANIEL, Chapter 11

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners.
The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context.
It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah."
Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years.
Confused?
It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar).
Length of reigns?
3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah).
See the pattern?
What does it mean?
If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word.
Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon.
This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance:
As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV)
God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts."
As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend:
https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62
May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

JEREMIAH, Chapter 24

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry.
Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world."
Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things!
You have HIS promise on that!
We suggest, as usual, starting here:
https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

ISAIAH, Chapter 10

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
 
Isaiah 1:18–20 (ESV)
 
If you want to know that "the LORD He is God! the LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:39) your search for confirmation finds its best resolution in the book of Isaiah. I would argue that Isaiah, more even than Elisha, "wore the prophetic mantle" of Elijah. Only John the Baptist was a greater merely human incarnation of the role of prophet (Matthew 11:11).
Isaiah 42:9 tells us: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Below find two articles that discuss fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. By any objective measure, only God could do this.
As with other books of the Bible, we suggest this brief overview of Isaiah. May your listening to this great OT prophet be as blessed by God as was our reading of it!
 
https://youtu.be/d0A6Uchb1F8?si=Nhsvg2DCZgWRZq_7
 
Check out these two articles on calculations of the probability of one first-century man, Jesus, fulfilling so many OT prophecies!
https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/
https://firmisrael.org/learn/how-many-messianic-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Jesus%20(Yeshua%20in,that%20related%20to%20the%20Messiah!