Though God showed immense patience in his relationship with the people of Israel, sometimes their persistent rebellion brought his wrath upon them. They received “adversity for food and suffering...
The story of David and Goliath has a stunning conclusion, but we tend to forget the beginning. David took food to his brothers on the front lines and heard Goliath's challenge to the...
The people of Israel were understandably frightened as the nation of Assyria threatened. Yet God has promised to protect them if they would rely on him. Nevertheless, Israel’s leaders decided to...
In Isaiah 29, the Lord indicts his people for saying the right things while their hearts are far away from him. They profess faithfulness to God, but their desires are selfish and idolatrous....
In the midst of promising to judge his people for their unfaithfulness, the Lord offers a surprising word of hope.
The blog Vanguard Church has an interesting post about God and work. Admittedly, it's something I never thought of. God works. God worked in the creation of the world, and God continues to...
Isaiah 27 foresees the exile of Israel and, beyond that, the time in which God will gather his people once again. Though...
Here's the scenario: You're cruising along at work when you suddenly hit a speed bump. Maybe it's a layoff or a business...
I can still hear echoes of my Sunday School teacher quoting Isaiah 26:3 in the classic language of the King James Version: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:...
"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28) A mother of two of Jesus'...
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances . . ."(1 Thess. 5:16-18). "Let's do highs and lows!" It's a...
It was Randy's umpteenth customer service call of the day, but it would be far from typical. A coworker announced the call before transferring it over. "Sergeant Thomas is deployed...
My husband and I once taught a Sunday School class of two-year-olds. Framed by a room of red, blue, and yellow, and toys and Bible pictures, the tots were a miniature paradigm of...
Often schools and churches sponsor international banquets, festive meals in which people bring foods representing diverse cultures. At such a feast you...
Insider trading scandals and inflated stockholder reports were the news several years ago. Those actions were typical of the lapses in integrity that have contributed to the problems we now face in...
When God created the earth, he entrusted it to human beings to tend it and use it for good. But when the first humans sinned, the earth itself suffered the consequences. The human...
A young woman searching for a husband posted an internet announcement. She described herself as spectacularly beautiful. For that, she said, she wanted a man worth at least half a million dollars a...
Once again, Isaiah condemns human pride. In Isaiah 22, the pride of a leader was indicted by the Lord. This time it’s the pride of a whole nation. Years ago when I was...
Shebna was a “palace administrator” in Jerusalem whom the Lord singled out for rebuke through Isaiah. We don’t know all of Shebna’s faults, though they must have been many, given the fact that...
Isaiah 20 narrates a startling incident in the life of Isaiah. The Lord commanded him to take off his clothes and walk around naked. His nakedness was a sign to the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and...
