Biblical Studies / Old Testament

  • The Abandoned King

    1 Samuel 15:30-35

    Samuel mourned for Saul but withdrew from him. Jesus lamented for Jerusalem but left it (Matt. 23:37–39). Likewise, there may be times when, as a last resort, it is best to disassociate from people over whose hardness of ...Read More

  • The Altar of Incense

    Exodus 30:1–10

    Only authorized incense could be offered on the altar (Ex. 30:9), which shows that God is zealous to determine how He is worshiped. In fact, the Lord hates the worship and prayers of all those who do not approach ...Read More

  • The Ark and the City

    Jeremiah 6:6–30

    The Lord is slow to anger, and He is gracious and merciful, but we can never take advantage of that fact. True, there is no condemnation if we are in Christ, but that does not mean we will not feel ...Read More

  • The Ark of the Covenant

    Exodus 25:10–22

    Blood and the mercy seat typified the final cleansing that would be achieved through the shed blood of Christ (Heb. 10:1–18). Because of this blood we can now meet with the Lord in worship just as the high ...Read More

  • The Birth of Seth

    Genesis 4:25–26

    Righteous parents do not always raise righteous children. However, those who do raise their sons and daughters in the fear and admonition of the Lord will often see them follow Christ throughout their lives. As a parent, do you take ...Read More

  • The Blood of Abel

    Genesis 4:9-12

    Psalm 90:8 is a powerful reminder of our Lord’s all-seeing gaze. Though we might think we can sin in secret, God knows every evil deed we commit, even if no one else on the planet finds out. How ...Read More

  • The Days of Purim

    Esther 9

    In our darkest hours, when all seems to be against us, we can be confident that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:37). He has purchased our final redemption and will finally destroy all His (and ...Read More

  • The Eastern Heirs

    Joshua 13:8-33

    David was of the tribe of Judah, but he sometimes speaks like a Levite, referring to God as his “portion” or “inheritance” (Pss. 16:5; 142:5). He wanted God more than land or treasure. We, too, should see God ...Read More

  • The Exodus from Egypt

    Exodus 14

    Salvation is a gift wholly from the Lord from beginning to end. He accomplishes our redemption on the cross and gives us the faith to appropriate that redemption for ourselves. It can be easy to forget this truth, but we ...Read More

  • The Faith of Jonathan

    1 Samuel 14:1–15

    In his faith, courage, and willingness to wait on God, Jonathan compares favorably to Saul. In human terms, it is a tragedy that Saul’s sin prevents Jonathan from coming to Israel’s throne. But Jonathan accepts God’s judgment ...Read More

  • The Fall of Jericho

    Joshua 6

    Joshua and the Israelites were commanded to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan because of the spiritual threat they presented to God’s people (Ex. 34:11–16). Since this holy war was limited in scope and duration, the church is ...Read More

  • The First City

    Genesis 4:17-22

    John Calvin comments on today’s passage, saying that in Cain’s line “we see, at the present time, that the excellent gifts of the Spirit are diffused through the whole human race.” Although we must be ever aware of ...Read More

  • The First Family

    Genesis 4:1-2

    Even though the firstborn son had certain legal privileges and responsibilities (Deut. 21:15–17), God commonly does the unexpected in Scripture and chooses the younger over the older (Gen. 25:19–26; Rom. 9:13). Among other things, this ...Read More

  • The Glory of the Restoration

    Isaiah 35:5–6

    Christ Jesus our Lord is God’s agent of renewal, the one through whom the Spirit is poured out and whose work on the cross redeems creation. But we cannot benefit from this work, nor can we see Jesus as ...Read More

  • The Golden Lampstand

    Exodus 25:31–40

    As we will see throughout our study of the tabernacle and its furniture, the very best the people had to offer was used in the production of the sanctuary. Likewise, we too should give our best to the Lord, which ...Read More