Biblical Studies / Old Testament

  • Cyrus, the Lord’s Anointed

    Isaiah 45:1–13

    It might be a clichè to say that we should “expect the unexpected.” Yet because God is fully sovereign, there is a real sense in which we should expect Him to act in ways we have not anticipated because His ...Read More

  • The Savior of God’s Blind Servant

    Isaiah 42:18–43:7

    Today’s passage reveals divine election, for Isaiah speaks of a people who are precious in God’s eyes (43:4). This is not due to any good in them, given that the people are still blind to their sin ...Read More

  • Hezekiah’s Failure

    Isaiah 39

    One commentator notes how Hezekiah’s failure shows the importance of a life of obedience. If we trust God only when we are in dire straits, like Hezekiah was with Sennacherib, but forget Him when things are good, then we ...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 Little Apocalypse

    Isaiah 24

    The final judgment in today’s chapter was predicted to come after the exile of Israel and Judah. We live on the other side of this exile, though the New Testament does not foresee it coming to its full and ...Read More

  • Egypt and Assyria Serve the Lord

    Isaiah 19:16-25

    Today’s passage also speaks of an altar to God in the midst of Egypt (Isa. 19:19). Matthew Henry sees this as pointing to the worship of God in spirit and truth in all places as Jesus describes in ...Read More

  • A Blessedness No One has Imagined

    Isaiah 7

    Scholars have long debated whether the original Hebrew of today’s passage is better translated “virgin” or “young woman.” This is a worthy debate, but if we are not careful, we could miss this key point: just as the son ...Read More

  • When Good and Evil are Confused

    Isaiah 5:8-30

    John Calvin comments on today’s passage: “If a woe is here pronounced even on private individuals, when they say of evil that it is good, and of good that it is evil, how much more on those who have ...Read More

  • The LORD’s Glorious Branch

    Isaiah 4:2-6

    When we come to the New Testament, we find that the unexpected—from our perspective—has happened. The latter days of judgment and blessing have been extended for many years, with the Lord’s blessing being emphasized through the preaching ...Read More

  • The Latter Days

    Isaiah 2:1-5

    Today’s passage is ultimately fulfilled in Christ, the temple of God who is exalted over all the nations (Mark 14:58; John 2:13–22). How much of this Isaiah clearly understood is hard to say, but he knew ...Read More

  • The Vision of Isaiah

    Isaiah 1:1–17

    God often causes His people to prosper materially, so we may enjoy the fruit of our godly labors. However, material abundance can be dangerous because, if we are not careful, we can forget the Source of all blessings and trust ...Read More

  • Israel, the Son of God

    Hosea 11:1–7

    New Testament fulfillment language does not always mean a prophet directly saw an aspect of Jesus’ ministry. When the Apostles say Christ fulfilled a prophecy, they sometimes mean that He is the true realization of a particular old covenant theme ...Read More

  • Reaping the Whirlwind

    Hosea 8

    Scripture teaches in several places that God will give people the desires of their hearts. For the Christian, this is a blessing, for as we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires will more and more line up with God ...Read More

  • Adam and Israel

    Hosea 6:6–7

    John Calvin comments on today’s passage: “God desires to be worshipped otherwise than sensual men [people who serve the flesh, not the Spirit] dream; they only display their rites, and neglect the spiritual worship of God, which stands in ...Read More

  • Seeking Help in All the Wrong Places

    Hosea 5

    Even though we are justified by faith alone as individuals and redeemed based on our personal relationship to God, we cannot forget that the Lord also deals with the church as a corporate body. Entire denominations feel the effects of ...Read More