31 May (Isaiah 11-14)

Isaiah 11

(v.1) This is one of many Messianic verses in the book of Isaiah. Messianic refers to the Messiah, which means Savior in Hebrew, and Christ means the same in Greek.

(v.2) We see seven characteristics to the Holy Spirit here, and if we look forward to Rev 1:4 we can make the connection. The number seven in Hebrew culture means completion, and the Holy Spirit is complete!

Rest ~ Jesus said He would give us rest in heaven Matt 11:28

Wisdom ~ Jesus said that the Spirit would give us God's wisdom John 14:26

Understanding ~ The Spirit sanctifies us, and has us grow closer to God 1 Cor 14:15

Counsel ~ The Spirit guides us with His counsel Psalm 16:7

Might ~ The Spirit gives us God's power and might John 14:16

Knowledge ~ Reading His Word gives us knowledge of God Prov 2:5

Fear ~ This means awe and respect, and if we have that of God, we are His Prov 9:10

(v.10) King David's father was Jesse, and Jesus was a direct descendant of David. God wrote this from the beginning, to provide a Kingly line to eventually rule the earth.

Isaiah 12

(v.3) Jesus said He was the Living Water that gives us salvation, and removes thirst. John 7:37-38

In John 4 Jesus shows the Samaritan woman at the well who He really is...like her, we need to recognize that and praise Him in public. Time is running out!

Isaiah 13

(v.9) Isaiah is given wisdom as the the Day of the LORD, where Jesus will return and bring judgement and wrath upon evil and unbelievers. Make sure you're His, and let the Spirit work in you, so you can witness to others.

(v.19) In the last days, the place where outright rejection of God started, the Tower of Babel, will be the symbol of rejection again. God will strike down Babylon once and for all, and no one shall dwell there again. This hasn't happened yet, and many scholars believe that Iraq is preparing for the world to focus on them in the near future. In fact, there are rumors that the United Nations may be moved from New York to Iraq...right where Babylon is!

Here are some links that go into this in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/world/africa/13iht-babylon.html?_r=1

http://www.thepropheticyears.com/reasons/babylon.htm

Isaiah 14

This chapter is key to understanding Lucifer, the devil or Satan, and how his pride made him rebel against God:

(v.12) Lucifer was a cherub, one of the elite angels. We know of only two others that are named...Michael and Gabriel. Lucifer seems to have been in charge of all the heavenly host...the angels, and he may have also been in charge of worship in heaven. Eze 28:14

This is why Lucifer was called the son of the morning for he was beautiful and perfect in all his ways. When we read Eze 28:13 we know that this is referring to Lucifer, since he is the only one mentioned with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden except for God.

In Eze 28:15 we see the great tragedy...he was beautiful and perfect, but his pride and desire to be like God led him to sin. I believe that Lucifer became jealous of Adam and God's fellowship, and he wanted to be worshipped like God was with Adam.

If your kids are old enough, it's important to teach them early who Satan is, and why he acts the way he does. Satan and hell are real, and in order for us to understand spiritual things, we need to know the spiritual war that is going on for our souls. Eph 6

30 May (Isaiah 8-10)

Isaiah 8

God is telling Isaiah what will happen to Syria from the confederacy of Assyria and Israel. It brought great fear and terror into a nation to find out that two or more nations were coming against her. Even though confederacies of men are intimidating, fearing God is much more practical. As Jesus tells us in Luke 12:4-5

Don't be fearful of those that can kill your body, and after that have no power. But rather fear Him who after the body is dead is able to cast both soul and spirit into hell.

(v.19) Going to palm readers and fortune tellers is the fad in many areas of our culture, but that is just man's wisdom...if you can call it wisdom. Why not go directly to the Creator of the universe, who loves you and wants you to live?

Isaiah 9

(v.6) This verse is quoted during Christmas time, and it should be, but I believe we need to read it throughout the year. We need to remind ourselves who Jesus is...God in the flesh, and our Creator and part of the Holy Trinity of God.

For unto us a child is born

~ As we saw in Isa 7:14 this is a unique birth, it's supernatural

Unto us a Son is given

~ This Son already existed in eternity. His mission was to free us from sin

And the government will be upon His shoulder

~ This is prophecy of Jesus' reign during the Millennium

And His name will be called Wonderful

~ In Judges 13:18 we see Jesus in a theophany

Counselor

~ Jesus is our High Priest and Counselor Heb 6:20

Mighty God

~ Jesus is God, and we see this in the next chapter Isa 10:21

Everlasting Father

~ Jesus said He and the Father are one John 10:30

Prince of Peace

~ Jesus is our High Priest, and He during His reign there will be peace

The text goes on to show us that Jesus came from eternity, and He will reign for eternity. He came the first time as a child to be like us. He came to die for us. But one day soon, He will return as a conquering King, and He will bring justice upon the wicked and unbelieving. Make sure you are His, and ask Him into your life...your eternal salvation depends upon it!

Isaiah 10

(v.5) The rod is used often in Scripture, and it makes sense since shepherds are commonly used to describe God, for He is the Good Shepherd. John 10:11

The shepherd protects and guides the sheep, and if the sheep disobey, He uses his rod to correct them. He uses His staff to steer us and guide us. Psalm 23:4

So the rod and staff are His tools to guide us and correct His own, but to unbelievers, the rod will be dreadful and severe. To those who are rebellious, the rod will seem scary, but to us who know Him, it will be comforting.

(v.12) Assyria is the area we know today as Iraq. The Antichrist is called the Assyrian, and it's believed that the Tower of Babel was in this area. God uses Assyria as the symbol for evil and for where He will bring His judgement upon when He returns.

29 May (Isaiah 5-7)

Isaiah 5

(v.7) God has described in the previous verses, how the people of Israel have rejected Him, and how they will be consumed by their enemies as a result. We see a lot of patterns in the Bible, for that is the way God reveals Himself to us and His people.

Prophecy in Western culture:

Prediction --> Fulfillment

Prophecy in Hebrew culture:

Pattern --> Fulfillment

God speaks to us in pattern throughout the Bible, not only to make sure we understand, but to see that the whole Bible speaks of one thing...God's plan of redemption for mankind in His Son!

(v.8) For those of us who currently live in so much cement and buildings, or those who have lived in those areas...it is not good for us to be so cramped in. God wants us to live amongst nature and to see His handiwork every day! My family recently moved from the suburbs of Southern California to the hill country of Texas, and we see God's handiwork every day! We can't help but see God in our yard and the creatures He has in it.

If we think about it, as a society, we have replaced God's handiwork with man's handiwork in our cities. We see immense buildings, roads, signs and lights...but only when we venture into the country or to the mountains, do we see God's majesty in His creation.

If you can't live in an area where you can enjoy nature, make sure to take your kids to the beach, the mountains, or the like on a weekend. Also, it's good to send them to Christian Camp in the woods, so they can get closer to God.

(v.14) Here we see the word Sheol again, and it's the place for the spirits until Christ died and allowed the believing spirits to go to heaven. The unbelieving spirits stay in Sheol, and they will be cast into the abyss with Satan and his demons.

(v.20) Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil

Aren't we living in these times today? Our culture mocks righteous living for lavish and exuberant lifestyles. We defend the convicted murderer, but throw away and kill the unwanted child in the womb. We are intolerant of Christians, but preach tolerance to them at the same time!

Always measure your values and beliefs with the Word of God, and you'll do well in this life.

Isaiah 6

(v.3) Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts

I show my kids that they say holy three times...this is believed to be referring to the Holy Trinity.

(v.8) Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?

Take note of the word Us and read Gen 3:22 and Gen 11:7 to them...the word in all these cases is Elohim, which is a plural word (three or more) used in the singular tense. This is God as the Holy Trinity! Also, take note of Isaiah's response...he volunteers to serve God! We should all take Isaiah's lead and step out in faith and serve God!

Isaiah 7

(v.14) This verse is used at Christmas time to point us to the Immaculate Conception of Christ. But skeptics try to say that the word virgin means a young woman!

First of all, the Hebrew text says the virgin which points us to one particular virgin. And if we use common sense, what kind of sign would it be to Israel to have a young woman give birth to a son? That happens every day! No, God is talking about one particular woman who hasn't been with a man, and the Holy Spirit makes her egg fertilized by supernatural ways! God had this plan all along, if we read Gen 3:15 we see that God pointed to this event from the beginning!

In Hebrew, the name Immanuel means God With Us and that is what Jesus was! We know this for a fact, since John states this at the beginning of his gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

~ John 1:1, 14

Remember, the name Jesus means Yahweh is Salvation, so His name was His mission!

28 May (Isaiah 1-4)

Isaiah was the son of Amoz, whom Rabbinic tradition holds was really Amaziah, king of Judah. This would make Isaiah part of the royal family of kings from the tribe of Judah.

In case you run across someone who believes the book of Isaiah wasn't written by just Isaiah himself, just point them to the words of Jesus, who said Isaiah wrote the whole book! Luke 4:17-21 I think that argument is over!

The book of Isaiah has many incredible prophesies of the coming Messiah, and in fact, it's called the "Fifth Gospel" by many scholars!

Another interesting thing about this book, is by itself, it tells all that is written in the Bible, and it has 66 chapters to mirror the 66 books of the Bible. To go further, the OT has 39 books, and the first 39 chapters of Isaiah records many historical data and coming judgements like the OT. Also, the NT has 27 books, and the last 27 chapters of Isaiah focus on the love and salvation provided for us by God! This book is a gem!

Isaiah 1

(v.9) God always leaves a remnant of believers to continue His plans. He did it with Moses, with Esther, with David and with king Joash. Most of all, He did it with His Son, who survived wicked plans to kill Him, and died on His own terms...saving us all!

(v.13) God isn't interested in blind sacrifices and rituals...He wants heartfelt worship that brings us to our knees in gratitude and fear. The many rituals of today's religions are an abomination to the LORD, since they focus more on the rituals of men, than the holiness of God.

(v.17) Great advice for us who want to live righteously and to serve Him.

(v.18) Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD.

God wants a relationship with us, where we choose to love and worship Him...not mindless robots who don't really love Him. God wants us to use our minds and ponder His Word...even doubt it, but strive to find the answers in it...He is loving and merciful, and He will reward the diligent ones who seek His wisdom. Prov 8:17 & Heb 11:6

(v.19) We need to be willing to follow the LORD, then we need to be obedient to Him...then we will live for Him and be lightness to the darkness of the world.

Isaiah 2

(v.3) How awesome will it be for Jesus Himself to teach the people. He did this in His First Coming, but this time, He will teach as the King, and for 1,000 years!

(v.11) The Day of the LORD will be great for believers, and terrible for unbelievers. They will have no escape, and they will be speechless before their Creator, whom they have rejected.

Isaiah 3

(v.4) A nation that pushes away God will have what they deserve for rulers. Here, as in Ecc 10:16 we see that children will rule. As we know, children don't have the intellect and the experiences of life to rule properly, so the people will suffer. I can't help but think of our current situation in America...if we don't seek righteous people to rule, we get inexperienced and childish people to rule instead.

(v.9) Can't we just picture our current society, and see that they openly flaunt their wickedness and perversions? We are in the last days, so be diligent in your walk with God, and share His love with all peoples.

(v.24) Like many other prophets in the Bible, Isaiah is describing the Great Tribulation that will befall Israel in the last days. Only God Himself will stop the terror of the world to consume Israel, and He will save them!

Isaiah 4

(v.2) It is a great learning study to look up all the times the word Branch is listed in the Bible...it is referring to Jesus.

As the rest of this chapter documents, once Jesus has returned and saved Israel from the Great Tribulation, He will rule as King for 1,000 years, called the Millennium. During that time, the Jews will have their Temple, and they will do Levitical practices again as they did in the times of Moses.

27 May (Micah 5-7)

Micah 5

(v.2) This is one of the verses cited during Christmas, for we see that God predicted He would become man in the little town of Bethlehem. I make sure to show my kids that this is around eight hundred years before Jesus was born, and He is described as being from everlasting...God!

It is good to show our kids John 1:1 and Col 1:17 here as well, since it validates the deity of Jesus, that He was not created, but God who designed everything!

(v.5) Jesus is Peace! He is our Prince of Peace, our LORD of Lords, and our King of Kings!

(v.6) The Assyrian is another name for the Antichrist...God is showing us what will happen in the last days to the one who tries to emulate Christ.

(v.15) We need to keep praying that America is not one of the nations included in God's judgement. We are in many ways deserving of destruction by God, but I believe the many born again Christians, and our love of Israel keeps us from being totally destroyed. Our nation's salvation depends on us!

Micah 6

(v.8) What does God want us to do in this life?

~ Do Justly

~ Love mercy

~ Walk humbly with God

If we seek to accomplish those things every day, we will be walking with Him and living for Him!

Micah 7

(v.3) Sound familiar? This is the world we live in today, where greed and power has corrupted our leaders and societies. We have abandoned the Word of God in our schools and communities, and our culture has slipped to debauchery. Read 2 Chon 7:14 to your children, and pledge to them that you, as their parent, will lead the way of righteousness for your house! If we all start with our homes and families, then the communities will repent and be blessed.

26 May (Micah 1-4)

Micah was a prophet in the time of Isaiah, Hosea and Amos, during the eighth century B.C. Since Micah was born near Jerusalem, we would think he would have prophesied to Judah, but he was speaking the LORD's words to Israel...the Northern Kingdom.

In Hebrew, Micah means "Who is Like Yahweh?" and that seems to be the theme of his message to the people. Micah implored the people to repent, for Yahweh is merciful, but they wouldn't listen.

Micah 1

(v.4) This is a prelude to the Second Coming of Christ, for when we read of the mountains melting and being scorched, we think of Moses on the Mountain of God Deut 4:11, where God came down and made the whole mountain afire. We read of this in Psalm 97:5 as well.

Micah 2

(v.2) Here we have another verse proclaiming private property as a God-given right, and it's sinful to take or abuse another's property.

(v.10) I take note of the word rest here...Jesus refers to it in Matt 11:28. God wants to give us peace and rest in His salvation, but we need to accept what He did for us, and live for Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(v.12) We have seen this happen in the last century...Israel became a nation again in 1948!

Micah 3

(v.2) This is probably directed to the mean things that the evil kings of Israel was doing to the people, but I can't help of think of abortion when I read this verse.

The very same people who vehemently struggle to keep convicted murderers from being executed, will fight just as vehemently to support a woman to kill her unborn child. This is loving evil and hating good. And when I think of the partial birth abortion atrocities, this verse applies.

(v.5) Micah is rebuking the leaders who lead the people astray...this is true for today. We have leaders who want us to forget God, and worship the Earth. They want us to forget private property and capitalism, and embrace socialism. We need to pray for our leaders, and pray that the LORD either changes them, or He works in us to elect godly people to represent us.

(v.7) From the time of the last book of the OT, until the Gospels, there is 400 years of silence from God. This is alluded to in this verse, and God will be silent if we are not walking with Him.

Micah 4

(v.2) Oh how great this will be when Jesus is reigning in Jerusalem in the Millennium! People will come to Him, and He will teach them His ways! This is the way it should have been when He came the first time, but He had to die for our sins first, then reign and take the title deed of the earth from Satan.

(v.3) The Prince of Peace is the only one who can have the world at peace!

(v.9) God is reminding the people that they rejected their true King, and their suffering is from their own proud ways.

25 May (Amos 5-9)

Amos 5

(v.6) God wants us to choose Him, and to choose everlasting life. He reminds us in the famous John 3:16 and many other places. Instead of focusing on the destruction to be brought upon the wicked who reject God, I like to have my kids focus on the never ending patience of God, and His deep desire to have all of us choose Him.

(v.15) I teach my kids that it's right to hate evil. It's right to defend good and fight the wicked, but we always need to be in prayer, and let the LORD fight our battles. Then, if He uses us in the battle, then we are empowered to be victorious!

(v.18) The Day of the LORD will be wonderful for those that love and serve God, but it will be a terrible day for those that have rejected Him. I teach my kids to be that loving friend who tells them about the LORD, and show them His love by serving and loving others.

(v.21) In a way, we can get a glimpse of what God is saying here, if we think of Christmas. When we were young, we sang Christmas carols at school, had a play, and the whole month we talked about the reason for Christmas...Christ! But now, it's just a marketing scheme. Even though I stress the reason for the season with my kids, they can't help being exposed to Santa, elves, Frosty and other things that take the focus off of Jesus.

God wants obedience and devotion...not robotic rituals without heart.

Amos 6

(v.6) Like Hosea, we can see the state of Israel mirrors America today. Most of the rich don't walk with God, for they have let their pride convince them that they EARNED their riches. Of course, we work and earn our pay, but it all comes from the LORD, and if we don't acknowledge that, it can quickly disappear.

We should desire to have enough money to feed our families, have a nice modest home, and life a moderate lifestyle. I read what Solomon said in Proverbs 30:8-9 to show my kids what we should seek:

Give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food allotted to me. Lest I be full and deny You and say "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.

Amos 7

(v.15) I love how Amos responds to the king when told to leave...he shares his witness! Amos was a commoner...a farmer and shepherd. But he boldly stood his ground, since He knew that the LORD was with him...this is profitable for our kids.

Amos was following God, and letting God work through Him...that's what all of us should desire in life!

Amos 8

(v.11) I came to see that God used the Jews to reveal Himself to the world. He gave the Jews the Scriptures, and dwelt with them to establish His plan of redemption for all mankind. It's important to show our kids that God disciplines Israel for their disobedience, and He will do the same to us if we don't obey. Now, if we really think about it, obeying God is not a bad thing. We still have fun, love and enjoy life, but there is a sacrifice required...our pride. If we are to truly be His, then we need to die to our old self and let God live through us. Rom 14:8

Amos 9

(v.8) God sees all, and He doesn't forget. We are doomed to hell if we try to work out our own salvation, or entrust it in a church or mortal man. God loves us so much, that He willingly suffered and died for us, and paid our penalty of sin for us. All He asks in return is to choose to love and serve Him.

(v.11) With all the destruction described, we see the end of the story for Israel...God will save them and restore them. This is much like our own lives, for we are doomed by sin, but God saves us by His Son, and we are restored by His blood!

24 May (Amos 1-4)

Amos was from the Southern Kingdom, Judah, but was called by God to prophesy in the Northern Kingdom at the same time as Micah and Isaiah.

Amos was a farm boy, who had no formal ministry training...he had good farm boy common sense, and a love for God. This is encouraging to us, since most of us feel quite ordinary, yet, God uses the ordinary for big purposes!

Like all other prophets, Amos is speaking harshly to those who are doing evil things. We don't like to hear that we're not acting godly, and especially those who are in power, don't like to hear others criticize or rebuke them...it goes back to pride.

Amos 1

(v.1) Amos was a shepherd, and as we know, God loves to use shepherds in His Word. The type is useful, since like sheep, we are lost, and the shepherd devotes himself to caring and protecting his sheep. This is like our Good Shepherd, who dies for His sheep. John 10:11

(v.11) Edom is the place where Esau resided after he and Jacob split. The descendants of Esau have always been at war against the sons of Jacob. I believe this constant is because Satan has used these people to torment and persecute the Jews. Not until the Prince of Peace returns, will the descendants of these two warring brothers be stopped.

Amos 2

This chapter seems like God is keeping score...and He is! God is righteous and just, He is the arbiter of our lives. If we want to live without Christ, then we are subject to this measure of our deeds compared to the Law. However, if we are in Christ, then we are free from the penalty of breaking the Law...we are saved by grace through our faith! Eph 2:8

Amos 3

(v.3) The imagery here is important...if we walk with Christ, we are walking side-by-side with Him. We are not to be trailing behind or out in front...we are to be in agreement with His will for us, and walking right with Him. I remind my kids that we don't walk out ahead or fall behind when we're walking with our friends...we walk with them...it's the same with God.

(v.7) To most people, God doesn't exist to them since they don't know Him. They figure that if He doesn't part the Red Sea for them, then He must not be real. This is so sad, since if they actually sought out God, they would see His presence all around them! He keeps revealing Himself in His Word, and in our daily lives if we have our eyes open!

Amos 4

(v.1) This verse strikes me, since I love Psalm 22, and the Bulls of Bashan are mentioned there. Bashan is always linked to Satan in the Bible, and it's interesting to do a study on this. Many scholars believe that the ancient monuments in that area are satanic and still inhabit demonic entities today.

(v.6) Yet you have not returned to Me.

We see this five times in this chapter...do you think God is trying to tell us something? God demands repentance from our sins. He wants us to rely upon Him, and show gratitude for His provision of salvation for us. I remind my kids that God came into His own creation, and willingly suffered torture, humiliation, extreme pain and shame, in order to provide the way to redeem us to Him. One is not saved unless he or she realizes this, and has a grateful heart. If we have gratitude, we are energized and wish to worship Him and share Him with others!

(v.12) Prepare to meet your God.

Our lives should be centered on this...we are only here for a short while on earth, so our minds should be focused on serving Him, and returning to Him in heaven!

23 May (Hosea 8-14)

Hosea 8

(v.4) This reminds us of the book of Judges, where the people rejected God as their king, and wanted to be like other nations and have their own human king. I fear that this country is like that, wanting to be like Europe, instead of having God as our King, with god-fearing people to represent us. ~ 1 Sam 8:6

(v.10) When a nation relies on other nations to rule them, we get chaos and disorder. Our leaders today want us to abide by international law and the United Nations, instead of our God-given Constitution. We are on a slippery slope to destruction if we don't elect God-fearing people to represent us!

(v.14) This all happens when we forget God. It's easy to get caught up in our work and weekly activities, but we must strive to include God in all these things. Not only does He do a better job at them, but we will make better decisions since we're walking with Him, not against Him!

Hosea 9

(v.5) Here we see another reference to the Day of the LORD...when Jesus comes again in God's wrath upon those who rejected Him. Some think that's harsh, but God has done all the work for our salvation, and all He asks is some love and commitment. Those that think they can do better will be very sad for all eternity. We need to reach out to them and share the Gospel with them.

(v.12) If you read Matt 22, there is a parable that Jesus tells, and to me, it's an unbeliever who gets a glimpse of heaven and is thrown out for his unbelief. He will spend eternity in hell, tormented with the fact that he could have chosen better. This is why we need to be bold and loving to the lost...they still have time to choose God instead of themselves.

Hosea 10

(v.2) God doesn't want part-time servants...He wants us engaged and active. Join me in prayer that we search our gifts from God, and use them for His purposes and His glory!

This whole book is about God loving a rebellious nation, and pleading with them to return to Him. The God of the OT is the same as Jesus in the NT...they are wanting us to choose to love and serve Him, and not choose death in our sins.

Hosea 11

(v.7) This is a powerful verse. How many people do we know that say they are Christian, but we see no fruit from them? We can't know the hearts of people, but we can see the fruit from them. Way too many people treat God as some safety net, or superhero, only to call on them when they need Him. God wants us to call upon Him daily...in fact, more than that!

Hosea 12

(v.1) I find it interesting that oil is mentioned here, since it is the prized commodity in the Middle East. The battle we see there is not just about oil or money...it is the battle between Satan and his demons against God's people...Israel. I believe that one day, Israel will have vast amounts of oil, and that will draw their enemies to attack them in the great battle described in Ezekiel 38-39.

(v.13) This is a reference to Moses, who was a prophet and great man of God. Even though he had his faults like all of us, he showed us in many ways how to serve God.

Hosea 13

(v.9) God is pleading with Israel to rely upon Him, and like we've seen so many times in the Bible, He is merciful, and He will help any of us who call out to Him earnestly.

(v.10) Jesus will be Israel's King...ruling in Jerusalem on the throne of David! Luke 1:32

(v.11) If we aren't walking with God, we will ask for things outside His will for us. The people of Israel did this when they wanted a king. God was angered, but He let them have their wish. This brings up the old phrase, "Be careful for what you wish for!"

Hosea 14

(v.2) In the first two verses, God is calling the people to return to Him...that's called repentance. This entails, turning away from our wicked ways, and returning to following Him.

(v.4) God is gracious, for He will love all of us freely. This reminds me of Paul's letter to the Romans:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ~ Rom 8:32

(v.9) If we're walking with God, we will become wise and prudent. If we stick to the knowledge of the world, we will constantly fall and have hardships...why not make it easier on ourselves and follow God!?!

22 May (Hosea 1-7)

The book of Hosea is the first of what is called the Minor Prophets. Of course, this doesn't mean their messages are little, but their books are not as long as some other ones like Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah.

Hosea was a contemporary of Amos, Isaiah and Micah, but Hosea prophesied in the Northern Kingdom, and saw it fall to the Assyrians.

The name Hosea means Salvation in Hebrew, so when you hear Hosanna in songs of worship, it means Save Us.

Hosea focuses on the love of Israel in God, and how God so wants the people to return to Him. We will see some typology here with Hosea and his wife Gomer...it depicts the love of God to us undeserving and rebellious people He created.

Hosea 1

(v.2) God has Hosea take a harlot for a wife, and tells Hosea what is going to happen to his children. How many of us would go through with that, knowing how bad it was going to turn out? Hosea is a man we should admire and emulate. His faith was great.

Here we see the children's names, and their names mean what God is going to do with Israel:

Jezreel ~ means Scattered, and the valley where God is going to give the Northern Kingdom of Isreal to Assyria

Lo-Ruhamah ~ her name means Unloved, and God is going to hold His mercy upon Israel for their idolatry and fornication.

Lo-Ammi ~ Her name means Not My People and this is a sign to all of us, that if we reject Him and push Him away, He will grant our wish and keep us from Him for eternity.

Hosea 2

We can see the imagery here, where the wife of Hosea, Gomer, is a harlot, and she is a type of Israel in their idolatry and fornication. God is showing Israel's fate by His Word to Hosea.

(v.7) God shows us that Israel will eventually return to God, and that will be in the Great Tribulation, where they finally accept and see that Yeshua is their Messiah!

(v.13) God allows hardships to befall on us, especially if that's what it will take to bring us back to Him. He is our refuge, and sooner or later, we will remember that. Unfortunately for Israel, she will not remember until the last days.

(v.16) This is more typology of the Bridegroom (Jesus) and His bride (all believers in His Church).

(v.23) After God has retrieved His Church, He will focus again on Israel, and they will be once again His people, and they will call Him their God.

Hosea 3

(v.4) Many scholars believe this verse and chapter describes the Diaspora, where after the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD, all the Jews went all over the earth. They don't have a Temple to this day to do their Mosaic rituals. But one day, after Yeshua has returned, they will do them again!

Hosea 4

The Northern Kingdom had immense wealth, vast lands, and much power...but as God says in verse one, they didn't have love, and they didn't know their God. I tremble when I read this, since I believe the USA has gone the same route. We are the great Superpower, but we are empty and without God, we are lost.

Hosea 5

(v.15) This is an important verse...God is speaking of Himself, in the person of Jesus.

I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense.

Who else but Jesus, came from heaven to earth and returned? Notice that God says offense in the singular...He is not holding onto their many daily sins, but the one sin that separates them and us from Him...the acceptance of His Son!

Then they will seek My face, in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.

Not until the Great Tribulation will Israel as a group of people seek Jesus. They will finally see and acknowledge their denial, and cry out to God. Then the Father will say to His Son, "Go get 'em" and save Israel!!!

Hosea 6

(v.1) God allows us to hurt and have trials, but He will mend us and use them to make us stronger. I remind my kids, that when we tear a muscle, when it heals, it ends up being stronger than before. This is the same with God using trials to mold us to what He wants us to be.

(v.2) This is a verse that applies to Jesus in the grave, and shows us the timing of God. We often want God to help us NOW, but He does it when it's the right time, and never too late. The body starts to decay in the grave on the fourth day, so that's why Jesus was raised on the third day, and Israel will be saved before they are wiped out.

(v.6) God desires love and obedience more than rituals and sacrifices. If our hearts are with Him, then we will act accordingly...not the other way around.

Hosea 7

(v.3) We get the leaders we deserve. I believe our current President is the result of our apathy and rejection as a nation of God. If we don't repent and put God first, then we will get more of the same from our leaders.

(v.14) This whole book is a mirror image of America...we have pushed God out of all our institutions, and we seek the wisdom and leadership of man. The United Nations is the Tower of Babel of our time, and we will have the same fate if we don't repent and return to God.

21 May (Jonah 4)

Jonah 4

(v.2) People who don't know God, think that God in the OT is mean and judgemental. But Jonah shows us again the true character of God:

~ Gracious

~ Merciful

~ Slow to anger

~ Abundant in loving kindness

~ Relents from doing harm

I think we all would say that describes Jesus, and it does! That makes sense, since Jesus is God, a part of the Holy Trinity, and our Creator and Savior!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

~ John 1:1, 14

(v.6) God uses typology here again, and unless we look for it, we miss it. This tender plant is a type of Jesus, for in Isaiah, we get a better idea of what God means here:

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness. And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

~ Isaiah 53:2

(v.7) Here we see the Tolaith worm again, and as we saw in Psalm 22, we are given more typology of Christ. What the Jews in Jesus' day didn't understand, was that the Messiah, the Christ, had to die first to conquer death and save us from sin. Then, He would come back and bring judgement upon evil and rule Jerusalem in righteousness.

(v.11) God shows great compassion here...He knows that the people of Nineveh are lost, and He wishes for all of them to be saved. I remind my kids of a famous verse in the Bible that speaks of this:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

~ John 3:16

So to recap...Jonah's prediction that Nineveh would burn in judgement was false. So why did Jesus call Jonah a prophet? He did because Jonah lived out prophecy himself!!!

If Jonah came the first time in judgement like he wanted to do, the whole city of Nineveh would be destroyed. But God chose to have Jonah live out what His Son would do centuries later...Jonah died and was resurrected three days later, only to preach and save the city!

So in the future, I pray that this helps you speak lovingly and wisely to the unbeliever, and show them God's plan of redemption in this book. This is a true account, and it points us to our God and our Savior...Jesus!

20 May (Jonah 3)

Jonah 3

Now, this is the part that everyone has a hard time believing...that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, and survived! Here is a story of a sailor in the 19th century that survived being in a whale's belly for over half a day!

www.ycaol.com/swallowed.htm

This man was in the belly of a whale for 15 hours, so that isn't the same as 72 hours, but what if Jonah did die in the belly of the great fish? As I noted last post, it may be that Jonah died and was resurrected after three days to be a sign when Jesus did the same. After all, if I went into a whale or great fish's belly...I wouldn't wait three days to pray! I wouldn't have waited even three seconds! This is why I believe Jonah died, and when he was brought back to life, he gave praise to God and was spit out on the beach.

Whether Jonah died or not, his appearance MUST have been altered. Anyone who understands anatomy knows that the stomach has gastric juices to break down food. As we see in the link, the man who was in the whale's belly for only 15 hours had a profound affect on him:

~ All body hair was burned off!

~ His skin was white like an albino...he looked like he was bleached!

~ The gastric juices made him blind and delirious

So here is Jonah...probably close to blind, white as a ghost and without any hair walking into the dreaded city of Nineveh!!! It really doesn't matter if Jonah lived or died in the belly of the great fish, but Jesus confirms that it happened, and Jonah did preach to Nineveh! So let's not let the skeptics shut us off with dwelling on whether Jonah lived or died, and offer the idea that he may not have lived in the belly, and explain why that points to Jesus!

(v.4) Jonah predicts that Nineveh will burn in 40 days...remember that numbers mean things in Hebrew culture and the Bible...the number 40 represents judgement and testing.

(v.5) I remind my kids that the people of Nineveh worshipped the fish god, Dagon, and here was a man who came out of a fish...looking creepy telling them to repent...I would listen as well!

(v.6) The king led by example and told the city to repent...we can all learn from this king, and desire to have our leaders be as godly as he acted.

(v.10) The key to this was the whole city repented from their wicked ways and cried out to God. They weren't faking, and God knew it...that is why God blessed them and gave them mercy.

19 May (Jonah 2)

Jonah 2

(v.1) As we concluded chapter 1, we see that God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights? Does this sound familiar? Jesus refers to this in Matt 12:40

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Also, in Luke 11:29 Jesus calls Jonah a prophet, thus giving Jonah an importance and status that most people don't realize. Whether Jonah was in a whale, a shark or some kind of serpent, it doesn't matter...it was big enough to swallow him whole! The Hebrew word used for fish is Dag and can mean fish or serpent. Most often, it was used to reference a fish, but that may be because people discussed fish more than serpents!

(v.2) What a prayer from Jonah! Like most of us, it takes extreme measures for us to get serious and really cry out to the LORD!

I also take time to remind my kids that Jonah mentions the Hebrew word Sheol (it is called Hades in Greek), which is the spiritual place where all who died go to. As we discussed in previous books, the believers went to Abraham's Bosom, and the unbelievers went to Sheol. Not until Jesus' blood washed away sin, could Moses, Abraham, David and all the other believers enter heaven with the Father...they were still in a sinful state. The moment Jesus died on the cross, and hereafter, all who die in faith will immediately go to heaven with the Father, but before that, the faithful had to wait in Abraham's Bosom. If you wish to learn more about this, read Luke 16 where Jesus tells us of this.

I also point out to my kids that Jonah didn't pray until three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. This is why I believe that Jonah actually died, and he was resurrected and spit out onto the beach...he was again a type of Christ, who was dead for three days and three nights, then resurrected. I can't prove that, but it fits the pattern, and since Jonah's life is mirroring the life of Jesus in many ways, it makes sense to me!

(v.5) Read these verses with Jesus in mind, and it fits. Jesus freed that "captives" in Abraham's bosom. Luke 4:18

Jonah is describing the center of the earth...the abyss. The Greek word for that is Abusso, which is referred to mean hell. Notice how Jonah says the earth with its bars closed behind me forever...he is describing hell...or Sheol/Hades.

(v.9) Whether Jonah was physically dead or not, he was in a bad situation! He prayed fervently to the LORD, and He heard Jonah. I think what did it, was Jonah called upon the name of the LORD by saying, Salvation is of the LORD. This is the name of Jesus...YHWH Saves!

18 May (Jonah 1)

Who is Jonah?

To many unbelievers and skeptics of the Bible, the book of Jonah is one of the first places they will go to when debating the validity of the Bible. They don't believe the book is factual, but rather, it's metaphorical. Even though they don't know what the whale/fish is supposed to represent, they insist that it never really happened, and the book is just a story.

Early in my Christian walk, I didn't have a response to these claims, and I didn't offer a rebuttal...that bothered me, since I believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible, and if it's in there, then it happened, and there is a good reason it's in the Bible for us to learn from.

I spent some time listening to Bible scholars I respect, and did my own research, and I discovered a wonderful message, and a definitive confirmation that the events actually happened!

I came to be convinced that the book of Jonah was true, and I refer to Jesus Himself, who validated it in Matt 12:40 and Luke 11:30. That should be enough for any born-again Christian, but we still need to know the facts in order to retort when faced with the skeptics' accusations.

Jonah in Hebrew means Dove. Whenever a dove is mentioned in the Bible, God is at work:

After the flood, Noah sent out a dove, and it brought back an olive leaf, signifying that the earth was inhabitable again. Gen 8:11

The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus after He was baptized in the form of a dove. Luke 3:22

Jonah's father was named Amittai, which means Truthful in Hebrew.

Jonah ministered in the Northern Kingdom in the eighth century B.C. and was born in the area of Galilee. This is funny since some skeptics during Jesus' time said when they heard Jesus was from Galilee: No prophet has come from Galilee John 7:52 In fact, the prophet Nahum also came from Galilee, so the skeptics didn't know their facts!

So here is this dove whom God told to go to the most feared place on earth at that time...Nineveh!

What was Nineveh?

Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, and was the largest city on earth at that time. Nimrod, who built the Tower of Babel, made this city, and brought with him many of the pagan practices of the peoples.

To get a good picture of how big this city was, here are some facts about Nineveh:

~ It was 60 miles in circumference, which was a three-day journey to span by foot

~ The entire city was enclosed by huge walls and watchtowers

~ The walls were 100 feet high, and deep enough to have three chariots ride side-by-side on top

~ The population is believed to have 600,000 to one million people in it

Nineveh had a terrible reputation for cruelty, and they were known for their sadistic treatment of slaves, women and even children. They were known to torture captives until death, striking fear in all the area.

This was a port city, so fishing was the trade of commerce. Because of this, it makes sense that the god they worshipped, Dagon, was part man and fish. They believe that Dagon came out of the Erythaean Sea, and archaeologists have found artifacts and writings that show their worship of Dagon.

Dagon is mentioned in the Bible seven times, but the most telling part was in 1 Sam 5:12 where the Assyrians brought the Ark of the Covenant to Dagon. The next morning, Dagon was lying face down in front of the Ark! The next night, it was face down again, with its head and hands broken off! They had good reason to fear the God of Israel, and this may be one reason they listened to Jonah when he finally preached in Nineveh!

Jonah 1

(v.3) Like all of us have done at some times in our lives, Jonah doesn't want to do the hard thing of following God, and he thinks he can escape God!

(v.5) God created a mighty storm, so violent, that the seasoned sailors thought they were going to die! Ironically, Jonah was down in the boat sleeping! This reminds us of Jesus, when the storm on the Sea of Galilee had the seasoned fishermen turned disciples scared for their lives. Matt 8:24

This is the first sign that Jonah was a type of Christ...if we put Jesus in his place, we will see why this book is so wonderful!

(v.12) Why did Jonah tell the men to throw him into the sea? Why didn't he just jump? If we put Christ in his place, we see that Christ willingly went to His death, but the people had to do the dirty work.

(v.14) The answer to why didn't Jonah jump is answered here...they thought Jonah was innocent! Much like our Creator and Savior, Jonah was innocent, but was willing to die to save the lives of the crew.

(v.15) Much like when Jesus calmed the sea by His voice, right when Jonah hit the water, the storm stopped dead cold. Matt 8:26

(v.16) Just as the disciples knew that Jesus was the Son of God and had the Almighty's power to calm the sea, the men on the ship worshipped God and gave sacrifices! They were converted!

17 May (2 Kings 13-14)

2nd Kings 13

(v.4) We often hear from unbelievers and skeptics that the God of the OT is mean, and the God of the NT is love. As the Apostle Paul would say, "Certainly not!" This is the same God, and He is love, but He spent the OT establishing the nation of Israel, and because of that, He dealt harshly with those leading His people away from His way of salvation. It's because He is love, that He deals harshly with us...like the Apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews:

For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. Heb 12:6

God loves us, and He wants us to love Him back. Those of us who are His, we fall away and sin, and He uses discipline to bring us back. And when we're back with Him, it's better than before!

(v.20) Elisha dies and performs a miracle in death! The man who hid in his grave and touched Elisha's bones was healed! Elisha's prayer was answered, and he did twice as many miracles as Elijah did...to the glory of God!

2nd Kings 14

(v.6) Amaziah kills the men who killed his father, but spares their sons since it's against the Law to do so...isn't that a case of selective righteousness?!?

(v.25) Remember Jonah...he is important and we'll talk about him the next few days. Jonah is often misunderstood, and his story is important to grasp in order to understand Jesus better.

16 May (Joel 3)

Joel 3

(v.2) Joel is describing what we hear often called today, Armageddon. This is the final battle between God (Jesus) and all unbelievers. The valley is named Megiddo, and it's also called the valley of Jehoshaphat. In Hebrew, Jehoshaphat means God Will Judge.

Scholars have noted that when Napoleon Bonaparte travelled to this area, he saw how perfect the valley would be for the final battle according to the Bible. He saw it as the perfect place to have many nations, and millions of people fight at one time.

I also point out to my kids that Israel is always special to God. He will return His focus on Israel once He has brought His Bride (the Church) to heaven in the Rapture. The whole world, without Christians in it, will try to get rid of the nation Israel, once and for all. They will get close, but God will come again and save them. This time of affliction and distress for Israel is called the Great Tribulation by Jesus Himself. Matt 24:21; Rev 2:22, 7:14

Only when Israel sees that there is no hope for saving themselves, they will turn to God. Hosea 5:15

(v.14) The Valley of Decision is where God will judge the nations and peoples that rejected Him and fought against Israel...His land.

(v.15) Here we see the darkness referred to many times for the last days.

(v.17) Jesus will sit on the Throne of David and reign for 1,000 years...this is called the Millennium. Only then will there be peace, since the Prince of Peace is ruling in Jerusalem!

(v.18) Creation will be restored, except for the lands that fought against God...they will be desolate.

15 May (Joel 2)

Joel 2

(v.1) The Day of the LORD is coming indeed! I like to use the Blue Letter Bible for referencing and looking up verses, so I did a search for Day of the Lord, and here is what you can find:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=day+of+the+lord&t=NKJV

God died on the cross for us, just so we can be redeemed and be with Him forever in Paradise! All He asks in return, is for us to acknowledge that, and to give our lives to Him, so He can work in us and through us. For those that reject Him and what He did, they will see a terrible day of Judgement...but they brought it upon themselves, since God has been pleading with them to repent.

(v.2) This is a prophecy to the Day of the Lord, but we've seen similar instances of darkness over the earth...God works that way...He shows us a pattern that we can look for and rely upon. He is not flippant or capricious, He is steady and true. Here are some other verses describing the darkness over the land:

~Exodus 10:22

~Job 5:14

~Psalm 97:2

~Isaiah 60:2

~Amos 5:20

~Matthew 27:45

~Acts 2:20

~2 Corinthians 4:6

~Ephesians 6:12

~1 Peter 2:9

~Jude 1:13

~Revelation 16:10

As you can see, God's Word is consistent from Genesis to Revelation! It is one message, and it's God's love letter to us, to bring us back to Him!

I am reminded of the phrase, "It's the darkest just before the dawn"...I believe this phrase is true, and we will see great evil just before Jesus comes again! He gives us warning and even describes what to look for...all it takes is a desire to understand!

(v.12) Turn to Me with all your heart...this is God pleading with all of us to set aside our sinful pride, and let Him work in our lives. God is love, but He does demand that we choose Him or hell...it's that simple.

(v.18) Many good scholars believe that this part is describing the Millennium...after the Great Tribulation, where Jesus rules on David's Throne in Jerusalem for 1,000 years.

(v.23) I agree with the scholars who believe that there was a water canopy that protected the earth before the Flood. That canopy came down, and the water from the depths came up, and the whole earth was covered in water. After Jesus returns, there will be a reset of His creation, where the earth will enjoy the things it enjoyed in the beginning.

(v.28) Right at the end of the Great Tribulation, God will pour out His Spirit upon all mankind. There will be a great last harvest, before the Son comes to destroy the wicked. We need to pray and share the Gospel with all we meet...time is running out!

14 May (Joel 1)

Joel 1

Bible scholars have placed the writing of this book to the time of Elijah and Elisha. Joel was someone who came upon the scene quickly, and left just as quickly. God gave him His word to spread to the people, and that is what Joel did...without holding any punches!

Joel starts by referencing the current plague of locusts, and implores the people to repent back to God. He did this because God gave him a vision of what great judgement will come in the future...the Day of the LORD!

He prophesied of the coming of the Holy Spirit and was quoted by Peter in Acts 2:16

(v.1) The name Joel means Yehovah is God in Hebrew. He was named for his purpose...to wake up the sleeping people of Israel and Judah, and to have them repent to God.

(v.3) This is one of the verses that convicted me to teach my children the Scriptures. It only takes one generation to fall away from God since they aren't taught His ways. Let's not let that happen on our watch!

(vv.6-12) The land has become desolate, and the people have hard hearts. The only way to correct this, is to repent, and to call upon the LORD. We can see signs of this in America today, and if we keep on the road we're on, we'll suffer the same things. We need to start with each one of us, then our families, then our communities, and keep working our way towards a revival of this country. Only our dependence upon the God who made this country, will restore this country!

(v.14) If you're not at a church that practices public or group fasts, then you should find one that does. Praying and fasting as a body is not only effective, but enlightening to those that do it.

(v.15) What we read in the book of Revelation is what Joel is talking about here...the Day of the LORD. We will see that there are other similar ways to say it, but they all point to the Second Coming of Christ in His wrath upon the unbelievers and wicked ones.

13 May (2 Kings 11-12)

2nd Kings 11

(v.3) Satan tried many times to thwart God's plans, but we see here, another attempt to eliminate the heirs of David, to keep God's Covenant with David from happening. So far, we have seen these attempts:

~ Pharaoh during Moses' time

~ Haman during time of Esther

~ Athaliah during this time

And we will see Herod, during time of Jesus, try to kill all the young boys in Bethlehem in the Gospels.

We see more Hebrew numerology here, since Joash was hidden for six years, which typifies incompletion, but is named king in the seventh year, which typifies completion.

(v.17) All leaders should do what Jehoiada did, and make himself and the people dedicate themselves to the LORD. Wouldn't it be great if every four years, our President would do this upon inauguration?

2nd Kings 12

Jehoash (or Joash) became king at the age of seven. Obviously, he relied on the wisdom of Jehoiada for those early years. This blog is like that in my mind...wisdom from God to teach us, and to teach our kids in their early years. Please pray that this blog is God-driven, not driven by me!

12 May (2 Kings 8-10)

2nd Kings 8

(v.2) I find this famine to be like the one in Gen 41 in the dream of Joseph. Seven is the number representing completion in Hebrew culture, and I like to stress to my kids to see the whole Bible as one book...not a compilation of many books. Here we have many different authors who say the same things, and use the same typology. That can only be because there is One Author...the Holy Spirit!!!

(v.6) Just like in Gen 41, the Jews are restored and saved after the famine!

(v.19) We have another reference to the Davidic Covenant...God's promise to David, that his descendants will always rule over Israel. However, only One will rule in the end...Yeshua...Jesus!

2nd Kings 9

(v.20) This is a good Bible reference to say when someone is driving their car in an unsafe way...tell them they are like Jehu! At the very least, they will slow down to know what you mean!

(v.26) Isn't it fitting that the son of Ahab had his corpse thrown on the land of Naboth...the land taken by blood? God doesn't forget the evil things we do, but we can have them washed away by the blood of His Son. All we have to do is repent and accept Christ into our lives.

(v.35) I tell my kids that evil will one day be repaid. Jezebel saw this, and all who deny Christ will regret their pride and foolish ideas of being their own gods on earth!

2nd Kings 10

One thing that strikes me about this chapter, is that God is using a king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to exact His justice...even upon the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Jehu was following God's Word here, since he cites the words of Elijah and his prophecies.

Ahab and Jezebel are symbolic of evil...God is showing us that He will destroy evil in the Day of the Lord...when Jesus returns. There are patterns and types all throughout the Bible that help us understand the big picture if we study them.

(v.28) Jehu is a type of Christ here...he destroys the evil doers, and also destroys the evil worship places.

(v.29) Jehu is NOT at type of Christ here, because his actions were only political...not spiritual. Jehu only did these things for power, not to serve the LORD, but only for himself. Only God knows the heart, and we need to be discerning of those in the pulpit who seem Scriptural in politics, but fail to be Scriptural in spirit.

If we are following God, our heart will lead us...not our pride. Jehu is a great example of looking holy and righteous on the outside by his actions, but we see that in his heart, he wasn't a real believer in the LORD.