26 Jul (Zechariah 9-10)

Zechariah 9

(v.3) For our kids, the historical aspects of this chapter aren't as relevant as the moral lessons. Tyre was a fortified and proud city. The Assyrians tried for five years, and the Babylonians for 13 years to conquer it, but never could.

We may know people who seem strong on their own power for a while, but sometime later, they will fall harder since they tried so hard to withstand life and reality. God will destroy Tyre (which is modern day Lebanon) in their pride...just like Satan.

Alexander the Great eventually conquered Tyre, and in only seven months!

(v.9) This verse should sound familiar to most Christians, since this is the prophecy of Jesus riding into Jerusalem as their King. In Dan 9:25 is the prediction of 173,880 days from the decree of the building of the temple to the Messiah entering Jerusalem...that happened to the VERY DAY as Jesus finally allowed the people to worship Him as their King in what we call the Triumphal entry...Palm Sunday!

(v.17) Jesus will return and save Israel from the Great Tribulation, and peace and joy will fill the earth!

Zechariah 10

(v.2) Parents...make sure you're in a church that teaches ALL of God's Word...verse by verse, book by book. Too many churches cherry pick what they want to teach, and leave out much of God's Word...the people are not being fed properly. It's like the four basic food groups...if we only get one or two, we are malnourished and ineffective...it's the same with God's Word!

(v.3) Lambs and sheep are good symbols in the Bible, but goats are not. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and He will separate the sheep from the goats in the end. The goats are the ones who refused to accept God's gift of grace on the cross. Matt 25:32

(v.4) Jesus is our Cornerstone...the piece of the Church that holds it all together. Without Him, it will eventually crumble. Matt 21:42 & 1 Peter 2:6

(v.12) We who are His walk in His strength...not our own. If we ever think we are mighty warriors FOR God, then we're being proud...we need to be mighty warriors OF God, in His strength.

2 June (Isaiah 21-30)

Isaiah 21

(v.9) Babylon is fallen reminds me of Rev 14 & 18 where God destroys the beginning of pride and sin...Babylon. Isaiah is telling of what John sees later, the Day of the LORD!


Isaiah 22

(v.4) Just like the people of Jerusalem, we Americans are content and oblivious to God's impending wrath. Ignorance does that. Like Isaiah, we need to warn the lost, and encourage the faithful to be prepared for the worst, and pray for protection.

(v.13) If we don't take God seriously, we will be caught unaware of His coming. Now, Jesus said that we won't know the day or the hour of His coming (Matt 24:36), but if we know our Bible, then we'll see that His coming is soon by the warnings and signs He told us about.

Isaiah 23

(v.9) God hates pride...that is what brought Lucifer to want to be a god, and that is what makes us try to do things our own way, instead of God's ways. Pride is the root of all sin.

Isaiah 24

This whole chapter is about surviving the Great Tribulation, but only by God's grace would anyone survive. There are different beliefs as to when the Rapture will happen, before, during or at the end of the Great Tribulation. I believe Scripture assures us that Jesus will call home His Bride BEFORE the Tribulation. That could be any time, so prepare your soul and your faith instead of food and supplies.

Isaiah 25

(v.8) When we are in heaven, God will wipe away our tears and we will experience pain and sadness no more. I believe that there may be a short time where when we are judged at the Bema Seat of Christ, we will see all the opportunities to reach out to the lost that we missed. We will be ashamed and saddened, but then Jesus will wipe away our tears, and say, Well done, good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of your LORD! Matt 25:21

Isaiah 26

(v.3) Like in Prov 3:5-6 we see that peace comes from trust in the LORD. We have peace in this life if we KNOW that He is in charge, and we know where we're going to be when it's all said and done!

Isaiah 27

(v.6) When Israel came back into the land in the 19th century and became a nation again in the middle of the 20th century, most of the land was barren desert. But God started to bless His people, and rainfall increased exponentially! Now, we see many beautiful areas of Israel, and it's one of the leading farming suppliers in the world!

Isaiah 28

(v.16) Jesus is the cornerstone...He is the foundation of all that is important!

Isaiah 29

(v.13) I teach my kids to be in fellowship with God...to seek Him and let Him work in their lives. It's no good to talk a good game but not have our hearts in it. We need to be real, and let Him work through us to love and serve others.

Isaiah 30

(v.10) I know people who don't want to think about God or the big important questions in life. Here Isaiah is showing us that people don't want to face the hard truth...they would rather live in a lie than face truth. This is sad, and we need to keep showing them God's love before it's too late.

Apr 9 (1 Kings 5-7)

1st Kings 5

(v.3) David was God's warrior, so he had too much blood on his hands to build God's Temple. This duty fell upon David's son, Solomon. It just so happened, that Israel was in a great period of peace and prosperity under Solomon.

(v.7) King Hiram loved David, and he also loved God. It's amazing to see how God worked in the lives of the Gentiles during this time. It's just like today, where God will save anyone who asks Him to save them.

1st Kings 6

(v.11) God reminds Solomon of the Davidic Covenant. This is unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, where God promised Abraham blessings that Abraham didn't need to work for. The Davidic Covenant is conditional...it requires the obedience and devotion of David and his sons to keep the throne. We will see that they were unable to keep it.

The building of the Temple is very interesting, but I like to tell my kids this old Jewish story. It is said that the stones from the quarry were to be used for the Temple, and no hammer or chisel was to be used on them...they had to fit exactly into place just as they were. One of the stones was thrown aside and left neglected for the seven years the Temple was being built. But in the end, they found that piece, and made it the cornerstone of the Temple...the most important piece that keeps everything erect and secure.

In Psalm 118:22, the chief cornerstone was rejected and tossed aside...this is like what happened to Jesus! He, the Chief Cornerstone, was tossed aside and rejected by His people, but later, in the end, they discover Him and place Him where He belongs...the most important part of the Temple!

1st Kings 7

Solomon built a lavish house, but at least he built God's House first!

(v.21) One of the pillars was named Boaz...which means strength in Hebrew! I remind my kids that Boaz was the Kinsman Redeemer in the book of Ruth, and is a type of Christ.

God has his house to be the most wonderful ever made. Even the most beautiful buildings we see in Europe can't compare. It's also worth noting that Solomon's Temple was the only time that God resided in it. It is also the only time that the Ark of the Covenant was there.