Daily Bible Study

September 30, 2026 Bible Study — Live So That People Will Seek the Lord of Hosts

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 7-10.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

Some of the Jews who had returned from Exile came to Zechariah to ask if they should continue the fasts which they had instituted to memorialize the destruction of Jerusalem.  I can understand their question.  they had established these fasts to mourn the fall of Jerusalem, but now Jerusalem was restored.  Should they continue the fasts as worship to God in memory of the sins of their ancestors, or would doing so be failing to honor God for restoring Jerusalem?  Zechariah’s response reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 14 where he says “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  In this passage Zechariah says, “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”  The point made by both Zechariah and Paul is that it is not the rituals which make us holy before God.  Instead what is important is how we treat others, how we treat our fellow image bearers of God.  A little further after what I quote above, Zechariah tells us that God will bring His people to Himself and says that, “they shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”  Zechariah tells us that we should live our lives so that those around us will say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”  Let us live so that the nations of the world will seek the Lord of Hosts.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2026 Bible Study — Return to the Lord

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

Zechariah begins his prophecy by calling on the Jews who had returned from Exile to return to the Lord.  The people whom Zechariah called on to return to the Lord thought that they were already serving the Lord.  So, we also should examine our lives and see where we fail to be faithful to God.  Then we should return once more to Him.  Perhaps, we should also see Zechariah as speaking to the Jewish people today to return to God.  Or, perhaps we should read all of the prophecies of Zechariah as being fulfilled in his day.

As I read a little further into the passage I see Zechariah speak of the two olive trees which are the anointed ones who stand by the Lord.  In the Book of Revelation, John speaks of two witnesses who are the two olive trees.  Clearly John either sees Zechariah as prophesying something in his future (that is, John’s future), or he is borrowing Zechariah’s symbolism because it was already familiar to his readers.  When I read Zechariah, the two olive trees seem to me to be Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor, but John seems to read this differently.

I want to touch on the four chariots which went to the four winds of heaven.  The angel who spoke to Zechariah only told him where three of the chariots were going, and two of them went to the same place, even though the angel had already said that they were going out to the four winds of heaven which we would usually understand to be in each of the four cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West).  The angel says that the chariot with black horses goes towards the north country, and that the one with white horses follows it, while the chariot with dappled horses goes toward the south country.  But he does not say where the chariot with the red horses goes.  I do not know what we are to take from that.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 28, 2026 Bible Study — Humble Yourself and Seek to Do What God Wants of You, Even If You Think You Aren’t Ready

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Zephaniah and Haggai.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

The first thing which struck me when I read this is that the prophet who wrote this book is part of the ruling family.  He was a cousin of King Josiah and made this prophecy while his cousin was pushing religious revival.  Zephaniah’s prophecy closely echoed that which Josiah received when he asked about the Book of the Law which had been found during the restoration of the temple.  Zephaniah condemns the people of Jerusalem for the same sins which Jeremiah and Ezekiel would also condemn them: Baal worship, worshiping the starry host, and combining worship of God with worship of Molek (which throughout the Old Testament appears to involve sacrificing one’s children).  He warns that the day is coming when God will bring destruction upon the complacent who think that God will not bring judgement upon them, who think that their wealth and/or political power will shield them from this coming disaster.  Zephaniah says that wealth and power will not provide protection, that only those who humble themselves before God and do what He commands.  If you want shelter from the coming disaster, seek God’s righteousness with humility.  Only the meek and humble who trust in the name of the Lord will survive that coming day.  Zephaniah was speaking of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, but his prophecy should stand as a warning to people of all time.

Now we come to the prophet Haggai, who prophesied after the return from Exile.  He also has a message for all of us.  After returning from Exile the Jews thought that they should wait until they had become economically secure before they began to rebuild the temple.  I do not believe that Haggai’s message calls that completely wrong.  However, the prophet basically says, “How long are you going to use that excuse to not do the Lord’s will?”  And that is the lesson we should learn.  The problem with waiting until our finances, or other economic circumstances, are secure to do God’s will is that we will may always think of more that needs to be secure.  Instead, we should start doing what we know of God’s will for us as soon as we know what it is.  If we don’t do that we will find that our personal circumstances are never right to do God’s will.  I am tempted to list some examples from my life, but I’m afraid that my wife would think they are about her when the problem is not what she has done or not done.  The problems I am thinking of are things I have failed to do, which I need to do so that I can do what God is calling me to do.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 27, 2026 Bible Study — Will You Oppose God, or Will You Fear and Trust Him?

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Nahum and Habakkuk.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

Nahum begins his prophecy against Nineveh by telling us that God takes vengeance on His adversaries.  Even though He is slow to anger, God will punish the guilty.  None can withstand His anger and when His wrath comes forth the seas will dry and the mountains tremble.  However, Nahum also tells us that God is a stronghold on that day for those who take refuge in Him, and He will surely remember who they are.  We have a choice.  We can either humbly take refuge in God, or we can be His adversaries and plot against Him.  Things will not end well for the latter, so let us choose to be the former.

While I was reading Habakkuk I thought about Artificial Intelligence (which is not really intelligence of any kind).  Habakkuk speaks of idols which are images shaped by men, but upon which those same men turn their worship.  Habakkuk refers to these idols as speechless and says that they are silent.  He asks if they can teach, with the answer being obviously, “no.”  Well, today, the makers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) think they have given a voice to these silent images, but it is not truly a voice.  They think that AI can teach, and while that is technically true it can only teach what someone else already knows.  AI cannot teach us something new.  AI is just another idol which some men worship.  Let us put our trust in God and fear Him alone.  Let us neither fear nor trust AI.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

 

Daily Bible Study

September 26, 2026 Bible Study — God Will Make Peace for Those Who Serve Him

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Micah 3-7.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

Micah condemns leaders and rulers who distort justice for their own advantage instead of delivering the justice which they know God demands.  He condemns religious leaders who give comfort to those from whom they gain benefit and have only condemnation for those who have nothing to give them.  Religious leaders who distort God’s word but think that God will protect them because they “serve God.”  Micah directs this condemnation against the people of Israel and Judah, but I think it is a warning for people of all times and places.  Rulers and political leaders who distort justice for their own gain will pay the price in God’s time.  Those who use religion to benefit themselves at the expense of others will also pay a price.  A society which holds such people in high esteem will fall to its enemies.

When Micah wrote, God was the Lord of the Israelites and only those who became one with the Israelites could enter into a relationship with Him.  However, Micah prophesied that a day would come when all peoples could easily come to God, and He would welcome them and teach them His ways.  That day has now come.  God will judge between peoples and those who put their faith fully in Him will not need to learn war any longer.  All benefit together when they work together to serve God rather than fight for resources.  No one will make us afraid if we trust in God with all of our hearts and serve Him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 25, 2026 Bible Study — We Will Serve God’s Purposes, Even When We Run Away From Him

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jonah and Micah 1-2.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

When God called Jonah to prophesy in Nineveh, he didn’t just say “No.”  He went and got on a ship going the opposite direction, trying to get as far from Nineveh as possible.  Jonah knew that if he stayed where he was he was going to find himself in Nineveh.  And he knew that if he found himself in Nineveh he would begin conveying God’s message to the people of Nineveh.  And if he did that, he knew that the people of Nineveh might repent, and if they repented, God would withhold the punishment He had planned for them.  So, as I said, Jonah tried to put as much distance between himself and Nineveh as possible.  Jonah was right.  God did not allow him to avoid the mission to which He had called him.  However, we often overlook what else God did with Jonah’s disobedience.  God used it to bring the men on the ship Jonah sailed on to Him.  They began to sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to Him.  They learned about the true God and began to worship Him.  God will use us to serve His purposes, even when we try to run from Him, but we will suffer more if we try to do so.  One last point on this.  God is gracious and will give us the opportunity to voluntarily choose to do His will, even when we are at our lowest, if we, as Jonah did, utterly repent and turn back to Him.

Micah prophesies against those who take property from others by deceit or by twisting the law in their favor and against those who oppress others by going after their families.  He goes on to prophesy against those who tell God’s prophets not to preach God’s message.  He suggests that they seek prophets who will only preach good news, who will encourage them to do wrong rather than warn them of their sin.  And all through this, Micah threads God’s warnings to those who oppress their neighbor or others.  One might think Micah was saying that those who oppress others tell God’s prophets not to prophesy God’s warnings, and one would be right.  But in thinking that one might overlook that he is also saying that those who tell God’s prophets to change their message are likely guilty of oppressing others.  If you have found yourself thinking that someone preaching an uncomfortable message should change what they preach, perhaps you need to examine your own life to see what you need to change.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2026 Bible Study — Measuring Ourselves Against God’s Plumb Line

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

As I read this I did not know where I would start writing until I came to verse 8 in chapter 7, which reads, in part: ““Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel;”.   In case any of my readers do not know what a plumb line is, a plumb line is a string with a weight on the end.  When you hold a plumb line up, the string will fall straight from where you hold it to where the weight hangs.  A builder will hold it next to a wall, or other vertical structure, to see if it is straight.  Usually one would use it while building a wall to make sure that the wall was straight up and down.  Jesus is our plumb line.  We should measure ourselves against Him to see that we are pointing straight up to God.

Obadiah did not prophecy against the people of Judah or Israel, but against the people of Edom.  Through him, God condemned the descendants of Esau for standing aloof and watching with joy as the people of Israel suffered.  They profited from Israel’s destruction and gave no aid to its refugees.  This should serve as a warning to us.  We should not rejoice in the suffering of others, not even of our enemies.  Instead, we should offer succor to them.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

 

Daily Bible Study

September 23, 2026 Bible Study — Let Justice and Righteousness Roll Down

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Amos 1-5.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful, beautiful wife

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

Amos begins by condemning Israel’s neighbors for their sins and declaring that God will punish them.  In this case, Judah is included among the neighbors whom Amos warns before he gets to his prophecy against Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  While Amos lists the sins of Israel’s neighbors, he goes into much more detail against Israel.  He warns Israel that God will punish them for their injustice and for they way they oppress the poor.  Amos warns that God has repeatedly brought small disasters upon them to turn them back to Him, but they continued in to commit idolatry and injustice.  Those who were wealthy oppressed the poor.  God cries out through Amos for us to seek Him and live.  Let us examine ourselves and remove the idolatry from our lives.  Let us examine ourselves to determine where we fail to seek justice for the weak.  Let us seek good and not evil.  Most importantly, let us not desire the day of the Lord’s judgement.  Instead, let us desire that sinners turn to the Lord.  Rather than focus on our rituals, let us seek justice and righteousness.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 22, 2026 Bible Study — Mourn for Having Sinned in Our Hearts and Not Just Put On the Appearance of Doing So

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on Joel 1-3.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

Joel speaks of a time when God brought a natural disaster upon Israel, a locust swarm which wiped out all of the crops of the land.  He calls the people to fast and pray before God.  He tells the people that even in the face of the day of the Lord’s judgement they should return to the Lord.  When we fast and mourn in repentance of our sins, we should express it in our inward being and not just put on the appearance of mourning.  If we truly return to God, He may relent of the disaster which He was sending us.  In this case, Joel says that God did relent and poured out His love upon His people, giving them plenty in the aftermath of the disaster.  This far into the Book of Joel is a warning and guidance for our behavior.  Let us turn to God while we still can.  Let us turn to Him with fasting and mourning for our sins.  Let us do so in our hearts, not just in our appearance.

Next we come to the future which Joel perceives.  A future which was fulfilled in Jesus.  God has poured out His Spirit upon all people and drawn them to Him.  Everyone who calls on the name of God will be saved.  In a way it is a follow on to what Joel said earlier about truly mourning our sins in our hearts and not just in outward appearance.  If you truly seek God and turn away from sins unto Him, He will pour out His Spirit upon you and transform you in ways which you cannot imagine.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 21, 2026 Bible Study — Sow the Wind, or Sow Righteousness. You Decide

Leave a comment

Today, I am reading and commenting on Hosea 8-14.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

This passage is where we get the phrase “sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.”  I love the imagery of that phrase.  I also love the thought behind the phrase.  Wind may be gentle or powerful, perhaps even destructive, but we perceive wind as controllable, or at least that it can be withstood.  However, a whirlwind cannot be withstood.  Winds in a hurricane may be as high as 155 miles per hour, while tornadoes have winds exceeding 300 miles per hour.  Sin is destructive like wind.  So, in this situation, God is telling us that we when we sin we are sowing evil in small portions, but the harvest will be great amounts of evil.

Later in this passage, Hosea tells the people to sow righteousness and reap love.  God offers us a choice, sow the wind, sow sin, and reap overpowering evil.  Or, sow righteousness, and reap His steadfast love.  Then He tells us what we need to do if we want to sow righteousness: we need to break up the hard soil of our hearts so that the seeds of His Word will sprout.  When I read this passage I think of the types of soil Jesus describes in the Parable of the Sower.  In particular, I think about the soil on the path where the seeds just sit on top of the soil.  Hosea tells us that we can break up the hard soil of our hearts by seeking the Lord.  It is time to seek the Lord.  So, break up the hard soil in your heart by seeking the Lord.  If you do so, He will rain righteousness upon you and you will reap God’s steadfast love, bearing large amount of the fruit of the Spirit.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.