Read Genesis 18, Nehemiah 7, and Psalm 17. This devotional is about Psalm 17. We don’t know the circumstances that led David to sing this prayerful song to God. Was it because Saul was pursuing him? We don’t know. What we do know is that David was distressed (vv. 1-2) and that whatever he was […]
Genesis 17, Nehemiah 6, Psalm 16
Read Genesis 17, Nehemiah 6, and Psalm 16. This devotional is about Genesis 17. Two major events in Israel’s history were recorded in this chapter. First, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (v. 5). Second, God commanded Abraham and his descendants to obey the covenant of circumcision (vv. 9-14). Of all the commands God gave […]
Genesis 16, Nehemiah 5, Psalm 15
Read Genesis 16, Nehemiah 5, Psalm 15. This devotional is about Genesis 16. Genesis 15 was such a beautiful chapter about Abram’s relationship to God. After Abram saved Lot and his cohorts but refused to take any gains for himself in Genesis 14, God appeared to him in Genesis 15 and said, “Do not be […]
Genesis 15, Nehemiah 4, Psalm 14
Read Genesis 15, Nehemiah 4, and Psalm 14. This devotional is about Nehemiah 4. Nehemiah lived and led Jerusalem as a civic leader at the same time that Ezra was leading the people spiritually. As we read the book of Ezra, we saw how the temple was rebuilt, worship was reinstated, and God’s word was […]
Genesis 14, Nehemiah 3, and Psalm 13
Read Genesis 14, Nehemiah 3, and Psalm 13. This devotional is about Genesis 14. I mentioned yesterday that Abram and Lot had a close relationship. Although the wealth of each man, and the conflicts that wealth created, led to them to live separately (Gen 13), Abram still cared about Lot and his safety. It was […]
Genesis 13, Nehemiah 2, Psalm 12
Read Genesis 13, Nehemiah 2, and Proverbs 1:20-33. This devotional is about Genesis 13. Abram and Lot must have had some kind of close personal relationship. Genesis 11:31 told us that Lot was Abram’s nephew. The fact that Lot went with Abram (12:4) when Abram left Ur suggests a close, personal friendship between Abram and Lot, […]
Genesis 12, Nehemiah 1, and Psalm 11
Read Genesis 12, Nehemiah 1, and Psalm 11, This devotional is about Genesis 12. Every large nation, every big, extended family, every large church or institution or corporation once started out as something small. Even if it scaled up quickly, it began with the idea and ambition of one person or a small group of […]
Genesis 11, Ezra 10, Psalm 10
Read Genesis 11, Ezra 10 and Psalm 10. This devotional is about Psalm 10. In this song, the psalmist wondered why God did not judge the wicked (v. 1), called on God to judge the wicked because of how they have victimized the weak (vv. 12-15), and affirmed his confidence in God to care for […]
Genesis 9-10, Ezra 9, Psalm 9
Read Genesis 9-10, Ezra 9, and Psalm 9. This devotional is about Ezra 9. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Sometimes you don’t get a choice; Ezra didn’t get one. Things were going well in Jerusalem, finally. God’s people were back in the Promised Land, they were rebuilding God’s temple […]
Genesis 8, Ezra 8, Psalm 8
Read Genesis 8, Ezra 8, and Psalm 8. This devotional is about Psalm 8, specifically verses 3-9. We look back at people who lived in Old Testament times and think they were primitive. They didn’t have electricity, indoor plumbing, or climate controls. The tools they had were crude and they spent an inordinate amount of […]