What Does the Bible Teach?

In this Old Testament review lesson, we look back at the books of Jonah and Amos and consider what these prophets teach us about God’s judgment, repentance, mercy, and His dealings with His people. First, we review the setting and message of Jonah. Jonah was sent to Nineveh but initially fled in the opposite direction. After Jonah repents, he eventually preaches to Nineveh, and the Ninevites respo...

What are 1 & 2 Kings, Song of Songs, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes about?  In this Bible lesson, we review the content, purpose, major characters, events, and themes of four important Old Testament books. This lesson reviews 1 & 2 Kings, including Solomon, the division of the kingdom, the kings of Israel and Judah, Elijah and Elisha, and the exile. We also consider an important principle for...

What are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, and Psalms actually about? In this Sunday School lesson, we review the content and major themes of five important Old Testament books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, and Psalms. The goal is simple: to know the Biblical books well enough that when you hear one mentioned, you immediately understand where it fits in Biblical history and what i...

What are Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy about? In this Old Testament review, we look at the purpose, structure, and major content of these three books of the Bible and review what we have learned about them. As we move through the Old Testament, it is important not only to know the names of the books but to understand why each book was written and what its major themes and contents are. In th...

Why do some Bible-believing Christians baptize their children—even before those children have professed faith in Jesus? If you're a Baptist, this practice may seem strange, especially if you've always understood baptism as something that follows personal faith in Christ. I understand that perspective because I once held it myself. In this lesson, John Musgrave explains why Presbyterians an...

What are Genesis, Job, and Exodus actually about? In this Sunday School lesson, we review the content and purpose of three important Old Testament books: Genesis, Job, and Exodus. Rather than simply knowing theological conclusions, we want to know the actual content of Scripture and understand how each book communicates its message to God's people. In Genesis, we review creation, the fall, the...

What is the Book of Malachi really about? And what does Malachi's prophecy about the “Day of the Lord” have to do with John the Baptist and Jesus? In this lesson on the Book of Malachi, we examine Malachi's message in its historical setting, around 430 BC, following the events recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah. We then trace one of Malachi's major themes: the Day of the Lord—the time when...

What is the Book of Malachi about, and why is it the final book of the Old Testament? In this Sunday School lesson, we examine the historical setting, purpose, message, and structure of the Book of Malachi. Written after the Babylonian exile during the period of Ezra and Nehemiah, Malachi addresses a people who had returned to the Promised Land but had once again fallen into spiritual complacency...

What happens when God seems absent—but is actually working behind the scenes? The Book of Esther is one of the most remarkable books of the Old Testament. God’s name is never mentioned in Esther, yet His providence is evident throughout the story. Esther shows us that even when God seems hidden, He remains sovereignly at work to protect His people and accomplish His purposes. In this lesson, we wa...

What does the Book of Zechariah teach us about suffering, restoration, prophecy, and the coming of Jesus Christ? In this lesson, we walk through Zechariah 9–14 and examine its message to God's people as they waited for restoration after the exile. Zechariah's prophecy points God's people toward a future shepherd king from the line of David. Israel would experience suffering and disappo...

The Book of Zechariah contains some of the Bible's most remarkable prophecies about Jesus Christ—but before we apply those prophecies to Christ, we must first understand why God gave this book to Israel after the Babylonian exile.  In this Bible lesson, we explore Zechariah's historical setting, purpose, outline, major themes, and how its promises of temple restoration, the coming Shepherd...

What does Zerubbabel have to do with Jesus? Why does the Book of Haggai end with a promise to a Davidic ruler? And why shouldn't Christians expect a future rebuilt temple in Jerusalem? In this Bible study, we examine the closing verses of Haggai and discover how Zerubbabel points forward to Jesus Christ—the true Son of David, the eternal King, and the One who fulfills God's promises. We al...

What is the Book of Haggai really about? Is it simply a call to rebuild the temple, or does it point us to something much greater? In this Bible study, we explore Haggai in its historical setting after Israel's return from exile and discover how the prophet points forward to Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest, and King. Learn why the temple, Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and the restorati...

Discover why the short book of Haggai contains one of the Bible's most important messages about worship, Christ, and the Church. In this verse-by-verse Bible study, Pastor John Musgrave explains Haggai's historical setting after the Babylonian exile, why rebuilding the temple mattered, and how the New Testament reveals Jesus as the true Temple. Learn how Haggai's message applies to Chr...

What does the Book of Haggai teach Christians today? In this verse-by-verse Reformed Bible study, Pastor John Musgrave explains the historical setting of Haggai, the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian exile, and why this Old Testament prophet still speaks powerfully to Christ's Church. You'll discover how Haggai connects with Ezra, Nehemiah, Zechariah, the Kingdom of God, and th...

What are the books of Ezra and Nehemiah really about? In this Bible lesson, we explore the historical background, timeline, major themes, and key figures of Ezra and Nehemiah. Learn how God's people returned from exile, rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem's walls, renewed covenant worship, and looked forward to the promised Davidic King. We examine the roles of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah,...

Learn of the often-skipped-over world of Ezra-Nehemiah—of Israel after their exile. What is the message of Ezra and Nehemiah? Why did God's people return from exile? Why were the Temple and Jerusalem so important? And what do these books teach Christians today? In this Bible overview, we explore the historical setting, structure, and major themes of Ezra and Nehemiah. Learn how God fulfilled H...

In this in-depth Bible lesson on Book of Ezra and Book of Nehemiah, we explore Israel’s return from exile, the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem’s walls, and God’s call for covenant faithfulness among His people.  This study traces the historical period from the decree of Cyrus through the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah, showing how God preserved His people after the Babylonian captivity. Th...

What do 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles teach Christians and the church today?  In this Bible lesson, we explore how the major themes of Chronicles apply directly to modern believers, the church, worship, and the reign of Christ. This study walks through the five major emphases of Chronicles: The Davidic King and the reign of Jesus Christ The unity of God’s people The temple and the church Biblical...

What are 1 and 2 Chronicles really about? In this lesson, we explore the major theological themes of Chronicles and why these books were written to Israel after the exile. Far from being a mere repetition of Samuel and Kings, Chronicles gives God’s people a blueprint for restoration centered on worship, the temple, covenant faithfulness, and the Davidic king. In this Bible study, we examine: - The...

What is the purpose of the Books of 1 & 2 Chronicles , and why did God inspire them after the exile? In this in-depth Bible study, we explore the theology, history, and message of Chronicles from a Reformed and Presbyterian perspective. This lesson explains how Chronicles parallels Samuel and Kings while presenting a completely different emphasis: restoration, worship, the temple, the Davidic...

What is the true message of the Books of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles? In this in-depth Bible study, we explore why Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile and how it calls God’s people back to covenant faithfulness, temple worship, and unity under the line of David. Discover the major themes of restoration, the rebuilding of the temple, the importance of the Levites, and why the Chroni...

What are the “seventy sevens” in Daniel 9? Does Daniel’s 70th week describe a future seven-year tribulation, or was it fulfilled in Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70? In this Bible study on Daniel chapter 9, we examine Gabriel’s answer to Daniel’s prayer and trace the timeline from the decree of Cyrus, to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, to the coming of the Messiah, the crucifixion o...

In this in-depth Bible teaching on Daniel 9, we carefully walk through the prophecy of the seventy “sevens” and its fulfillment in redemptive history. What did Gabriel’s message to Daniel really mean? How do the 70 weeks connect to the coming of Jesus Christ, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and God’s covenant purposes? This lesson takes a historically grounded, Reformed approach—interpretin...

What are the 70 weeks in Daniel 9 , and do they predict the end times —or Jesus Christ? In this study, we walk verse-by-verse through Daniel’s prayer and God’s answer to uncover what the prophecy actually means. This lesson examines Daniel 9:24–27, focusing on the famous “70 weeks” prophecy and its connection to Christ’s atoning work. Rather than reading the passage through speculative timelines o...