A Wonderful Day in the Lord

As we transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament on our adventure down Route 66, we will take a week to review the Old Testament which we have covered so far. Days review focuses on the giving of the law and the origins of our history.

Key word: “You Say” The Lord had sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the returned exiles to finish building the temple. But spiritually, the people had declined and so 58 years later God sent Ezra to preach truth and the Jews responded well. 12 years after Ezra came to town, Nehemiah appears and under His leadership they rebuild the walls and their spiritual lives. But Nehemiah goe...

Key word: “You Say”  The Lord had sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the returned exiles to finish building the temple. But spiritually, the people had declined and so 58 years later God sent Ezra to preach truth and the Jews responded well. 12 years after Ezra came to town, Nehemiah appears and under His leadership they rebuild the walls and their spiritual lives. But Nehemi...

Key word: Lord of Hosts (45x) Zechariah prophesied at about the same time as Haggai, for the same purposes – to draw the Jews back to the Lord and have them finish the construction of the temple. Haggai preached two messages in the 6th and 7th month, then Zechariah gave his first message in the 8th month, followed by two more prophecies by Haggai in the 9th month. Haggai now steps into the backgro...

Key word: Lord of Hosts (45x)  Zechariah prophesied at about the same time as Haggai, for the same purposes – to draw the Jews back to the Lord and have them finish the construction of the temple. Haggai preached two messages in the 6th and 7th month, then Zechariah gave his first message in the 8th month, followed by two more prophecies by Haggai in the 9th month. Haggai now steps into the b...

Key word: Consider  The last three minor prophets’ prophecy to the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem after being in Babylonian captivity for 70 years. The Jews who had returned under their governor Zerubbabel and high priest Joshua had as their immediate task to rebuild the temple. The less than 50,000 who returned laid the foundation of the temple but then got discouraged and stopped. Soo...

Key word: Renewal  Zephaniah is a descendant of royalty, being the great-great grandson of Hezekiah. He prophesied during the reign of Josiah and comes out firing (1:2). His theme is the “Day of the Lord”, which he references some 20 times. As we have seen in other books, the Day of the Lord includes two distinct periods of time – a day of doom and a day of rejoicing and renewal. In the early...

Key word: Faith Have you ever questioned God and, the way He is handling your life? Have you ever wondered why He allows so many ugly things to take place in this world, things like the death of children, war, famine, injustice, or whatever you are facing today? If so, you are ready for the message of Habakkuk. We are introduced to the prophet at an extremely low point in His life (1:2). As a man...

Key word: Faith  Have you ever questioned God and, the way He is handling your life? Have you ever wondered why He allows so many ugly things to take place in this world, things like the death of children, war, famine, injustice, or whatever you are facing today? If so, you are ready for the message of Habakkuk.  We are introduced to the prophet at an extremely low point in His life (1:2...

Key word: Against  Have you ever felt that the Lord was against you? For the child of God that can never be the case. He may discipline us but He will never turn against us (Hebrews 13:5). But for the nation of Assyria – a godless, ruthless people, this was not the case. As a matter of fact, twice the Lord declares to the Assyrians that He was against them (2:13, 3:5). What an unbelievable ho...

Key word: Listen  Micah as a prophet contemporary with Isaiah who ministered to both Judah and Israel. He has three messages from God to deliver, each beginning with the word “hear”. The first message is to the people of Israel (chapters 1-2) (1:2). It is a warning of coming judgment, a call to repent, and a promise of hope. As a matter of fact, at the end of each sermon is a message of hope...

Key word: Appoint God appointed Jonah several things to do. His will: a wind, a fish, a plant, a worm, a wind (again) and a prophet. Only the prophet resisted. Jonah is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. Because of its storyline it has become a children’s classic, but has a sobering message, which is played out in five scenes: #1 The commission of Jonah (1:1-2). Jonah is given a unique ca...

Key word: Appoint  God appointed Jonah several things to do. His will: a wind, a fish, a plant, a worm, a wind (again) and a prophet. Only the prophet resisted.  Jonah is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. Because of its storyline it has become a children’s classic, but has a sobering message, which is played out in five scenes:  #1 The commission of Jonah (1:1-2). Jonah is...

Key word: Arrogance  If there is any book in the Bible, which might seem inconsequential, it would be Obadiah. It is the shortest book in the Old Testament. We know nothing about the author except his name (there are 12 Obadiah’s in Scripture); we do not know when he wrote his book, or the special circumstances he is talking about; it is not even addressed to the Jews, instead it is addressed...

Key word: Prepare  One of Israel’s last kings was Jeroboam II. Under his leadership, the nation reached its zenith militarily and economically. The people experienced a wide level of prosperity and peace. But as is often the case, prosperity led to disastrous spiritual consequences. Instead of humble thanksgiving to God, they congratulated themselves and sank into a life of luxury, cruelty an...

Key word: “Day of the Lord”  Joel is a little book with a powerful impact on the prophetic understanding. That is because it is wrapped around what is call “the Day of the Lord”, referenced directly five times (1:11, 15, 22, 31, 3:14) and alluded to a few other times (see 3:1). In a general sense, the day of the Lord is used to describe a time of judgment, destruction and doom, throughout the...

Key word: Faithfulness  We begin our travel today through the most neglected portion of Scripture – the minor prophets. This collection of 12 Old Testament books (known as the twelve by the Jews) are minor only in the sense that they are shorter, not that they lack significance. Each book has a unique perspective to offer the reader, and Hosea starts us on our journey.  Hosea is the last...

After concluding our look at the Book of Daniel, Pastor Gilley takes a fourth "pit stop" on our "Biblical Route 66" to summarize everything we've discussed so far.

Key word: Sovereignty  The book of Daniel is a fascinating Old Testament book, and one of the best-known books in the Bible. It is known on the one hand because its marvelous stories of God’s protection and providence, which has thrilled children and adults alike for generations. Who hasn’t heard of Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego’s rescue from the fiery furnace (3:1-18), Daniel’s rescue from...

Key word: Son of Man (found 91x)  Unlike Isaiah and Jeremiah, the other two major prophets who prophesied prior to exile, Ezekiel is already in exile and writing back to those still in the Holy Land and to those who were already in exile. Babylon invaded Judah and Jerusalem in three waves, carrying off exiles each time. Ezekiel was taken during the second wave around 598 B.C. While Jeremiah i...

Key word: Lament  Lamentations is the short follow-up book written by Jeremiah at the time of the fall of Jerusalem around 586 B.C. It is exactly what the title claims it to be – a lament, an expression of great sorrow over the awful judgment and destruction of Judah and Jerusalem due to the unrepentant defiance by the Jews in Jerusalem. The prophet is crushed, heart broken over the desolatio...

Key word: Return (47x)  Whereas Isaiah ministered to Judah as the fall of Israel approached, and beyond, Jeremiah ministered to Judah as Judah’s fall approached and beyond. About 70 years separated the prophecies of the two men. Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet because of his deep sorrows over Judah’s rejection of God and the resulting judgment (9:1). Jeremiah spends his whole min...

Key word: “The Holy One of Israel” (28x)  Isaiah is the most quoted Old Testament book by the New Testament authors. It covers everything from warnings, to judgment, to God’s grace, to the coming of the Messiah, to His death, to His return to set up His kingdom on earth.  There are so many wonderful portions and verses in Isaiah that it is almost impossible to pick out just a few. But he...

After concluding our look at the Book of Song of Solomon, Pastor Gilley takes a third "pit stop" on our "Biblical Route 66" to summarize everything we've discussed so far.

Key word: Love  If there is any book in the Bible that people do not know what to do with, it is this one. Historically, both the Jews and Christians have dismissed its message and offered allegorical interpretation. But if read literally it reveals a love story – the joys of romantic love within the bounds of marriage.  There are three principle actors within this drama. First, there is...