God’s Challenge Malachi 3:6–12 “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:10 (NIV throughout) Not merely our money or time, but our whole selves—body, soul, and spirit— are God’s, and therefore we are to honor God wholly with all we are. Paul wrote, “You are not your own; you were bought at a…

Holy to the Lord Zechariah 14:20–21 On that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” Zechariah 14:20 “And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as…

The Shepherd-King Zechariah 9:9–10:12 Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation. Zechariah 9:9 Zechariah tells of four things the Shepherd-King does. 1. The Shepherd saves his people (9:14–17): “On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people” (v. 16). 2. The Shepherd provides for…

No Shortcuts Zechariah 4:6–10 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 This message to Zerubbabel has several parts: first, a general principle: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts”; second, a reference to obstacles: “Who are you,…

A Day to Remember Haggai 1:1–15 All the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God. Haggai 1:12 From time to time the preaching of the Word of God strikes home, and a life is genuinely changed. When that happens in large numbers, you have a revival. This happened under Haggai’s…

A New Song Zephaniah 3:14–20 The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. Zephaniah 3:15 Assuming that you are God’s child and are growing in holiness, what follows? In chapter three of Zephaniah, what follows is a song of joy. That is, you are invited to sing and shout aloud, because: “The Lord…

Living by Faith Habakkuk 2:4–5 The righteous shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4 The way of the righteous is the way of faith in God. The way of the wicked is the way of drawing back from faith in God. The first submits to God and trusts God. The second submits to no one….

Waiting for an Answer Habakkuk 1:12–2:1 I will take my stand at my watchpost. Habakkuk 2:1 Habakkuk has gone as far in his reasoning as he can. Now he needs to know more if he is to make progress. So he waits to see what God will say to him. This is worth looking at…

Judgment Nahum 3:1–7 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts. Nahum 3:5 This is a dreadful thing. It is terrible to have the great God of the universe say, “I am against you.” But it is not only to Nineveh that he speaks those words. He speaks them to all who sin…

A Mighty Ruler Micah 5:2–5 From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel. Micah 5:2 The prophecy of a ruler becomes quite personal. For the issue is not merely whether the one born in this small Judean town so long ago really was a great ruler, but whether…