Jesus, the changing colors of autumn, and the collision of the Old and New Testaments are just a few of my favorite things.Before I go on with this, let me back up for a minute. Recently, Pastor Jeremy mentioned that Isaiah was the favorite prophet of the Gospel writers. Since one of my favorite things about the Bible is that it is, from start to finish, the narrative of Jesus Christ, Jeremy’s sta...

Have you ever wondered why there is a blank page in your Bible that separates the Old Testament from the New Testament? Most assume it is just a simple, bookish way to show separation between the Old and the New. But should we show a separation? The Bible is one grand narrative of God’s redemption and reconciliation of mankind collated into two volumes. Since both Testaments are part of God’s gran...

Jesus: Servant, Son of Man, King!Congratulations! You have completed reading the Old Testament in your Rooted Bible Reading Plan for 2025. We now move on to the New Testament and begin with the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.We might consider Matthew, Mark, and Luke the first evangelists, who used similar accounts and often used the same language in their gospel writings. I find it interesting...

1. Was every prophet divinely called into service by God?Unlike the office of the priesthood, which was ancestry-based (you needed to be a descendant of Aaron), the office of the prophet was a divinely appointed call. Well-known prophets, such as Moses, Samuel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, or Isaiah, were called into service through a dream or vision, which we have a written account of in Scripture. The cal...

“Come, return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now He will heal us. He has injured us; now He will bandage our wounds. In just a short time He will restore us, so that we may live in His presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of the dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” Hosea 6:1-3I recently did a Bible s...

The Book of Jeremiah is a collection of sermons preached by the “weeping prophet” (Jer. 9:1, 10; and 13:17). Thomas Constable said, “Babylon” is mentioned 162 times in the Book of Jeremiah (Babylonian Captivity). No wonder Jeremiah was weeping. In fact, Jeremiah preached a heartbreaking message of doom to a stiff-necked people. He began preaching around the age of 17 and labored more than 40 years...

The book of Isaiah stands out as a rich and majestic masterpiece of messages from God to His chosen people, unveiling His holiness, judgment, compassion, and faithfulness. Readers often find themselves drawn into the convicting messages and vivid prophecies handed down by God through the prophet Isaiah. For over 2,500 years, believers have been challenged by the message of Isaiah, comforted by its...

How lonely sits the cityThat was full of people!How like a widow is she,Who was great among the nations!The princess among the provincesHas become a slave!She weeps bitterly in the night,Her tears are on her cheeks;Among all her loversShe has none to comfort her.All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;They have become her enemies.Judah has gone into captivity,Under affliction and hard se...

The book of Ecclesiastes stands as one of the most intriguing and philosophical books of the Bible. Often misunderstood as pessimistic or cynical, it is in truth a deeply theological exploration of life, meaning, and human limitations. It was written by a man of great wisdom and experience, King Solomon, who had everything the world could offer: wisdom, wealth, fame, and power. Yet, his reflection...

Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) has, by far, produced a plethora of interpretations over the centuries. If you need some interesting, rabbit-hole reading, then look up the interpretations of Song of Songs; you will not be disappointed. However, with so many interpretations, the problem of finding the correct one becomes a fundamental issue that must be solved if we are to understand the book’s ...