The role of priest was a vital one. The priest stood between God and His people interceding for them and seeking God's favour on their behalf. The priests themselves were ordinary people, prone to all the temptations of the people they served.The priesthood of Old Testament Israel saw many changes in its lifespan. There were times of revival and times when the priesthood was completely abandoned. Like the people they served, these priests often fell short of the purpose of God for ...

Anyone who works through the Acts of the Apostles will become aware of many themes flowing through the book. One of those themes is the clash between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. From the opening chapter to the end of the book, there appears to be a great spiritual battle raging. Satan is doing his utmost to destroy the work the Spirit of God has begun. We discover through it all however, the power of a great and sovereign God who can use even the sin of man and the tactics...

Ezekiel was a priest who prophesied at the time when God's people being taken into captivity in Babylon. He spoke to a people who knew the judgement of God on their lives. His messages were often sometimes acted out so God's people could understand them. On one occasion the Lord took his wife from him to show the people that they too would lose the delight of their hearts because of sin.Ezekiel was no stranger to pain. He suffered exile along with his people. The response of the pe...

Not much is known about Philip the Evangelist. What is known, however, is a challenge to us in our personal walk with the Lord and in our ministries.Philip’s life and ministry speak to us about the issue of success, the leading and timing of the Lord, and faithfulness even when unnoticed.I have been challenged as I have studied the brief details of the life of this important man of God. The goal of this study is to examine the life of this deacon in the Jerusalem church and...

This is a short commentary on Galatians 5:22-23. It is a study of what the Spirit of God wants to do in the life of every believer.The fruit of the Spirit is not the fruit fo human effort or discipline. It is the fruit of God's Spirit--the evidence of His presence in the life of the believer. Where the Spirit of God is given freedom to work, this will be evident in the character of His people.While there is much emphasis in our day on the work of God's Spirit to empower the...

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings. While much of the book is written by King Solomon, it also contains a section of sayings by Agur, and King Lemuel's mother. The focus of the book is to draw its readers into seeking God and living according to His purpose. The fear of the Lord seeems to be a central teaching of the book and underlying motivation for livin the life tht the writers describe. The heart cry of each writer is that their readers will be drawn to fear their great creator ...

This is a devotional commentary on Paul's letters to the Philippians and the Colossians.Philippi was an important Roman centre in the province of Macedonia. In the days of Paul it was a military centre and many soldiers walked its streets. The church in Philippi stood firmly behind the apostle in his ministry and did what they could to support him. Their participation in the gospel meant much to Paul and his spends time in this book thanking them. During this time the apostle was i...

We cannot escape problems between believers any more than we can between children in our families. The Lord Jesus knew problems would exist between His children and made provision for this in the Scriptures. Of particular importance is His teaching in Matthew 18:15-17. This passage shows us how to deal with the problems that arise between believers. It provides a safe way for those who have fallen to be restored and encourages the average believer to take seriously the matter of helping hi...

The book of Genesis traces the beginings of the earth as it was created by God to its first inhabitants. It shows how sin entered the world and the effects of the sin on the human race. From the early chapters of this book, however, we see that plan of a loving God to restore His creation to himself. Through the stories of ordinary humans like you and I we see the grace and patience of God and are reminded of our obligation toward this God of grace and mercy.This is a devotional co...

This is volume 2 of a two volume set on the book of Psalms. Psalms is divided into five books. This volume covers books 3 to 5 of the psalms of Israel (Psalm 73 to Psalm 150).The Psalms of Israel were used in the worship of God from David onward. In some cases they were written to be sung by temple musicians on a particular occasion. Some of the psalms contain instructions regarding the type of instruments to be played while they were sung. Psalm 5 for example was written for flute...

The prophet Daniel spoke to a people in exile. He reminded them that God had not forgotten them. He was a man who stood out in his day as one who was not afraid to be faithful to the God he loved and worshipped.In his exile, Daniel distinguished himself as a God fearing Jew wh o could interpret dreams. He was rewarded with a place of prominence among the wise men of the land. During this time, Daniel would have a series of visions pointing to the historical events that would lead up to the...

The books of 1 & 2 Kings cover the history of Israel over a period of about 450 years (from the reign of Solomon to the exile into Babylon). The focus of the books, as the title suggests, is to trace the leadership of the nation under the kings of Israel and Judah.It should be noted that the books are, in reality, a spiritual history of Israel and Judah. While they focus on the kings of the period, the intention of the author is to show his readers the impact of both godly and ungo...