After laying the foundations of the new Temple, Ezra 4:1-6 tells us that the people who lived in Jerusalem began to oppose what they were seeing. Although they presented themselves as friendly and fellow worshippers of Israel’s God and offered their help to rebuild the temple, the leaders of the Jews quickly saw through this […]

After God’s people returned from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem, Ezra 3:8-13 tells of the day that the people got to work and laid the foundations of the second temple. The work was hard and involved many who contributed their skills, and the end result was that the people achieved what they had set out […]

When the people of Judah returned fron Babylon to Jerusalem, there must have been a whole host of matters to attend to after a 70 year absence. But the text of Ezra 3:1-7, tells us that once the seventh month of the year came, the month in which Jews observe many of the Old Testament […]

After the first chapter of Ezra set the scene for the return of God’s people to Jerusalem from Babylon through the decree of the Persian king Cyrus, Ezra 2:1-70 fills in the names of the 42,000 who made the journey and came back from exile. While some may think that not much can be learned […]

The story of the book of Ezra concerns the return of God’s people to Jerusalem after their peirod of exile in Babylon. In Ezra 1:11, we find a very clear picture of the sovereign rule of God who brough King Cyrus of Persia to power and ‘stirred’ him to allow His people to return back […]

While the letter of Jude has been mainly about the dangers of false teaching in the church, the final verses of Jude’s letter (Jude 24-25) form a very real contrast. While the first part of Jude has been filled with warnings and calls to action, in the last verses Jude presents another side of the […]

Theories abound as to the link between the suffering that happens on earth and the sin of people. Some say that God always punishes the worst and rewards the best. In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus put this theory to rest. When asked about the aftermath of Pilate’s depravity and the collapse of the Tower of Siloam, […]

Though Jude’s letter up to this point has been about the dangers of apostasy and those who are false teachers, Jude also has some helpful things to add in verses 17-23 about the best kind of counter-attack to false teaching. By using our minds and bringing to mind the teachings of the apostles, we will […]

Most people get their education at school, but life also hands out many complex lessons. The man who wrote Psalm 116:1-19 found this to be true. When faced with an overwhelmingly desperate situation in which he was threatened by death, his cry to the Lord did not go unheard. In fact, God heard his cry […]

After urging his readers to be on the lookout for false teachers who had infiltrated their church and brought with them a false gospel and an empty way of life. In verses 12-17, Jude then sought to expose their character. To do this, Jude uses words that are ‘word pictures’ such as ‘trees without fruit’ and […]