Stepping through the Old Testament

The book of Jeremiah is the second of the Major Prophets, and portrays God’s judgement against Israel through the Babylonian army. The Babylonian campaign against Judah and Jerusalem is referred to as judgement ‘from the north’, symbolising the direction the Babylonians would approach the city. Jeremiah was often characterized by his anguish of spirit and he has been called 'the weeping prophet'. He was a deeply sensitive man, who found the message of judgement so upsetting, that he often shed tears as he expressed his grief and sorrow. He was a man of prayer and fortitude as he endured fierce opposition from the kings of Judah and the false prophets who stood against him. But Jeremiah remained faithful to the call and ministry of God on his life and he is an example to each of us to remain strong, even if we don’t see the results we want.

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Isaiah lived in a time of great political turmoil when Assyria was expanding its empire and he encouraged and prophesied to the kings of Judah to put their trust in God. The book of Isaiah consists of two parts, a book of judgement and a book of comfort. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah form the “book of judgment” where the prophet speaks against various groups of people. However, following all of these devastating judgments, the final chapters of Isaiah chapters 40-66 are a “book of comfort”, where he gives a vision of hope. Isaiah is often called “The Messianic Prophet” as he foretells many facts about the coming Messiah. He is also referred to as the Evangelist of the Old Testament and he speaks of the sufferings of Christ and God’s desire to heal and restore mankind.

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The Song of Songs is one of the Poetry and Wisdom books of the Bible and is a sensuous love poem about the spiritual and sexual love between a husband and wife. But the Song of Songs is more than just the story of marriage and love between two people– it’s also an analogy.  The Song of Songs uses the analogy of the love between a man and a woman to describe the love between God and human beings. The Song of Songs is saying that our relationship with God can be like this. We should be able to say of God, ‘My beloved is mine and I am his’.

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The book of Ecclesiastes is a journal, the diary of one man's journey through life. It has a lot to say on the subjects of governance, managing wealth, work and wisdom. But as we read through the book of Ecclesiastes we notice that the writer has one particular group of people in mind in which he wants to impart his advice, namely those who are young and still in the early stages of life.

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In the book of Proverbs, we are given access to a brilliant teacher, offering insight on a wide range of subjects, from relationships, to wealth and spirituality. Proverbs tells us, there is an aspect of God, namely, his wisdom, that can guide us through life. Proverbs also shows us, that anyone can access this wisdom to help make an incredible life for themselves, as long as they respect God, the source of all wisdom.   

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The Psalms are a book full of Emotions. Some psalms express deep grief, for example Psalm 56, says that God ‘puts our tears into his bottle’. Other Psalms include the human emotions of anger, frustration, jealousy, despair, fear and envy. The psalmists often expressed exactly how they thought and felt, including times of complaining against God. But many Psalms also reflect the more ‘positive’ emotions of joy, excitement, hope and peace. So, we see that the Psalms cover the whole range of human emotions. The reason the book of Psalms was written, was to help us worship God in every season of life, no matter how we feel.   Visit our website at  cellchurchconnection.ie

The central message of the book of Job, is that righteous people can suffer even though they have done nothing wrong. The book of Job does not offer a reason for suffering and it does not try to defend God’s actions. Instead, we are challenged to trust in God and believe that he is loving towards each one of us, even during the long dark night of trial. In the end we will find, that God is faithful and will lovingly restore those who wait for him.  Visit our website at cellchurchconnection.ie

When a powerful enemy seeks to commit genocide on Gods people, they seek his face for deliverance. But God has already positioned Queen Esther in the kings palace, "For such a time as this". Haman's evil plot against the Jews suddenly unravels before his own eyes and he becomes the architect of his own downfall. Esther is a book which demonstrates the Divine Providence of God, working behind the scenes to undo the wicked schemes of an arrogant man.    

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Hearing that the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem were in great trouble and disgrace, Nehemiah asks the king of Persia to allow him return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, in order to provide security and protection for his people. Permission is granted and Nehemiah has to overcome opposition and threats to his life, before the walls are finally restored. Nehemiah is a man of purpose and determination. He is prepared to leave his elevated position in the King's court and return to Jerusalem, in order to serve and encourage his people. The book of Nehemiah encourages us to persist in the face of opposition and see things through to the end. Along with his contemporary Ezra, Nehemiah helped solidify the political and spiritual foundations of the exiles in Jerusalem.   Visit our website at  cellchurchconnection.ie

The book of Ezra records the first two returns to Jerusalem, from exile in Babylon. Zerubbabel leads the first group back and Ezra leads the second some sixty to seventy years later. He was a scribe and his mandate for returning to Jerusalem was to teach the decrees and laws of God in Israel. Discovering that the Israelites were continuing to engage in sinful practices, Ezra implements reforms to separate the Jews from their intermarriages with the foreign inhabitants of Judah.   visit our website at: cellchurchconnection.ie