Esther is a beautiful book, but is often misunderstood. While the basic narrative is well known and the subject of a few different film adaptations, sometimes our familiarity with the story on the surface leads us to miss what’s happening in the details. Bel... Read More »

And all of the people gathered as one to the square which is before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded to Israel. Nehemiah 8:1 The book of Nehemiah describes a transition period for t... Read More »

Ezra is one of the great spiritual leaders of the Old Testament. His name meant, “Yahweh helps.” He was used of God to lead the Israelites back to the Promised Land, much like Moses did previously. In fact, this return to the homeland from Persian captivit... Read More »

I had been saved and called to preach in 1974 by God’s grace and for God’s glory. However during my years in college while pastoring my first church in 1976 I attended the Evangelism Conference for the state of North Carolina in Asheville and my life as a ... Read More »

The book of 1 Chronicles is in a part of the Bible where the pages stick together. Not many people dig into the book, and it is often skipped. Pastors are just as guilty. When I ask pastors what they are preaching, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a reply, ... Read More »

When I began preaching at eighteen years old one of the early lessons I learned regarding sermon preparation and the mechanics of preaching was understanding the presence of different genres of literature in Scripture and their impact on preaching. When immatu... Read More »

Preaching from the Old Testament can be a great adventure for the preacher and a treasure trove of gold nuggets for the listener. It sometimes takes a bit more work and imagination to mine these nuggets, but it is well worth it. One would be hard pressed to fi... Read More »

Great stories capture our hearts. Tucked within the pages of the Old Testament Historical Books lies a literary masterpiece called Ruth. This brief historical book tells the story of two poor widows who were saved from heartbreaking circumstances, only to be g... Read More »

The key to interpreting any historical book like Judges is to discover the major theme of the book. It most cases the narrator of any particular book will highlight the theme in the beginning paragraphs or the opening narrative within the book. However, in the... Read More »

The book of Numbers is typically not at the top of everyone’s reading list. For that matter, it generally isn’t the preacher’s go to book either. While some preachers might preach certain passages out of Numbers, rarely will a preacher take on the daunti... Read More »

Few books of the Old Testament confound preachers and laypersons more than Leviticus. The hermeneutical and applicational matrix is difficult but not insurmountable, and the reward is worth the exertion. I hope to provide five pointers for Leviticus. My intent... Read More »

Exodus is one of the richest and most rewarding books for preachers. The prophets and the psalms reflect its theological significance and spiritual importance through frequent references to its account. The familiarity of the narrative also makes it readily ac... Read More »