Introduction If history teaches us anything, it is that people often do not take the warnings they are given seriously. We see this as parents warning our children, we see it when the meteorologists warn about approaching storms, and we see it when people are ... Read More »

People who have not yet celebrated their 18th birthday are often referred to as minor because they are underage. We might refer to the minor prophets as minor because they are under-preached. For several years my only exposure to the book of Habakkuk came from... Read More »

How does one preach Nahum? The background context is distant, specific to the Assyrians, and difficult to contextualize. The what of the passage is not difficult to identify: Nahum prophesies the destruction of Ninevah and the Assyrian empire as God’s retrib... Read More »

Preaching from the Minor Prophets is a daunting task. With a limited text before them, the preacher needs to be able to identify the historical setting of the author and book, as well as its place in redemptive history. Added to these tasks is the difficulty o... Read More »

Exegetical Notes on Jonah Outline of the book of Jonah – one popular outline of Jonah, which could be used in a sermon series, is: Running from God (chapter 1) Running to God (chapter 2) Running with God (chapter 3) Running ahead of God (chapter 4) About Jon... Read More »

“Turn to the table of contents,” are likely to be the first words you utter in a sermon dealing with Obadiah. This minor prophet, the shortest in the entire Old Testament, is often relegated to obscurity in the hearts and minds of many preachers. Yet, the ... Read More »

Growing up in eastern Kentucky, tornadoes are all but unheard of. Older generations would profess, “Tornadoes can’t get down in on our mountains… but if they ever did, watch out!” I remember the carnage wrought by the first tornado I ever witnessed “... Read More »

Hosea is a powerful story of love. It’s not a romantic story—there’s no romance in it (which is important to the story). Hosea tells of God’s kesed love for his unlovable people, paralleled by Hosea’s kesed love for his unlovable wife. Both “wives�... Read More »

Author: Solomon Audience: The Jewish Nation Date of Writing: ca. 935 B.C. The Song of Solomon is an unusual but beautiful Old Testament work filled with typology. No book in the Bible presents symbolism more liberally or effectively than The Song of Solomon. T... Read More »

Don’t miss the Application The book of Ecclesiastes contains application upon application for today’s society. With topics ranging from individualism, idolatry, consumerism, suffering, temptation, injustice, competition, poverty, oppression, and more, ... Read More »

For a preacher, preaching from the Old Testament wisdom of Proverbs is like a little boy walking into LEGOLAND, the entertainment attraction dedicated to the full enjoyment of the classic Lego building bricks. One hardly knows where to begin. Because of its ar... Read More »

I remember the first time I discovered journaling. I was a young seminary student frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t pay attention long enough to pray for very long at all. My thoughts either bounced all around my head so that my prayers became ran... Read More »