Matthew 2

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (v2). The wise men sought Jesus eagerly, but Herod’s response was murderous fury. From the time of Christ’s birth, there were those who rejected Him and sought to destroy Him, and those who welcomed His arrival. Matthew records King Herod’s response when he heard of Jesus (v1-3), sought to destroy Him but failed (v4-15), and gave vent to his hatred and anger by having all the male babies in Bethlehem under two years of age slaughtered (v16-23).

“They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy ... and worshipped him” (10). Nothing matters more than our response to Jesus. No matter what chaos or crisis are swirling, God calls us to personally welcome and worship His Son.

Matthew 1

“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v1). The author of Matthew, the first New Testament book, begins his account with a genealogy that roots Jesus in history. The most critical element of faith in Christ is that it is grounded not in feelings, religious fads, or charismatic individuals, but in reality. Jesus was God in flesh. His birth, life and teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection are real history, substantiated, witnessed.

“And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (v21). We are the beneficiaries of something real, God’s act of salvation through Jesus Christ, but only if we believe.

Psalm 1

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water ... he prospers” (v3). The psalmist declares that there are only two possible life paths: to “prosper” (v3) or to “perish” (v6). The wise person commits wholly to God and His ways, delighting in God’s law, day and night (v2). The foolish person dismisses God and His ways and instead takes his cues from the wicked, the sinner and scoffer (v2).

Many voices claim to tell us how to find the good life. But the only way to experience true, abundant life – regardless of our financial situation or physical circumstances – is to put our roots down into God’s living water (v3). When we connect firmly to Him, we experience a life of fruitfulness and flourishing (v3).

Malachi 3-4

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?” (3:2). Malachi cautioned those who thought that ancestry or residence in Judah gave them permission to sin. God’s judgment, like a refiner’s fire, was coming against “sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers ... those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless. and deprive the foreigners among you of justice” (3:5). God called out to them to change their ways (3:6).

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace ...” (4:1-2). Malachi warned that a life of unrepentant sin would lead to terrible consequences. But for those who desire God’s ways, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays” (4:1-2).

Malachi 1-2

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’” (1:2). Amid the slow work of rebuilding their small nation, Judah’s returned exiles wondered about God’s love. God reassured them of His faithfulness, yet through Malachi explained that His covenant of love was also a calling to an obedient life. God was “wearied” by their empty words. Their self-centered tears could not cover up their unacceptable sacrifices, partnerships with idol worshipers, or their adultery (2:11-16).

“My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace ...” (2:5). God’s mighty acts of salvation for us are meant to turn us away from sin and toward a life of faithfulness to His ways.

Zechariah 13-14

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (1). Zechariah’s prophecies encouraged the returned exiles that ruined Jerusalem still had a future. New Testament authors recognized that these promises of God’s salvation were accomplished through the Messiah. The “Shepherd” was indeed struck (and pierced, 12:10), and the sheep scattered (13:7), and yet through Jesus’ suffering, men and women are redeemed (John 19:37, Matt 26:31).

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem ...” (14:8). God fulfilled His promise to rescue His people, and we trust that the story is not over. One day, “the Lord will be King over the whole earth” (14:9).

Revelation 22

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life ...” (1). The promises of Eden are resurrected in the New City, just as we are. The freely-offered “water of life” becomes a river flowing from the Lamb’s throne through the city, and the tree of life (lost due to sin) reappears, available to all (2). The sadness and scars of the old world are not ignored: “the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (3).

“Let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (17). Our life of faith in Jesus has just begun. His resurrection power will fully do its work in us and the world when He returns to make all things new.

Revelation 21

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (21:3). Scripture’s great story concludes with the fulfillment of God’s plan to dwell among His image-bearers. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Israel, and finally the “Word made flesh”, God has been calling sinful humanity back to Himself so that we can live in fellowship with Him. When He makes everything new (21:5), no hint of suffering or evil will remain. The “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” will live among redeemed humans, without darkness (21:22,25).

“To the thirsty I will give water without cost ...” (21:6). God freely offers life, now and forever, to “the thirsty” – those tired of what the world offers and longing for what Jesus brings.

Revelation 20

“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God” (20:4). In John’s time, as in many times and places, those who refused to worship the powers and idols of the world (symbolized by the beast and its image) were attacked and even killed. But John saw that in the final reckoning, these seeming “losers” would rise and reign with Christ, sharing in His authority and being “priests of God” (20:6).

“Books were opened” (20:12). One day, God’s accounting will be the one that matters. Those who follow Jesus, often considered naïve, vulnerable, and foolish by the world, will be called “blessed and holy” by God (20:6).

Psalm 150

“Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!” (1). The psalmist exhorts us to praise the Creator who rules and reigns from His holy heaven. But, instead of remaining distant, He came to His own rebellious creation and intervened with “acts of power” for our deliverance. This God of “surpassing greatness” deserves to be praised with cymbals and harps, trumpets and dancing.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (6). Our natural response to the Giver of Life is to offer songs of praise, to recount His acts of power, and to put our own lives into His hands as our “true and proper worship” (Rom 12:1).

Zechariah 10-12

“The idols speak deceitfully ... they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” (10:2). Israel’s leaders – kings, priests, and prophets – had failed God’s flock. The Lord told Zechariah to demonstrate Israel’s story by acting as a shepherd for sheep “marked for slaughter”. Zechariah started out with two shepherd staffs named Favor and Union, but these symbols of God’s blessing were broken (11:10-14), just as Israel had broken God’s covenant.

Israel’s sin, like all human sin, caused disaster and provoked judgment. Yet God’s love and His plan of redemption endured. “For the Lord Almighty will care for his flock ... I will restore them because I have compassion on them” (10:3,6).

Zechariah 8-9

“I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City ...” (8:3). The Lord promised the returned exiles that He was not finished with Israel. They had been a “curse”, but they would be a “blessing”; the world would see God’s special presence among them (8:13, 23). God told His people to rejoice, because He was going to send His righteous and victorious king to Jerusalem, “lowly and riding on a donkey” (9:9).

“He will proclaim peace to the nations ... the Lord will save His people on that day” (9:10, 16). God’s faithful promises never fail. He is still proclaiming peace to each one of us who will give up control and receive the humble King.

Zechariah 6-7

“When you fasted and mourned ... was it really for me that you fasted?” (7:5). When the returned exiles asked the prophet Zechariah about their rituals of fasting, the Lord reminded them of the dangers of empty religion. Earlier generations had sacrificed and fasted but ignored God’s instructions: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor” (7:9-10). Rejecting God’s powerful Word (5:4), they had brought disaster on themselves.

“It is he who will build the temple of the Lord ...” (6:13). The restarting of temple rituals wasn’t enough. God promised to bring a priest-king who would change hearts and show the way to a transformed life.

Revelation 19

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God” (v1). After the scene of God’s judgment on evil, John heard a great multitude shouting praises. All those who refused to bow down to the world’s idols, the “great and small” who were faithful to Jesus (5), rejoiced when the one called Faithful and True began to reign (v11). John bowed to the angel who brought this vision of victory, but the angel said, “Worship God!” (10).

“For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus” (v10). The visions of God’s victory and His coming reign point us to Jesus. Turning our backs on the fears and temptations of the world, we are called to live courageously as citizens of the true King.

Revelation 18

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ ... For all the nations have drunk themaddening wine of her adulteries ... and the merchants of the earth grew richfrom her excessive luxuries” (v3). As powerful as the world’s rulers, influencers,and owners seem to be, John’s vision shows it all crashing down. When God comes to judge (v20), the world’s “glory and luxury” gives way to plagues and death (v8). Political leaders, business leaders, all those whose highest values are comfort and selling “luxury and splendor” will mourn (v11, 14-15).

“Rejoice, you people of God!” (v20). Just as believers in John’s day were faithful under pressure, God calls us to imitate His love and holiness in a world that glorifies self-idolatry and sin.

Revelation 17

“I saw that the woman was drunk with ... the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus” (v6). In John’s time, many believers were martyred under the authority of the mighty Roman Empire. John’s vision used images of a prostitute (Babylon, symbol of worldly power) and a beast to depict the great evil unleashed when humans use their strength and achievements for sinful purposes. Inevitably, these powers turn against people who refuse to worship them (v4,12). But, in the end, worldly “winners” end up in self-destruction (v12).

“The Lamb will triumph over them” (v14). The idols of excess, pleasure, and power promise much but lead to suffering. The rule of the Lamb calls us to “deny ourselves” and serve Him, the giver of Life.

Psalm 149

“Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people” (v1). God’s people – “the people of Zion” – are urged to bring new songs of praise to God in response to His kindness. Israel praised God in communal, public celebrations (“dancing ... timbrel and harp” v3), and they also sang and worshipped in private, “on their beds” (5). Declaring the truth about God was part of both praise and judgment (v6-9), and eventually the “new song” became the truth of God’s salvation (Acts 14:15).

“For the Lord takes delight in his people” (4). We do not worship an impersonal or unresponsive deity, but instead we sing to the Lord who knows us, loves us, and delights in our praise.

Zechariah 3-5

Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates ... are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch” (3:8). Miraculously, the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon were allowed to return to Judah and begin rebuilding Jerusalem and its Temple. God told the high priest Joshua that this amazing restoration pointed toward even greater “things to come.” The God who rescued His people from exile would bring the Branch, the Messiah, to truly cleanse their sins and remove their shame (3:9).

“’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (4:6). The rescue, healing, and restoration we need does not come by human efforts or power. The Lord, by His Spirit, rebuilds the ruins.

Zechariah 1-2

“’Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you’” (2:2). Like Haggai, the prophet Zechariah urged the returned exiles in Judah to not repeat their ancestors’ mistakes. God planned an amazing future for the ruined Jerusalem: an angel said that one day, it would be “a city without walls” because God Himself “will be a wall of fire around it ... and its glory within” (2:2-5). God’s plan for Judah was far beyond land; He said, “Shout and be glad ... For I am coming” (2:10).

“For I am coming, and I will live among you” (2:10). God’s answer to sin and disgrace, exile and shame, is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

Haggai 1-2

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while thi house remains a ruin?” (1:3). In the prophet Haggai’s day, the exiled people of Judah had been miraculously brought home to their own land, but the Temple remained in ruins. Instead of rebuilding God’s house, they were busy with their own personal projects (1:7-11). The prophet declared that all their hard work “turned out to be little” because they were not putting God first (1:9).

“Be strong ... and work. For I am with you” (2:4). Our anxious, self-focused projects fall short of what God desires. He calls us to put Him first so that His Spirit can work through us to accomplish His amazing purposes. “Do not fear” (2:5).