Juggling Fire

I just love a story that ends in victory with justice prevailing. And I can’t decide which of the lines I underlined in this chapter is my favorite. First, I love the end of verse 14 where it says, “The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | Ezra 6

So diplomatic, this chapter is. It kind of gave me some good feelz, you know? Tattenai seems a bit harsh when he rides up on the Israelites all puffy-chested and gets all up in their bizness, but in actuality, he handled the situation like a fair politician. Tattenai was the governor of the province, so… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | Ezra 5

Perspective is a wondrous and powerful noun, isn’t it? As we read these few short paragraphs, it’s easy to understand how outsiders could have viewed the Israelites as rebellious heathens. Let me repeat part of that last sentence … few short paragraphs. It only took a few short paragraphs for us to see and understand… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | Ezra 4

Bittersweet victories. This chapter can stand alone as a short story. It’s super. Just look at all it offers: it starts in autumn, and moves into spring, and the whole movement is beautiful. Everything and everyone are working in unison, and people are afraid (v. 3) yet happy, and we as readers are celebrating with… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | Ezra 3

Let’s have a look at Ezra the man, shall we? Most scholars give Ezra credit for writing the Book of Ezra, along with both the Chronicles and a couple other additions to the Bible (Nehemiah and one of the Psalms), but who was Ezra? Well, according the same scholars who decided he wrote a lot… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | Ezra 2

As we begin Ezra, let’s remember the ending of 2 Chronicles. In the last book, the Israelites had been banished from Judah. The Temple had been cleaned out and burned, and the city of Jerusalem was emptied of every last remnant of God’s people. And why? Because after a series of horrible leaders and years… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | Ezra 1

I remember looking back at the demise of Judah in 2 Kings and realizing that while Jerusalem fell to its lowest point at the end of both 2 Kings and now 2 Chronicles, Judah always had a ruler who was a descendant of King David. It’s hard to keep track of who’s who in these… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Chronicles 36

If the words “Passover lamb” don’t get you to thinkin’ about Jesus, then I hope my thoughts about this chapter will. Mmmmm hmmmm, I saw me some Jesus in today’s reading. While reading about all the sacrifices that had to be made in order for the Passover celebration to take place, a few things kind… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Chronicles 35

Kids these days get a bad rap sometimes. LIke, just the other day, I saw a meme that said something like, “kids who grew up in the bust-your-butt age are better people than kids who grew up in the time-out age.” It had so many likes and loves from people who now have kids raising… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Chronicles 34

If you think your sins have gone above and beyond anything God could ever forgive, look to King Manasseh. You cannot get any worse than him. He was brought up in the loving shadows of King Hezekiah, who spent a lifetime trying to right the wrongs of past kings, and his own son ignored everything… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Chronicles 33