By Sam E. Stone Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry began while the Jews were in Babylonian captivity. He warned of the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 1-24). Later he delivered God’s judgment on various nations (Ezekiel 25-32). Our text today is taken from the latter period of Ezekiel’s preaching, as he brought hope for the exiles […]
God promised a righteous branch–The Uniform Lesson for August 19
By Sam E. Stone God sent the prophet Jeremiah to the southern kingdom of Judah. He faced difficult challenges seeing conditions in Judah go from bad to worse. The previous chapter (22) outlines the failings of three evil kings who had succeeded Josiah. The rulers are spoken of as “shepherds.” These men should have […]
God promised a righteous Lord–The Uniform Lesson for August 12
By Sam E. Stone Today’s text is one most readers associate with the Christmas season. It pictures the coming of Jesus (the Messiah) into the world. Today we see it is also a prophecy that goes back long before that. To the original audience—the people to whom Isaiah spoke—it simply meant hope for the […]
Praise for God’s justice–The Uniform Lesson for August 5
By Sam E. Stone The book of Psalms is divided into five sections. The last five psalms are sometimes called the “Hallelujah Psalms,” since all of them begin and end with the word hallelujah, literally, “Praise the Lord.” Bible scholars like to try to guess what prompted the writing of Psalm 146. Had the […]
Jehoshaphat makes judicial reform–The Uniform Lesson for July 29
By Sam E. Stone King Jehoshaphat was one of the more godly kings in the time of the divided kingdom. He ruled Judah around 873-848 BC, succeeding his father, Asa, on the throne (2 Chronicles 17:1). The writer declares, “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his […]
