Life's Inanities and Ironies

Zechariah 6:9–15 & 9:9–10 After the eight visions, the Lord gives Zechariah a symbolic act. He is to take silver and gold from certain returned exiles, make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua the high priest (6:11). Then the prophetic word is spoken: “Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (6:12–13). Here the two offices that had been carefully separated in Israel—king and priest—are united in one Person, the Branch. Only Jesus Christ fulfills this prophecy. He is the King who sits on David’s throne, and He is the great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession. The counsel of peace is between the two offices because they meet perfectly in Him. Later, in the first major oracle of t...

  Zechariah 5 The sixth and seventh visions shift the tone from comfort to cleansing judgment. Zechariah first sees a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide—the exact dimensions of the holy place in the tabernacle and the porch of Solomon’s temple (5:1–2). This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth. On one side it is written against every thief; on the other against every one who swears falsely by the Lord’s name. The scroll enters the house of the sinner and consumes it, with the timber and the stones (5:3–4). God’s Word is not only a word of comfort; it is a word of judgment. The same holy standard that once rested in the sanctuary now flies forth as a curse against unrepentant sin. Theft and false swearing—sins against both neighbor and God—are singled out, yet they represent the whole of covenant-breaking wickedness. The seventh vision is even more vivid. An ephah (a large measuring basket) appears, and a woman sits in the midst of it. The...

Zechariah 4 The fifth vision is among the most familiar and most needed in the entire book. Zechariah sees a golden candlestick (lampstand) with a bowl on top and seven lamps, and beside it two olive trees pouring oil into the bowl (4:2–3). When the prophet asks the meaning, the angel answers with the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (4:6). The great mountain of opposition before Zerubbabel will become a plain. He will bring forth the headstone of the temple with shoutings of “Grace, grace unto it” (4:7). The hands of Zerubbabel that laid the foundation will also finish it (4:9). The two olive trees are “the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (4:14)—almost certainly representing the dual offices of king (Zerubbabel) and priest (Joshua), both ultimately fulfilled in the one Person of Jesus Christ, who is both King and Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. This vision is pure gold f...

  Zechariah 3 The fourth vision brings us into the heavenly courtroom. Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of the Lord, and Satan stands at his right hand to resist him (3:1). Joshua is clothed with filthy garments—symbol of the sin and defilement of the priesthood and the people. The Lord rebukes Satan: “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (3:2). Then the command is given: “Take away the filthy garments from him.” To Joshua the Lord says, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment” (3:4). A fair mitre is set upon his head. The high priest is cleansed and restored to service. Yet the vision does not end with Joshua. The Lord of hosts declares, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest… for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch… For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eye...

  Zechariah 1:7–2:13 Three months after the opening call, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, Zechariah received a series of night visions that form the heart of chapters 1–6. The first three visions establish God’s heart toward His people and His city. In the first vision Zechariah sees a man riding a red horse among myrtle trees in a bottom (1:8). Behind him stand red, speckled, and white horses. These are the Lord’s patrol, sent to walk to and fro through the earth. They report that the whole earth sits still and is at rest. The angel of the Lord then intercedes: “O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?” (1:12). The Lord’s answer is full of comfort: “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy… I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it… and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerus...

  Zechariah 1:1–6 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius (520 B.C.), the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. The remnant had returned from Babylon under Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. The foundation of the second temple had been laid years earlier, yet the work had stalled. Discouragement, opposition, and spiritual lethargy had settled over the people. Into that silence the Lord spoke through His prophet. Zechariah’s opening message is not a soft word of encouragement. It is a summons: “The Lord has been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 1:2–3). The Hebrew word for “turn” is the classic call to repentance. God does not merely invite them to rebuild a building; He demands that they return to Him with their whole heart. The prophet then reminds them of the tragic his...

We are living in an hour of great spiritual deception. Television, streaming platforms, social media, and even some so-called “Christian” bookstores are filled with content that glamorizes the paranormal. Ghost-hunting programs, psychic mediums, astrology, tarot cards, crystals, spirit guides, and “conversations with the dead” are presented as entertainment, self-help, or harmless curiosity. Yet the unchanging Word of God issues a clear, repeated, and severe prohibition against every form of the occult and paranormal. This is not a matter of personal preference or cultural sensitivity. It is a matter of obedience to the living God and protection of the soul. God’s Explicit Command In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 the Lord declares: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever do...

  Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. I write to you today not as one who stands above the fray, but as a fellow pilgrim who has known the deceitfulness of his own heart and the long-suffering mercy of a holy God. The subject before us is solemn, searching, and urgently needful for every soul that names the name of Christ: the danger of remaining recalcitrant in our sins. To be recalcitrant is to be stubbornly resistant, obstinate, unyielding. When the Word of God speaks, when the Spirit convicts, when the conscience is stirred, the recalcitrant soul digs in its heels. It hardens the neck. It stiffens the will. It refuses to turn. Scripture does not treat this posture lightly. It treats it as a pathway that leads, if unrepented of, to sudden destruction and that without remedy.   The Clear Testimony of the Word Let us begin where all true teaching must begin—with the inerrant Scriptu...

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”   —Luke 18:1 (KJV) Our Lord Jesus did not begin this familiar parable with a story. He began with a purpose. Before the widow ever stood before the unjust judge, Christ told His disciples *why* the parable was being given: that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. That single verse sets the entire tone. Prayer is not presented as an emergency measure or a last resort. It is presented as the normal, continual posture of the believer. The place of prayer is not first a geographic location—though a quiet closet is a blessed thing—but a settled determination of the heart that refuses to quit. Always Pray The word “always” leaves no room for seasons of spiritual neglect. It does not mean we are to walk about with our eyes closed and our lips moving every waking moment. It means that the channel between the believer and the throne of grace is never to be shut down. Communion with ...

  In the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, our Lord Jesus Christ sets before us three linked parables that reveal the very heart of God toward the lost. The chapter opens with the Pharisees and scribes murmuring because publicans and sinners drew near to hear Him. Their complaint was simple and revealing: “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” In answer, the Son of God unfolds the parables of the lost sheep, the lost silver, and the lost son. Today we turn our full attention to the middle parable—the story of the woman and her ten pieces of silver. Hear the words of the Lord again: “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of...

  In a world that glorifies independence and self-sufficiency, the Word of God calls every true believer to something far higher and far more demanding. We are not spiritual free agents. When the Lord Jesus Christ saved us by His blood, He placed us into His body—the local church—and bound us together with unbreakable cords of love and duty. We are members one of another (Romans 12:5). That truth carries weighty responsibility. The New Testament is filled with clear, repeated commands about how we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. These are not suggestions for the especially spiritual. They are the expected fruit of genuine conversion. Let us examine several of these sacred obligations. 1. We Are Commanded to Love One Another as Christ Loved Us Jesus Himself set the standard on the night He was betrayed: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples...

  The first shock of the diagnosis has passed. The tears have been cried, the prayers have been poured out, and the church has rallied. Now comes the harder part—the long road. The treatments stretch on. The fatigue settles in. The future remains uncertain. What does a believer do when the crisis is no longer a sudden storm but a steady, grinding season? Scripture does not leave us without light for this path either.  1. Stay Near the Shepherd Every Single Day Psalm 23 was not written for the healthy and strong. It was written for sheep walking through the valley of the shadow of death. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).   Notice the wording: *though I walk*. Not “if I am carried.” Not “if I am instantly delivered.” The daily walk itself is the place where the Shepherd’s presence is most precious. Begin each morning by deliberately placing yours...

  The phone call comes. The test results are back. The doctor looks you in the eye and speaks words that change everything: “It’s serious. It’s critical.” In that moment the room seems to tilt. Fear rises. Questions flood the mind. Yet for the blood-bought child of God, this is not the end of the story—it is the beginning of a deeper walk with the One who holds every breath. Scripture does not leave us guessing about how to face such news. From Genesis to Revelation the Word of God gives clear, unchanging counsel.  1. Immediately Acknowledge the Sovereignty of God The first response is not panic—it is worship. Job, upon receiving wave after wave of devastating news, fell to the ground and said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Hezekiah, when told to set his house in order because he would die, turned his face to the wall and prayed (Isaiah 38:1-3). Both men understood that life and death belong to the Lord alone (Deuter...

Reflections on My Last Day as Facilities Manager at Age 67 There comes a day when a man walks the grounds one final time, turns in the keys, and closes a chapter that has filled nearly twelve years of his life. Today is that day for me. After almost twelve years serving as facilities manager at the Miami County fairgrounds, I am retiring. I will miss the work. More than that, I will deeply miss being around the young people who fill those grounds with energy, laughter, and life. Their presence has been one of the quiet joys of the job, and walking away from that daily contact is harder than I expected. Yet the reason for this step is not simply the turning of a calendar page. For four years I have lived with kidney failure, spending long hours each week on dialysis while waiting for a transplant. Other health concerns have now pushed that hope further down the road. At sixty-seven, the body is speaking more loudly than the will. The Lord, in His perfect wisdom, has made it clear that t...

  Noah’s preaching duration is one of the most frequently discussed details surrounding the Flood account. Scripture does not give a single verse that states “Noah preached for exactly X years,” yet it supplies clear data that allow us to form a solid, biblically grounded picture. The Clear Biblical Statements Two key New Testament passages establish that Noah was actively proclaiming God’s message: - ** 2 Peter 2:5 ** (KJV): “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.”     The Greek word for “preacher” (*kēryx*) means a herald—someone who publicly announces an official message. Noah was not merely living a quiet righteous life; he was publicly declaring righteousness and, by implication, warning of coming judgment. - **1 Peter 3:20** adds that “the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.” God’s patience was active during the ...

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.   They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.   —Luke 17:26-27 (KJV) Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, does not speak in vague generalities when He describes the condition of the world at His return. He reaches back to a specific, historical moment of judgment—the days of Noah—and declares that the spiritual climate of those days will be repeated in the days of the Son of man. This is not poetic language. This is prophetic precision from the One who cannot lie. The Holy Spirit recorded four ordinary, everyday activities that characterized that generation: they ate, they drank, they married wives, and they were given in marriage. These four elements were not in themselves sinful. Eating and drinking are necessary. Marriage is a divine institution. Yet in Noah’s d...

* Lessons from Achan and the Battle of Ai – Joshua 7 * In our ongoing series “Don’t Cross That Line,” we have already seen how God draws clear, immovable boundaries out of mercy and holiness. We watched Shimei test the line around Jerusalem and pay with his life. We saw Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire and be consumed instantly. We heard Aaron hold his peace in the face of devastating personal loss because holy fear demanded it. Now we come to one of the most sobering warnings in all of Scripture: **one man’s hidden sin can bring defeat to an entire nation.** The account of Achan in Joshua 7 is not merely ancient history. It is the living Word of God shouting across the centuries that sin is never truly private, that God’s “devoted things” are not to be touched, and that hidden compromise in the camp will eventually bring public defeat—until the line is honored and the sin is removed. The Backstory: A Great Victory and a Clear Command The children of Israel had just experienced one o...