Closer Day By Day

Prophecy - Nahum

How many of us know a lot about Nahum? Hands up! There, I knew it, it seems like we’re mostly in the same boat. Nahum is made up of 3 chapters and is a fairly short book in the bible. Yet, it turns out that it isn’t a popularly quoted book for perhaps a few reasons. In any case, we’ll read Nahum today: Bible Passage:  Nahum 1 - 3 After reading, what are the immediate thoughts that...

Prophecy - Micah

How long do you take to read a book, say something like a novel? Depending on various factors, such as how exciting or well-written the book is, some of us need just a few days, while the busier ones might take a few weeks. All in all, we do try to finish what we start reading, don’t we? The books we’ve read pack a lot into the hundreds of pages - the setting, characters, plot, twist,...

Prophecy - Jonah 1-4

The account of Jonah is one of the most familiar in the entire Bible.  We all know the story of the errant prophet who was swallowed by a big fish and the lessons and warnings that accompany it. Or so I thought… A sister told me recently that she had just read the book of Jonah properly for the first time.  And then she asked… “Why did Jonah ran away when God told him to go to...

Prophecy - Obadiah

Welcome back to another round of Life’s Recipes! Today, we are pleased to have Mr Obadiah share his recipes with us. Mr Obadiah, is the well-known author of…you guessed it J… the book of Obadiah! Besides his writing, Mr Obadiah is also notable for his act of courage and faithfulness in hiding 100 prophets of God in caves during the massacre ordered by the vile queen Jezebel (1 Kgs...

Prophecy - Amos 5-9

In trying to put a newsletter together, there are primarily two concerns.  One is what it says: factual content, proper vocabulary, grammar and punctuation are the issue here.  The other is how it looks: this concerns position of the type on the page, size of font, consistency in format and the like.  Sometimes, in order to make a page “look right”, the wordings have to be changed slightly. ...

Prophecy - Amos 1-4

Another Prophet comes under the spotlight for this and next week.  In fact, when you read about him, you will realize that he is not some super saint or specially trained prophet.  He was very much like you and I - someone with a day job - an ordinary man. But what he did was extraordinary.  Who is he? Bible Passage:  Amos 1-4 “They Should Do Something About This!” How many times have...

Prophecy - Joel 1-3

Upon finding out more about the book of Joel, a well-known Bible verse comes to mind. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! (Deut 6:4) This is because the name Joel means ‘Yah is God’. Although the name may seem simple and straightforward, it is deeply religious and more importantly, carries the message that only Yahweh is God. What should be our response to this declaration then?...

Prophecy - Hosea 8-14

To a linguist, the book of Hosea is a virtual utopia where the nuances of language are skilfully manipulated to paint a colourful and vivid albeit occasionally terrifying picture. Like most pictures, it is meant to convey a message and we know that it is important because it is God’s message to us. Today, let us read the second half of the book and analyse from a linguistic point of view to...

Prophecy - Hosea 1-7

Another prophetic book, another round of sin, judgement and redemption. Today, as we begin reading the book of Hosea, we may feel a sense of déjà vu. This is not strange for the prophetic books do follow this consistent format. The prophets are people called by God to warn His people and turn them back to Him after all. However, that does not mean that we only need to read one prophetic book to...

Prophecy - Daniel 7-12

To be very honest, it is with great trepidation that I write today’s entry. This is because the second half of the Book of Daniel is known as the Revelation of the Old Testament and for good reason too. Therefore, just as I would not dare to expound on the mysteries in Revelation, I would also not dare to elucidate our passage for today. However, there are certain established explanations of...