The prophet Malachi chastises the returned exiles for their lackluster and disobedient worship. He rebukes the priests for offering polluted food, blemished animals, and ill-gotten offerings. He even intimates that it would be better to just shut the doors of the temple altogether (see Mal. 1:10). How do we know…

Balaam is probably one of the most enigmatic figures in the Pentateuch. He plays a pivotal role in blessing Israel even when he is hired to curse them. Plus, there’s an irony in the seer not seeing the angel of Yahweh and being rebuked by a talking donkey. The IVP…

Psalm 18 is an epic psalm of salvation. It is a deeply personal psalm as the psalmist praises the Lord for rescuing him from his enemies. Let’s learn more about this psalm with some help from the NLT Study Bible. This post contains three features from the NLT Study Bible:…

Someone once said that there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. While that is a rather bleak summation of what we can expect in this life, it is certainly true that death and taxes are universal human certainties. Thankfully, we don’t have to tread these deep…

How would you feel about following in the footsteps of one who was imprisoned for what he believed? A little intimidated, perhaps? Maybe a little hesitant, especially when the one in prison says, “Join me”? Let’s see how Paul encourages Timothy to have courage to follow the call of God…

What do we need when all hope seems lost? When we’re exhausted and can’t seem to squeeze even an ounce of strength out of our weariness? We need the one who, unlike us, does not faint or grow weary. We need the everlasting God. Come and learn about the greatness…

If you’ve been around Christian circles for some time, then you’ve probably heard the saying that a person can be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good. However, that doesn’t seem to fit with what the Scriptures say. Not only is heavenly mindedness a good thing, it…

The early church spread out from Jerusalem as a result of persecution. As if the persecution wasn’t difficult enough to handle, more difficulties ensued in the surrounding cities where they preached the gospel. Even though there was a fantastic response to the gospel in Samaria, one such difficulty ensued when…

Sometimes it’s helpful to have a nice, succinct summary of something you’re studying. That’s why resources like the Key Word Commentary are so popular with users of the Olive Tree Bible App. The Key Word Commentary distills each chapter of the Bible (all 1189 of them!) down into ten “keys”.…