The book of Obadiah has the twin distinctions of being both the shortest book in the Old Testament and the only one that substantially duplicates part of another book. At 21 verses, it is only 1.7 percent as long as Jeremiah, the longest prophetic work, and it extensively parallels Jeremiah 49:7-22. Why is Obadiah so…

The book of Philemon is the briefest and most personal of Paul’s letters. Paul, inspired by God, is writing to a friend to ask a favor of him – a big favor, for a person’s life depends on the outcome. Like most respectable citizens of the day, Philemon owned slaves (historians estimate that as many…

Jude 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. The word “contend” implies that Christians have something worth fighting for. When we have…

There are 5 books of the Bible that are only one chapter long: Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Obadiah. Over the next few Sundays our lessons will come from these 5 books. Last week we looked at the book of Second John and this Sunday’s lesson will be from Third John. 3 John…

Itinerant preachers were the means by which Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire. They looked to local churches to aid in their mission by providing hospitality. The problem was that some of the people seeking room and board were false teachers, expounding erroneous doctrines; others were just free-loaders, pretending to be ministers of the word…

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,and remembers your sins no more. If God forgives for His own sake, should we? Perhaps yes, but we should forgive primarily for His sake because He forgave us (Colossians 3:13 Forgive as the Lord forgave you). The context of…

The authenticity of the Bible has been attacked at regular intervals by atheists and theologians alike but none have explained away the mathematical seal beneath its surface. Ivan Panin (1855-1942) was a Russian immigrant and a mathematical genius who died a Harvard scholar and a citizen of the United States in 1942.He carefully examined the…

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Bible does not discuss the subject of evolution. Rather, its worldview assumes God created the world. The Biblical view of creation is not in conflict with science; rather, it is in conflict with any worldview that starts without a creator. Equally committed…

Hosea 14:5-8 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; 6 his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. 7 People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the…

Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Is life unfair? Psalm 37 ponders that perplexing question. Its basic conclusion: The success of the wicked won’t last, while in the long run people who do right will flourish. The psalmist,…