Othniel was the first of the judges, and his rule sets up the pattern that's to follow: oppression, rescue, apostasy, in a continuing circuit. The people 'forgot the LORD their God' (verse 7) and worshipped idols; consequently they...

In this chapter the prophet rejoices in the assurance of God's salvation. There are descriptions of the way he empowers and nourishes his people, in vivid poetical language. He will make them like a 'threshing board' (verse 15) – stu...

Isaiah 42 contains one of the book's four 'servant songs', which speak of the 'servant of the Lord'. In Isaiah's mind, the 'servant' was Israel, chosen by God to fulfil his purposes in the world as they lived f...

At the end of his second letter, Peter reminds his readers of something fundamental. The world they think is secure, in which tomorrow will be the same as yesterday and any change is likely to be for the better, isn't really like that at all.

The author of this letter isn't identified, but was assumed by the early Church Fathers to be the author of John's Gospel. It's a beautifully simple but profound meditation on the nature of Christian love in the light of Christ.

John continues to unpack the implications of believing in Jesus. Here, he focuses on what this means for our behaviour towards other people. How we treat others is the test of whether we are really who we say we are: 'This is how we can be sure ...

The mark of the believer, John says, is love – but it's also doing what is right. He goes so far as to say that 'None of those who are children of God continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them' (verse 9). Does he mean th...

Chapter 4 of John's first letter repeats the theme that's at the heart of all Christian living: that God has reached out to us before we reached out to him. Love 'comes from God' (verse 7); love is 'not that we have loved God...

Have you ever wondered if you’ve gone too far or sinned too repeatedly to be redeemed? Perhaps reading of ‘the sin that leads to death’ in verse 16 of this chapter fills you with anxiety. How can you be sure that you’ve been accepted and forg...

Even within the lifespan of people like the apostle John who were close followers of Jesus and witnessed first-hand his life, death and resurrection, there were false teachers travelling around and leading believers astray with a message other than t...

If you’ve lived for any length of time you’ll have experienced a variety of leaders and leadership styles. Over the years, you’ve no doubt formed an opinion about the effectiveness of what you’ve seen. But what makes a good church leader?

Jude’s letter is an urgent call to fight for and defend the true faith. He thought he had cause to rejoice with a faithful community of believers but, to his horror, he finds they’re not only in crisis but seemingly unaware of the fact.

Churches in the Roman Empire faced many pressures, from the insidious effects of false teaching and worldly temptations to outright persecution. Christians were sent to Roman arenas to die, some of the apostles were executed and John was exiled in an...

The letters in Revelation 2–3 display Christ’s presence with his churches, his complete knowledge of their spiritual condition and his desire for their wholehearted commitment to him. Each church is addressed specifically but also told to ‘hear...

The church in Sardis had ‘the reputation of being alive,’ but Christ pronounced it dead (verse 1). The church in Laodicea brimmed with confidence, saying ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ but Christ says they’re deluded –...

Deuteronomy is framed as Moses' final warnings and commandments to the people before his death. Here, towards its beginning, there are the words that lie at the heart of the Jewish faith, recited every day by observant Jews as the Shema, beginni...

The parts of the Bible that seem to involve God commanding the Israelites to exterminate their enemies are often difficult for us. They require us to be thoughtful about how we read them, and Christians have not always been thoughtful at all: 'h...

One of the great Welsh hymns that's fed the souls of Christians down the years is 'Guide me, O thou great Redeemer'. It takes the image of God leading the believer through the wilderness, a 'pilgrim through this barren land'....

It can be very hard for us to read some of the Old Testament stories of violence and conquest with their overtones of genocide and ethnic cleansing. We need to remind ourselves constantly that Deuteronomy was written a long time ago, and look for the...

Some parts of Deuteronomy can be hard going, if we're honest. Others, like these verses, are inspirational. What does God require of us? That we worship and obey him, and love and serve him with all our hearts (verses 12–13).