The conflict between appearance and reality is the theme of our story today. As we’ll see, what appears to be wisdom and repentance is not.
02 When Forgiveness Is Only for Show (2 Samuel 14)
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Blog
Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
Understanding Narratives
Narratives are true stories. Over 40% of the Old Testament Scriptures are narratives. Generally, the purpose of a biblical narrative is to show the Lord at work in His creation. Every genre found in the Bible presents unique challenges for understanding. Narratives are no exception. With narratives we think in scenes, plot and character, rather than paragraphs and outlines.
01 When Suffering Isn’t Your Fault: The Story of Tamar (2 Samuel 13)
The sins of David’s sons repeat and magnify David’s sin. David’s crime was against the wife of a friend. Amnon sins against a sister. The consequences of the first were death of a husband and baby. The consequences of the second was civil war. But why do the consequences fall so heavily on Tamar?
The Rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 13-19)
A 7-week Bible study on the rebellion of David’s son, Absalom, from the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel.
King David’s Family Tree
Explore King David’s family tree, including his ancestors, siblings, wives, sons, daughters, and nephews. Learn why Samuel and Chronicles sometimes give different names, and download a free printable chart.
Galatians Bible Study Resources
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul argues that there is one voice to listen to above all others and that is the voice that speaks the gospel of Jesus Christ.
08 Why Is Life So Hard? Learning to Complain and Rest in God (Jeremiah 20:7–18)
We all come to a place at one time or another where we ask the question, “Why is my life so hard? Why do I have to endure this particular problem or experience this pain or go through this situation?” In Jeremiah 20:7-19, we see Jeremiah reach that place. He hits rock bottom and cries out asking, why his life was so hard.
07 Who Does God Think He Is? The Potter, the Clay, and God’s ‘Fairness’ (Jeremiah 18:1–17)
One of the most common complaints is that the God of the Bible doesn’t seem to be very “fair.” We come from different backgrounds, we have different accents and we have different gifts and opportunities. And we look at that and ask, “Is God fair?”
7 Key Marks of False Teachers
Learn the marks of false teachers with classic and modern checklists from J.C. Ryle, Tim Challies, and Colin Smith to discern truth and avoid deception.
06 Why Does God Care If I Take a Break? (Jeremiah 17:19-27)
I suspect many of believers today are convinced that Sabbath still means something but have no idea what it is. You take the Bible seriously, you sincerely want to follow and obey God, but in this particular instance you have no idea how to begin, what to do or what not to do. What can we learn from Jeremiah about Sabbath?
05 What is Wrong With Me? (Jeremiah 17:1-11)
What do you do when you sin repeatedly? What do you do when you see something about yourself that you decide to change, you give it your best effort, and you don’t change? What’s wrong with us? Jeremiah gives 3 metaphors to explain the problem of our hearts.
04 What is Wrong With Religion? (Jeremiah 7:1-15)
Religion should make a difference in our lives. By “religion,” I mean the set of outward behavior, practices, ethics and rituals that we do or avoid doing to mark ourselves as believers. Believing in God means we ought to love and value what God loves and values, and therefore we ought not to be nicer to each other. Yet, religion doesn’t seem to solve all the problems we think it ought to solve. What is wrong with religion? Why doesn’t it make more difference?
Read the Psalms in 30 days
Reading through the psalms can change your life! Here’s a plan to read through the psalms in 30 days.
03 Why is God so Difficult to Believe in? (Jeremiah 2:1-13)
Why is God so difficult to believe in? We want control. We explain away His gifts and provision. We want a predictable god who doesn’t surprise us. The God of Scripture is complicated and does not answer all our questions. We are afraid the hope of the gospel is too good to be true. The truth is that God is really not hard to believe in. The problem is that it is our hearts that are fickle.
02 What Does God Want From Me? (Jeremiah 1:4-19)
Jeremiah Answers: What does God want from us? Faithfulness. Calling begins with God, develops through our relationship with God and that relationship leads us to others.
01 What to Do When Your Country Falls Apart (Jeremiah 1:1-3)
The book of Jeremiah is about global national and political crisis, personal crisis and most importantly, the word of the Lord.
Master Bible Observation: What to Notice and Why It Matters
Master Bible observation by learning what to notice in each passage and why it matters. How to Observe Scripture: 10 Things to Watch For
Jeremiah Bible Study Resources
Jeremiah Bible Study Resources: Tools and resources to kick start your study of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah from WednesdayintheWord.com
Heaven and Those Who have Gone Before Us
The prevailing belief of the world is that “You go around once and then you die.” Yet, the remarkable claim of the Christian faith is that those who have died are more alive today than they were before their deaths. “If I die and go to heaven, what is it going to be like?” “Someone close to me died, where do I turn for comfort?” “If I die, will I go to a better place?” Professor Ken Elzinga answers these questions.
Jeremiah’s Ministry Chronology
Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah who wrote the book of Jeremiah. His name means “exaltation of the Lord.” Below is a basic chronology of his 40+ year ministry.
Understanding Prophecy
Studying biblical prophecy is an often overwhelming task. Much of it is written in Hebrew poetry. The names and places are foreign, and the metaphors don’t always resonate with our modern ears. Yet we can usually understand the main point. If studying an Old Testament prophet overwhelms you, here are some tips to get you started.
Guest Teacher: Ken Elzinga
The talks in this collection were given by one of my role models Ken Elzinga to various audiences over several years. Professor Elzinga is a famous economist and the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. He is also a very wise man.
04 Meeting God in the Psalms
Meeting God in the Psalms: How to take what you learned and transformed it into a talk that will change someone’s life.
Psalm 107: The Lord delivers us from manifold troubles
Lecture notes for Psalm 107 The Lord delivers us from manifold troubles
Psalm 109: Vengeance invoked upon adversaries
Lecture notes for Psalm 109 which is used by Peter to describe Judas in Acts 2:16-20: “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas”
Psalm 49 The Folly of Trusting in Riches
Lecture Notes for Psalm 49
Psalm 73: The wicked contrasted with the righteous
Psalm 73 The end of the wicked contrasted with the end of the righteous.
02 Living the Psalms
Living the Psalms: Learn how to apply the wisdom of the psalms to your life today as you study them with greater detail.
Psalms
A 5-week series on how to study the psalms plus 10 lessons on specific psalms.
05 Sharing the Psalms
A practical guide to sharing the psalms: choose passages, frame the context, ask great questions, and point people to hope in Christ.
How to Format Your Notes so You Teach Better
Discover a practical teaching note format that helps Bible teachers teach with more clarity. Templates and tips inside.
Pearls of Wisdom: on dreams
About this series: Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
Pearls of Wisdom: on loss
Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
01 How to Study the Psalms
How to study the Psalms: understand Hebrew poetry and parallelism, follow structure, and apply wisdom with confidence.
Pearls of Wisdom: on parenting
Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share “pearls of wisdom” they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through the women’s ministries. My copy of the booklet is now tattered and faded, and many of the women quoted are home with the Lord. To keep their words alive and honor their wisdom, I am sharing their pearls here before my booklet turns to dust. I hope these words inspire you to share a cup of tea with an older woman in your church and listen to her pearls of wisdom.
Pearls of Wisdom: on family
About this series: Many years ago, we asked the matriarchs in our church to share "pearls of wisdom" they learned over the course of their walk with the Lord. We collected their stories in a booklet which we distributed through women's ministries. My copy of the...