Verse of the Day: V3 “O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.”
1. Weary (V1-5)
V3 “O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.”
God questioned the people of Israel who had become wearied and tired of trusting Him and obeying His commandments. The Lord reminded them that He was the one who delivered them out of the land of Egypt, redeemed them out of slavery and sufferings, and gave them Moses, Aaron and Miriam to love and guide them in their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land that was filled with milk and honey and His richest blessings.
V4 “For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.”
2. Walk (V6-9)
V7 “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
God warned His people that what was required of them was not the outward form of sacrifices of rams, or rivers of oil, or their firstborn child, but their inward relationship with Him. It is only through a closer walk and fellowship with God that we will do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before Him knowing that without Him, we can do nothing.
V8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
3. Works (V10-16)
V16 “For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.”
The Lord shall judge our works whether they are good or evil. God severely judged and punished the two kings, Omri and Ahab, and all their people of Israel, because they had rebelled against God and committed evil and wicked deeds. Let us not be weary in doing good because one day, the Lord, our Judge, shall bless and reward us for our good works.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me not to be weary by having a closer walk with You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 09:44 am
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Verse of the Day: V2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
1. The Little (V1-3)
V1 “Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.”
Though the people of Bethlehem Ephratah was just a little or few people among the thousands of people in Judah, yet God would choose a man from among them to be not just the Ruler in Israel, but the Saviour of the world. This man was the Lord Jesus Christ.
V2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
2. The Lord (V4-7)
V4 “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
The Lord Jesus Christ shall stand and feed His people who believe and trust in Him in the power of His Father, the Almighty God. The day shall come when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be the Peace who shall rule over His people in the new heaven and earth, and there shall be no more war and fighting, and no more tears and sorrows throughout all eternity.
V5 “And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.”
3. The Lion (V8-15)
V8 “And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.”
The young lion is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord shall lead and guide the remnant who believe and trust in Him, but destroy those who reject and mock Him.
V15 “And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be the few who believe and trust in You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 09:26 am
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Verse of the Day: V5 “For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.”
1. War (V1-4)
V3 “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Though the people of Israel suffered much as they lost their wealth, possessions, lands, and families because of war, the Lord promised the remnant who believed and trusted in Him that one day there shall be no more war, but everlasting peace with Him in heaven.
V4 “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.”
2. Walk (V5-7)
V5 “For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.”
Though the people of Israel sinned against God, and worshipped their self made gods, and walked in the name of their gods, there would be a remnant that believed in the true and living God, and walked in His name, and would be under His reign now and forever.
V7 “And I make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”
3. Woman (V8-13)
V10 “Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shall thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.”
God encouraged the remnant to endure the intense pains just like the woman during childbirth. Just like there shall be great celebration when the baby is born, there shall also be great celebration when the remnant would be delivered from the Babylonian captivity.
V13 “Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to walk with You and in Your name now and forever.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:00 am
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Verse of the Day: V4 “Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.”
1. The Sins Of The Princes (V1-4)
V1 “And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?”
God through Prophet Micah pronounced severe judgement upon the people of Jacob or Israel as their princes had sinned against Him. The princes were unfit to judge the sins of the people, and to lead them, because they were also in sins. This was why God refused to hear their prayers and hid His face from them when they cried to Him for deliverance.
V4 “Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.”
2. The Sins Of The Prophets (V5-10)
V5 “Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.”
Not only the princes sinned against God, even the prophets, God’s spokesmen, sinned against Him. The prophets preached for money. They preached on worldly success, fame and fortune, instead of exhorting them to trust and obey God’s Word and commandments.
V7 “Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.”
3. The Sins Of The Priests (V11-12)
V11 “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.”
Not only the princes and the prophets sinned against God, even the priests, sinned against Him. The priests also served for money. All of them pretended to serve, worship and lean upon the Lord, but God saw their wickedness and their love for money, and sent their enemies to invade and destroy all that they loved, and even destroyed many of their lives.
V12 “Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to flee from the love of money and hear my prayers.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 01:26 pm
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Verse of the Day: V13 “The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and
the LORD on the head of them.”
1. Beds (V1-11)
V1 “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the
morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.”
God through Prophet Micah pronounced judgment and trouble upon the people of Israel
who had openly rebelled and sinned against Him. The people of Israel would plot their
wicked deeds upon their beds in the night, and would execute them the next day! It was
sad and tragic that the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, had become God’s enemy.
V8 “Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the
garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.”
2. Bozrah (V12)
V12 “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of
Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of
their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.”
God through Micah encouraged the remnant that the Lord would always protect and
provide for them, and one day, He would gather them into His Promised Land in Heaven.
Micah reminded them that the Lord was like the shepherd who gathered his sheep to
Bozrah, an excellent pasture land, where the sheep would have plenty of grass to graze,
and abundant streams of water to drink, and they shall never be hungry or thirsty again.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Psalms 23:1-2)
3. Breaker (V13)
V13 “The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed
through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and
the LORD on the head of them.”
The Breaker was none other the Almighty God, the King, the Lord, who would break the
arm of the wicked man, the Devil, and led the remnant to enter the pearly gate of Heaven.
“Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till
thou find none.” (Psalms 10:15)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for breaking the arm of the Devil so that I can enter the
pearly gate of Heaven.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 09:31 am
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Verse of the Day: V2 “Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.”
1. The Word (V1)
V1 “The word of the LORD came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.”
The Word of God came to Prophet Micah warning the people of Samaria and Jerusalem to repent of their sins and wickedness, otherwise the holy God would judge and destroy them. The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, and it pierces right through our hearts, souls and spirit to reveal our sins and wickedness.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
2. The Witness (V2)
V2 “Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.”
When Micah preached to the people of Samaria and Jerusalem to repent of their sins and wickedness, the people argued and disputed with him and justified their wicked deeds. However, when he mentioned God as the witness of their sins, they could never argue or dispute with him. The people knew that the witness of God was greater than the witness of men, because the Lord is a holy and righteous God and He would never lie or deceive.
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.” (1 John 5:9)
3. The Wailing (V3-16)
V8 “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.”
Micah wailed, howled and took off his outer garments, when he preached to the people to repent of their sins and wickedness. He knew that God’s judgment and punishment upon them would be swift and severe, resulting in many deaths, and many incurable wounds.
V9 “For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to live a godly life in this ungodly world with You as my witness.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 01:31 pm
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Verse of the Day: V2 “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.”
1. God’s Grace (V1-5)
V1 “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.”
Prophet Jonah was very angry with the gracious God as he never thought that God would extend His grace and mercy to the wicked people of Nineveh who were unworthy of His love and forgiveness. Though Jonah preached to them to repent of their sins, yet he presumed that they would never repent, and that the Lord would eventually destroy them.
V2 “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.”
2. God’s Gourd (V6-10)
V6 “And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.”
Though Jonah griped and groaned, yet the gracious and merciful God still prepared a gourd to shield him from the hot sun! Subsequently God prepared a worm to destroy the gourd to teach Jonah that it was God who extended His grace to him and the people of Nineveh. Indeed, no one has the right to question God’s grace, and be angry with Him.
V7 “But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.”
3. God’s Glory (V11)
V11 “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”
Finally Jonah realised that he was a wretch, and that it was God’s grace and glory that saved him as well as the people of Nineveh who repented their sins and walked uprightly.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalms 84:11.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for Your amazing grace that saves a wretch like me.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 01:11 pm
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Verse of the Day: V1 “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”
1. The Word Of God (V1-2)
V1 “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”
The Word of God came to Prophet Jonah a second time telling him to preach to the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins. If God is not the God of the second chance, the Word of God would not have gone to Jonah, and the people of Nineveh would have been killed and condemned to the fiery pits of hell. The Lord gives us a second, a third, and many chances, because He is a merciful, gracious, longsuffering, patient and loving God.
V2 “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”
2. The Work Of God (V3-8)
V3 “So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.”
Jonah travelled in the hot sun for three days to preach the Word of God to the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins. It was not easy for Jonah to travel for three days, and to preach in the hot sun for forty days, but he knew that it was the mercy of God that he did not die in the storm because of his disobedience and rebellion. God’s work is not easy but it is a great blessing to be involved in the work of God as we shall be blessed in due time.
V4 “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
3. The Will Of God (V9-10)
V9 “Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?”
Jonah preached the Word of God, and laboured in the work of God, and let the Lord convict the hearts of the people to repent of their sins. Only God can convict and forgive sins. We do our part and let the Lord does His part. Though Jonah was doubtful of the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins because they were full of evil and wickedness, yet he trusted God for their salvation. Though it is the will of God for all to be saved, yet the Lord gives everyone a choice, whether to believe in or reject the true and living God.
V10 “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are the God of the second chance.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:04 am
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Verse of the Day: V7 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
1. I Prayed (V1-6)
V1 “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,”
The Lord heard Prophet Jonah as he prayed and cried before Him in the fish’s belly. God preserved Jonah’s life in the fish’s belly when Jonah prayed and repented his sins and disobedience. God hears us when we pray to Him in sincerity, and truly repent of our sins.
V2 “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.”
2. I Remembered (V7-8)
V7 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
Jonah remembered the Lord when he fainted in the fish’s belly. Jonah must have remembered how the LORD miraculously saved him, how He had richly blessed his life, and how He had been so merciful, gracious and kind towards him. Though the Lord had been so merciful towards him time and again, yet he had not been merciful towards the people of Nineveh, and had refused to preach to them of God’s love and mercy, and their great need of salvation, and repentance of their sins. He realized that he could have been dead by now, but the loving and merciful God gave him a second chance to live for Him.
V8 “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”
3. I Paid (V9-10)
V9 “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
Jonah prayed and promised to God that he would pay what was owing to God when the Lord delivered him out of the belly of the fish. He knew that he must now obey the Lord, and immediately go to Nineveh to preach to the people to repent of their sins and wickedness. Jonah was so thankful to God for giving him a second chance as he knew by faith in God that the Lord would save him. Indeed, after three days and three nights in the fish’s belly, God finally spoke to the great fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land.
V10 “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to always remember You for who You are and what You have done for me.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 03:26 pm
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Verse of the Day: V17 “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
1. A Great City (V1-3)
V2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
Nineveh was a great city. The people of Nineveh were prosperous and wealthy, and they had all the material possessions, except they rejected God and His righteousness. Thus the righteous God found them guilty of wickedness, and commanded Prophet Jonah to preach to them to repent of their wickedness. However, Jonah disobeyed God, and bought a ticket to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh. Jonah rationalised that God should punish the people of Nineveh instead of giving them the chance to repent of their wickedness.
V3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”
2. A Great Wind (V4-16)
V4 “But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”
Jonah fled from the presence of the LORD, but he could never hide from His presence. As soon as Jonah boarded the ship, the LORD sent a great wind that nearly destroyed the ship. The mariners on board the ship were so fearful for their lives that they prayed and cried to the LORD to deliver them out of this great tempest. Finally, out of desperation, they acceded Jonah’s request, and threw him into the raging sea: and the sea became calm.
V12 “And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.”
3. A Great Fish (V17)
V17 “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Prophet Jonah could have been drown in the deep blue sea, but God prepared a great fish to swallow him up. Jonah survived in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The LORD is a great God, a God of second chance. Even though Jonah did not deserve God’s grace, God still forgave his sin, and saved him through the belly of the great fish.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are great, the one and only great God.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 02:43 pm
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