As we wrap up our reading through the Old Testament with 2 Chronicles, it is important to consider if God still interacts with the world, nations, and geopolitics today in the same way that the Chronicler emphasizes. Even though God isn’t as explicit or clear with us today in how he is working, how can we be confident of his sovereignty in the world today?
(Preaching through Chronicles. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 14, 2025.)
The turn from 1 to 2 Chronicles focuses on David’s and Solomon’s efforts in building the temple, but during this process both David and Solomon recognize a puzzling aspect to their work; God doesn’t actually need a temple, everything that they used to build it came from him, and a temple can’t contain him anyway. So why build the temple? This question is a microcosm of a much larger question: why did God create anything at all? What is the point of our existence? David’s and Solomon’s prayers provide a good foundation from which to explore this deep question.
(Preaching through Chronicles. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 7, 2025.)
A simple way to study a book of the Bible is to make note of repeated words or phrases; this is often the easiest way to identify the theme of a book! In Malachi, that phrase is “but you say”, which appears frequently in just four chapters. Why does the prophet use this phrase so often, and what does it signify for the modern reader?
(Preaching on the return from exile. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 31, 2025.)
The return from exile involved a lot of rebuilding; the temple in the book of Ezra, the wall in the book of Nehemiah, and generally they would have had to rebuild homes, farms, roads, etc. But perhaps the most important rebuilding was the people’s relationship with God’s word. How did Nehemiah help restore Israel’s knowledge of the law, and how should his efforts apply to us?
(Preaching on the return. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 24, 2025.)
Zechariah, like most of the post-exilic prophets, urged Israel to return and repent by reminding them exactly why they had been sent into exile in the first place. What can we learn about God’s desire for repentance by considering how God dealt with people in times past?
(Preaching on the return from exile. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 17, 2025.)
Israel’s return from exile was a long process of rebuilding and restoring what had been lost, starting with the temple in the book of Ezra. But beyond rebuilding the physical buildings and towns, Israel needed to restore their relationship and obedience to God, a task that Ezra was well suited for. What can we learn from the process of returning and rebuilding in Ezra?
(Preaching on the return. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 17, 2025.)
The return from Babylonian exile was not a single event, but rather a process that took place over the course of a century, during which time the temple and walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. I hope this timeline can help you situate the last part of the Old Testament story in its context.
Watts in the Word 