Category: JOHN D. BARRY

  • THE LAST PERSON YOU WOULD SUSPECT

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 26:1–27:36; Revelation 13:1–10; Job 36:13–23 Yahweh is capable of doing anything and everything He pleases. If He were not a good God, this would be deeply frightening, but considering His wonderful character, this is comforting. In Ezekiel 26:1–6, Yahweh describes the sins of Tyre and His plans against the powerful Phoenician city-state.…

  • GREENER GRASSES

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 23:1–49; Revelation 11:1–14; Job 35:9–16 When God’s people turn from Him, the biblical story becomes solemn, sad, and explicit. “Now as for their names, the older was Oholah, and Oholibah was her sister. And they became mine, and they bore sons and daughters, and their names are Samaria for Oholah, and Jerusalem…

  • JUDGMENT: IT’S TRICKY

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 19:1–20:49; Revelation 9:1–21; Job 34:31–37 Judgment is both a curse and a blessing. If you judge others, you might be judged yourself—especially if you judge them incorrectly. Yet if you know how to judge right from wrong, you can discern truth from fiction. Although judgment can be a wretched thing, there is…

  • COURAGE AND THE TRUTH

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 16:1–63; Revelation 6:1–7:8; Job 34:1–15 Few people are brave enough to speak the truth when it could cost them their reputation. Even fewer have the courage to speak the truth when it could cost them everything. The prophets, however, set a different example. “And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,…

  • WORDS AND ACTIONS

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 12:1–13:23; Revelation 3:14–4:11; Job 33:19–28 Leading by example is a simple principle to understand, but it’s a very difficult one to live. The prophets were often called to lead by example, though doing so usually meant enduring suffering for others. “And the word of Yahweh came to me [Ezekiel], saying, ‘Son of…

  • THE REAL REALITY

    Connect The TestamentsEzekiel 1:1–3:15; Revelation 1:1–20; Job 32:1–10 John and Ezekiel open their prophetic books in a similar fashion—to prepare us for an unexpected view: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his slaves the things which must take place in a short time, and communicated it by sending it…

  • REBUILDING IS NOT ALWAYS WISE

    Connect The TestamentsMalachi 1:1–2:9; Acts 27:1–44; Job 31:9–22 Who can rebuild what Yahweh tears down? The prophets articulate this message again and again. Yahweh tears down evil things; evil people rebuild them; the prophets insist that He will just tear them down again. God tolerates evil for a time, waiting for people to repent, but…

  • THE TRUE SOURCE OF LEADERSHIP

    Connect The TestamentsZechariah 10:1–11:17; Acts 25:1–27; Job 30:16–31 When leaders latch onto power, considering it their right, it’s destructive. God holds leaders to a higher standard because their words and actions cause others to rise or fall. When leaders of corporations, churches, or other organizations take their authority for granted, entire communities may end up…

  • BEYOND MEASURE

    Connect The TestamentsZechariah 1:1–2:13; Acts 21:1–26; Job 28:12–28 When we say, “God is gracious; God is kind,” do we fully comprehend the extent of God’s graciousness and kindness toward us? We glimpse it in Zechariah: “You must say to them: ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “Return to me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and I will…

  • THROWING CAUTION TO THE FLOOD

    Connect The TestamentsZephaniah 1:1–3:20; Acts 19:1–41; Job 27:1–23 Words are powerful. They can restore and heal; they can also be used as deadly weapons. When we interact with one another, we know to choose our words carefully to avoid being misinterpreted or inadvertently causing harm. But Yahweh speaks words of daunting ambiguity—proclamations that can easily…