Malcolm Cox

Introduction, Nehemiah 1.1-3 Inscribed silver bowl from the palace of Artaxerxes I (464–424 B.C.). The inscription clearly identifies this bowl as having been made in the palace of Artaxerxes I. As cupbearer to Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11), Nehemiah likely would have handled articles such as this.“At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.” (Nehemiah 1:11 NRSV) The main action is crowded into the spring and summer of the year 445 BC Around 13 years since Ezra had set out for Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7). 'Survivors'/'Remnant' could also be translated, “escapees”, with allusions to the flight from Egypt that made the Hebrews into a nation. Now they have the opportunity to become a nation re-born. Summary: God was able to do a new thing because Nehemiah responded to the need revealed to him 1. Nehemiah Prays Neh 1.4ff “Nehemiah’s first response to the challenging news he received was an honest outpouring of emotion. He held nothing back. What an example for us as we face struggles and heartache in this world. W

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 485 | New Thing Series — Part 40 | “Esther’s Fasting” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Esther. Today we explore Esther’s fasting. “In every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.” (Esther 4:3 NRSV) “Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everythin

In our series exploring God doing "a new thing" in biblical characters, Stefan Wolmarans took us into Daniel's world.  What new things is God calling Daniel to? How does his faith develop? What can we learn from Daniel about allowing God to do a new thing in us and our church? Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 484 | New Thing Series — Part 39 | “Esther’s Concern” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Esther. Today we explore Esther’s concern. “Haman plotted to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” (Esther 3:6 NRSV) “When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry; he went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. In every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and mos

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 483 | New Thing Series — Part 38 | “Esther’s Courage” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Esther. Today we explore Esther’s courage. Mordecai hears the proclamation to kill all the Jews. He sends a message to Esther telling her what to do: “Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.” (Esther 4:8 NRSV) “Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the

From -- 'Why me?' to 'Why not me?' "Do not think  that because you in the king's house you alone of the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (4:13, 14). “...gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”” (Esther 4:16 NRSV) 'The queen of the Medo-Persian Empire went from a life of ease to a life of impact. Esther had not been a woman who aspired to "change the world;" on the contrary, she desired security. That all changed because she saw a need, and realised that she was the person to meet that need. She was needed. God had a plan for her life. Her purposeless existence now had a meanin

Teaching Tip 348 | “Plain Speaking - Preparing seven days a week” | Malcolm Cox Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on chapter 2 of the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  It has been said that before the speaker prepares their lesson, God prepares the speaker. How does this happen? One way is in noticing what God is up to. What is he doing around you and in you? He is at work seven days a week. When we talk about ‘preparing seven days a week’ we’re not referring to working on our lesson outline and content, but to becoming more aware of God acting in our world. How do we do this? Pray to be aware — I record voice memos on my watch Make notes on what you see, read and hear — books, podcasts, YouTube, conversations. I snap photographs on my phone and look back through them. Obsidian is where I keep notes and ideas.  Collect objects — I have a file Conclusion What is the best way for you to notice and record God ‘speaking’ to you? Has today’s

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 482 | New Thing Series — Part 37 | “Esther’s Teamwork” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Esther. Today we explore Esther’s teamwork. Mordecai hears the proclamation to kill all the Jews. He sends a message to Esther telling her what to do: “Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.” (Esther 4:8 NRSV) She replies with a message reminding him that she is not permitted to enter the king’s presences without invitation. She could die. Mordecai insists she must do it because the fate of the Jews i

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 481 | New Thing Series — Part 36 | “Esther’s Family” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Esther. Today we explore Esther’s family “Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away. Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the girl was fair and beautiful, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 480 | New Thing Series — Part 35 | “Daniel’s Prayers - Part 2” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s prayers - part 2. “Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously.” (Daniel 6:10 NRSV) Daniel’s Prayer Courage Daniel is conscious of the risks. he knows that, “whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions.” (Daniel 6:7 NRSV) Daniel is aware that people will be watchi

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 479 | New Thing Series — Part 34 | “Daniel’s Prayers - Part 1” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s prayers. “Then Daniel went to his home and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions with the rest of the wise men of Babylon might not perish. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” (Daniel 2:17-19 NRSV) “Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession,

Introduction - What is the big deal with Rahab? - Jesus - “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” (Matthew 1:5-6 NIV11) - Faith hero held up to us as an example - “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (James 2:24-26 NRSV) - Today - the quality of her faith and how it blessed her family 1. Faith - Her request - “The LORD your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the LORD that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 478 | New Thing Series — Part 33 | “Daniel’s Security” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s security. “Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans…They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. The

Introduction * Daniel is a new type of prophet in a new type of situation. We can learn a great deal about God doing 'new things' from him and his companions. * Before watching this class you might like to view a summary of the book here: https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-daniel/

 Chapter 1 * Youth no barrier: “young men without physical defect and handsome,” (Daniel 1:4 NRSV) * Pick your battles: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8 NRSV) * Recognition of God: “To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom;” (Daniel 1:17 NRSV) Chapter 2 * God’s wisdom superior:     * “The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.”” (Daniel 2:11 NRSV)     * ““No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery th

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 477 | New Thing Series — Part 32 | “Daniel’s Humility” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s humility. “Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans.” (Daniel 1:3-4 NRSV) Daniel’s Humility Daniel was from Jewish nobility, handsome, intelligent and well-educated (Daniel 1:3, 4). He had everything going for him.  In his homeland he was used to peo

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 476 | New Thing Series — Part 31 | “Daniel’s Purity” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s purity. “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. Now God allowed Daniel to receive favour and compassion from the palace master. The palace master said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king.” Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, H

Teaching Tip 347 | “Plain Speaking - Preaching is organised conversation” | Malcolm Cox Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on chapter 2 of the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  Speaking in a congregational setting is not making a speech. That’s for politicians and professional orators. Preaching is more like having a conversation. Having a conversation is much less stressful that ‘making a speech’. Let me illustrate. Imagine you are in the fellowship at the end of a church service. Someone asks you how you became a Christian. You start telling them. It is easy. You don’t need a script. You hardly need to think about what to say. It just comes out. Also imagine that as you tell your story to that person that another person joins you, then one or two more. By the time you finish you have a small crowd around you. Does that change anything? Not really. Perhaps you speak a little louder, but otherwise it is still a conversation. That’s what we are tal

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 475 | New Thing Series — Part 30 | “Daniel’s Friends” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s friends. “Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.” (Daniel 1:6-7 NRSV) “Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat t

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 474 | New Thing Series — Part 29 | “Daniel’s Exile” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Daniel. Today we explore Daniel’s exile. “In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power,” (Daniel 1:1-2 NRSV) “Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans.” (

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 473 | New Thing Series — Part 28 | “Rahab’s Future” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of Rahab. Today we explore Rahab’s future. “Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” (Matthew 1:2-6 NRSV) The genealogy continues all the way to, “Jacob the father of Joseph the