Respect
Submission to Government
Peter says it is the will of God that Christians should be subject to their governments. In New Testament days the government was authoritarian and it was the duty of citizens to follow the rulers in absolute obedience (vv. 13-17). If Peter could urge believers to submit …
God’s Word is Awesome
The psalmist hated double-mindedness and hoped in God’s Word because God was his refuge.I. Five ways to show respect for God’s Word (vv. 113-117). 1. Whole-Hearted commitment to God’s Word (v. 113). &nbs …
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
Following his return across the Jordan, Elisha was faced with three situations that confirmed his call. The first situation established his authority. The 50 prophets from Jordan did not realize that Elijah had permanently been ushered into the presence of God. Therefore …
David flees from Saul to Gath
Once again, the Ziphites betrayed David’s location to Saul (v. 1). Saul took 3,000 troops and went to find David. When they reached the area where David was camped, they were very tired and bedded down for the night with the intention of launching a surprise attack on David and his people …
David Spares Saul’s Life
After Saul had turned back the Philistine attack, he returned to his pursuit of David with an army of three thousand. The king came to the sheep pens but found no one there. He decided to go to the bathroom in one of the caves nearby and actually walked right into the cave where …
Head Covering in the Church
Two of the issues Paul deals with in this chapter are women praying and prophesying, and instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper. The topic of head coverings (vv. 4-7) is not one of the fundamentals of the faith but deals with the matter of obedience. One pastor said, “This may not …
King Xerxes Hosted a Banquet For His Officials
Esther’s story begins 103 years after Nebuchadnezzar had taken the Jews into captivity (II Kings 25), 54 years after Jerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:2) and 25 years before Ezra led the second group to Jerusalem (Ezra 7). Only Esther tells us anything about …
Responsibilities as Believers
It seems that there was a problem in the Thessalonian church that was caused by those who had stopped working, because of their belief in the nearness of the second coming. With this in mind Paul urges the Christians to listen to those who had positions of spiritual leadership in …
Ruth’s Redemption Assured
We don’t know a lot about the customs of the arrangements for marriage during this period. We do know that Ruth’s way of offering herself in marriage to Boaz followed the coaching of her mother-in-law (v. 1). Naomi explained to Ruth what she must do to show Boaz that she was …
God’s Word Is Awesome
The greatest ability is dependability. Faithfulness is evidence of faith. In this passage the psalmist describes several characteristics of faithfulness in the life of the believer: (1) Faithful feet. (v. 105). If you’ve ever gone camping, then you know the value of a good flashlight at night. God’s Word …