Pekahiah, Menahem’s son, reigned two years before being killed in a conspiracy by Pekah. Pekah then assumed the throne of Israel. It seems that he had never accepted Menahem’s claim to the throne and prior to this had set up a rival government east of the Jordan River in Gilead …
Prayers of dedication were confirmed by the offering of an enormous number of sacrificial animals (3,000 in all). Drink offerings were poured out as a sacrifice to God to acknowledge His role in providing for His people (v. 21). This was the second anointing of Solomon as king (vv. 22-23) …
God would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrians, but He would not deliver them from Babylon. The sin of unbelief would cause Judah to decline and to be brought into captivity in Babylon. The expression “Valley of Vision” likely refers to Jerusalem (v. 1). In Isaiah’s day, Jerusalem was a …
Jesus gives a parable about a great banquet. In those days when you invited guests to dinner, you told them the day but not the exact hour of the meal. Then just before the feast was to begin, the host sent his servants to tell the guests the banquet was ready and they should …
Becoming even more fearful and realizing that Jesus is innocent, Pilate again attempted to release Him (v. 12). With this, the crowd started to accuse Pilate of being a traitor to Caesar. He knew that if the Jews contacted Caesar and told him that Pilate had released a man who threatened Roman …
In this chapter Paul sends greeting to at least 26 people by name, as well as two unnamed saints, and to the people in several churches who were meeting in homes. It shows that Paul was a real “people person.” His great heart embraced all the people of God, and his love for them provoked …
The Scribes and Pharisees had fooled themselves into believing they were righteous and others were sinful. They believed they were righteous on account of their race and their circumcision. Jesus used three pictures to help demonstrate the choice between His kingdom and the world …
Nothing is told us in any of the Gospels of Jesus’ character and work from his infancy until the age of thirty, except here. This incident is recorded to teach us about the developing ministry and wisdom of the Lord in his youth. At Passover time every year each Jewish family …
On the way down from the mountaintop experience, Jesus commands these three disciples not to tell anyone what they had seen “till the Son of Man be risen from the dead†(v. 9). It would not really be understood until after the resurrection, which would be proof that J …
This chapter starts to reveal Saul’s true nature. After reigning two years his army consisted of 2,000 troops under his command at Michmash (to the north of Jerusalem (vv. 1-3) and an additional 1,000 troops with his …