The anger of the Lord was very intense against Israel because of an unspecified sin and thus David was moved to take a census in Israel and Judah (v. 1). This happened because the Lord through Satan incited David against Israel (I Chron. 21:1). Since taking a census was not …
Gideon returned from the battle in victory (v. 13). But he wasn’t going to be satisfied until his idea of justice was fulfilled. First, he captured a young man of Succoth, gleaning from him a list of all 77 officials and elders of the city (v. 14). He then presented Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of …
It states that all of this happened in the spring when the harvest was ended and the armies could live off the land. The kings waited until the weather was good and then their armies went off to war. However, it says that David stayed home in Jerusalem. As we learn from 2 Samuel 11:12 …
“In that day†refers to the time after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. “In that day†the disciples would not be able to talk with Jesus directly. They would not be able to ask him for things since He would be with the Father in heaven (vv. 23, 28). Instead, they would be able to ask the Father …
When an Israelite king took office, he was both crowned and anointed. The coronation was the political act of recognizing the new king as ruler of the people. The anointing was the religious act of making the king God’s representative to the people.As this chapter opens, we find …
Gedaliah, who was Josiah’s secretary of state, was appointed governor of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. He set up his headquarters at Mizpah, which was about eight miles north of Jerusalem, because Jerusalem lay in ruins. The governor tried to convince a group of men who remaine …
Solomon’s life ends in disaster. It seems that as he grew older, he got farther away from God. Riding the crest of power and prestige he apparently thought he was above reproach. The Law had clearly forbidden foreign marriages (Deut. 7:1-5). In addition to this, a king was als …
Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years (v. 1). He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as king David had done (vv. 2- 3). Through him revival came to the land. King Hezekiah was a man who cried for national revival. This passage …
David was being slandered and violence was present. This psalm can be divided as follows …
King Xerxes answers the letter written to him by the Samaritan leaders (v. 17). He states that after their letter had been translated to him (v. 18) he did some research and found out it was true that for years Jerusalem has rebelled and caused trouble for other kings and nations …