The Lord had instructed Moses to set aside six cities as sanctuaries in the land of Canaan (Numbers 35:6). They were situated in such a way as to be readily accessib¬le. Highways leading to them were kept in good repair and the crossroads were well marked with signposts reading "Refuge! …
In this passage the Psalmist contrasts those who live righteously with those who live in wickedness like Doeg. It seems that David’s thoughts go back to the Mount of Olives where he had met with Ahimelech. He could still see the long rows of olive trees, green and bowed dow …
Since Jesus died about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and Jewish law forbid any burial on the Sabbath which began at sunset (v. 42). God had a higly respected and wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea (a secret disciple of Jesus (John 19:38) ready to take care of …
This chapter begins with an emphasis on the mighty acts of God on behalf of His people Israel (vv. 1-2). When they became slaves in Egypt, He cared for them and multiplied them greatly. When Jacob and his family journeyed to Egypt to join Joseph (Gen. 46) there were 70 people and they …
Israel’s greatest temptation was in wanting to be like the other nations, and this is what led to their downfall and captivity. Unfortunately, many in the church today have the same mistaken idea that being like the world is the way to reach the world. Instead of maintaining sepa …
We all have a past. There are very few people today that have not been touched by divorce. We have all heard the statistics that cite that roughly one-half of every marriage ends in divorce. Forty percent of young women before the age of 20 become pregnant here in the United States. Many …
This was our Lord’s last public message which was directed especially to the Pharisees. There were about 6,000 Pharisees in that day and most of them were middle class businessmen. The name Pharisee came from a word that means “to separate” and the Pharisees separated themselves from …
King Neco led his Army from Egypt to Carchemish on the Euphrates River and Josiah met his troops there (v. 20). Neco sent a message to Josiah that he was not attacking him but that God had told him to quickly attack my enemy (v. 21). He said that God is on my side, so if you try …
While Joseph’s brothers had come to repentance in chapter 44 and realized the forgiveness of Joseph in chapter 45, it is not until this time, late in the life of Jacob, that he comes to a significant turning point of his life. While he may well have been saved years before (Gen. 28:10), he has not …
Saul set in motion several steps to kill David (v. 1). First, he asked his servants to kill him. Jonathan went to his father, on David’s behalf, and was able to appease him for a time (vv. 2-7). In fact, Saul made the statement, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be slain” (v.6). Again, David went out to war …