As we begin chapter nine the people had just returned to their headquarters in Gilgal after hearing the Word of God read to them from Mount Ebal. It was a time of real spiritual victory, but as is often the case it was also a time for a subtle attack from Satan. When we think we have it made it …
Most of the mighty men listed were from David’s own tribe, Judah. There were also many defectors from other tribes. Saul’s injustice had fostered discontent even among his own tribe, the tribe of Benjamin, so that many deserted him, taking refuge with David. These were all expert …
We cannot be sure when this psalm was written. Some Bible scholars think it was written by Hezekiah when childless, facing death, and with the Davidic line therefore in peril of extinction. It was a very personal psalm where the writer refers to himself 37 times. Yet it is not sinful in …
Jesus urged the disciples to row the boat across the lake to Bethsaida, even before He dismissed the crowd (v. 45). Why would He want to do this? Mark does not tell us but perhaps it was because the people wanted to make Jesus king (Jn. 6:15) and this was the last thing He wanted …
In this passage of Scripture, Christ challenges Peter to leadership. The key issue is Peter’s love for the Lord Jesus and that should be a key matter with us today. It is interesting to note that Peter had denied his Lord three times, and now the Lord asks Peter three times, …
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they asked Him an ethical question about the Law (vv. 34-35). They said, “Master which is the great commandment in the law” (v. 36)? This was not a new question for the scribes and Pharisees as they had been debating …
Last time, we read about rise of Alexander the Great. His early death resulted in his Kingdom being divided among four of his generals. Today’s passage is a continuation of that conflict we saw last time between the king of the North (Seleucus) and his descendants in Syria and the king …
Jeremiah says that in those days they even had trouble with rulers wasting money in an extravagant way on their own private homes (vv. 13,14). When the nation of Judah was bankrupt and deep in trouble, king Jehoiakim used his power to force unpaid Jewish slave labor to bu …
Paul portrayed his special affection for the Corinthians and his special role. To unify the church, he appealed to his relationship with them. By “father†he meant he was the church’s founder. Because he started the church, he could be trusted to have its best interests at heart. Paul’s tough …
Asa was the fifth king of the House of David and the third of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Abijah, and great-grandson of Solomon. Azariah the son of Obed, a prophet of the Lord went to meet Asa and challenged him to remain true to the Lord so he could continue to enjoy the …