After the Israelites were carried away into Assyria and the Assyrians used other people groups to resettle the Israelite lands, God made a way for the gospel message to come to the new inhabitants:2 Kings 17:25-28 KJVAnd so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord : therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.[26] Wherefore they spake to ...  Read More

Before the rapture of Elijah, several prophets from neighboring towns knew today was the day that Elijah would be “taken away.” How they knew this information, we don’t know for sure but since the Bible calls them prophets, we can assume the Lord revealed this information to them.Obviously though, the information they had was partial. They didn’t know or didn’t understand that Elisha and Elijah be...  Read More

When we read the account of David’s life in scripture, we find a man who has great highs and great lows. One moment he defeats Goliath, the next he’s on the run from a murderous king. He makes several bad choices throughout his life: serving the Philistines, moving the ark without consulting God’s word, adultery with Bathsheba, murdering Uriah, and conducting the census without taking the required...  Read More

One of my favorite verses of scripture is the following:Psalm 37:4 KJVDelight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.This verse obviously does not mean God will give us every little thing that we decide we want. Rather, when we have a deep desire in our heart, and we serve the Lord, God will bring that thing to pass.I believe this verse works on this premise: ...  Read More

2 Samuel 23:5 KJVAlthough my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.In this verse, David references an everlasting covenant between him and God. This covenant was made in 2 Samuel 7:12-13:And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy...  Read More

After David’s sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, Nathan the prophet is told to visit David and deliver a message from God. We see from previous chapters that David and Nathan spend quite a bit of time together (2 Sam. 7). I would even venture to call them friends.Nathan had the uncomfortable job of needing to deliver a hard truth to his friend, David. He starts by...  Read More

Saul’s son, Jonathan, is a complex character. He recognizes David as the next king of Israel, and he is more than willing to lay aside his claim to the throne. He is not, however, willing to turn his back on his father. Jonathan faithfully serves his father, which eventually costs him his life:1 Samuel 31:2 KJVAnd the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew ...  Read More

1 Samuel 16:6 KJVAnd it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.Samuel was a man of God literally from his birth. Dedicated to God before conception and serving the Lord from the time he was a preschooler, I dare say he truly knew the voice of the Lord better than anyone else in his time. However, this did not stop him from err...  Read More

1 Samuel 2:26 KJVAnd the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.This verse tells us as Samuel grew up, he did not become like Eli’s wicked sons. Instead, he kept his relationship with the Lord strong. This steady walk with God birthed integrity into his life that allowed Samuel to also grow in favor with men.Samuel wasn’t the only one who scripture said grew ...  Read More

Ruth 2:3 KJVAnd she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was too light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.This scripture tells us it was Ruth’s “hap” to come to Boaz’s field. Hap in this case could be equated with coincidence. She coincidentally happened to show up to the one field owned by a near relative of her late ...  Read More

The story of Samson and Delilah baffles me. Samson makes a litany of questionable choices during the portion of scripture about his life, but his time with Delilah takes the grand prize for bad choices. While staying with Delilah, Samson allows her not once, not twice, but three times to attempt to bind him and turn him over to the Philistines.Even after she tries to turn him over, he STILL tells ...  Read More

The book of Judges is a very repetitive one. This phrase is included over and over:“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.” (Judges 3:7)They forgot God, and by forgetting God, they ran headlong into sin. After this passage we normally find one like the following:“And when the children of Israel cried unto the L...  Read More