July 3, 2020
WHEN THE KING REDISCOVERED GOD’S WORD King Josiah was crowned at age eight after his father, Amon, was murdered by conspirators. Both his father and his grandfather, Manasseh, were evil kings who had led the people into idolatry. Apparently, during the 55-year reign of Manasseh, the Book of the Law had been lost. How this
July 2, 2020
HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL STILL REMAINS King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings in Judah. In 2 Kings 18:5, he was described as one who “trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” The only foolish event attributed
June 23, 2020
ELISHA’S MINISTRY FORESHADOWED THE MESSIAH’S When the prophet Elisha was given an offering of bread, he instructed his servant, Gehazi, to feed the people with it. But Gehazi answered that there wasn’t enough to feed the one hundred men gathered there. But Elisha had heard from the Lord that there would not only be enough
June 24, 2019
FOUR LEPERS SHARE THE GOOD NEWS When the armies of King Ben-Hadad of Aram besieged Samaria, the people of Israel were dying of starvation. Yet, the Lord revealed to His prophet Elisha that there would be plenty of food in the marketplace of Samaria within a day. That night the Lord caused the soldiers of
July 4, 2017
After a long and depressing description of Judah’s decline and ultimate fall, the author of 2 Kings offered a glimmer of hope. After thirty-seven years in prison, the deposed king of Judah, Jehoiachin, was released and given a royal pension to live on the rest of his days by Evil-Merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus, by God’s grace the seed of David was preserved.
July 3, 2017
King Josiah was the last of the good kings in Judah. It was written of him that there was no king like him, neither before or after, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and might. Yet, the brief description of his death in battle sadly does not include any reference to
June 30, 2017
The destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was now complete. They had rejected David’s son as king, followed Jeroboam into idolatry, ignored the warnings of the prophets, so that the Lord allowed Assyria to conquer them and carry them away. Their demise is the basis for the search for the “Ten Lost Tribes.” However, such a search seems fruitless, as the Bible describes them as having intermarried with the Assyrians, so that their genealogy was lost. Yet, the tribe of Judah remained. Although along with it, much of the tribe of Benjamin, and the tribes of Simeon and Levi also remained, yet were incorporated into Judah, so that all were known as “Jews” from that point until now.
Later, Judah was also carried away by the Babylonians, but unlike the tribes of Israel, Judah did not intermarry and remained faithful to the Lord in exile. So, when they returned to Jerusalem after 70 years they were able to reinstitute Temple worship and retain their Jewish identity.
The destruction and disappearance of the Northern tribes came as a result of their rejection of the Lord as their God. Yet, the Lord patiently sent them His prophets to warn them and gave them time to repent. But they did not. Even so, the Lord has sent Jesus Christ to all nations, so that even the so-called “lost tribes” might be “found” in Him.
January 22, 2017 | 2 Kings 4:1-7 |
Americans are awash in credit card and consumer debt! We are tempted by ads like, “Buy now, pay later.” Or “Now you can own anything, any time, anywhere!” Do you feel overwhelmed and trapped by debt? Maybe even a little ashamed? The truth is that your financial condition says a lot about your spiritual condition. There is a way out. God wants you to be debt free, so that you are free to be what He has called you to be.
July 2, 2016
King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings in Judah. In 2 Kings 18:5, he was described as one who “trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” The only foolish event attributed to his reign happened near its end, as he invited emissaries from Babylon to see all of the wealth within Jerusalem, thus foreshadowing Babylon’s future overthrow of the city. Yet, despite this prideful lapse in judgment, Hezekiah remains one of the greatest kings to sit on David’s throne. Evidence of his reign still remains today, as the water still flows through Hezekiah’s tunnel into Jerusalem. My wife, Robin and I have waded through this manmade tunnel which attests to ancient man’s genius and to the credibility of the Bible which describes its existence.
July 1, 2016
When King Hezekiah of Judah received a letter from the king of Assyria threatening to overthrow Jerusalem and mocking his dependence on the Lord, the king carried the letter into the Temple. He fell on his face in prayer and spread the letter out on the floor for the Lord’s consideration. The Lord heard Hezekiah’s prayer and defended Jerusalem, so that the Assyrian army retreated without firing a shot. What threatens you today? Have you “spread” it out before the Lord in prayer?