The Israelites have been in exile for years and God told King Cyrus to allow them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the House of God. After many years and an interruption or two, the temple is finished. God also called a scribe who loved the Law, wanted to share it with others, and...
God loves. His love endures forever. The first half of 2 Chronicles not only documents some of the Kings of Judah, but also documents God’s love for Israel. Over and over Israel is told that if they walk with the Lord, He will bless them and protect them. God also promises Solomon that if...
Thirty days. I am one-third of the way through reading the Bible! Yeah! While I still love reading my Bible, I still do struggle with it: some days are just difficult to read, some days are difficult to summarize and others I just don’t really want to do, I want rest. However, I have...
Even though chapters 1-12 only take up a little more than 10 pages in my Bible, it is full of details to take to heart. There is so much to take in about David becoming King of Judah and then of all of Israel. Throughout, David seeks God for guidance, pours out his thankful...
Continuing through the remainder of 1 Samuel, the theme of prayer continues. It was striking the difference between Saul and David. Saul is impulsive and rash, while David is constantly asking for wisdom from God in his pursuits. Over and over David trusts in the Lord, knowing that He will remove Saul in His...
In this 90 days through the Bible study, it never ceases to amaze me when I learn something from a passage that is unexpected. The first half of 1 Samuel is about the beginning of Samuel’s life, and Israel’s first king, Saul. Little did I expect that the importance of prayer would be the...
The second half of Judges contains stories that are filled with disobedience of the Law, and show just how far away Israel has fallen from God. The last verse of Judges is a pretty good summary of the book: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what is right in...
Despite years of repeated warnings to obey the Lord and His commandments or you will be handed over to your enemies, the Israelites still haven’t learned. They repeatedly: strayed from God, were handed over to their enemy, cried out to the Lord to be rescued, were sent a judge to rescue and rule over...
Israel now has a home. They have expelled most of the Canaanites, and the land is being divided up among the tribes; it is a time for rest. Before his death, Joshua reminds the Israelites that they have been victorious in what they have done but only because the Lord has fought for them....
Moses is continuing his last address to the nation of Israel before they enter the promised land. While Moses reviews some of the Law and includes some that had previously not been mentioned, he also covers the reasons why we should obey the commandments. We are told to surround and immerse ourselves with God’s...
