Compromise
Jesus is Sentenced to Die
As Jesus enters Pilate’s judgment hall the Jewish leaders accused Him of the following crimes: 1.. Guilty of misleading the nation 2. Forbidding the paying of taxes 3. Claiming to be a kingPilate focused on the third charge when he asked,"Are you the King of the Jews” …
Saul Seeks Help With The Witch of Endor
This chapter opens with a new act of war being declared by the Philistines against Israel. With this, David finds himself in a compromising situation as King Achish asks David and his troops to join forces with the Philistines against Israel. If he said no, he would be in big tro …
Jehoshaphat’s 25 year reign was marked by prosperity
When Judah came, they saw all the enemy dead (v. 24). The slaughter was so great that the men of Judah couldn’t carry away all the spoil and they were three days gathering it up (v. 25). With thanksgiving to God, they offered praise for His love (vv. 26-28). That is why this place is still …
Paul arrives in Jerusalem
Paul finally arrived in Jerusalem and went before the church leaders to give a missionary report of what God had done in his journeys (vv. 17-19). They listened very politely but when he was finished, they told him they had a local situation that perhaps he could help them settle …
Jehoshaphat’s Alliance With Ahab
Jehoshaphat became care¬less in his diplomatic relations and joined in an unholy alliance with king Ahab. A sad result of this alliance was the marriage of his son Jehoram to Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah (v. 21:6). One day Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab in Samaria (v. 2) and Ahab put on a …
Macaiah Warns Ahab
There had been three years without any war between Israel and Syria (v. 1). Ahab decided to regain Israel’s lost territory of Ramoth-gilead, 28 miles east of the Jordan River and l5 miles south of the Sea of Galilee (vv. 2-3). In order to have an army large enough to defeat th …
The Plague of Flies
In the previous plagues, of turning water to blood and the frogs, the Egyptian magicians were able to imitate Moses. Today’s plague, however, of turning the dust into lice could not be imitated (vv.16-18). In fact, the magicians even told the king that God had done this but …
Balak sends for Balaam
The key person in this passage is a mysterious soothsayer named Balaam. He was a Gentile who lived at a place called Pethor near the Euphrates River (v. 5). He had a reputation for receiving hidden knowledge and the use of occult power to grant blessing or cursing and sold his se …
Joshua’s Farewell Address
As this chapter opens some twenty years have passed since the wars in Canaan. Joshua knew that his days on this earth were numbered. He had a deep concern, for he observed a growing complacency on the part of Israel toward the Canaanites that still dwelt in the land which should …
Failure in Northern Canaan
Judah’s victories were by no means complete. She was unable to cope with her enemy’s chariots of iron. Benjamin was not able to drive out the Jebusites from their portion of the land. Manasseh was unable to overthrow the Canaanites in her own terrain (vv. 21-22). She kept them in servitude …