Recent Commentaries

Hezekiah’s rule was characterized not only by devotion to God but by devotion with such intensity that even the high places were destroyed. Even the brazen serpent which Moses had erected seven hundred years earlier had become an object of worship and was reduced to scrap metal. …

Moses was a great prophet, but he was also a song leader. After three sermons, he changed the presentation of his message to singing. This song gives a brief history of Israel. It reminds the people of their mistakes while warning them to avoid and repeat from them. It offers hope that …

When the Arabs raided Judah, they killed all of Jehoram’s sons, except Ahaziah who the people crowned as king (v. 1). He was 22 years old, and he ruled only one year from Jerusalem (v. 2). His mother was Athaliah, and she encouraged her son to sin against the Lord (v. 3). He followed the …

Three of David’s brothers have gone off to fight in Saul’s army against the Philistines (v. 13). David is introduced once more as the youngest son of Jesse, who has eight boys (v. 14). David had been playing his harp for Saul but had gone home to Bethlehem to take care of his fat …

We have come to the last stage of the journey. There had been the time of withdrawal around Caesarea Philippi in the far north. There had been the time in Galilee. There had been the stay in the hill-country of Judea and in the regions beyond Jordan. There had been the road through …

Listening and responding is vital in a relationship with God. As we see from this passage, God is no respecter of age or position when it comes to communication. He can and may work through anyone he chooses. Most of us would have expected God to speak to the older statesman, E …

Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with the wrong kind of people. Even the disciples thought He should be spending more time with what they considered the important people. Jewish mothers wanted their children to be blessed by what they considered a distinguish …

The previous Bible passage showed three crosses at Calvary: One man died IN sin, one man died TO sin and one died FOR sin. Please note four things that happened in this passage (vv. 44-48). Darkness came over the whole land (v. 44). These three hours of darkness were …

The eighth judge of Israel was a man of great character, by the name of Jephthah. In his early life he was despised by his half-brothers as an illegitimate son of their father, and he became an outcast, exiled to the land of Tob (vv. 1-5). It was a normal practice to send away illegitimate children in …

Ezekiel had already pronounced judgment on Ammon (21:28-32). Now Ammon was singled out to head the list of nations that would feel the sting of divine judgment (vv. 1-2). Ammon and Israel had been in conflict since the time of Jephthah during the period of the Judges (Jud …