“In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight….” “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls about roaring like a lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5: 8). I wonder if Peter was recalling the night he could not stay awake and alert in the Garden when he wrote this … Read more
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early to sit up late; to eat the bread of sorrows for He gives sleep to His beloved. Behold, children are a … Read more
Ancient Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar was the capital city of Babylonia and was the focus of a building program under King Nebuchadnezzar that was the marvel of its time. We will see the king was extremely proud of his accomplishments. The Hanging Gardens were considered one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” The … Read more
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image- you shall not kneel to them or serve them.: Exodus 20: 3-5. These commandments we make it clear when we are not to bow or kneel. Certainly the 10 Commandments were known by Daniel and his three friends. … Read more
Daniel 2: The Moments of Truth What we see in Daniel and his three friends’ lives are a series of “moments of truth”. Moments of truth are when you must decide right or wrong. These decisions can be in the seemingly insignificant issues in life or the major decisions. Several years ago, Ted Turner, put … Read more
The book of Daniel is the Old Testament book of prophecy which is considered a companion book to the New Testament book of Revelation. It has some of the most well- known stories: Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Daniel’s life and ministry covers the entire 70 … Read more
Paul continues to give detailed, God-given instructions as to how we are to deal with one another. Today our culture and society is divided by what is being called “identity politics”. This is tendency of people sharing a particular- racial, religious, ethnic, social or cultural identity to form exclusive political alliances for the purpose of … Read more
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses , let us lay aside EVERY WEIGHT, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set … Read more
I Timothy 2: 9-15 is one of those passages which sometimes a teacher wants to skip or gloss over. However, I have found in my experience these types of passages are often very important. Paul is talking about our priorities as Christians. Thus far we have seen the similarities the church at Ephesus faced in … Read more
Let’s review the situation Timothy faces: Replacing Paul as pastor of church in Ephesus. Imagine trying to fill Paul’s shoes! Timothy is young, has a spirit of fear, being easily discouraged. He also has ongoing health issues. Ephesus is an affluent city; materialistic; it is home to the Temple of Diana, the seventh wonder of … Read more
The theme which runs through these letters to Timothy are about being faithful and not quitting. Remember, ‘Without faith, it is impossible to please God and those who come to Him must believe that He is and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.’ (Hebrews 11; 6) Throughout the 11th chapter of Hebrews we … Read more
Warren Wiersbe, author and preacher, captures the life of David in three words: solider, singer and sinner. Certainly this is descriptive of David’s life. And now we are coming to end as we observe King David’s final address and the passing of the crown to his son, Solomon before King David dies at age 70. … Read more
2 Samuel 14 & 15: Standing On the Promises: A strategy for riding out the storms of life. If you grew up a Southern Baptist in the 1950’s and 60’s you were familiar with the hymn, “Standing on the Promises”. It was written in 1886 by Russell Carter, inspired by his time in the military. … Read more
2 Samuel 13: All In The Family I know each of you have faced storms in your life of all types. Sometimes we have caused the storm or we may be innocent victims caught up in another’s storm which has caused collateral damage in our lives and the lives of our family. The trouble can … Read more
2 Samuel 12: Restoration Verse 1 tells us it is the Lord who sent Nathan to confront David about his sin. Certainly not an easy task to confront a powerful leader, but God has directed Nathan to do this. Nathan has a good relationship with David and is a godly counselor. I am sure Nathan … Read more
2 Samuel 11: Tempted by the Fruit of Another “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1: 14,15. Tempted by the fruit of another. Tempted but … Read more
2 Samuel 9, Part 2: When Nothing Else Could Help In last week’s lesson, the story of Mephibosheth’s encounter with King David, was a picture of God’s Grace. This study led us to Ephesians 3:20, 21 which speaks of the immeasurable greatness of God who is able. Let’s pick up where we left off last … Read more
2 Samuel 7: The Family Tree In this chapter we meet a new person- Nathan. He is first introduced to us as a prophet. In the previous chapter we saw David and Israel enter a new era. It is interesting the oxen pulling the cart which held the Ark of the Covenant stumbled when they … Read more
2 Samuel 5B-6: The Devil is in the Details! After David has been crowned King of all Israel, his first action was to establish his capital. David, guided by the Lord, selects Jerusalem for several reasons. As king of Judah, David had made Hebron his home. Meanwhile, Abner and King Ish-Bosheth had made Mahanaim their … Read more
2 Samuel: 3-5a: The Reigning King “Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king of Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron … Read more
2 Samuel 2: Do as You Promised David’s Prayer: “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, You have spoken about … Read more
2 Samuel 1: Fallen “Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.” When we were first introduced to Saul, he was described as the most handsome man in Israel and “head and shoulders” taller than any of the other people. I Corinthians 10: 12 tells us: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take … Read more
Most of the time, I probably don’t tell you something new which you didn’t know, I remind yousomething you have forgotten. And intoday’s lesson, David gets reminded of something he had forgotten. God is in control. We have heard the urgency in David’s prayers.We have heard the fear and the impatience. The stress of protecting … Read more
I Samuel 28 “But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6: 68) Where does one go when he/she does not believe in the Lord Jesus, the One called, and the “Word of God?” Where do they find truth? In today’s culture, we see … Read more
I Samuel 27: Hide and Seek After his second encounter with King Saul, what happens next may surprise you. David is discouraged after Saul’s confession of wrongdoing. Why? Because David knows King Saul and knows he is dealing with a man with a troubled mind. David is dealing with a king who is a violent … Read more