Daily Readings in the Bible 1 Samuel 1-3
Hannah wanted a son, and Israel needed a prophet. That’s how First Samuel opens. Hannah was barren, unable to have children. Israel, on the other hand, was spiritually barren. The answer for both Hannah and Israel was Samuel. Samuel would be the son that Hannah desperately desired; and he would be the prophet that would […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Ruth 3-4
Naomi received word that the drought was over in Bethlehem-Judah. The now childless widow had nothing keeping her in Moab. All that was left were her two widowed Moabite daughter in-laws, Orpah and Ruth. The two young ladies decided it was best to follow Naomi to Bethlehem, the House of Bread. The three of them […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Ruth 1-2
The period of the Judges lasted 450 years (Acts 13:20). Thirteen judges ruled in all. The theme of the book of Judges was that men did what was right in their own eyes (Jud. 21:25). During the period of the Judges a famine befell Canaan, and was felt in the fertile areas of Judah. […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 19-21
“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Jud. 21:25). That’s how the writer of Judges concludes his book. Life without a king. Israel failed to remove their enemies from their land and disobeyed God (Jud. 1-3). That’s life without a king. Israel […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 16-18
Every superhero has their villain. If you ever read comics, or watched a superhero movie then you know the villain is always looking for ways to defeat his arch nemesis. The villain’s evil plots are never going to come to pass if the hero is there to thwart the evil plan. Therefore, the villain looks […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 13-15
The spiritual climate in Israel grew colder. Israel was now indifferent to Jehovah and to the idea of being bondage. They hadn’t learned the lesson of keeping themselves from idols which inevitably led to them doing evil again in the sight of the LORD. This time God allowed them to be oppressed by the hands […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 10-12
After the awful war between Abimelech and Jotham, Israel had peace under the leadership of Tola and Jair. But once again, Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped idols. The Lord sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and the Ammonites, and they were oppressed for eighteen years (Jud. 10:1-9). […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 8-9
After the death of Gideon, the people of Israel went after strange gods again (Jud. 8:33). Israel had quickly forgotten what the Lord had done for them, and the victory that Gideon wrought. Israel’s lack of spiritual leadership was proving to be futile. Gideon had served Israel as a judge, not as a king. After […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 6-7
Everyone loves an underdog. We have a hard time cheering for the giants and the super elite. There’s something special about seeing the little guy have his day. The story of Gideon is that of an underdog. Israel, again, did evil in the sight of the Lord. For punishment, He gave Israel over to the […]
Daily Readings in the Bible Judges 3-5
Mesopotamia was the place that God had called Abraham to leave (Gen. 12:1-4). Now after several centuries, the people of Israel were under the oppression of the Mesopotamians, on account that Israel had gone back into idolatry. They began worshiping false gods, and started to intermarry with the Canaanites (Jud. 3:6-7). Mesopotamia, like Egypt, represents […]