David (Part 1)
Today we will be looking at the first King of Israel, Saul. And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.1 Samuel 16:1 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S…
The Sin of Judah (Amos 2:4-5)
Amos now turns his attention to the people of God. As Amos addresses the sin of Judah he shows a natural progression back through the stages of Judah’s backsliding into sin. Despising God’s Law There are many ways that God describes sin, and there are many reasons that we sin. Perhaps the worst reason for sin is an absolute hatred for God’s commands. It was not just that the children of Judah did not keep God’s commands, they hated them.…
Saul
Today we will be looking at the first King of Israel, Saul. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come…
The Sin of Moab (Amos 2:1-3)
Amos now turns his attention to the people of Moab. Burning the bones of the King of Edom Edom formed a natural border between Moab and Israel. In 2 Kings 3 we read of Edom breaking their covenant with Moab and joining Israel in an attack against them. They gave Israel passage through their land and joined them in an assault on Moab. This enraged the King of Moab. He was so angry with the King of Edom that he…
Geography, Economy, Etc.
To understand the time of the kings it is very helpful to have a good grasp of the geography of Israel, its economy, etc. So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol,…
The Sin of Ammon (Amos 1:13-15)
Amos now turns his attention to the people of Ammon. Ripping apart pregnant women The people of Ammon were Israel’s neighbors to the southeast. They bordered the region of Israel known as Gilead, the territory east of the Jordan river. They would invade Gilead and rip open pregnant women in order to kill their unborn children; obviously most of the women died as well. Enlarging their territory The reason for this barbaric practice was simple; the Ammonites wanted to enlarge…
Samuel
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give…
The Sin of Edom (Amos 1:11-12)
As we have looked at the sins of the surrounding nations Edom has kept surfacing. The Philistines sold Jews to the Edomites as slaves. The people of Tyre sold runaway slaves back to Edom. Edom was the central figure in this horrid slave trade that God repeatedly condemned. You would expect God to address the slave trade when He rebukes Edom, but He does not. Pursuit with the sword When the Israelites were coming out of Egypt the most direct…
Judges
And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the…