There are ways in which God holds us responsible for things happening around us. We do not live on an island where we don’t affect others, or the other way around. Especially in a democracy, which strongly promotes privatization and individualism, we always affect others around us. This makes us ...

Joshua assigned the land to the people of Israel, which is what God commanded. Some of these assignments were made a year before when Moses was alive. But the LORD promised the people and He planned to fulfill the covenant He made. This was the beginning of the nation’s land history. No longer we...

The Hebrew title Shophetim means Judges, and can also mean governors or rulers. I believe that there were a total of thirteen of these moral leaders the book of Judges highlights. Samuel was not born a Levite but an Ephrathite, yet he ended up in the Tent Tabernacle with the duties of a Levite. I...

Judges 4 tells an under-reported story in ancient Israel. The judge and prophetess Deborah led Israel out of the hands of King Hazor. For twenty years, Hazor had dominated and subjugated Israel. The last time they were oppressed like this was during the time of Judge Ehud. Deborah was active in t...

As we study through the Bible we can see the level at which Israel fails God continue to grow. They fall at least seven times in the narrative of the book of Judges. Gideon was the fifth judge highlighted in these evil times. His call was unexpected, although, even he himself did not anticipate t...

When evil is out in the open, it’s easy to fight against it. But when evil is hidden in plain sight and rises on the inside – of society and our soul – it is very difficult to identify and even easier to ignore. The nation slowly splits and fights against itself. If left unresolved, a civil war b...

The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges in Israel. It is a true story about a Jewish woman named Naomi and a Moabite woman named Ruth, great-grandmother of King David. The narrative begins with Naomi, her husband and two sons leaving Israel to go to the land of Moab to avoid a ...

Israel had fallen so far from the LORD that there was no way they could hear the word of God or understand a revelation from Him. These were the days when the prophet Samuel was born, a time when darkness fell across Israel. A time when the nation became horribly dark like the other nations aroun...

We often think that we can be free from evil if we simply resist it. We believe that we have the energy and strength to fight our way out. The truth is that evil is not defeated by our work but by God’s power.

Israel had fallen away from God’s truth which led to a defeat in battle and the devast...

The people of Israel had chosen their first king, and it would not be long before they would need his leadership. Messengers arrived at Gibeah, King Saul’s hometown and Israel’s first capital city, with a crisis: The Ammonites had invaded and barricaded Jabesh Gilead, efforts at peace had resulte...

It is hard to understand what God is doing and how He is moving when our minds are bent away from Him. When we stop focusing on God, we can easily get lost in our own ideas; we can get trapped in conspiracy theories that seem to threaten what we have. If satan, the enemy of our soul, can distract...

David understood the weight of God’s anointing. Today, we see that as we read 1 Samuel 26. The word anointed means set apart or made to be different. Saul was chosen by God to serve Him as the first king of Israel, not to spend his time chasing after David in a jealous rage. David knew the differ...

A king that would rather die than be taken captive is a proud man. You cannot understand your earthly circumstances, until you realize your heavenly dwelling. God had made Saul’s path to Him and heaven clear, but unfortunately, Saul avoided it. The end happened on Mount Gilboa. In 1 Samuel 31, we...

There is much grief in the world, whether you look at the present day or into the ancient past. In 2 Samuel 3, we learn of a great grief in the lives of Saul’s daughter Michal, and her husband David. The Bible had earlier highlighted the love that Michal had for David, and the celebratory marriag...

2 Samuel 6 records the movement of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It had been kept at the city of Kiriath Jearim for many years. Before this, the Israelites had misused the ark; they took it into battle with them and it was lost to the Philistines for a time. Now that it had been back in I...

David’s final confrontation with his son Absalom is, perhaps, one of the great tragedies in the Bible. Absalom staged a coup against his father David. So, they met for battle. 2 Samuel 18 records the end of this rebellion and Absalom’s final moments. David told the men to be gentle with Absalom. ...

In 2 Samuel 22, David sings a psalm to God for us all – He is our rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, Saviour. All of these qualities describe the fullness of God’s unwavering protection and faithfulness over our lives, especially when he says, “The LORD is my rock” (V. 2 ) . Bedrock, for ...

David’s mighty men were the best soldiers in Israel, but they still needed someone to guide them. They needed a leader. God was preparing and training David to become king early on in his life, while he was still a shepherd. Like the mighty men, while they were an unstoppable force, their hearts ...

In a human way, we educate ourselves for work to build our future, as a way to give ourselves purpose. But in the divine way, God gives us grace and wisdom to fulfill our purpose that He assigns for us to accomplish. Every person has an assignment from God to build our future. When I was in high ...

I always felt intimidated by the Bible because I had such respect for God, so I didn’t really read it. Everything changed when I fully committed my heart to the LORD, I began to read the Bible regularly and it influenced everything. The Bible is no ordinary book – it is the Word of God. Hebrews 4...

The Word of God is sure, it is strong and unyielding. Here in the Old Testament, we see how God rose up prophets to be His witnesses and keep His covenant people accountable. Most often, the prophets were given messages of strong warning or judgment because the people were not keeping their coven...

When the LORD is involved, things change! Ahab, who was not a good king, received God’s help when Syria came against Israel. Ben-Hadad the king of Syria, with 32 other allied kings, seemed an unstoppable force. When Ben-Hadad threatened Northern Israel it looked as good as over, but surprisingly,...

The LORD knows our actions and reactions, even when we try to hide. It’s a strange fact that some people will consider what the Bible says, or what their pastor or Christian friends say, and will still choose to ignore God. They will still choose to believe that God either: does not see their act...