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The road back home to God applies to individuals and nations alike God provides us a very clear blueprint as to how we can get back to Him. It entails multiple steps, a bit of discipline, and our entire heart. In 1 Samuel 1 Chapter 7, verses 3-Judges Israel and gave the Israelites the blueprint for the way back home to Him. That same blueprint is 100% the same for you, me the Unites states as a nation and Europe. Let's get started."3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only."(1 Samuel 7:3-4)PLEASE SHARE this Podcast with others and SUBSCRIBE as a way to help us share the Gospel message with the world. We are reaching thousands of people from over 35 nations around the world monthly. If you would like to help support our efforts financially, please check out www.ReasonForTruth.Org/Donate Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reason-for-truth--2774396/support.
In this episode, we slow down and sit with one of the most tender—and haunting—passages in the prophets: Hosea 11:1–4, and its surprising reappearance in Matthew 2:13–15.Hosea portrays God not first as judge or ruler, but as Father. Israel is called God's firstborn son, lovingly summoned out of Egypt so that he might be protected, taught, and patiently raised into maturity. The imagery is intimate and embodied: God teaching Israel to walk, lifting him up, healing him, and drawing him with “cords of human kindness.”Yet the tragedy of Hosea's oracle is not merely Israel's disobedience—it is Israel's refusal to be fathered. Instead of allowing God to form and mature them, Israel turns to the Baals, exchanging a living relationship for lifeless substitutes. Hosea gives us a portrait of divine grief: a Father lamenting a son who will not grow up.From there, we turn to Matthew's Gospel, where this same passage is unexpectedly quoted in reference to Jesus' flight into—and return from—Egypt. Matthew is not treating Hosea as a simple prediction waiting to be checked off. Instead, he understands Hosea 11 as a pattern—a father-son story that began with Israel but was never fully completed.Jesus, Matthew shows us, is the Son who allows God to Father him all the way through. Where Israel resisted formation, Jesus submits to it. Where Israel's sonship stalled, Jesus' sonship matures—through obedience, suffering, death, and ultimately resurrection.Along the way, we explore a richer biblical understanding of prophecy: not only as future prediction, but as a divinely initiated pattern that seeks fulfillment across time. In Jesus, the unfinished story of Hosea 11 finally moves toward its full and proper end.We close by reflecting on Jesus' entire life as a process of Father-Son maturity—how he entrusted himself to the Father at every stage, and how the resurrection stands as the moment when the Son is brought into complete, vindicated maturity. In Jesus, the Father finally gets the Son he has always been seeking—and through him, we are invited into that same maturing relationship.Key Passages: Hosea 11:1-4Matthew 2:13-15Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.orgLeave us a question or comment at our website podcast page.
2 Chronicles 28:1-5New International Version Ahaz King of Judah 28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. 3 He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. 5 Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joash Repairs the Temple 24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. 4 Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites did not act at once. 6 Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?” 7 Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals. 8 At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. 9 A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full. 11 Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple. 13 The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord. 15 Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Chronicles 23:16-24:7 New International Version 16 Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people and the king[a] would be the Lord’s people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. 18 Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. 19 He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter. 20 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword. Joash Repairs the Temple 24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. 4 Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites did not act at once. 6 Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?” 7 Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's easy to drift along, day after day – not ever realising that we're on a gentle, downward slope, until it's too late. But the beauty of God's grace is that it's never, ever too late to change things. It's never, ever too late to turn your life around. Same Old Same Old The thing about life is that it, well, it seems to just crank along, day after day – get up, have a shower, have breakfast, hit the commute, go to work, come home, do the TV, go to bed, get up ... isn't that the routine? Ninety nine point nine percent of life seems to be everyday, mundane realities – punctuated, granted, with the odd high and low. And the more we live that same old same old, the more we become accustomed to that reality; we get used to it. For many people there is a dull ache in their hearts; for others there is this sense that, there has to be something more. You know I work in God's service, in full time ministry and every Sunday evening I talk with my mother on the phone – it's our little routine – and she asks me "Berni, what's been going on in your life?" And I'm your typical male, I say "Well, Mum, you know it was kind of the same as last week; nothing particularly new – same old same old." And it's true! The problem is for so many, many people, this same old same old routine is about drifting away from God. It's about living out a busy life and just struggling to get by and consuming mountains of drivel from the TV that ... well, we forget what life is all about. And before we know it, God seems like ... well, it seems like He is just a million miles away. Have you ever felt that in your life? You know, you can even be on holidays, having a great vacation somewhere, with time on your hands and yet, it still feels like God is a million miles away. There's a reason for that – there is! And today on the programme we are going to discover the reason and the remedy. This is the last in a series of four messages that I have called "Defining Moments". We are going to have a look at a King in Israel's history; a man named Josiah – to discover what is the reason and the remedy. But before we look at Josiah, we need to have a look at his grandfather and his father because his grandfather and father, Manasseh and Amon, those two guys are the reason. And through Josiah's life; through a defining moment in his life we discover the remedy. See, Manasseh and Amon – we can see through them how we can drift away from God – just through little compromises, it seems at first, until life itself is at stake. And through Josiah what we are going to see how easy it is to turn that around. I just want to position where that story comes in Israel's history. God first engaged with His chosen people through Abraham and Abraham and his son called Isaac and Isaac had a son called Jacob and Jacob had twelve sons, one of who was Joseph of "Technicoloured Dream Coat" fame. And these were the twelve tribes of Israel and they grew and they grew into this massive nation and for four hundred years they were keep in Egypt as slaves. Then eventually God calls Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, "Let My people go" and that happens through a series of miracles. And then around about 1280BC, the exodus begins – you know, forty years in the desert, they end up in the Promised Land and then there is a period of Judges until Saul becomes King in around 1050BC, followed by King David and then King Solomon. But after Solomon's reign, Israel splits in two – the ten Northern tribes are called 'Israel' and the two Southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin are referred to as 'Judah' – and that happens around 930BC. All along Judah struggles with God and remember…..remember the first two commandments that God gives to His people. You can read them in Exodus chapter 20, beginning at verse 2: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the Land of Egypt; out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing the children for the iniquity of their parents to the third and fourth generations of those who reject Me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. See, God's pretty clear – God is saying "I'm your God. I'm the one who took you out of slavery – I must be first in your life!' And that's what God's people struggled with! They had some good Kings and they had some really bad Kings - they had their ups and had their downs. Fortunately, God is slow to anger but they were testing His patience. We pick up this roller coaster ride of Israel with these two Kings, Manasseh and his son Amon. The name 'Manasseh' means 'to cause forgetfulness' and that was so apt because under his rule God's people forgot to put God first. Pick it up – if you have got a Bible, open it at Second Chronicles chapter 33, beginning at verse 1: Manasseh was twelve years old when he became King. He reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For He rebuilt the high places that his father, Hezekiah had pulled down and erected alters to the Baals and made sacred poles and worshipped all the hosts of heaven and served them. He built alters in the House of the Lord of which the Lord had said, "In Jerusalem shall My name forever be." He built alters for all the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the House of the Lord. He made his son pass through fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery and dealt with mediums and wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking God to anger. The carved image of the idol that he had made he set up in the House of God, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon: "In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. I will never again remove the feet of Israel from the land that I appointed to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses. Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the people of Israel. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to His people, but they gave no heed. And it was exactly the same with his son, Amon – Second Chronicles chapter 33, beginning at verse 22: Amon too, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images his father Manasseh had made, and served them. He did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had humbled himself, by this Amon incurred more and more guilt. Can I tell you, this in not just Israel's problem, it's our problem? Things just creep in, don't they? We all! "Well dad did it that way. Everybody else is doing it that way. Let's just go with the flow." And so Manasseh was defeated by the Babylonians in battle and Amon was murdered by his servants. See, going with the flow; with popular public opinion seems really easy. It's so acceptable to everyone around us, isn't it? But going with the flow ... well, going with the flow has consequences. Through the Eyes of Babes As you and I can plainly see, Manasseh and Amon made a hash of things and they kindled God's wrath. You know, one of the things we see a bit of in the Old Testament is God's wrath but it always comes after He has tried talking sense into His people first and it always ... always involves redemption. God's wrath always involves bring His people back to Him. It's about bringing them to their senses and calling them back to Himself. So these two Kings of Judah, Manasseh and Amon, they blew it! Now what comes next? Well, what comes next is a young boy with a right heart. Join me as we take a look – if you have got your Bible, get it open at Second Chronicles, in the Old Testament, chapter 34, beginning at verse 1: Josiah, (Amon's son, Manasseh's grandson) Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign – he reigned for thirty one years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he didn't turn aside to the right or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a boy, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David and in the twelfth year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of all those high places and sacred poles and carved and cast images. In his presence they pulled down the altars of the Baals; he demolished the incense alters that stood above them. He broke down the sacred poles and the carved and the cast images; he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, he broke down the altars, beat the sacred poles and the images into powder and demolished all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Now get this ... Josiah is eight years old when he becomes King! Do you remember how mature you were when you were eight years old? Right! And in just another eight years, when he was sixteen years old, at a time when most of us were being precocious, painful, petulant teenagers, this child King decided that it was time to turn things around. Now it mustn't have been easy – sure he was a King, but look what happened to his old man – Amon was murdered by his own courtiers. Now, in this country everyone was worshipping idols – everybody – it was the culture; it was the way of life – powerful people, rich people, poor people - they were all worshipping idols and offering up to other gods. And this young sixteen year old, Josiah, didn't just say to his people, "No, no, it's wrong, don't do it" – he had his army destroy their places of worship. He travelled through the land; he executed the priests of these false gods and he made it clear that the King was not going to tolerate God's chosen people doing exactly the thing that God had told them not to do. And he even takes the sacred poles and the images and the idols and he reduces them; he pounds them into powder. See, Josiah is swimming against the tide – he is going against the flow and that always takes courage. Perhaps life has been drifting along for you and you have been going the easy road; just the way everyone else is going. Not in every area of your life 'I still go to church; I still believe in God. No, those things are still there' but in those hidden areas of life – how you spend your money or where you place your priorities – that's what this is about. Who or what comes first in our hearts and our lives – God or someone or something else? Listen to Jesus' own words in Matthew chapter 7, beginning at verse 12: In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take that. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life and there are few who find it. It's so easy, isn't it, to just go with the flow, on that gentle downward slope? Doing what Josiah did takes a bundle of courage and resolve and I believe there are a few people today who need that courage and resolve and that's something we can't do for ourselves – that's something that comes by the power of God's Spirit, when we take in His Word. So Josiah prepared to go against the flow – it was risky; it was dangerous – he wouldn't have endeared himself to the people but he did it anyway. Now have a look at what happens next. This is the defining moment – it's a moment from God. Second Chronicles 34, verse 8: In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shephan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. They came to the high priest, Hilkiah and delivered the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all of Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They delivered the money to the workers who had oversight of the house of the Lord and the workers who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house." They gave it to carpenters and builders and quarriers and timber for binding and all sorts of stuff. "The people did the work faithfully." "Now while they were bringing the money out that had been brought into the house of the Lord, the priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law of the Lord, given to Moses and Hilkiah said to the secretary Shaphan, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord," and Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan and Shaphan brought the Book to the King and further reported to the King, "All that was committed to your servants they are doing. They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workers. And the secretary Shaphan, informed the King, "The priest Hilkiah has given me this Book," and Shaphan then read it out aloud to the King. And when the King heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the King commanded Hilkiah and Ahikam son of Shaphan and Abdon the son of Micah, the secretary Shaphan and the King's servant Asaiah: "Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the Book that has been found; for the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us is great, because our ancestors did not keep the Word of the Lord, to act in accordance with all that is written in that Book." Now, we are going to look at what all that means next. The Word that Saves Isn't that amazing – Josiah, while he is going about God's business, stumbles across the Word of God? It's hidden – God's people had even forgotten about God's Word. No wonder things were such a mighty mess. I liken this to the person today who has a Bible but it's kind of stuffed up somewhere in the top level of their wardrobe in the bedroom, gathering dust. The living Word of God – God's love letter to you and me – gathering dust; lost, forgotten and we wonder ... we wonder why our lives are in a mess! Can you believe this – the chief priest has lost God's Word? There are plenty of people who claim to be Christians – so many of them have lost God's Word. I mean, how do we expect to live in God's blessing and God's abundance of life if when He is trying to speak to us, we leave Him up on the shelf. Come on, wake up! Josiah defining moment is his reaction. When he discovers that God's Word has come out of the temple, he is distraught; he tears at his clothes, despite all the great things this young King has been doing, he is beside himself, that he has been missing out on God's Word. See, it's only now he is hearing from God when his secretary started reading out of God's Word. He is realising for the first twenty six years of his life he hasn't really known what God's will is. So he takes some action. He sends his people to one of God's prophets to enquire of God, "God, what does all this mean? What do we do now? Where do I go from here?" Let's take a look – Second Chronicles chapter 34, verse 20: Then the King commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan and Abdon son of Micah and the secretary Shaphan, and the King's servant Asaiah: "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the Book that has been found, for the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us is great, because our ancestors did not keep the Word of the Lord, to act in accordance with all that is written in that Book." So Hilkiah and those whom the King had sent went to the prophet Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, (boy, a mouthful, huh?) keeper of the wardrobe (who lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect. She declared to them, she said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me: Thus says the Lord: I will indeed bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the Book that was read before the King of Judah. Because they have forsaken Me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked Me to anger with all the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be quenched. But as to the King of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord your God, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was penitent and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His Words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before Me and you have torn your clothes and you have wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. I will gather you to your ancestors and you will be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see the disaster that I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." They took that message back to the King. And that disaster is exactly what happened – we haven't got time to go there now but that's what happened. You can read it for yourself, that Josiah caused God's people to celebrate the Passover and to honour their God and he was spared. He died and then a few generations on, the Babylonians came and overran Judah – they destroyed the temple, Jerusalem was raised to the ground and they took all the people; God's people, out of the Promised Land to Babylon, into seventy years of slavery and captivity. But Josiah ... Josiah didn't suffer those consequences because he heard the Word of God and what? – He repented! All those great things beforehand that he did; they were truly wonderful; they showed his heart. But when he heard the tough things in the Word of God, he sought out God and he set his nation on a different course – despite the mixed blessings that the prophet spoke of. God's Word is God speaking! God's Word speaks of life; abundant life into our hearts. God speaks the truth – He speaks love and grace and mercy through His Word and yet, sometimes ... sometimes God's Word is God speaking some tough things into our lives – calling us to completely turn around. God's Word completely turns our world upside down because God's Word is about putting God first in our lives, not ourselves. God is calling us to die in order that we might live. And none of us ... none of us wants to die. None of us want to give up this rubbish that we are clinging onto for dear life but God is calling us….calling us to open His Word the Bible and hear Him speak. And the defining moment in the life of Josiah was when he discovered the Word of God and he tore his clothes because he realised that he had lived the first twenty six years of his life not hearing from God and he turned back to God and he turned his whole nation back to God. And no matter how far you and I have drifted away, if you are hearing this message today and you feel God's Spirit putting His finger on a place in your heart and you sense His conviction – if you are reacting right now, the way Josiah was reacting – deep distress – listen again with me to God's Word about this place you are in right now: "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, regarding the words that you have heard because your heart was penitent and you humbled yourself before God as you hear My Words and you have humbled yourself before Me now and are tearing your clothes and weeping in your heart before Me – I also have heard you," says the Lord. This is a powerful thing because God is a God who restores. God is a God who calls us back and when we turn back to Him, having drifted away; having taken the easy road; having just doddled along with public opinion and done it easy. When we finally come to our senses; when we hear the Word of God as you and I have heard it today, and we turn our lives back to Him – that's the defining moment – that's when God changes everything.
Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel — and God sends fire from heaven! In this powerful sermon from 1 Kings 18, Pastor Brandon exposes the danger of divided devotion and modern "Baals" (money, status, anxiety) that exhaust us but deliver nothing. Discover why only the Lord deserves your whole heart — and how Jesus offers true rest.
Hosea 11:1-11 English Standard Version The Lord's Love for Israel 11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. 4 I led them with cords of kindness,[a] with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. 5 They shall not[b] return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. 6 The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. 7 My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. 8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. 9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.[c] 10 They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; 11 they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord. Footnotes Hosea 11:4 Or humaneness; Hebrew man Hosea 11:5 Or surely Hosea 11:9 Or into the city
The story of Ruth begins with these words: In the days when the judges governed (v. 1a). Just before Joshua died after a lifetime of faithful service, he warned all of Israel: Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness. Put away the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Josh. 24:14-15) The book of Judges recounts Israels history shortly after entering the promised land, and just in the second chapter, we are told: Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers... (Jud. 2:11-12), which characterizes the tone and climate of Israels spiritual health. The book of Judges also concludes with the words: In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Jug. 21:25). While in the wilderness, God warned Israel that there would be consequences to their choices, especially when it came to their trust of God and obedience to God: Beware that your hearts are not easily deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them. Otherwise, the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the sky so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce; then you will quickly perish from the good land which the LORD is giving you (Deut. 11:16-17) As we move from Judges into the book of Ruth, the opening five verses immediately shed light on the spiritual condition of Naomis husband, Elimelech. These verses reveal how Elimelech, in his role as both husband and father, deeply influenced the direction and well-being of his family. The famine in the land did not just reflect a lack of physical food; it also mirrored the spiritual famine within Elimelechs own heart and soul. There are some things I want to point out to you that I believe will help you appreciate just how relevant this book is to us today. First, let me begin by stating that Bethlehem means house of bread yet there was no bread in Bethlehem because there was famine in the land due to Israels disobedience. God had promised that He would bless His people if they obeyed Him, so the reason why there was no bread in Bethlehem was because of Israels unfaithfulness, not Gods unfaithfulness. Second, we are told that Elimelech was a man of Bethlehem in Judah..., which means that he belonged to the tribe of Judah. God called Elimelech to live in Bethlehem, yet he chose to move to Moab because he believed that he and his family could thrive in a place outside of where God called him to live. Some of the things that Elimelech had to know about Moab was that the people originated out of an incestuous relationship after Lots older daughter got him drunk for the purpose of having sex with her father so that she could become pregnant with his child (Gen. 19:30-38). Secondly, the Moabites were known for their scheming to get Israel to sin against God (Num. 22-24). Thirdly, the Women of Moab were known for seducing the Israelite men for the purpose of getting them to worship the gods of Moab (Num. 25). Moab was not a place for a family to thrive spiritually, but this is the place that Elimelech took his family to live. The other important detail we need to consider is that while Naomis name means Pleasant nothing about her life seemed pleasant. Her husbands name meant God is my king but he certainly did not live like God was his king. The meaning of the names of their two sons were, Mahlon (Weakness, sickness) and Chilion (destruction, failure); both men took for themselves Moabite women who did not grow up worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; taking Moabite women as wives was something God commanded Israel not to do (see Deut. 7:1-4). Noamis husband and both of her sons died, leaving her with nothing but two daughters-in-law who were also destitute with no husband or male child. Naomi Suffered Loss When Naomi left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons, she leftfull. Because of the famine in the land (v. 1), moving to Moab must have felt like the right decisionan act of survival for the sake of their family. But while in Moab, tragedy struck. Her husband, Elimelech, died. Then her two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruthsomething God had warned His people against because of the danger of idolatry (Deut. 7:23). And after marrying these women, both of Naomis sons also died, leaving her with two widowed Moabite daughters-in-law and no descendants of her own. Naomi had lost the three most important men in her life, along with any hope of lineage, inheritance, or security. There was nothing for her in Moab, and because of her husbands death after leaving Bethlehem, there was nothing but maybe the kindness of her relatives back in Judah. So when she returned to Bethlehem, it is no surprise that she no longer wanted to be called Naomi, which means pleasant. She asked instead to be calledMara, meaning bitter. She explained the bitterness in her own words: The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty (vv. 2021). Ruth: A Woman of Excellence Naomi failed to recognize the blessing her Moabite daughter-in-law truly was. When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, she urged both Orpah and Ruth to go back to their own people and gods in Moab. While Orpah left to go back to her people and her gods, Ruth decided to remain with Naomi and even declared to her mother-in-law: Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates me from you. (1:1618). One reason Naomi discouraged Ruth from coming back with her was concern for Ruths safety. There was significant hostility between Moabites and Israelites. This is clear in chapter two, after Ruth entered a field belonging to Boaz. Everyone in the field knew Ruth was a foreigner, as the foreman explained to Boaz, She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from Moab. Boazs response reveals the real danger Ruth faced. He spoke kindly to her, saying, Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but join my young women here. Keep your eyes on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have ordered the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw (Ruth 2:89). Ruths foreign status exposed her to rejection, prejudice, and mistreatmentyet she chose to stay with Naomi anyway, embracing uncertainty and risking lifelong exclusion. Her courage did not go unnoticed. In chapter three, Boaz calls Ruth a woman of excellence (3:11)a term that carries the sense of valor, honor, and strength of character. Remarkably, the same word is used of Boaz in 2:1, while you do not see it in the way the NASB translated Ruth 2:1, just about every other translation does recognize this: Now Naomi had a relative of her husbands, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. The parallel is deliberate. The narrator wants us to see that Ruth and Boaz are kindred spiritstwo people marked by integrity, bravery, and covenant faithfulness in a time when such qualities were rare in Israel. Boaz: A Kinsmen Redeemer Boaz is the third important character in the story of Ruth, for he is the only one qualified to serve as Naomis kinsman-redeemer. Every kinsman-redeemer had to meet three qualifications: He had to be a family member, He had to have the ability to redeem, and He had to be willing to redeem. A kinsman-redeemer held several responsibilities in the Old Testament: he could buy back family land lost to famine or debt (Lev. 25:2530), redeem relatives who had sold themselves into slavery (Lev. 25:4755), avenge the unlawful death of a family member (Num. 35; Deut. 19; Josh. 20), and step in when a family member faced a wrong they could not fix on their own. Naomi needed that kind of help. She had lost her husband and both sons. She had no land, no security, and no hope. Ruth could not redeem her, so she went out to glean in the fieldsa provision God had given for the poor and the foreigner (Lev. 19:910). Thats where we first meet Boaz. He told Ruth, Do not go to another field I have ordered the young men not to touch you (Ruth 2:89). Ruth bowed in gratitude, asking why he would show kindness to a foreigner. Boaz told her he had heard of her loyalty to Naomi and her trust in Israels God (2:1113). He saw Ruth as a woman of excellenceworthy of honor and protection. When Naomi learned how Boaz treated Ruth, she urged Ruth to approach him at the threshing floor. Though the scene might look questionable at first glance, Ruth 3:613 makes it clear: both Ruth and Boaz acted with purity and integrity. Ruth lay quietly at his feet, and when Boaz awoke, she said, Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. She wasnt tempting himshe was invoking covenant language, the same wings imagery Boaz used earlier of the LORDs care (see 2:12). Boaz responded with joy: I will do all that you ask, for everyone knows you are a worthy woman (3:11). He was both willing and able to redeem her. And he did. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son (4:13). Through Boaz, Naomis emptiness was replaced with joy, and Ruth was blessed with a godly husband and a son. The women of the town celebrated: Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you one who restores life and sustains your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. And the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi! So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (4:14-17) What began in sorrow ended in joy. What started with loss ended in redemption. God used a barley field, a faithful woman, and a willing redeemer to bring about His plannot just for Naomi and Ruth, but through Boaz and Ruth the line of the kings would come with the birth of David by whom all other kings would be compared in Israel. This leaves us with the point of this little book in the Bible. There is a True and Better Redeemer Boaz was not only Naomis redeemerhe was also a picture of the Redeemer who would one day come through his and Ruths own bloodline. Boaz was only a shadow of a true and better Boaz. Remember the announcement of Jesus birth delivered by the angels to lowly shepherds: And so the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David [Bethlehem] there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11). It was the disobedience of Israel that led to the famine that compelled Naomis husband and sons to leave where there was no bread to a place that led to a deeper and more severe famine that left Naomi empty. God used all of the hard things in Naomis life so that another Son would be born in that same city to do what no other person was able to do; Jesus said of Himself: I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty (John 6:35). When Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit, creation was cursed and humanity was lost. Eden was forfeited, and mankind was expelled from Gods presence. The only way for Eden to be restored and the curse removed was for another Adam to comeone who was related to humanity, who had the ability to redeem what was lost, and who was willing to carry out the redemption. Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed; Obed fathered Jesse; Jesse fathered David. Many generations later, Jesus was born to Maryconceived supernaturally while she remained a virginqualifying Him uniquely as the Kinsman-Redeemer mankind and creation needs. How was Jesus qualified? Jesus had to be a family member of humanity, and He was, as demonstrated by the human bloodline recorded in Scripture. Jesus had to have the ability to redeem, which He had because the virgin birth made Him both fully God and fully manperfectly qualified to redeem creation. Jesus had to be willing to redeem, and that willingness led Him to the cross, where He became our curse and took our sin upon Himself. Jesus did not remain dead. On the third day He rose in victory! Our Kinsman-Redeemer lived the perfect life we could not live, died as the sin-bearer though He was spotless, and then conquered death itself. All of heaven rejoices that the Redeemer who was slain now standsaliveinterceding for us: Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals, for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:910). And maybe thats where you need hope today. Perhaps you are living with the consequences of choices you made years ago. Perhaps bitterness has taken root because life did not turn out the way you imagined. Perhaps, like Naomis family, you have wandered far into Moabfar from God, far from joy, far from where you began. But hear the good news:the book of Ruth declares that no one is too far for Gods love, grace, and mercy to reach. If God can take a famine, a foreigner, and a broken widow and weave them into the lineage of King David and ultimately Jesus Christ HimselfHe can redeem your story too!
The story of Ruth begins with these words: In the days when the judges governed (v. 1a). Just before Joshua died after a lifetime of faithful service, he warned all of Israel: Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness. Put away the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Josh. 24:14-15) The book of Judges recounts Israels history shortly after entering the promised land, and just in the second chapter, we are told: Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers... (Jud. 2:11-12), which characterizes the tone and climate of Israels spiritual health. The book of Judges also concludes with the words: In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Jug. 21:25). While in the wilderness, God warned Israel that there would be consequences to their choices, especially when it came to their trust of God and obedience to God: Beware that your hearts are not easily deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them. Otherwise, the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the sky so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce; then you will quickly perish from the good land which the LORD is giving you (Deut. 11:16-17) As we move from Judges into the book of Ruth, the opening five verses immediately shed light on the spiritual condition of Naomis husband, Elimelech. These verses reveal how Elimelech, in his role as both husband and father, deeply influenced the direction and well-being of his family. The famine in the land did not just reflect a lack of physical food; it also mirrored the spiritual famine within Elimelechs own heart and soul. There are some things I want to point out to you that I believe will help you appreciate just how relevant this book is to us today. First, let me begin by stating that Bethlehem means house of bread yet there was no bread in Bethlehem because there was famine in the land due to Israels disobedience. God had promised that He would bless His people if they obeyed Him, so the reason why there was no bread in Bethlehem was because of Israels unfaithfulness, not Gods unfaithfulness. Second, we are told that Elimelech was a man of Bethlehem in Judah..., which means that he belonged to the tribe of Judah. God called Elimelech to live in Bethlehem, yet he chose to move to Moab because he believed that he and his family could thrive in a place outside of where God called him to live. Some of the things that Elimelech had to know about Moab was that the people originated out of an incestuous relationship after Lots older daughter got him drunk for the purpose of having sex with her father so that she could become pregnant with his child (Gen. 19:30-38). Secondly, the Moabites were known for their scheming to get Israel to sin against God (Num. 22-24). Thirdly, the Women of Moab were known for seducing the Israelite men for the purpose of getting them to worship the gods of Moab (Num. 25). Moab was not a place for a family to thrive spiritually, but this is the place that Elimelech took his family to live. The other important detail we need to consider is that while Naomis name means Pleasant nothing about her life seemed pleasant. Her husbands name meant God is my king but he certainly did not live like God was his king. The meaning of the names of their two sons were, Mahlon (Weakness, sickness) and Chilion (destruction, failure); both men took for themselves Moabite women who did not grow up worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; taking Moabite women as wives was something God commanded Israel not to do (see Deut. 7:1-4). Noamis husband and both of her sons died, leaving her with nothing but two daughters-in-law who were also destitute with no husband or male child. Naomi Suffered Loss When Naomi left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons, she leftfull. Because of the famine in the land (v. 1), moving to Moab must have felt like the right decisionan act of survival for the sake of their family. But while in Moab, tragedy struck. Her husband, Elimelech, died. Then her two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruthsomething God had warned His people against because of the danger of idolatry (Deut. 7:23). And after marrying these women, both of Naomis sons also died, leaving her with two widowed Moabite daughters-in-law and no descendants of her own. Naomi had lost the three most important men in her life, along with any hope of lineage, inheritance, or security. There was nothing for her in Moab, and because of her husbands death after leaving Bethlehem, there was nothing but maybe the kindness of her relatives back in Judah. So when she returned to Bethlehem, it is no surprise that she no longer wanted to be called Naomi, which means pleasant. She asked instead to be calledMara, meaning bitter. She explained the bitterness in her own words: The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty (vv. 2021). Ruth: A Woman of Excellence Naomi failed to recognize the blessing her Moabite daughter-in-law truly was. When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, she urged both Orpah and Ruth to go back to their own people and gods in Moab. While Orpah left to go back to her people and her gods, Ruth decided to remain with Naomi and even declared to her mother-in-law: Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates me from you. (1:1618). One reason Naomi discouraged Ruth from coming back with her was concern for Ruths safety. There was significant hostility between Moabites and Israelites. This is clear in chapter two, after Ruth entered a field belonging to Boaz. Everyone in the field knew Ruth was a foreigner, as the foreman explained to Boaz, She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from Moab. Boazs response reveals the real danger Ruth faced. He spoke kindly to her, saying, Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but join my young women here. Keep your eyes on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have ordered the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw (Ruth 2:89). Ruths foreign status exposed her to rejection, prejudice, and mistreatmentyet she chose to stay with Naomi anyway, embracing uncertainty and risking lifelong exclusion. Her courage did not go unnoticed. In chapter three, Boaz calls Ruth a woman of excellence (3:11)a term that carries the sense of valor, honor, and strength of character. Remarkably, the same word is used of Boaz in 2:1, while you do not see it in the way the NASB translated Ruth 2:1, just about every other translation does recognize this: Now Naomi had a relative of her husbands, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. The parallel is deliberate. The narrator wants us to see that Ruth and Boaz are kindred spiritstwo people marked by integrity, bravery, and covenant faithfulness in a time when such qualities were rare in Israel. Boaz: A Kinsmen Redeemer Boaz is the third important character in the story of Ruth, for he is the only one qualified to serve as Naomis kinsman-redeemer. Every kinsman-redeemer had to meet three qualifications: He had to be a family member, He had to have the ability to redeem, and He had to be willing to redeem. A kinsman-redeemer held several responsibilities in the Old Testament: he could buy back family land lost to famine or debt (Lev. 25:2530), redeem relatives who had sold themselves into slavery (Lev. 25:4755), avenge the unlawful death of a family member (Num. 35; Deut. 19; Josh. 20), and step in when a family member faced a wrong they could not fix on their own. Naomi needed that kind of help. She had lost her husband and both sons. She had no land, no security, and no hope. Ruth could not redeem her, so she went out to glean in the fieldsa provision God had given for the poor and the foreigner (Lev. 19:910). Thats where we first meet Boaz. He told Ruth, Do not go to another field I have ordered the young men not to touch you (Ruth 2:89). Ruth bowed in gratitude, asking why he would show kindness to a foreigner. Boaz told her he had heard of her loyalty to Naomi and her trust in Israels God (2:1113). He saw Ruth as a woman of excellenceworthy of honor and protection. When Naomi learned how Boaz treated Ruth, she urged Ruth to approach him at the threshing floor. Though the scene might look questionable at first glance, Ruth 3:613 makes it clear: both Ruth and Boaz acted with purity and integrity. Ruth lay quietly at his feet, and when Boaz awoke, she said, Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer. She wasnt tempting himshe was invoking covenant language, the same wings imagery Boaz used earlier of the LORDs care (see 2:12). Boaz responded with joy: I will do all that you ask, for everyone knows you are a worthy woman (3:11). He was both willing and able to redeem her. And he did. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son (4:13). Through Boaz, Naomis emptiness was replaced with joy, and Ruth was blessed with a godly husband and a son. The women of the town celebrated: Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you one who restores life and sustains your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. And the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, A son has been born to Naomi! So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (4:14-17) What began in sorrow ended in joy. What started with loss ended in redemption. God used a barley field, a faithful woman, and a willing redeemer to bring about His plannot just for Naomi and Ruth, but through Boaz and Ruth the line of the kings would come with the birth of David by whom all other kings would be compared in Israel. This leaves us with the point of this little book in the Bible. There is a True and Better Redeemer Boaz was not only Naomis redeemerhe was also a picture of the Redeemer who would one day come through his and Ruths own bloodline. Boaz was only a shadow of a true and better Boaz. Remember the announcement of Jesus birth delivered by the angels to lowly shepherds: And so the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David [Bethlehem] there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11). It was the disobedience of Israel that led to the famine that compelled Naomis husband and sons to leave where there was no bread to a place that led to a deeper and more severe famine that left Naomi empty. God used all of the hard things in Naomis life so that another Son would be born in that same city to do what no other person was able to do; Jesus said of Himself: I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty (John 6:35). When Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit, creation was cursed and humanity was lost. Eden was forfeited, and mankind was expelled from Gods presence. The only way for Eden to be restored and the curse removed was for another Adam to comeone who was related to humanity, who had the ability to redeem what was lost, and who was willing to carry out the redemption. Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed; Obed fathered Jesse; Jesse fathered David. Many generations later, Jesus was born to Maryconceived supernaturally while she remained a virginqualifying Him uniquely as the Kinsman-Redeemer mankind and creation needs. How was Jesus qualified? Jesus had to be a family member of humanity, and He was, as demonstrated by the human bloodline recorded in Scripture. Jesus had to have the ability to redeem, which He had because the virgin birth made Him both fully God and fully manperfectly qualified to redeem creation. Jesus had to be willing to redeem, and that willingness led Him to the cross, where He became our curse and took our sin upon Himself. Jesus did not remain dead. On the third day He rose in victory! Our Kinsman-Redeemer lived the perfect life we could not live, died as the sin-bearer though He was spotless, and then conquered death itself. All of heaven rejoices that the Redeemer who was slain now standsaliveinterceding for us: Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals, for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:910). And maybe thats where you need hope today. Perhaps you are living with the consequences of choices you made years ago. Perhaps bitterness has taken root because life did not turn out the way you imagined. Perhaps, like Naomis family, you have wandered far into Moabfar from God, far from joy, far from where you began. But hear the good news:the book of Ruth declares that no one is too far for Gods love, grace, and mercy to reach. If God can take a famine, a foreigner, and a broken widow and weave them into the lineage of King David and ultimately Jesus Christ HimselfHe can redeem your story too!
The Future Right NowIsaiah 9:1-7Judges 6:1The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years, Judges 10:6 Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.Judges 6:13-16The story of Gideon is not about Gideon's strength, but God's presence (”But I will be with you”).Judges 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the three hundred men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.”Judges 7:9 That night the Lord said to him, “Get up and attack the camp, for I have handed it over to you.Judges 7:14 His friend answered, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him.”Judges 7:15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to Israel's camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord has handed the Midianite camp over to you.”...I will deliver you....for I have handed it over to you.God has handed...Judges 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the people of the east had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. Judges 7:19-22Through the weakest family and the smallest army, God pre-declared a victory– showing us a pattern of His work: God's strength through our weakness.Isaiah 8:21-2221 They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.DistressDarknessThe gloom of afflictionIsaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.Isaiah 9:3-43 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.4 For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor ,just as you did on the day of Midian.Isaiah 9:5-75 For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire.6 For a child will be born for us,a son will be given to us,and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.7 The dominion will be vast,and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom,to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:10-14. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." And the Lord said to the people of Israel, "Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress." — Judges 10:10-14 Israel finally cried out to God after years of misery. But this time God pushed back. He basically said, "I've rescued you before, and you ran right back to idols. Why should this time be any different?" That's the moment when regret had to become repentance. It wasn't enough to admit failure. Israel had to do more than cry out—they had to truly turn from idols. This is the difference between worldly regret and godly repentance. Regret says, "I don't like the consequences." Repentance says, "I hate the reason that got me here — my disobedience." We've all been there. We regret getting caught in a lie—but do we hate lying? We regret the hangover—but do we hate drunkenness? We regret the fallout of anger—but do we hate the pride that sparked it? God isn't after our half-hearted apologies. He wants surrendered hearts. He'll even let us sit in our misery until we get serious enough to put away our idols. Maybe you are caught in the spin cycle right now—sin, sorrow, repeat. Maybe you've even prayed prayers that felt empty. The way out is always the same: not just regret, but repentance. Not just "sorry," but surrender. That means getting brutally honest with God—not just naming what you did, but admitting why you wanted it. Then, ask him to change your desires, to help you hate the sin itself, and to love him more. That's where real freedom begins. ASK THIS: Do I confuse regret with repentance in my life? What idols have I said "sorry" for but never actually removed? How might God be using misery to push me toward surrender? Am I willing to put away the counterfeit gods and trust Him fully? DO THIS: Don't just confess—clean house. Remove one "idol" today that competes with God's place in your heart. Then get honest with God about why you chased it, and ask Him to reshape your desires. PRAY THIS: Lord, I don't just want to regret my sin—I want to repent of it. Expose the motives behind it, and give me a heart that hates sin and loves You more. Amen. PLAY THIS: "We Repent."
Are you living for God part-time? In today's message from 1 Kings 18, Jaime challenges us to take an honest look at where our devotion truly lies. Elijah asked the people of Israel, “How long will you falter between two opinions?” They knew who God was, yet their hearts and lives were divided. This episode explores: • Why we struggle to trust and follow God with our whole heart • How modern believers can unknowingly fall into idolatry • The difference between striving for empty sources of fulfillment and resting in the One true God • What it means to rebuild the altar of the Lord in your own life • How God responds when we call on Him with sincerity and faith The false gods of this world demand everything and give nothing in return. But the living God responds in power when we turn fully toward Him. Today is an invitation to move out of lukewarm living and into a deeper, mature walk of obedience and relationship. If this message encourages you, be sure to like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to be reminded that God hears and answers His people. Where to dive in: (00:07) Challenging Being a Part-Time Christian (16:18) The Power and Authority of God (19:54) The Choice (29:27) The Sacrificial Worship of False Gods (37:40) Serving God vs. Baals (48:45) Fully Surrendered to God's Will (57:18) Seeking God's Manifest Presence About your host: Jaime Luce' testimony has daunting personal mountains and treacherous financial valleys. She was trapped in day-to-day stress and couldn't see a way forward. But how she started is not how she finished! And she wants you to know God has a plan for your life too, no matter how tough it seems. Today, Jaime has been married to the love of her life for almost three decades, owns two companies, and has become an author and podcaster. God's way is always the blessed way! Free chapter of Jaime's new book: You Don't Need Money, You Just Need God: https://jaimeluce.com/book/ Connect: - Website: https://jaimeluce.com - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaime.luces.page - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaime_luce/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-luce-00395691/
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:6. The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. — Judges 10:6 For forty-five years under two Judges, Tola and Jair, Israel lived in peace. No drama. Just stability and faithfulness. But then came the slow creep of boredom. Instead of treasuring this quiet time, they ran after the thrills of idols—seven different gods from seven different nations. A sudden departure from God. It was certainly a restless search for "something more." More passion, more excitement, more control. But as we have learned repeatedly in Judges, empty idols never deliver. They always take more than they give. But we aren't that much different. When life feels stable, our hearts get restless. We scroll for the next dopamine hit, chase the next upgrade, crave the next thrill. Faithfulness begins to feel boring. And so, like Israel, we start reaching for idols—money, comfort, pleasure, approval, or success—hoping they'll spark what feels missing. But once we taste, the thrill fades fast. The upgrade is quickly outdated. The pleasure leaves us emptier than before. It's like running on a treadmill; we burn lots of energy but go nowhere. The problem isn't adventure or seeking adventure. The problem is where we seek it. The best adventure isn't found in chasing the next high—it's found in pursuing the living God. Running after God is the ultimate adventure. Following his call is the ultimate thrill. So don't pursue fake thrills, quick fixes, and short-lived highs. Trade in the hit for the Most High God. ASK THIS: Where do I chase quick thrills instead of God's steady presence? What's the "idol" I turn to when life feels boring? How has thrill-seeking left me emptier instead of fuller? What would it look like to see following God as the ultimate adventure? DO THIS: Today, replace one "dopamine scroll" (phone, purchase, escape) with a moment of pursuit—pray, read Scripture, or worship. Trade the hit for the real adventure. PRAY THIS: Lord, forgive me for chasing thrills apart from You. Teach me to see You as the true adventure of my life, the only pursuit that satisfies. Amen. PLAY THIS: "My King Forever."
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 8:33-35. As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel. — Judges 8:33-35 The irony here is sharp. Gideon was nicknamed Jerubbaal—“let Baal contend against him”—after tearing down Baal's altar in his father's yard. His name became a living testimony against false gods. But the moment Gideon dies, Israel runs back to Baal. They don't remember the LORD who rescued them. They don't honor the family of Jerubbaal. They return to Baal again. It's a tragic picture: a man once known for defying idols leaves behind a people enslaved to them again. Gideon's personal victories didn't guarantee generational faith. His success could not secure succession. Faith is not inherited like money in a will. Every generation must choose God for themselves. But what you build—and what you hand off—matters. Gideon's life teaches us that tearing down idols once isn't enough. You must raise up others who will keep tearing them down long after you're gone. This is why your legacy isn't defined by your wins in the present but by the disciples you prepare for the future. Your true legacy isn't your success—it's your succession. ASK THIS: What will people remember when my name is spoken? Am I modeling a faith that will outlast me? Where could idolatry creep back in if I'm no longer around? Who am I discipling so the faith doesn't end with me? DO THIS: Share with someone younger in the faith one story of how God tore down an “idol” in your life. Invite them to tell theirs—and keep the fight alive. PRAY THIS: Lord, let my life testify against the idols of this age. And let my legacy not die with me, but live on through those I hand faith to. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Worthy of It All."
Be the Voice October 5, 2025 AM Elwyn Johnston Judges 1 & 2 Verse of the Week: “the Lord raised up judges who delivered them” Judges 2:16 1. Disobedience leads to bondage “And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron” Judges 1:19 Sin is persistent “Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean…for the Canaanites there were determined to dwell in that land.” Jdg 1:27 “When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor” Judges 1:28 Discipleship is demonstrated by obedience “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:19 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26 “Reckon yourself dead to sin, but alive to God” Romans 6:11 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5 “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” Psalm 97:10 “make no provision for the flesh to satisfy fleshly desires” Romans 13:14 2. God saves, but gods enslave. “I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.” Judges 2:3 “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 “Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them….God sold them into the hands of their enemies” Judges 2:11, 12, & 14 “Whoever loves money never has enough” Ecclesiastes 5:10 “promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God” Psalm 75:6 & 7 “Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15 “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6 “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 We deserve punishment, but God gives mercy! “the Lord raised up judges who delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.” Judges 2:16 “the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.” Luke 19:10
Come As You Are Series - Elijah1 Kings 19:3-4 “And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”Elijah is someone we can relate to. He is so real and down to earth. He is a good example to us of real faith. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah gets word from the Lord that he is to go show himself to King Ahab. At this time, God's people were worshiping Baals, the false Gods, and the Lord was not happy. God sent Elijah to show His people He was the one true God. Elijah asked the priest to call all the prophets of the false Gods to the top of Mount Carmel. He called all the people of Israel as well.Once they were all gathered, Elijah told them to build an altar to their God, and he would build an altar to his God. They would take two bulls and each sacrifice one. They would get the sacrifice ready, but would not light it on fire. They would call upon their gods to consume the sacrifice with fire. The false prophets did as they were told, and they called upon Baal all day, but he did not answer them. There was no fire.Then Elijah called the Israelites closer to him, and he rebuilt the altar that used to be there. He also built a trench around the altar. He told the people to get four buckets of water and dump them on the offering and the wood. He had them do this three times. There was so much water that the wood was drenched, and it filled the trench. Then Elijah said, “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back.” (1Kings 18:36-37) The Lord sent fire so hot that it consumed the offering, the stones, and even all the water in the trench.The people of Israel immediately fell to their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God.” Elijah had them gather all the false prophets, and he killed them. When Jezebel, Ahab's wife, heard this, she vowed to kill Elijah. This is where today's verse comes in. It says, “And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”The reason I said earlier that Elijah was someone we can all relate to is that even though he was just able to call down the fire of the Lord, he is still scared when he finds out his life is in danger. Sometimes we think that if we get scared of something, it must mean that we don't trust God. This story is a great example to show us that it is not true. Elijah called all the people of Israel up on the mountain to see God show His power. He also called 450 false prophets there to tell them to call on their God to consume their sacrifice. This requires a great deal of trust in the Lord. He had to trust that he was really hearing from the Lord. He had to trust that God would show up and consume the sacrifice. He also had to trust that the false God would not show up.God was speaking directly to Elijah. Elijah heard God, did what God told him to do, and then saw God show up in a powerful way. Elijah knows how powerful God is. He knows there is nothing God can't do. Yet, right after this amazing demonstration of his faith and God's power, someone threatens his life, and he is afraid and runs for his life. He not only runs for his life, but he also asks to die. It is crazy how quickly our emotions and feelings can change. I would say that the experience on Mt. Carmel would have had Elijah on a high for days or weeks. He literally called down fire from the Lord. How cool is that? However, almost immediately after that he is running for his life and asking to die.This is how it can be with us as well. Some days we see God do incredible things and know without a doubt He is our Lord and Savior. We trust Him completely. Then something awful happens, and we don't know what to do. We forget to turn to the Lord. We forget how powerful He is. We just get so stuck in the moment and the fear of the situation. Being afraid doesn't mean we don't trust God. We all have weak moments; we are all human. Elijah knew God in a special way. They had a relationship, and Elijah could hear the Lord when He talked to Him.Elijah had just called down fire from heaven. I would think if Jezebel was threatening his life, he could call on the Lord to protect him. Reading this, you wouldn't think that he had any reason to be scared. The Lord is for him, and the Lord is powerful. However, that is not what happened. Instead of turning to the Lord and asking him for protection, Elijah ran for his life. We tend to think when we do this, when we forget to turn to the Lord, or when it looks like we don't trust the Lord, that the Lord is angry with us. We think He turns away from us when we turn away from Him.That is not what this story shows us. Elijah ran for his life. It doesn't say he asked the Lord for help; it just says he got scared and fled for his life. He also asked to die. Many of us have been there before. Things in life felt so scary that we thought that if we died, everything would be better. If we died, our loved ones would be better off, or we would be better off. We think God is mad at us when we have those thoughts. Here is what it says that God did for Elijah when he asked to die. 1 Kings 19:5-8 "Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree; but behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat!” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a round loaf of bread baked on hot coals, and a pitcher of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him, and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too long for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and he journeyed in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.”Was God angry because Elijah ran instead of coming to Him? No. Did he punish him for not having faith that He could protect him and take care of Jezebel? No. God let him take a nap and then sent an angel to wake him up for a snack. Then he let him go back to sleep for a bit longer and then gave him another snack. Does this fit with the idea of what you think God is? If it doesn't, I invite you to take another look at all that God has done for His people in the Bible.God doesn't need you to be perfect all the time. Having fear, worry, or anxiety doesn't mean you have lost your faith or that you don't trust God. We are all human. We are often influenced by this world. We can see a miracle one minute and then wonder if God will come through for us in the next minute. It is important to know that you are not alone when this happens to you. It happens to all of us. Elijah was an amazing prophet, and yet he struggled with feeling like he wanted to die. He knew the Lord, they had a relationship, and often talked, and yet he was not shielded from those emotions. Following God and trusting God does not mean that we will never encounter difficulties again. It means that when we do, He will be there for us even if we don't know that He is.My prayer for you is that by the time we are done this series you would have seen yourself in at least one, but likely several, of these stories and you can see that you are not alone and that no matter what you think you have done, or how bad you think you are, God still wants you to come to Him just as you are. You are never too far gone for the Lord. He can always bring you back. He can always use you. He ALWAYS loves you!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening today. Lord, you are amazing, and we are so grateful. Lord, thank you for looking out for Elijah and giving him rest and a snack. Lord, we ask that you help remind us to take a rest and a snack when we are upset and feel as though we want to die. Lord, we ask that you send an angel to the side of each and every person who asks to die. Lord, we ask that your angel protect them and help them make it through that moment to the next. Help them see that things will get better if they can just hang on. Help them to see that you love them and are right next to them. Help someone in their lives see them and help them. Lord, I ask that you help each person listening to this realize that you want them to come to you just as they are. Lord, help us see through the enemy's lies that no one cares about us, and let us see and feel how much you care about us. We love you, Lord. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are the almighty one, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you have a person in the Bible that you turn to in certain trials because of all they have been through, I would love it if you would reach out on social media and let me know, or email me at Catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com. Who do you relate most to in the Bible? I would love to know. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in May 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “Are you the same as you were 10 years ago? 50 years ago? No. You are always new. You are always living. You are always growing. And because you open yourself to my grace, you grow in my way. You grow in likeness to me. And it pleases me.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace
August 13, 2025 - Wednesday PM Bible Class In this episode the speaker examines the reign of King Ahaz of Judah (c. 735–715 BC), weaving biblical history, recent archaeological news, and pastoral application. The episode opens with a brief news item about a rare biblical seal with an ancient fingerprint found in debris near Jerusalem's Temple Mount (reported in early August), then moves into a detailed study of Ahaz using primary passages: 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, and key sections of Isaiah (especially chapters 7–8), with contextual mentions of Micah. A recorded illustrative clip from Dan Winkler is played to help listeners picture Ahaz's geopolitical choices. The host summarizes Ahaz's life and reign: he became king at twenty, reigned sixteen years, followed the idolatrous practices of Israel, made metal images for the Baals, sacrificed his sons, removed treasures from the temple to buy Assyrian support, and copied foreign altars. Isaiah's direct confrontation with Ahaz is highlighted (Isaiah 7:3–12), including God's offer of a sign and Ahaz's refusal—choosing Assyria over trust in God. The narrative also covers how Israel and Syria attacked Judah, how captives were taken and later released, and how Assyrian intervention ultimately afflicted Judah rather than securing lasting protection. Key themes and takeaways are emphasized for contemporary listeners: the dangers and consequences of compromising moral and spiritual values—especially in moments of weakness; the importance of heeding God's counsel even when fear seems rational; the reality that children do not always follow their parents' faith; and the practical counsel to draw closer to God during crises rather than pull away. The episode stresses that short-term political or material fixes (like Ahaz's deal with Assyria) can cost far more in the long run. Listeners can expect historical background, scripture-based exegesis, pastoral application, and practical lessons for faithfulness under pressure. The episode references the Fox News report on the Temple Mount seal; the biblical texts listed above and includes the Dan Winkler illustrative clip to connect ancient decisions to modern dilemmas. Duration 37:17
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible in Project23. Read more here: Project23 Our text today is Judges 3:7-8 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. — Judges 3:7-8 What happens when God lets you have the life you chose without him? Notice the sequence: They forgot the Lord. They served false gods. God's anger burned. They were sold into slavery. Israel's biggest problem wasn't its enemies. It was their memory. Forgetting God led them straight into idolatry, and idolatry led them straight into chains. God's judgment wasn't random—it was righteous. When Israel abandoned him, he gave them exactly what they wanted: life under the rule of another master. But the freedom they thought they'd find in Baal worship became bondage under Cushan-rishathaim. This is how sin still works. Forgetting God always opens the door to false gods. And false gods always enslave. Maybe for you it's not a wooden empty false-god like Baal—it's other false-gods like money, success, approval, lust. But the pattern is the same: what you serve ends up ruling you. Don't miss this: forgetting God is the first step into slavery. The enemy doesn't need you to deny God outright—just to forget him little by little, until you wake up chained. ASK THIS: Where have I grown forgetful of God's presence in my daily life? What “false gods” am I tempted to serve in place of him? Have I mistaken slavery to sin for freedom? What daily habit can I build to keep remembering God? DO THIS: Set one daily reminder (alarm, sticky note, verse card) to pause and remember God today—before the world makes you forget him. PRAY THIS: Lord, don't let me forget you. Keep me close, and protect me from the chains that come when I turn from you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "No Longer Slaves."
Exodus 20:3 “You must not have any other god but me.”Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.idols made of gold and clay and silverAn IDOL is anything YOU VALUE more than God.IDOL: anything you seek to GIVE YOU what only God can.Colossians 3:5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Idols are not always BAD THINGS.Idols are often GOOD THINGS we put in GOD'S PLACE.Satan will do EVERYTHING to get you to put ANYTHING in God's place. False gods always PROMISE what only the true God can PROVIDE.It's time to STOP WAVERING!I Kings 18:17-20 When he (Ahab) saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.” So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.ONE is always a MAJORITY with God. I Kings 18:21a Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you WAVER between two opinions?”When you RIDE THE FENCE with God, all you end up with is a SPLINTERED LIFE.I Kings 18:21b “If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”“If you're going to be saved, be saved all the way!”—Charles SpurgeonI Kings 18:21c But the people said nothing.I Kings 18:24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”I Kings 18:24b Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”I Kings 18:26-29 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.I Kings 18:36-38 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. I Kings 18:39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”It's time to STOP WAVERING!
Chris Skoglund (Pastor of Recreation & Family Ministries), "Do You Recognize Him?. 1. After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2. So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3. and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5. Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” 7. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” 8. “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.'” 9. “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10. As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.' 15. Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” 16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” 18. “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. 30. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32. With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34. “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” (I Kings 18:1-5; 7-11; 15-18; 30-39 NIV)
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 2:11-13: And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. — Judges 2:11-13 The shift happens fast. From not knowing God… to abandoning him… to bowing before idols. This isn't just spiritual confusion. It's full-on rebellion. And here's the most dangerous part: the people didn't stop worshiping—they just redirected it. They served the Baals and Ashtaroth—the fertility gods of the surrounding cultures. These gods promised abundance, sexuality, strength, and protection. In other words, they offered the same things our culture still worships today—success, pleasure, control, and comfort. But abandoning God always begins with forgetting what He's done. “The God who brought them out of Egypt” became a distant memory. And when gratitude fades, idolatry grows. The human heart is never neutral. It will always worship something. The only question is—who or what? This is more than just history; this is what we see happening in our day and time. Our idols may not have names like Baal, but they have just as much power over us if we let them. The desire to fit in, the hunger for status, the comfort of distraction—these become the altars we kneel at if we stop remembering God's faithfulness. And what angers God most? Not just that they sinned, but that they traded him for a fraud. They bowed to what was around them instead of remembering the One who saved them. So ask yourself today: what's been stealing your worship? What “good thing” has become a godlike thing? The answer will show you what's competing for your heart. ASK THIS: What false gods am I most tempted to chase in this season? How does cultural influence subtly shape my priorities? Have I forgotten how God has rescued and provided for me? What would it look like to return my full loyalty to Him? DO THIS: Name one “idol” that's grown too important—and intentionally deny it today to reset your devotion. PRAY THIS: God, I confess that I've chased other things instead of You. Remind me of who you are—and help me return my worship where it belongs. Amen PLAY THIS: "Clear the Stage."
Chris Skoglund (Pastor of Recreation & Family Ministries), "Do You Recognize Him?. 1. After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2. So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3. and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5. Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” 7. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” 8. “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.'” 9. “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10. As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.' 15. Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” 16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” 18. “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. 30. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32. With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34. “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” (I Kings 18:1-5; 7-11; 15-18; 30-39 NIV)
1 Kings 18:16-4016 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.”20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”But the people said nothing.22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal's prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
Hosea 11-12:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led the with cords of kindness, with bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord. Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God, and is faithful to the Holy One. (desc. ends at chapter 11:12)
Preacher: Jeremiah Fyffe Deuteronomy 32:19-29 2025-07-27 | ProPresenter TITLE: The Lord Saw SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 32:19-29 THE LORD SAW THE LORD WITHDRAWS HIS PRESENCE POETIC JUSTICE PERFECT JUSTICE JUSTICE RESTRAINED Hosea 11:1–2 (ESV) When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Romans 1:24 (ESV) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, Jeremiah 2:11–12 (ESV) Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, 1 Corinthians 1:27–29 (ESV) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. Hebrews 10:30–31 (ESV) For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Psalm 51:1 (ESV) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:3–4 (ESV) For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
In this Origins minisode of Satan Is My Superhero, we plunge Ba'als deep (yeah, we went there) into the ancient world of horned gods, storm gods, and seven headed sea monsters that helped shape the modern image of Satan. Meet Ba'al Hadid the OG bringer of storms, plus other Ba'als who were demonized by the Bible's propaganda machine. We'll expose how gods like Attar (aka Venus, the Morning Star) and Lotan (the Leviathan's cousin) got turned from local heroes into poster boys for Satanic evil.Learn how ancient deities of Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, and Canaan were rebranded as demons by Judaism and Christianity, all in the service of religious mind control. We're talking horns, cloven hooves, bull headdresses, tridents, cow sex scandals (sorry Daisy), and the original war for your soul. Expect a fast-paced blend of real history, mythology, and dark comedy that shows how the Judeo-Christian devil was built from the shattered reputations of earlier gods.
There was an epic war in that generation - So God sent Eli-Yah, Elijah for illumination and rescue of His people from Jezebels, Ahabs, Baals, and Asherahs. Many Elijahs are now sent to battle today's ■ Baals of self worship, ■ Asherahs of apostasy, ■ Jezebels of emasculation and ■ Ahabs of feeble kings. God first released "The Spirit and the Power of Elijah" on John the Baptist. Now, He has also poured this spirit and power on you in your generation. Let's look into God's Elijah solutions for the fiery battles of our day. Don't stay back!
Lord, you say, “This is the resting place. Let the weary rest. This is the place to be refreshed.” (Is 28:12 EHV) We are longing just to come and be refreshed. The Lord: Come aside a while and ponder My sovereignty. So far from being a distant or highfaluting concept, this is manna to your soul and truth to bring repose to weary hearts and minds. I am sovereign: this is the bedrock of everything in all creation. I am before all things and in Me, all things hold together. (Col. 1:17) The more you dare to believe this, the more it will focus your gaze on the Lamb upon His throne, and keep you from being led astray by every wind and whim. The believer: So here we are, Lord, bombarded on every side by make-believe reality and the strictures of a consumer society; immersed in the insistent mantras and populist slogans of governments and corporations, rights groups and movements – so many agendas, so many principles; so much intolerance, and fang-toothed, talon-clawed opposition. How we need not just a short-term break, but an eternal resting place deep within our hearts. Forgive us when we allow these things to impinge so strongly on our senses to weigh more heavily on us than the faith that beholds the invisible and perseveres accordingly. You are not a man that You should lie, nor the son of man that You should change Your mind. Have You not said, and will You not do it? The day will come when Your feet stand again upon the Mount of Olives, Lord Jesus, and Your glory fill the world. The Lord: My hand is on the tiller and My purposes cannot fail. I stand alone, and who can oppose Me? I do whatever I please and none can gainsay My word. (Job 23:13) Come near you nations and listen; you people, hearken to all I have to say; (See Isaiah 34 1-2) I brought Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Crete and the Syrians from Kir. It was I who delivered Israel from the tyranny of the Pharoahs, then from the Baals and then from Babylon – and it is I who rescue you from your many scrapes! The rulers of the world conspire together against Me (Ps. 2:1–2) but My anointed One is King over all the nations of the world. I have given Him the nations as an inheritance (Ps. 2:8) – yes even those nations that rage so loudly against Me.
BOOK OF JUDGES Stuck in the Cycle 5.25.25 Judges 17:6, 21:25 They did what was right in their own eyes…. The book of Judges shows us the consequences of spiritual compromise, the danger of doing what seems right in our own eyes, and the relentless mercy of God. Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Forgetting God rarely starts with rebellion – it starts with distraction, then compromise, then forgetfulness. First generation - Fears God and walks with Him — their faith is personal. Second generation - Inherits the rules but not the relationship — their faith is polite. Third generation - Sees no reason to stay — their faith becomes perverted or abandoned. Judges 2:10-23 10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord's anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. 16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord's commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. 20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me,21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua. Forgetfulness –> Idolatry/Sin –> Bondage –> Desperation/Repentance –> Deliverance Breaking the Cycle of Death: 1. Remember who God is and what He has done When you don't know who you are – when your identity is unclear – you inevitably become like the culture or people around you. 2. Pass down a relationship, not just rules If our faith doesn't move from our heads to our hearts it will lead to indifference and eventually rebellion. 3. Embrace repentance as a regular rhythm
Matthew week 92 Matthew 14:30 ESV 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Romans 7:21-23 ESV 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Matthew 15:13-14 ESV 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. Matthew 15:21 ESV 21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Matthew 15:22 ESV 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” Judges 10:6 ESV 6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. Matthew 15:23 ESV 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” Matthew 15:24-28 ESV 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Genesis 12:3 ESV 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Matthew 5:7 ESV 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 1 Timothy 1:13a ESV 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy 1 Timothy 1:16 ESV 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
In this powerful exploration of the book of Judges, we're confronted with a sobering mirror of our own spiritual journey. The Israelites' cycle of sin, oppression, and deliverance isn't just ancient historyit's a reflection of our own struggles with idolatry and forgetfulness. We're reminded that true freedom isn't found in military might or political power, but in remembering and living out our identity as God's people. The violence and darkness in Judges serve not as mere cautionary tales, but as urgent wake-up calls to examine our own hearts. Are we, like the Israelites, forgetting our story and chasing after modern-day Baals? This message challenges us to intentionally engage in practices that keep us rooted in God's narrativeworship, prayer, Scripture readinglest we too spiral into spiritual amnesia and moral decay. It's a call to vigilance, reminding us that our choices today shape the legacy we leave for future generations. How might our lives look different if we truly remembered and internalized God's story and our place in it, as the Israelites failed to do in Judges? In what ways do we, as modern Christians, risk forgetting our spiritual identity and falling into patterns similar to those in the book of Judges? How can regular worship practices and rituals help shape our hearts and minds to resist the allure of modern-day idolatry? What are some contemporary 'iron chariots' that we might use as excuses for not fully obeying or trusting God? How does the cycle of sin, oppression, crying out, and deliverance in Judges reflect patterns we might see in our own spiritual lives or in society today? In what ways might we be tempted to seek political or social 'judges' to save us, rather than addressing the root causes of our problems as a society? How does the story of Ruth, set 'in the days of the judges,' offer hope and contrast to the darker narratives in the book of Judges? What does it mean for us today to give our allegiance solely to God, and how might that challenge our other loyalties or priorities? How does celebrating communion remind us of our global Christian identity, and how might this perspective change our approach to local and global issues? In what ways does the message of Judges challenge our desire for control and independence, and how can we cultivate a healthier dependence on God?
Judges - Israel Rebuked, Joshua Dies, Israel Serves the Baals, Idolatry Leads to Servitude, The First Judge Frees Israel, Ehud Kills Eglon, Shamgar Saves Israel.
Summary of Judges 10:Judges 10 introduces two minor judges, Tola and Jair, who led Israel after Abimelech's violent reign.Tola, from the tribe of Issachar, judged Israel for 23 years and lived in Shamir in Ephraim.Jair, from Gilead, judged for 22 years. He had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and controlled 30 towns in Gilead.After Jair's death, Israel once again turned away from God, worshiping the Baals and foreign gods. In response, God allowed them to be oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites.The Israelites cried out in repentance.God reminded them of all the times He had rescued them despite their disobedience.He initially refused to help but their sincere repentance and abandonment of idols moved Him.The chapter ends with Israel preparing for battle against the Ammonites, while seeking a leader.Your words were found and I ate them
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In 1 Kings 18, after three years of drought and famine, the Lord speaks again to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” This is fascinating – Elijah now knows that rain is coming, but the exact timing hasn't been revealed. There are still key events that must unfold first. Elijah encounters Obadiah, Ahab's servant, who is out searching the land for any sign of water or grass in hopes of keeping some of the livestock alive. Elijah tells him to go inform Ahab that he is in the area. But Obadiah is afraid – he worries the Spirit of the Lord might whisk Elijah away again, and if Elijah disappears, Ahab will surely kill him in his fury. Still, Obadiah delivers the message, and in verse 17, Ahab and Elijah finally meet. Ahab accuses Elijah, saying, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” It's ironic – this wicked, idolatrous king blames Elijah for the nation's suffering. But Elijah boldly responds: “I have not made trouble for Israel, but you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and followed the Baals” (v18). What follows is one of the most dramatic moments in the Old Testament. Elijah calls for a challenge – he summons the prophets of Baal to prove once and for all who the true God is. He declares, “The God who answers by fire – He is God!” The prophets of Baal go first, preparing their altar and crying out to their god. They even cut themselves in desperation. But nothing happens—no fire, no voice, no response. Elijah mocks them, knowing full well their so-called gods are lifeless and powerless. Then it's Elijah's turn. He rebuilds the altar with stones, arranges the wood, places the sacrifice on it—and then does something extraordinary: he drenches everything with water. Not once, but with twelve barrels of water, until the sacrifice, the wood, and even the trench around the altar are soaked. It raises a good question – where did he even get all that water in the middle of a drought? But more importantly, Elijah sets the stage for an impossible miracle. And then he prays. As Elijah calls on the name of the Lord, fire falls from heaven – consuming not only the waterlogged sacrifice and wood, but even the stones and the water in the trench. It's a breathtaking, undeniable act of divine power. God answers, and there's no doubt left about who the real God is.
Today's sermon explores the profound and often hidden origins of Easter, dissecting the customs and symbols that have evolved over centuries. With insightful references to biblical scriptures, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding and aligning tradition with the core Gospel message. From the Apostle Paul's prayers to early Christian celebrations, this sermon invites listeners to reflect on their relationship with God and the influence of ancient pagan practices on modern Christian rituals. As the sermon progresses, it delves into historical transitions, notably the Roman Empire's impact on religious observances, and calls to question the blending of Christianity with pagan traditions. This heartfelt message encourages believers to seek truth and authenticity in their faith, urging a return to scriptural foundations amidst contemporary challenges. With Pastor Quincy Williams Origins of Easter Ephesians 4:17-19 Main Point: Do not worship the Lord God the way pagans worship their gods. Live above what the world is! Stand tall, Be Strong in Christ Jesus our foundation. Before Christ -God warns Israel not to worship the way of the pagans or to worship their gods. “ 31 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. 32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:31-32) -Throughout all the Old Testament the Israelites do not heed God nor His prophets' warnings. “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths” (Judges 10:6) -It becomes a very redundant pattern of disobedience and repentance. “The nation that turns from God will always turn to other gods. The reason is simple: when God is removed, the need to worship Him remains” Jonathan Cahn After Christ's resurrection The Early Church -It wasn't until after Jesus' resurrection that He appeared to His disciples and instructs them to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” The disciples went out proclaiming the good news and baptizing those that believed. -The early Christians emphasize the Passover Lamb and Christ's crucifixion. They celebrated the Passover festival and the Day of the Resurrection which was known as the Day of the First Fruits Roman Empire -Persecuted Christians, they were viewed as a threat to established order. Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity 312 AD. Granting religious freedom to all in 313 AD. -In an attempt to push the expansion of Christianity, Constantine practiced incorporating pagan festivals into Christianity. To make it more acceptable and familiar to heathen worshippers. -The Council of Nicaea 325AD addresses theological disputes within the Christian Church and to decide on a unified doctrine. Syncretism-practice of combining different beliefs. It involves merging or assimilating different religious beliefs. -All ancient pagan religions and the occult practiced today stems from Babylon. The first one world religion. “It's interesting to note how often our Church has availed herself of practices which were in common use among Pagans. Thus, it is true, in a certain sense that some Catholic rites of Ceremonies are a reproduction of those of pagan creeds; But they are the taking of What was best from Paganism, the Keeping of symbolical practices which express the religious instinct Common to all races and times." John F. Sullivan Guide for the Gentiles and Jews (Acts 15:28-29) (1 Corinthians 10:31-33) 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8) -Our celebrating of Christ's resurrection and conquering of death is not meant to be once a year! Traditions- a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another. “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” (Romans 14:5) Be a great witness to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit! Set yourselves a part, make it known to the world that you are a new creation in Christ the Messiah. Find other Podcasts, Sermon Notes and the Bulletin here. https://www.mvcnaz.org/live Stay in touch with our Church Center App at https://www.mvcnaz.org/churchcenter Contact us through our CONNECT form at https://www.mvcnaz.org/connect
Hosea 2:16-23God's Marriage to Israel16 “And it will be in that day,” says the Lord, “she will call me ‘My Husband,' and she will no longer call me ‘Baal.' 17 And I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and their names will not be remembered again. 18 And I will establish a treaty with them in that day, with the beasts of the field and with the birds of the heavens and the reptiles of the land, and I will crush bow and sword and battle from the land, and I will establish you in hope. 19 And I will betroth you to me for eternity, and I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in judgment and with mercy and with compassionate feelings. 20 And I will betroth you to me in trust, and you will recognize the Lord.” 21 “And it will be in that day,” says the Lord, “I will listen to the heavens, and it will listen to the earth, 22 and the earth will listen to the grain and the wine and the olive oil, and they will listen to Jezreel, 23 and I will sow her for myself upon the land, and I will love her who was not loved, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are My People,' and he will say, ‘You are the Lord, my God.' ” Rick Brannan, Ken M. Penner et al., The Lexham English Septuagint, Second Edition (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), Ho 2:16–23.
Send us a comment!Today's TreasureThe Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 2 Chronicles 17:3-5 ESVSupport the show
Ho 2:1–15.1 “Say to your brother, My People, and to your sister, Shown Mercy, 2 ‘Contend against your mother, contend! Because she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. And I will remove her fornication from my face, and her adultery from the middle of her breasts, 3 in order that I might strip her naked and restore her just as on the day of her birth. And I will make her a wilderness, and I will appoint her like dry land, and I will kill her with thirst. 4 And I will not show mercy to her children, because they are children of fornication. 5 Because their mother committed fornication; she who bore them was disgracing herself. Because she said, “I will go after my lovers, who are giving me my bread and my water and my clothes and my linens and my olive oil and all things, as many as belong to me.” 6 On account of this, look, I will hedge her way with thorns, and I will wall up roads, and she will not find her path. 7 And she will closely pursue her lovers and not take hold of them. And she will seek them and not find them. And she will say, “I will go and return to my former husband, because it was well with me then rather than now.” 8 And she did not know that I gave her the grain and the wine and the olive oil, and I multiplied money for her, but she made silver and gold for Baal. 9 Because of this, I will return and gather in my grain at its time and my wine in its season, and I will remove my clothes and my linens, so that she might not cover her shame. 10 And now, I will uncover her impurity before her lovers, and no one will ever deliver her from out of my hand. 11 And I will turn away all her festivities, her holidays and her new moons and her Sabbaths and all her holy days. 12 And I will destroy her vineyard and her fig trees, about which she said, “These are my wages, which my lovers have given me.” And I will make them into a witness, and the wild beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens and the reptiles of the earth will devour them. 13 And I will take vengeance upon her for the days of the Baals, on which she used to sacrifice to them, and put on her earrings and her necklaces, and go after her lovers, but forgot me,' says the Lord. 14 ‘Because of this, behold, I will mislead her, and I will make her like a wilderness, and I will speak to her heart. 15 And I will give her her plots of land from that place and the valley of Achor, to open her understanding. And she will be made low there like in the days of her childhood, and like in the days of her ascent out of the land of Egypt.' ” Rick Brannan, Ken M. Penner et al., The Lexham English Septuagint, Second Edition (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), Ho 2:1–15.
In the midst of life's struggles and uncertain seasons, we often find ourselves feeling lost, weary, and alone. But even in the wilderness, God speaks tenderly to our hearts. His words bring comfort, hope, and reassurance when we need them most. Just as He spoke to His people in the desert, offering encouragement and guidance, God continues to speak words of love and promise to us today. His gentle whispers remind us that we are never truly alone, and His presence is a refuge in every storm. Join the Conversation:Have you experienced God's tender words in your own wilderness moments? Share your story with us on social media @LifeaudioPodcasting or via email—What Scriptures or prayers have brought you peace and hope during difficult times? SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Tender Words in the Wilderness by Deidre Braley Hosea 2:14: Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. In the book of Hosea, the Lord rebukes Israel for her idolatry—namely for chasing after other gods and forgetting her first love, and for forgetting that it was God who gave her every good thing she'd ever had. Her worship had been misplaced: she'd mistaken the worldly things around her as the source of goodness. God says, “She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil. I lavished gold and silver on her, which they used for Baal” (Hosea 2:8). As a consequence, he proclaims that he will take these gifts away, listing them one by one to show how forsaken Israel will be without her God. “I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the Lord” (Hosea 2:13). As the shadows grow long on this year, I can't help but reflect on all the Baals I've worshiped these past months, all the worldly things I've wandered towards, misunderstanding them to be the source of the riches and joys that I have and that I want. And yet even as I've gotten my fingers around them, they've turnt and spoiled. Like a carton of milk that is fine one day and sour the next, I am holding something that I once thought was good, but now know will make me sick if I consume it. What a terrible and frightening thing, to be left bowing and offering sacrifices to the fickle whims of man or chance. Here in the desert place, I repent of the lovers I've gone after this year, panting after praise or acclaim or worth or self. I long for my first love, here where I hold what I thought I wanted, only to discover it's worth nothing at all without my Lord. I imagine this is how Israel felt, too—and perhaps there was no other way for them or for me to realize that we don't like to be in the hands of that which never loved us nor provided for us. We have to experience the full and crushing weight of life without God before we can know that this is our worst fear—and our greatest heartache. But, hallelujah, God doesn't leave us here. In Hosea, we see God's mercy toward his people when he says, “Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her” (Hosea 2:14). He allows us to come to a place without him to understand that we were always meant to be with him, but then he doesn't shake us or yell at us or slap us back into submission—no, it's quite the opposite. He leads us into solitary places where he can speak softly and tenderly to us, loving us as we've always longed to be loved until we remember that he is the Source and the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Intersecting Faith & Life In this season of Advent, as we await the coming Christ, let's each take an honest look at the Baals which we've worshiped and followed after this year—whether that's the praise of man or financial gain or inflation of ego or the comfort of any substance. Let's acknowledge the ways we've placed them before the Lord and then repent, turning around and allowing ourselves to be led back into the wilderness by our first love, by the One True Living God who is waiting to speak tenderly to us, to wash us in his mercy and grace. In this season of Advent, let us return to the Source and let him press balm to our tired and wounded spirits. Let's come to rest in the security of his hand, allowing it to cup us and protect us from this world we thought we wanted. Further Reading ● Hosea (the entire book) ● Isaiah 1 ● Acts 3:19 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Daily Dose of Hope November 10, 2024 Day 1 of Week 33 Scripture: 2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 21 Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. Welcome to week 33! By this point, we have covered over half of the Bible. Keep up the good work!!! In our 2 Kings chapters for today, we get a slightly different perspective of the Judean kings than yesterday's readings in 2 Chronicles. For instance, in 2 Kings 15, the king is called Azzariah, not Uzziah as in 2 Chronicles. I did a little research on this. It could have been an error in the original text or his given name may have been different from his throne name. Regardless, he was a man who started well and ended poorly. Jotham, his son, seemed to learn from his father's mistakes and does what is right in the Lord's eyes. Overall, he ended well, even though he didn't totally clean out the pagan idols in the high places. Not totally getting rid of the pagan temples and altars will not end well for Judah in the years to come. At the same time, we get a picture that things aren't going so well in Israel, in the Northern Kingdom. King after king is evil. King after king, there was warfare and bloodshed. We are getting very close to the end of the Northern Kingdom. Chapter 16 in 2 Kings takes a bit of a turn. King Ahaz, while he ruled in Judah, decided to follow the ways of the kings of Israel. He not only worships the Baals, but he engages in child sacrifice and he desecrates the temple. He does what is utterly detestable in the eyes of God. And so God allows him to be conquered by the pagan kings around him. Judah may last a little longer than Israel but sin and evil are also finding their way to the Southern Kingdom. Our New Testament passage is Matthew 21. Today, we are looking at what we know as the Palm Sunday passage. Jesus has sent the disciples ahead to fetch a donkey and its colt. Let's start by talking about these animals. Some of us may think it's strange that Jesus rode on a donkey rather than a horse but that would have been normal at the time. Horses were only used for battle. What's more, in the Old Testament, new kings would come riding in on the donkey or mule of the previous king. We see this in 1 Kings 1 when King David puts his son Solomon on his own mule, the trumpet is sounded, the people rejoice and shout, and then the priest and the prophet Nathan anoint him as king of Israel. The mule is like the presidential limo, a sign of power and prestige that says this is the new leader. What is interesting in this case is that Matthew is very clear–Jesus is not riding on a previous king's colt or donkey. He is riding on a colt that has never been ridden before. This is a sign that God is doing a new thing. Jesus is king but a different kind of king. We also see Jesus being given a royal welcoming. The people are laying cloaks and branches down for him. This is the kind of welcome that the emperor or a high official of the Roman government would have received. Think of it kind of like the red carpet being rolled out, a sign that a very important leader, the new king, has arrived. For the Jews in the crowd, they would have also know that this a fulfillment of prophecy–Zech. 9:9, Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. All the signs point to the fact that this Jesus is the king! In addition, the people are running ahead and shouting “Hosanna to the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna means “pray, save us.” They are expressing that this is the messiah, the anointed one, the one they have been waiting for that God has sent to save them. These words are based on Psalm 118:22-26, The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. Surely, this is the messiah who has come to sit on the throne of David, just as God promised 600 years before. You see, it's all coming together for them. There is joy and celebration. God has sent King Jesus to save us all. But the enthusiasm is short-lived. Human beings get distracted and disillusioned fairly quickly (2000 years ago and today!) They realize that while there is something clearly royal about Jesus, he is the promised figure, it's not in a way they expected or wanted. They think Messiah has entered the royal city to stage a royal takeover, to save them from the Romans. And we know what happens...he has actually entered to royal city to suffer and die. Yes, Jesus is Messiah and Savior. But he wasn't a military leader on the way to stage a coup. He was actually God himself who came to save us in a much more fundamental way: to be the final sacrifice for sin so that we can be reconciled to God, so that we can live abundant lives walking hand in hand with God. Jesus certainly could have overthrown the Romans and reinstituted Israel as they desired it, as it was in the days of King David. But Jesus' mission wasn't just to save the Jews, but rather to usher in the Kingdom of God, in which all people for all time could be part of God's greater work in the world and could have a relationship with a God who loves them, adores them, and calls them to something bigger and more important, more eternal. Jesus was king, they were right, he just wasn't the king they expected. How often has Jesus not been the King we expect? Blessings, Pastor Vicki
Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 16:13 - 17:6 Jehoshaphat was the 4th king in the kingdom of Judah. The summary description of his life is given as follows: "The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel . . . His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD" (2 Chr 17:3,4,6). Although he was one of the better kings of Judah and served God, for the most part, there are incidents in his life in which he was guilty of serious compromise … serious enough that two different prophets confronted him about his actions, declaring to him both God's displeasure and judgment. Jehoshaphat attempted to bring spiritual vitality to the people of Judah by dispatching teachers of the Mosaic law and judges to bring justice (2 Chr 17:7-9; 19:5-11). Under Jehoshaphat's rule the people of Judah experienced prosperity and peace (2 Chr 17:10-19). Jehoshaphat's weakness was his willingness to align himself with two wicked kings of the northern kingdom of Israel … Ahab and his son Azariah. He did this through the marriage of his son, Jehoram, to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab (2 Chr 18:1; 21:1,6), military alliance (2 Chr 18:3), and a cooperative ship-building venture (2 Chr 20:35-37). Because of this compromise, God's judgment fell on Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 19:2; 20:37). The life of Jehoshaphat is a clarion call to us for wholehearted allegiance to God … beckoning us to resist compromise regarding things we ought not compromise.
Back after a long absence, Vix and Johnny plunge baals deep into the lore of one of the most fascinating Canaanite gods to ever become a poop demon: Baal. Expect bad puns, Ugaritic poetry, ancient toilets, Talmudic scatology, and more. Sources: Coogan, Michael David. Stories from Ancient Canaan. Second edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012. Kastalia Medrano, “Toilet Found in Ancient Shrine Was Symbolic,” Newsweek, November 16, 2017, accessed September 27, 2024, https://www.newsweek.com/toilet-discovered-middle-ancient-jerusalem-shrine-written-bible-king-hezekiah-712800. Patai, Raphael. The Hebrew Goddess. Detroit, Mich: KTav Publishing, 1967. Toorn, K. van der, Bob Becking, and Pieter Willem van der Horst. Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible DDD. Leiden, Boston: Brill ; Eerdmans, 1999. The William Davidson Talmud, Sanh. 106a Don't Take the Bait (Discussion of Sanhedrin 106A) by Rabbi Levi Y. New for The Montreal Torah Center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rb0hkWWLy0&t=1141s&ab_channel=MontrealTorahCenter
The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. - 2 Chronicles 17:3-4
1 Kings 18:1-21 NIV After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals. ”So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.' ”“What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.' I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth. Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.' He will kill me!” Elijah said, “As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.” So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites....” (Judges 10) Part 3 of 3 Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture. Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com Donate: www.walkintruth.com
“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites....” (Judges 10) Part 2 of 3 Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture. Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com Donate: www.walkintruth.com
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