Podcasts about Jezreel

After experiencing the power and authority of the God of Israel on top of Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice, the prophet runs to Jezreel ahead of King Ahab. Upon hearing Jezebel's threats to execute him, Elijah then flees in despair to a distant mountaintop. Later, King Ahab of Israel goes to battle with Ben-Hadad of Aram. The Lord sends an unnamed prophet to alert Ahab that the Lord will win the battle for Israel so that Ahab will know that He alone is God over the whole earth. Then, when Ahab disobeys the Lord's command and spares Ben-Hadad instead of destroying him, the Lord sends another unnamed prophet to pronounce judgment. 1 Kings 19 – 1:09 .  1 Kings 20 – 6:35 .  Psalm 94 – 18:23 . :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Audio reading: Num 7:41-89, 1 Kings 11:1-12:19, Acts 9:1-25, Psalm 131:1-3, Prov 17:4-5Join us on an exciting adventure as we walk through the entire bible in one year! This one-year Audio Bible podcast invites you to listen to the Bible daily, spending just 20 minutes a day walking through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  In this episode of our 1 Year Audio bible podcast,we look at the kingdom split that happened in 1 Kings 11 when Jeroboam led a rebellion and the ten tribes of the north split away from Rehoboam's Southern Kingdom. There is a promise that one day this kingdom split will be healed and Israel will be one united kingdom once again, as prophesied in Amos 9:11 and in Hosea 1:10-11:“Yet the number of the children of IsraelShall be as the sand of the sea,Which cannot be measured or numbered.And it shall come to passIn the place where it was said to them,‘You are not My people,'There it shall be said to them,‘You are sons of the living God.'Then the children of Judah and the children of IsraelShall be gathered together,And appoint for themselves one head;And they shall come up out of the land,For great will be the day of Jezreel!Whether you're looking to deepen your relationship with Jesus or stay consistent in your daily listening to Bible devotions, this podcast offers insightful reflections and an engaging walk through the Bible.Connect With Us - Website: https://1yearAudioBiblePodcast.com  Spotify: Https://Open.Spotify.Com/Show/7zuyulxhnkthbgmnxu6q5t Apple Podcasts: Https://Podcasts.Apple.Com/Us/Podcast/1-Year-Audio-Bible-Podcast/Id1562405086YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1YearAudioBiblePodcast  

Ozeáš 1,1-9 1 Slovo Hospodina, ktoré prehovorilo k Ozeášovi, synovi Beeriho, v období judských kráľov Uzziju, Jotáma, Acháza a Chizkiju a v čase izraelského kráľa Jarobeáma, Joášovho syna. 2 Začiatok Hospodinovej reči prostredníctvom Ozeáša. Hospodin povedal Ozeášovi: „Vezmi si smilnú ženu a maj deti zo smilstva, lebo krajina strašne smilní, odvrátila sa od Hospodina.“ 3 Vzal si teda Gomer, dcéru Diblajima. Tá počala a porodila mu syna. 4 Vtedy mu Hospodin povedal: „Daj mu meno Jezreel, lebo onedlho potrestám dom Jehuov za krviprelievanie v Jezreeli a potom urobím koniec kráľovstvu Izraela. 5 V ten deň zlomím luk Izraelov v údolí Jezreel.“ 6 Potom opäť počala a porodila dcéru. Vtedy mu povedal: „Daj jej meno Neomilostená, pretože už viac nebudem mať súcit s domom Izraela — veľmi sa mi protivia. 7 Nad domom Júdu sa však zľutujem a prídem im na pomoc ako Hospodin, ich Boh, ale nie s lukom a mečom ani s koňmi so záprahom, teda nie bojom.“ 8 Potom, čo odstavila Neomilostenú, počala a porodila syna. 9 Vtedy povedal: „Daj mu meno Nie môj ľud, lebo vy nie ste mojím ľudom a ja nie som vaším Bohom. Ako sa cítite, keď niekto zradí vašu dôveru? To je podľa mňa to najhoršie, čo človek môže cítiť. Myšlienku, že ste s niekým počítali a on vás sklamal, je ťažké odhaliť. Najmä vtedy, keď by ste im dali čokoľvek, urobili pre nich čokoľvek, boli by ste tu vždy pre nich. Nikdy by ste ich nesklamali. A práve tieto myšlienky rozvádza kniha Ozeáš. Vidíme muža s nevernou manželkou… a deťmi, ktoré pravdepodobne nie sú jeho… Celá táto situácia je veľmi tragická… Pre proroka – veľmi srdcervúca. Ozeáš nám predstavuje príbeh o manželstve, ktorý použil ako podobenstvo vo svojom kázaní. Pán Boh ako manžel. Nevernou manželkou je Izrael. No pokojne si tam môžeme doplniť aj seba. Možno sme boli práve takíto vo svojom živote. Boh nás však miluje aj v tom najhoršom. Nepozeral sa na nás ružovými okuliarmi. Vedel o najhorších veciach, ktoré sme kedy urobili – o veciach, o ktorých dúfame, že sa to nikto nikdy nedozvie a na ktoré sa hanbíme čo i len pomyslieť… A predsa nás miluje. Občas pred Ním utekáme. Naďalej sme Mu neverní. No Boh sa nás len tak nevzdá. Čistí nás, približuje nás k Sebe a nikdy, nikdy sa nevzdáva. Toto je Božia láska k nám dnes. Modlitba: Pane, Ty nás najlepšie poznáš, vidíš, čoho všetkého sme schopní. Odpusť nám a veď nás aj dnes cestou lásky! Amen. Pieseň: ES 509 Autor: Tibor Molnár Prikázal som ti predsa: „Buď silný a odvážny, nestrachuj sa a nezúfaj!“ Jozue 1,9 Pavol píše: „Ba sami nad sebou sme prijali ortieľ smrti, aby sme dôverovali nie sebe, ale Bohu, ktorý kriesi mŕtvych. On nás vyslobodil a ešte vyslobodí z takého veľkého nebezpečenstva smrti; v Neho dúfame, že nás vždy znovu vyslobodí.“ 2.Korinťanom 1,9-10 Ján 21,15-19 •  Modlíme sa za: Slavošovce (GeS) Otázky na rozjímanie: Ako dnes vnímam Božiu lásku v mojej nevere — či som si vedomý/á, že Boh nás pozná v našich najhorších veciach, a predsa nás miluje a neustáva nás čistiť a približovať k Sebe? Kde v mojom živote som ako neverný Izrael — či utekám pred Bohom, som Mu stále neverný/á, alebo som ochotný/á sa vrátiť a byť znova Jeho ľudom? Ako dnes odpovedám na Božiu lásku, ktorá „sa nás len tak nevzdá“ — či žijem z istoty, že On ma nikdy neopustí, alebo stále dúfam vo vlastnú silu a zásluhy? Aplikácia do života: Dnes si spomeňte na jednu situáciu, kde ste zažili Božiu lásku aj v svojej nevere. Napíšte si jednu modlitbu, kde sa vyznávate svojej nevery a vďačíte za Božiu milosť. Potom urobte jeden krok vrátenia sa k Bohu: čítanie Slova, modlitba, alebo vyznanie hriechu pred niekým. Dnes som vďačný za tieto 3 veci: _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ Viac o vďačnosti, čo to je, prečo je dôležité byť vďačný, ako praktizovať vďačnosť nájdeš na blogu

Ish-bosheth Murdered 4When Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. 2Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth (for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin; 3the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day). 4Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 5Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.7When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night, 8and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring. 9But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10when one told me, Behold, Saul is dead, and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?12And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

Broken Promises Hosea 1-2:13 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” 8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” 10  Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. -- 2  Say to your brothers, “You are my people,” and to your sisters, “You have received mercy.” 2  “Plead with your mother, plead— for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband— that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts; 3  lest I strip her naked and make her as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and make her like a parched land, and kill her with thirst. 4  Upon her children also I will have no mercy, because they are children of whoredom. 5  For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.' 6  Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. 7  She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.' 8  And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. 9  Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness. 10  Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand. 11  And I will put an end to all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts. 12  And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages, which my lovers have given me.' I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them. 13  And 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. I. To obey God we must surrender to God. II. One must obey God to understand the things of God. III. To obey God we must be honest with God and with ourselves. If every member of my church were just like me, what would we be like?

The Battle of Gibeon 12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.13And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men arise and compete before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. 17And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him and said, Is it you, Asahel? And he answered, It is I.21Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?23But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still. 24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.25And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers? 27And Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning. 28So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore. 29And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim. 30Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.31But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron. Abner Joins David 3There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. 2And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;5and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 6While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father's concubine? 8Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog's head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. 9God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba. 11And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him. 12And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf,saying, To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you. 13And he said, Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face. 14Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 15And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, Go, return. And he returned. 17And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18Now then bring it about, for the Lordhas promised David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.19Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do. 20When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21And Abner said to David, I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. 22Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace. 24Then Joab went to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?25You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing. Joab Murders Abner 26When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it. 27And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.28Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread! 30So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon. David Mourns Abner 31Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier. 32They buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33And the king lamented for Abner, saying, Should Abner die as a fool dies?34Your hands were not bound;your feet were not fettered;as one falls before the wickedyou have fallen. And all the people wept again over him. 35Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down! 36And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people. 37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put to death Abner the son of Ner. 38And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!

David Anointed King of Judah 2After this David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. David said, To which shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron. 2So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them. Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel 8But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get your Hosea Scripture Journal now. Listen to our text today, Hosea 2:18-23: And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. "And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'"  — Hosea 2:18-23 This chapter began with betrayal. Now it ends with a wedding. "I will betroth you to me forever." Three times God repeats it. Not once. Three times. "I will betroth you." "I will betroth you." "I will betroth you." This is the language of a husband pursuing an unfaithful bride. Israel had chased other lovers. They trusted Baal for prosperity. They built a culture of worship around false gods. But God does something shocking. He pursues her anyway. And notice what the restoration is built on. Not Israel's faithfulness. God says: "I will betroth you in righteousness… justice… steadfast love… mercy… faithfulness." Every one of those words describes his character, not theirs. Because the relationship is restored not by Israel becoming worthy—but by God choosing to love. Then God does something even more beautiful. He restores their identity. Earlier in Hosea, the children's names symbolized judgment: Jezreel — scattered. Lo-Ruhamah — no mercy. Lo-Ammi — not my people. But now God reverses them. "I will sow her." "I will have mercy." "You are my people." God doesn't just forgive. He renames. He gives back the identity that sin tried to destroy. This is the heart of the gospel. God does not pursue perfect people. He pursues unfaithful people. People who drift. Who compromise. Who chase other loves. And he restores them because of who he is, not who they are. But here's where this becomes personal. If you think your failures have disqualified you from God's pursuit, you have misunderstood the entire story of Hosea. God is not looking for a perfect bride. He is calling a wandering bride home. The question is not whether God is willing to restore you. The question is whether you will turn back to the Lover whom you betrayed, who never stopped loving you. DO THIS: Take a moment today to thank God for pursuing you even when you have drifted, and consciously return your heart to him. ASK THIS: Why is it difficult for people to believe God still pursues them after failure? How does God's character make restoration possible? Where might God be inviting you to return to him today? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for pursuing me even when I wander. Restore my heart and help me live in the identity you have given me. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Goodness of God"

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get your Hosea Scripture Journal now. Our shout-out today goes to Thomas Hughes from Clarksville, TN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 1:10-11. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God." And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. — Hosea 1:10-11 What happens after judgment? Many people assume judgment is the end of the story. But in the Bible, God often does something surprising. Right after some of the strongest warnings, he gives one of the most beautiful promises. That's exactly what happens here. Just after declaring "You are not my people," God speaks a promise that echoes all the way back to Abraham. "The number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea." The same God who announced judgment also promises restoration. One day, the people who were called "Not My People" will be called "Children of the living God." This is the heartbeat of the book of Hosea. Israel's unfaithfulness is real. Their rebellion carries consequences. But God's covenant love runs deeper than their failure. Even when his people run away, God continues pursuing them. Hosea's story is not just about ancient Israel. The apostle Paul later quotes this very passage in Romans to show how God's mercy extends even further—to all who respond to him in faith. God takes those who were once far away and brings them near. And notice something else in this promise. God speaks of a future moment when Judah and Israel will be gathered together again under one head. The divided nation will one day be reunited. Throughout Scripture, that ultimate "head" points us forward to a greater king—Jesus Christ. Through him, God gathers people from every background and nation into one family. This is the surprising pattern of the gospel. Judgment exposes sin. Mercy offers restoration. Grace creates a new people. So if you ever wonder whether failure is the end of your story, Hosea reminds us that it is not. The God who warns also restores. The God who disciplines also redeems. Today, take a moment to thank God for the mercy that follows judgment—and the grace that makes restoration possible. DO THIS: Take a few minutes today to thank God for his mercy in your life and remind yourself that his grace always invites restoration. ASK THIS: Why do you think God often gives promises of restoration immediately after warnings of judgment? How does knowing God's mercy shape the way you respond to your own failures? What does it mean for you personally to be called a "child of the living God"? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for the mercy that follows your warnings and the grace that restores your people. Help me live today in the confidence of being your child. Amen. PLAY THIS: "His Mercy Is More"

What if God told a prophet to marry a prostitute so an entire nation could see how badly it had betrayed him? Summary The book of Hosea opens with one of the most shocking commands in Scripture—God tells the prophet to marry an unfaithful woman so his broken marriage will become a living message to Israel. Beneath a season of prosperity during the reign of Jeroboam II, the nation had slowly drifted from the God who rescued them, blending worship of the Lord with the idols of their culture. Through Hosea's family and the prophetic names of his children, God exposes Israel's spiritual adultery and warns that judgment is coming. Yet even in the midst of confrontation, the chapter ends with hope, revealing the heart of a faithful God who continues to pursue and restore his people. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Why do you think God chose Hosea's marriage to illustrate Israel's relationship with him? 2. What does the story of Hosea and Gomer reveal about the seriousness of spiritual adultery? 3. How did prosperity during Jeroboam II's reign contribute to Israel's spiritual drift? 4. Why is mixing the worship of God with cultural idols so spiritually dangerous? 5. What message was God communicating through the names Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, and Lo-Ammi? 6. How can prosperity sometimes create the illusion that everything is spiritually healthy? 7. What are some modern idols that people look to for provision, identity, or security instead of God? 8. Why does Hosea describe idolatry as relational betrayal rather than simply breaking religious rules? 9. What does Hosea 1:10 reveal about God's heart even after announcing judgment? 10. Where in your life might God be calling you to turn away from competing loyalties and return fully to him?

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get your Hosea Scripture Journal now. Our shout-out today goes to Doug Whiting from Alexandria, MN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 1:4-5. And the Lord said to him, "Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel." — Hosea 1:4-5 Have you ever noticed how people assume that if enough time passes, God must have forgotten? That's the moment Israel had reached. Hosea's first son is born, and God tells him to name the child Jezreel. To modern readers, the name may not sound significant, but to the people of Israel, it would have immediately stirred memories. Jezreel was the place where King Jehu carried out a violent purge decades earlier. In a dramatic political revolution, Jehu wiped out the ruling house of Ahab and slaughtered many of his rivals. While God had used Jehu to judge wicked leadership, the violence that followed went far beyond what God intended. Blood had soaked the valley. Years passed. Kings rose and fell. The nation moved on. But God had not forgotten. Through Hosea's son, God announces that the bloodshed at Jezreel will finally be addressed. The dynasty of Jehu will fall, and the military strength of Israel will be broken. "I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel." The bow was the symbol of military power. Israel trusted in its armies, its victories, and its national strength. But God was warning them that their security would soon collapse. History confirmed this warning. Within a generation, Israel's political stability would crumble, its kings would be assassinated, and eventually the Assyrian Empire would conquer the nation. The lesson is clear: time does not erase sin. A nation may bury its history. Leaders may ignore their past. Cultures may try to move forward without accountability. But God sees what people try to hide. And yet, this warning is also an act of mercy. God was giving Israel a chance to see what they had ignored. He was speaking before judgment came. The name Jezreel was not just a reminder of past violence—it was a warning that there was still time to turn back. That same principle applies to our lives. Sometimes we assume that past choices no longer matter. But God's warnings are not meant to crush us—they are meant to wake us up. So today, take a moment to ask God to search your heart. If there are areas of hidden compromise, unresolved sin, or patterns you have ignored, bring them honestly before him. Confession is not the end of the story. It is often the beginning of restoration. DO THIS: Ask God to search your heart today and reveal any unresolved sin you may have ignored—and bring it honestly before him in confession. ASK THIS: Are there areas of your past you tend to minimize or ignore rather than bring before God? Why do people often assume that time erases the seriousness of sin? What would honest confession and repentance look like in your life today? PRAY THIS: Father, search my heart and reveal anything I have tried to hide or ignore. Give me the humility to bring it before you and walk in truth. Amen. PLAY THIS: "The Good Confession"

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction.5 He walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramothgilead: and the Syrians smote Joram.6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was sick.7 And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.8 And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him, (for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

“Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” (I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭46‬)

In this video, Ryan Habbena explore one of the most important end-times questions in Bible prophecy: Where is the Battle of Armageddon located, and what does it really mean? This session focuses on the meaning and location of Armageddon, examining the biblical, linguistic, and geographical evidence for why this future battle should be understood as a real historical event that will take place in the Valley of Jezreel near Megiddo. The post What Is the Meaning and Location of the Battle of Armageddon? appeared first on Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptCome on, if you will, grab your Bibles and go to Second Samuel, chapter nine. We're going to be reading all of Second Samuel chapter nine together this morning. That's on page 149 in one of the blue Bibles. So if you want to grab one of those from the seat in front of you, would love for you to turn there. It's good to hold a Bible. It's good to hold it open and read together. We have already walked through 2nd Samuel 8 and 10. We're working through the whole book of 2nd Samuel. We took a little break right around Easter, but we've already looked at 8, chapters 8 and chapters 10, because they were dealing with the military victories of David that he was successful, because God was blessing him, defending the nation of Israel and enlarging the territory of Israel as they were attacked and as they defended, they would claim new lands. And so we looked at that. But in the middle of that recounting of the victories of David, there's this story that we're going to look at in chapter nine. And it. In chapter eight, it just finished by saying that David ruled with equity and justice, that he's a good king. And then it's going to give this little story. And in some ways that typifies that, that shows us that. And I think this is one of the beautiful highlights of David's kingship. So we're going to study it together this morning, and through it, we're going to try to set our minds on Christ and how he's a good king and how this story reflects to us some of the beauty of what he is like and how good he is. So chapter nine, verse one. This is David at kind of the height of his power. In some ways. He's been victorious. He's established the kingdom. It's firmly in his hand. And I think this gives us a little glimpse into what he's like because it says this.> And David said, "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Samuel 9:1, ESV)So if you'll remember, Saul was the first king of Israel and Jonathan was his son. And when David killed Goliath, it says that Jonathan, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and they loved one another and they were friends and cared for one another. And Jonathan helped David escape Saul, his father, when Saul was going to kill him. And they made covenantal promises to each other that David promised that he would be good to him in his kingdom and he'd be good to his family. And David even promised Saul that he would not, if he became king, kill all of Saul's family. And so David, in this moment of power, when he's got some victories under his belt and things have settled, he's got his own city, he's got the. The ark brought to the city, he's got the tabernacle, a tent set up for the ark. I went in the tabernacle. It was in a different place. I was about to misspeak there. David stops and says, can't I find somebody to keep this promise to Jonathan? Is there not anybody where I can show kindness to? And if you would think about kings, if they're constantly at war, the sorts of things that they might be inclined to do when they had a moment of break, when they had a moment down where they might be inclined to make themselves greater, enlarge their palaces, rest. And we get this moment where David, in the moment of stillness, goes, can't I keep this promise? Is there not someone that I can show kindness to for Jonathan's sake? Verse 2. Now, there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, are you Zeba? And he said, I am your servant. Which is just a humble way to say yes. Now, if you're Zeba and you're a servant of Saul, and David, who Saul was at war against, has now become king. There was a war between the house of Saul and David for several years because of Saul, and then with Ishma Sheth, and then they come to your house and they say, hey, David wants to see you. I'm going to go ahead and guess that you're not ecstatic at that news, that this was probably kind of stressful for Ziba. If they came to you and just said, hey, the president needs to talk to you, you'd have a lot of questions. Why? What for? And they're like, we got to get there quick. We brought a helicopter. Me. Are you. Check the name again. Why do I need to see the president? And even if you thought there was not a good chance that he was going to execute you on the White House lawn, you'd still be nervous. Well, Ziba is in a situation where he's a part of the house of Saul. It's like, this might not be going to go well. And he's brought before the king. And the king said, is there not still someone of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to him? So David's Intent is to bless someone in the house of Saul, to show the kindness of God to them. And Zeba said to the king, there is still a son of Jonathan. He is crippled in his feet. Now that's an interesting, might even argue, troubling response. He, he doesn't say who in Ziba's mind. The thing that's important is he's crippled in his feet. And if you're someone who deals with a disability, specifically physical ones, that it's possible for you to feel like this is kind of how it works, that that's what's seen and known about you to the point of it swallows your identity either for other people or for yourself, that that's how you're marked, that's how you're labeled. That's how you're understood to the point of even being able to lose yourself in it. Now, we know that this son of Jonathan, his name is Mephibosheth. And we know that because of the introduction that were given to him in chapter four. But it, and it's a tragic introduction. So I want to show that it's a chapter four. You can go one page over in the blue Bible, Chapter four, verse four, says> Jonathan the son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste she fell and the child became lame. His name was Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 4:4, ESV)So Mephibosheth, when he was five, on the same day, lost his granddad, his dad, his home, and his ability to walk. Now, any one of those things, no matter what your age is, would be extremely difficult to try to process through. But to have them all happen when you're five is an immense, acute amount of suffering. To be displaced, to be a refugee, to lose your father, to lose your grandfather, to lose everything you knew and understood about the world and your place in it, to lose all sense of safety. None of these things are anything that we would want a five year old to have to deal with. And he loses all of it at once and physically carries the reminder in himself from that day forward. In this culture, it was possible that he also carried the stigma of the judgment of God on him, that somehow he had earned this or deserved this or that God had added this to him. And all cultures, including ours, consistently ask, why do these sorts of things Happen? Why do we face this amount of suffering? Why do we have things like this happen? There's an interaction with Jesus and his disciples in John chapter nine where they see a man who's born blind and his disciples ask Jesus who sinned, that this man was born blind, was it him or, or his parents? The reason being, the reasoning being that someone had to sin for him to be cursed this way. Someone had to sin for this to befall him. Obviously it was deserved. That's the assumption. Then the thing they're troubled with is if he had become blind later in life, we wouldn't have the question because he had earned it. But since he was born blind, whose fault is that? Is it his parents fault or did he somehow earn it? But how did he earn it when he was born this way? That's, that's the thought process that they're trying to work out. And we can see that the idea of suffering, and specifically the suffering of someone young, or the suffering of someone born a certain way, or the suffering of, of the kind of the chaos suffering that just seems to happen adds more questions to it. Every once in a while we watch someone and we go, yeah, the reason that happened to you is that you're dumb and you make bad choices. You earned that one. But there are other times where we're going, we don't know how to place this, how does this fit? And that's the question that they're asking. And that honestly is the question that so much of life has to try to answer. Every religion has to try to answer that, every worldview has to try to answer that. So if you believe in karma, you would say that these sort of things, this type of suffering happens because of a previous life. You have a chance to suffer well in this one and then be reincarnated in a, in a better form. If you're Buddhist, you would say that all the material world's an illusion anyway and we're supposed to try to see through it. I was speaking to my neighbor who's Islamic. She said that in our suffering there are specific times where God hears us better in prayers and so we can pray to him and we can ask why. And she said, it's the primary purpose of praying to God in suffering is to ask why. Understanding that the reason you're suffering is God is trying to teach you something. Our Western culture is one of the least prepared to handle suffering in a what's called an imminent frame, which is all that we have is what we can see and taste and touch all we have is science, then there's no purpose in suffering, and the best you can do is get out of it quickly. We at least had at some point previously in generations, we understood that you could grow as a person and develop in character. And we still have a little bit of that, that you could somehow develop as a person so that you could become tough for the world. But now we've mostly shifted into, let's make the world soft for you. And so if anything causes pain or discomfort or suffering, you need to get rid of it, and you need to get rid of it quickly, whatever that means. Get rid of the relationship physically change, however, you can change to the point of surgeries or whatever, but we've got to change the situation so that you don't have to deal with that anymore. And in Christianity, I think we're given better answers and a better hope. We. We know that God's original design did not include any of this. And we know that through sin, suffering has entered the world. We know that it's not all earned. There are some, you know, there's rules in the world, like gravity. But a lot of the suffering that we face is not somehow earned by us or could have been avoided by our good behavior. Jesus, in his response to the disciples when they asked that question, says, neither, but so that the works of God might be displayed in Him. There's another instance In John, chapter 11, where Lazarus dies, and he says that God allowed this to happen for the sake of displaying his glory, that there's something unique that can happen in suffering and through suffering, a unique, peculiar way that God can work to display his goodness, to display his glory, to display his greatness. That only can happen in suffering. There's a unique and peculiar way that he can work in your life only through suffering, that he can't work in other ways or chooses not to. And we know because Jesus joins us in our suffering that there is no suffering that is wasted, that he's not distant from it, but he loves us in it, and that he works redemptively through it, and that we have a hope beyond it. So we don't get all the answers we want. We don't understand why some of these things happen to the degree they happen to you or to this other person, why him, not her? We don't understand those things. We actually don't get that answer. But we do know that Jesus meets us in it, cares for us, sees us, knows us. And we see specifically in this situation with Mephibosheth, a glimpse of how God cares and knows and works. And specifically in this situation with someone who's physically disabled, how he works and relates and ls. So I want to keep reading because I love what happens next. Verse 4. So Zeba just said, he's got a son.> Then the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar." (2 Samuel 9:4, ESV)The king sent and had him brought from Lo-debar, from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel.> Then King David sent and had him brought from Lo-debar, from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel. (2 Samuel 9:5, ESV)If you thought Ziba was uncomfortable, if you agreed with me on that assessment, Mephibosheth has to be quite nervous. If they showed up and said, hey, Mephibosheth, King David's looking for you. Why? Because you're a descendant of Saul. Great, good, normal thing to do is to go round up anybody else who could be a rival to your kingdom. You just wipe them out. And he's like, oh, okay. And they say, no, no, no, no. He wants you to come because he's going to be nice to you. Doesn't that make it worse? Feels more suspicious that way. He's got a gift for you. Sure he does. So I should, like, hug my wife and tell her bye? That's what you're saying? This isn't going to go well, but I don't know how trusting he was. It doesn't tell us. David does respond to him and tell him not to be afraid. So I think there's a. There's an indication that there was some anxiety over the situation. But it says this in verse six.> And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, "Mephibosheth." And he answered, "Behold, I am your servant." (2 Samuel 9:6, ESV)And David said to him, do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat at my table always.> And David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat at my table always." (2 Samuel 9:7, ESV)He bowed himself and said, what is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I? Then the king called Ziba Saul's servant, and said to him,> "Behold, I have given to your master's grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table." (2 Samuel 9:8–10, ESV)Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, according to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons.> And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica, and all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (2 Samuel 9:12–13, ESV)So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet, which will factor into the story again later as we run back into Mephibosheth. But David has welcomed him, invited him in, and placed him at his table, restored everything he could restore to him. And it's wonderful. And I think sometimes when we read these stories, when you're reading the. The Bible, sometimes you just come across something like this and you're like, okay, what do we do with that? How are we supposed to understand that? And in general, we've been trained to. When you interact with a story, that the story is trying to tell you something about life or about yourself, some sort of moral, some sort of lesson. And then we import that specifically when we come to the Bible, we're going, this is obviously written for some kind of lesson. And. And there are things that are like that. Paul says that in First Corinthians, he says these things were written down for our instruction so that we wouldn't do what they did. So that's an okay thing to do, to read the Scriptures and go, okay, yeah, let's not repeat that. Let's learn from that. Just like if you have an older sibling and they do dumb things, it's good for you to go, yeah, I'm also not going to do that. So we're able to look into this and see this. But that's not the primary way to read the Bible. We're not supposed to just take in lessons, although that's what we've been trained to do. That's. I don't know if you all know this, but every culture, stories help you understand what their ideals are, what they care about, what they value. That's why so many of the stories we tell right now are about throwing off anything that would keep you from being your real, authentic self. That's what a whole lot of our stories are about. Figuring out how to find out the real you and listen to that voice inside and seeing that with your little animal companion or whatever. Like, that's the stuff that we put out there and how your parents are stupid, that's a bonus. Just throw that in there. Don't listen to them. But that's a lot of the stories about freedom, about being alone, about figuring out how to find it all in yourself. We have a lot of those kind of stories. That's not the stories that people used to tell. We actually went and took all of the old fairy tales and turned them into that. But the old fairy tales used to be like, hey, honey, you about to go to sleep? Let me tell you a story. There was a little girl, she's about your age, her mom gave her a chore. She didn't do the chore. And she got eaten night pudding. Those were the stories. There was a mermaid, and her dad told her, don't become a person. And she became one and then suffered forever. Good night. Listen to your dad. Those are the stories. And so we. We understand, we're trying to read sometimes, and we're going, what's the lesson here? But when we come to the text, when we come to the Bible, that's secondary in our understanding. The Bible's primary purpose is to tell us the story of God and his interaction with humans and to display his greatness. This is how Jesus tells us to read the Bible. He looks at the. The Pharisees and he says, you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have life, but it's they that testify about me. The point of the Scriptures is to point us to Christ first and foremost. So, yes, we can learn lessons and we can say we ought to be like David and we ought to be kind and we ought to be gracious. But if we're looking for ourselves in stories so often, what happens is we end up putting ourselves in the. In the position of the hero. But we're not in the position of the hero. Christ is in the position of the hero. If we're to find ourselves in this story, we're Mephibosheth. We've lost everything and have no ability to get it back. That's us in the scheme of the world. It's all gone. You've been born into an enemy house. You've been born into sin. You've chosen sin and you have no way to come back. You have nothing in yourself that can merit or earn your salvation. You have no hope on your own. But God in Christ has chosen to rescue and to redeem and to welcome each other. Enemies and to bring him into his house. Enemies who could not have accomplished anything on their own. Enemies who. Who by nature and choice have fallen away. Enemies who have rebelled, enemies who do not belong are brought in because he's good. I love that he says, for the sake of Jonathan, because it's for the sake of Christ that we're welcomed in. It's not for our sake. It's not something that you've done. It's not something that you've accomplished. It's not something that you've earned. It's something that has been accomplished by Jesus on our behalf. So if your framework for what you're trying to do, even just being here this morning is, I'm going to get it together. I'm going to fix it. I've messed some things up, but I'm going to get better. I'm going to do what's good. I'm going to do what's right. I'm going to. I'm going to change. And your intent is to do that on your own in such a way that merits you a seat at the king's table. It will never happen. But I've got better news. The king goes out of his way to seek and to save the lost. He goes out of his way to find and to bring in rebels to his house. He goes out of his way to get those who do not belong and in any other system would not be welcome. They're brought in. And I think we say this a lot, so I think you've heard it. I think we've said a lot that you're a sinner, you're broken. We don't usually use this phrase, but we could. You're like Mephibosheth. You're a dead dog. Maybe we should start. I think we say that a lot. I think what can happen sometimes is we can miss. Mephibosheth lays on his face before the king understands his position is absolute worthlessness. He has nothing to bring. And then he gets up and he goes to the table. I don't want you to miss that. Because his position at the table should be one of joy and delight and fellowship and welcome, like a king's son. He shouldn't sit forever and go, oh, my dead. He shouldn't do that. That's not the position he's in. And here's the other thing that I think sometimes happens in our mind. You might go, yes, I understand. I'm saved only by grace. Yes, I understand that Jesus did everything. Yes, yes, yes. And then somehow you work in your mind that you've snuck in the back door. Everybody else is loved and welcome, but somehow you're here on some kind of technicality. It's not how it works. I don't know if y'all can imagine with me the moments when David looked down the table at all of his sons and at Mephibosheth. I don't know if you can imagine the Moments that Mephibosheth moved or spoke or laughed like Jonathan and David's heart leapt. And how much joy and delight there was in David's heart to have him at the table. And as Christ goes to work for you and in you, I want you to know that the King of Ages will sit with us at the table and delight that we're there to the glory of Christ. And every moment that Jesus is at work in you, and he sees a glimpse of him in you, and every moment that he knows that the only way you're welcome is because of the work of the Son of God, that there's joy and delight that he's brought you in, and that his greeting is your name with an exclamation mark. You did not sneak in. You are not unwelcome. He died and shed his precious blood so that you might have a seat at the table, and he did it on purpose for you. John, chapter 10. He says, I, the good shepherd, I know my sheep. I call them by name and I lead them out. If you don't think he knows your name and doesn't delight to welcome you, you have misunderstood the greatness of our God and King, who in Christ welcomes sinners to the praise of his glory and to the light of his goodness. So if you belong to Jesus, I want you to know you don't deserve to be at the table, but I want you to know that you get to be at the table and that he delights to have us there. He's that good. Let's pray.Lord, thank you for saving sinners. And thank you that we have nothing to offer or to merit or to achieve or to accomplish, but that you searched us out. And due to your great kindness and goodness, you've welcomed us. So, Lord, may we with joy in our hearts, with heads held high, with a smile on our face, live like we're your children because Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers and that we've been welcomed because of your greatness, not ours. May we rest in that and hope in that and give you glory in that. And for anyone in this room, Lord, who's been on the run for you from you, or who thinks that they have to fix it before they can come, may they lay their face on the ground and say, lord, I don't deserve this. And then may, through your grace and your goodness and your blood, may you lift them up and give them a seat at the table, because they don't. But you're good enough, kind enough and loving enough to Bring them in. May they surrender to you in Jesus name. Amen.We're going to take a moment together before we sing. Daniel's going to come back up and play for us as we take communion together as a church family. And what we're going to do is remind ourselves that we're invited to the table. And that what invited us, what brought us in, is the blood of Christ and the breaking of his body. That the night he was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it and he gave it to his disciples. He said, this is my body broken for you. And he took the cup and he said, this is the blood of the new covenant poured out for forgiveness of sins. And that in Jesus and in his sacrifice, we have forgiveness and we are welcomed. So take a moment wherever you are, if you need to deal with the Lord on something, if you need to repent of something, if you need to talk about something that's great, throne in between you and him, then repent and do that. And then go to the table as someone who's welcomed to the table through the work of Jesus. If you are not a Christian, then communion is not for you. But the gospel is offered to you that you might trust and follow Him. So when you're ready, we'll take communion. There's gluten free at that table back there.

Lord, Grant Me Divine Acceleration!“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grape. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. Amos 9:13Imagine a divine wind sweeping through your life, lifting you from the mundane to the extraordinary. Just as Elijah, empowered by God, outpaced Ahab's chariot, you too are capable of experiencing swift movement in your purpose. In 1 Kings 18:46, it is said, “The hand of the Lord was on Elijah,” filling him with strength and speed beyond human ability. Today, may the Lord fill you with strength.Now, hold on to this truth: even when it feels like progress has been slow, God is ready to surge you forward. Amos 9:13 declares, “The days are coming when the plowman will overtake the reaper.” What seemed like a crawl will transform into a sprint as God accelerates your journey. Just like the renewing of the eagle's wings in Isaiah 40:31, let your spirit take flight!1 Kings 18:46 says, "The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel."Remember, "What we weave thread by thread over years, God can speak into being in a single breath. Time bows to where grace commands." In other words, “God can do in a moment what we can't in a lifetime.” This is His promise to us. He condenses time, creating opportunities that are larger than our understanding. Trust that the Holy Spirit is pressing the fast-forward button over your life, bringing forth accelerated blessings that reveal His glory.Believe that divine acceleration is not mere chance, but a plan intricately woven into your destiny. As you keep your heart aligned with His will, expect a sudden surge of fulfillment in all areas of your life. The doubts may fade, but your faith will pave the way for miracles to unfold. Amen. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Amen.Prayer for the Day!Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of divine acceleration. We ask that You fulfill Your promises swiftly and minimize every delay. Fill our hearts with anticipation and hope as we lean on Your strength. Lord, grant us wisdom to steward every open door, courage to move when You say move, and discernment to wait when You say wait. Redeem the time that has been lost, restore what has been broken, and align our steps with Your perfect will. Do in days what would take years and let testimonies spring forth that point only to You. We surrender our plans to Yours and receive the grace to run and not grow weary. In Jesus' name, Amen.https://maglife.org

Jezreel | Derrick Hudson | Calvary Church

In this teaching, Jacob Prasch weaves together Revelation 2:18–23 (the church of Thyatira) with Hosea 1–2 to explain how Scripture consistently portrays idolatrous religious systems as a harlot that seduces God's people into spiritual adultery. He interprets Jezebel as the archetype of false teaching, syncretism, and institutional corruption, arguing that when churches refuse repentance, Christ no longer addresses the institution but instead calls individual believers to separate. Drawing on Hosea's marriage to a prostitute and the naming of her children (Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi), Prasch shows how God judges corrupt systems while still extending mercy to a faithful remnant who heed His call. He emphasizes that idolatry inevitably produces immorality and that false gospels—though they use biblical language—represent a different “Jesus” altogether.Prasch further connects these themes to history and prophecy, contrasting Israel (numbers, wealth, power) with Judah (truth, temple, covenant) to illustrate how God preserves His purposes through a minority that remains faithful. He applies this pattern to modern Christianity, asserting that believers may be genuinely saved within corrupt churches but are commanded by Christ to “come out” lest they share in judgment (Revelation 18:4). The teaching culminates in an eschatological framework where Hosea's prophecies point simultaneously to ancient judgment, Christ's first coming, and the future gathering of Israel leading toward Armageddon (Jezreel). Throughout, Prasch underscores God's mercy toward individuals, His intolerance of unrepentant apostasy, and the urgent necessity of choosing truth over institutional loyalty.Revelation 2:18–23 and the church of ThyatiraJezebel as a biblical pattern of spiritual seduction and false religionHosea chapters 1–2 and prophetic “acted parables”Idolatry as spiritual adulteryFaithful remnant theology (Judah vs. Israel)“Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4)Children of the harlot vs. God's compassion for individualsFalse doctrine, apostasy, and institutional religionEnd-times fulfillment: Jezreel / Armageddon, first and second comings of ChristPersonal testimony of salvation within corrupt religious systems

Everyone is Welcome,No one is Perfect,And Everyone is Loved by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20202821/March-16-Sermon.mp3 Romans 5:6-8 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 2 Samuel 4:4 4 (Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth,[a] who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child's nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.) 2 Samuel 9:1-9 David's Kindness to Mephibosheth 9 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul's family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied. 3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul's family? If so, I want to show God's kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. “In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.” 5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir's home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth[a]; he was Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.” 7 “Don't be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king's table!” 8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” 2 Samuel 9:11 11 Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David's table,[c] like one of the king's own sons.

We set Hosea 1–4 in the timeline of the Minor Prophets and trace the hard clash of judgment and mercy. God confronts betrayal and idolatry, yet promises a future where names are rewritten and love is renewed in the wilderness.• context for Hosea within kings and prophets• Hosea's marriage as living parable• meanings of Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi• judgment on idolatry, festivals and unjust leaders• promise of covenant renewal and peace• the wilderness as a place of tender restoration• redemption as Hosea buys back his wife• questions for reflection on resisting or trusting God's drawGo to outloudbible.com, head to the resources page, and download the free guide Kings and ProphetsSend Mike a quick message! (If you seek a reply, instead please contact through Outloudbible.com) At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you're there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.Support the showCheck out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Matthew 2:13-15 NIV 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”Hosea 1:1-11 NIV 1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: Hosea's Wife and Children2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel.”6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.”8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,' they will be called ‘children of the living God.' 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

Confession and Prayer Confess faults to one another and pray for one another for healing. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person has great power. Elijah was a man with similar passions, prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain for three and a half years. He prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 1 Kings 18:41 Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink, for there was a sound of abundance of rain. Ahab went to eat and drink, and Elijah went to the top of Carmel. Elijah cast himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. He told his servant to look toward the sea. The servant looked and said there was nothing. Elijah told him to go again seven times. At the seventh time, the servant said there was a small cloud like a man’s hand rising out of the sea. Elijah told the servant to tell Ahab to prepare his chariot and go down, so the rain would not stop him. The heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. Faith Under Attack The apostle James believed a man could pray like a lion. Faith is under attack in these last days. The devil is trying to cause people to give up their cross. James believed that if people got right with God and each other, they could pray prayers that would have great effect. Looking for God to do something that will turn things upside down. Conditions for Effective Prayer Being right with God: Getting righteous. Turning loose from sin. Letting go of the things of this world. Being right with one another: Forgiving one another. Praying for one another. When in line with God, prayer can accomplish work. Introspection through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God should move one to pray and seek God. Effectual Fervent Prayer Effectual fervent prayer is for those who have sought God and one another, and are in line with both. They don’t have sin or trespasses, and have gotten clean with God and man. There is a place in prayer that becomes effectual fervent. The word “effectual” is one word in the original Greek, “energeo.” It is used 18 times in the King James Version. 12 of those times, it is translated as “work.” The King James translators identified the word by context. Need to be reminded that effectual fervent prayer is work. Need to pray better. God can strip away the blinders and show what one can’t see. Need to open hearts and become earnest before God, and see prayers make a difference. The choir needs reminded that there is more to God than what we think. We get complacent, pray little prayers, check off lists, and think God is satisfied. Until God has looked into the depths of the soul, and one becomes submissive and surrenders to the will of God and yields to the Holy Ghost, one is not praying yet. Energeo: Energized Prayer The Greek word for effectual is “energeo,” from which we get the English words “energy” or “energize.” Engage in energized prayer, built of hard work. Of the 18 times “energeo” is used in the King James Version, 12 times it is translated as “work” (75%). Prayer is not a side deal or something to play around with. Prayer should change you, make you humble and weak before God, make you want to carry a heavier load, love people more, and help sinners get saved and prodigals come home. The basic premise behind “energeo” is hard, passionate work. The flesh is contrary to prayer and will never enjoy it. Tell the flesh it doesn’t matter and focus on getting right with God. Prayer should be hard, passionate work. If we added up the minutes spent in prayer this week, would we be impressed? How many have really gotten into the place where hard, passionate prayer comes from us? Elijah: An Example of Effectual Fervent Prayer Elijah got to see extraordinary things within hours of each other. Don’t give up praying. Get to the hard work, passionate prayer that God is listening for. Consider it a worthy occupation to be a prayer warrior. Make sure to identify and define correctly what kind of prayer we’re trying to pray. Not just “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer, but more like Peter’s prayer when he was drowning: “Lord, save me.” Be willing to do the hard work prayer, not just any prayer, but a prayer that reaches the portals of God. Hard work prayer is not very enticing to many. On days when you don’t feel like it, put your flesh behind you and try. Hard work prayer gets into the throne room of God. Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane understood hard work praying. His sweat became great drops of blood. He asked if there was any other way, but ultimately submitted to the Father’s will. Years ago, people would pray in barns during the day, giving up their time and flesh. Romans 12:1: Present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God, which is your reasonable service. Need hard work prayer. James gave liberty to pray personally. Elijah’s Humanity and Obedience James said Elijah was a righteous man, but also a man subject to like passions as we are. Elijah went through everything we’re going through and experienced the same temptations. He made a choice to stand for God and do the hard work of praying and staying honest before God. God blessed him for it. God had sustained Elijah for three and a half years. God gave Elijah liberty, and he stepped out of hiding. Elijah lived in Zarephath, Jezebel’s hometown, while she had the whole army hunting for him. Elijah told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he wanted to talk to him. Ahab blamed the drought on Elijah. Elijah told Ahab to gather all the people of Israel, the prophets of Baal, and the prophets of the groves to Mount Carmel. They had a contest to see whose God would answer by fire. God answered Elijah’s simple prayer with fire, consuming the sacrifice, the dust, the stones, and the water in the trenches. God answered by fire with a simple prayer. Elijah was obedient to God. If we’re going to see the power of God through hard work prayer, we’re going to have to be obedient servants. We need to be willing to do what God tells us to do, when he tells us to do it, and how he tells us to do it. Line up when we pray and say, “God, I prayed it. Now here I am. Send me. Use me for this work.” When you pray hard, you’ll find out there’s work for you in it. It’s not all on God; we have to be obedient. The problems they had were Jezebel and the adulterous hearts of the people. They had 850 false prophets corrupting the minds of the people. God dealt with it, and Elijah was obedient. Deliberate Faith and Diligence Elijah was deliberate. After one of the prophets was slain, Elijah told Ahab to get out of there because he heard the sound of abundance of rain. The fire had fallen, and people got right with God. Need some fire first to burn up the chaff and purge the dross from our souls. Need the power of God to come in. Won’t have revival until fire has come in through our soul and hard work praying has made us shine like new before God. The rain is the extra, what produces the fruits, but you won’t have rain until you’ve got fire. In Africa, they burn the old, dead grass to allow new growth to come after the rain. There was nothing growing through that messed up, useless grass that had no fire to it. Need some fire, even though it’s not comfortable. All 850 prophets had to be dealt with. Elijah went to the bottom of Carmel to be obedient to God. When he finished what God had assigned him, he told Ahab to leave. Elijah went back up the mountain because he believed. The same place that Elijah called fire down was where he went back to call for rain. There’s some consistency about where we choose to pray. Deliberately make a place to hard work pray. Hard work prayer becomes a part of our daily life. Elijah was tired after killing 850 people, but he went back up the mountain with faith. He told Ahab he heard rain, even though he didn’t physically hear it. He believed God because the fire had fallen. Elijah was diligent. He fell on his knees, put his face between his knees, and cried out to God. Between verses 42 and 43, there was some serious praying. The first time Elijah looked up, his servant was just standing there. Elijah told him to go look out over the ocean and tell him what he saw. The servant said he didn’t see anything. Been in hard work praying and not seeing anything. God knows when we’re frustrated, down, and the devil’s after us. Get serious about praying and talking with God Almighty. Hard work praying. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. This was the hard work part of the prayer. The first time he prayed, there was nothing. Weary of praying for certain things because you can’t see anything. When you think your prayer didn’t do any good, go back. Try again. Pray harder. Keep working at it. Dig in. Do the hard work praying. Believe God for it. If it’s as a grain of a mustard seed, if we just believe that he can do all things. Go back seven times. Each time, be doing what you’ve got to do, and that’s hard work prayer. Elijah put his face between his knees again and cried out to God. God sent the rain. Hard work praying is about not giving up, not giving in, and not believing the lies of the devil. God can do anything, and hard work prayer gets to his ears. It shocked the little fellow when he went that seven times. It wasn’t his faith that Elijah was dependent on, but that hard work praying and Elijah’s own faith in God. The servant came back and said he saw something about the size of a man’s hand rising up out of the sea. Elijah said that’s all he needed to know. God started to move. Personal Testimony Stripped naked in prayer this morning. Needed a word from God. Justin told a story about a man who had preached and evangelized for all of his life and then got called to be a pastor. He packed everything into his worn-out van and headed to the new pastorate. The transmission went out at the top of a hill, and he coasted to a car dealership at the bottom. Within two hours, men had unpacked his belongings and packed them into a new van that was just like the old one, but eight years newer. God said, “This is my church. I’ll fix it just like a car. Don’t you doubt it.” Asked God to speak to me. Quit worrying about this. It ain’t your church. It’s mine. Them ain’t your children, they’re mine. I’ll fix it. Needed to hear it again. Elijah told the servant to tell Ahab to get off the mountain because it was fixing to rain. The clouds rolled in, the sky turned black, and it rained. Commitment to Prayer We ain’t where we’re supposed to be prayer-wise. There’s another gear to prayer building. You’ve got to be stripped clean of the fire. Hard work praying will set in. It’ll come from your soul like a fountain. Your guts will pour out of you and lay at his feet. You’ll feel it. We can get closer to God with some hard praying. It’s going to take a commitment. You won’t accidentally get to this place. You’re going to have to really want it. When you get low, that’s when your heart gets nearest to it. It feels like ain’t nothing happening. It feels like it ain’t gonna happen. It’s the best time to pray. Allow God to step in and strip aside everything that’s keeping your heart from bursting open with all your care, worry, fear, and requests. Commit to hard work prayer. Effectual, fervent prayer. If Elijah could do it, James said, you can too. If Elijah seen the results of the fire and the rain, God is not a respecter of persons. He’ll bless you just like he blessed Elijah. Both fire and rain. Before we do anything else tonight, I want us to pray. If you ain’t got nobody else to pray for, please pray for me. Time’s running out on us. Our people ain’t saved. I want to get it right. I can’t do it. I ain’t got the power. I’m of little strength and little ability. I need God to help me. We need help tonight. We need revival. We need to see the fruit of rain. That all has to come from God.

To this point in Hosea, Jezreel has been primarily associated with the terrible day of judgment that would fall upon Israel through the Assyrian overthrow. In Hosea 2, however, God makes it clear that Jezreel will not always be associated with judgment: there is coming a day when Jezreel will be turned from sorrow into joy, and from scattering into regathering.

Since it has been a couple of weeks, let me remind you . . .The book of Hosea is a love story – but not like a romance novel- it was never meant to entertain• God's message came to Israel in a graphic illustration,◦ played out in the life of his prophet• first, God told Hosea to marry a prostitute◦ the point was to give Israel a living re-enactment of◦ their history with God – deserting him for another god or other gods- Hosea and his wife had three children who were placed onto the stage with their parents• each of their names revealed an aspect of the unfolding crisis◦ Jezreel – a place where God would render a verdict, to bring closure◦ Lo-Ruhamah – No Mercy – God would leave them to their fate◦ Lo-Ami – Not Mine – God rejected them from being his people• so up till now, the unfolding drama has been harsh

Pastor opens today's class with the words from Psalm 135:15-18 "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We will see the truth of these words in today's study. Elijah' Days: Most of this prophet's ministry was during the height of King Ahab in the north in Israel and King Jehoshaphat in the south in Judah. His name, Elijah, is even prophetic. In Hebrew it literally means, my God is Jehovah. ⁃ A time of great apostasy - under Ahab and Jezebel there was an attempt to get rid of any semblance of worship of the Living God and to supplant God with the worship of Baal. ⁃ A prophet of great faith (Elijah) ⁃ A man of insignificance (very little is know about him, was he even an Israelite?) ⁃ A time of great danger for believers. Ahab and Jezebel sought to destroy God's prophets. ⁃ A ministry of great impact Elijah's ministry is recorded in 1 Kings 17-19, 21 2 Kings 1-2 2 Chronicles 21 Elijah's Ministry: ⁃ Prediction and Provision (1 Kings 17) Elijah speaks that there will not be rain or dew for the next few years. This is a direct attack on King Ahab's gods. And the drought begins. Elijah goes into hiding. There are some great stories of God's miraculous provision for Elijah during the famine. ⁃ Contest at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18-19) God tells Elijah 3 years after the drought started that he was to go to Ahab and tell him that God would send rain. Elijah confronts Ahab about abandoning God and says for Ahab and his people and 850 prophets of Baal to meet him, a prophet of God, at Mt. Carmel and offers them the choice to follow God or Baal. Elijah is severely outnumbered against 850 false prophets, but the contest begins. ⁃ The Contest - those prophets worshiping Baal were told to pray to Baal for Baal to bring fire onto their altar, but it never comes. Elijah then builds his altar of 12 stones (1 for each tribe of Israel), slaughters the bull and then covers the altar in water and at 3pm he prays to God and the fire of the Lord falls on Elijah's altar. When the people see this they fall and cry out, "The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God!" They destroy the false prophets, and the rains start falling. ⁃ The Aftermath - Elijah runs to Jezreel (the summer palace) where Jezebel threatens him saying she is going to ensure he is killed. Elijah becomes fearful and runs for his life. He hides in the wilderness and becomes very discouraged and depressed. He tells God that he's had enough, and to take his life. Then an angel of the Lord comes and tells him to head to Mt. Sinai where the Lord will appear to him. Join us next week as we continue our study of Elijah! Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

In 2 Chronicles 21 Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat and rules for 8 inglorious and evil years. Judah's king commences his reign by killing all his brothers. It was said of this king of Judah that he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel - this is because his wife was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Edom revolts and sets up their own ruler. A letter comes from the prophet Elijah and strongly rebukes Jehoram and prophesies of the disease which would kill Jehoram - a disgusting sort of dysentery that causes his bowels to fall out after two years of suffering. During this time the Philistines and Arabians invade Judah and ransack the king's house. In 2 Chronicles 22 we read that the people of Judah make Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king at the age of 22. Ahaziah is evil like his great grandfather Omri and was no doubt controlled and directed by his mother, Athaliah. King Joram, of Israel, makes war with the Syrians and is seriously wounded. Ahaziah goes to visit his uncle in Jezreel; where he is met and slain by Jehu; whom God had appointed to destroy all of Ahab's offspring. Ahaziah is buried out of respect for Jehoshaphat. Athaliah now takes control of the throne of Judah. Athaliah likewise destroys all the seed Royal in Judah with the exception of Joash, who was hidden in the temple for six years by his faithful aunt Jehoshabeath and her husband the high priest, Jehoiadah. Daniel 3 speaks of Nebuchadnezzar's defiance of the vision presented to him. On the plain of Dura, just outside Babylon, the Chaldean king sets up an image made entirely of gold. The height of this image is about 35 metres and its breadth 3.5 metres - these dimensions suggest it was probably placed on a plinth. All the dignitaries from every province which king Nebuchadnezzar ruled were assembled and commanded to bow down and worship when the orchestra plays. The penalty for disobeying would be to be cast into a fiery furnace. Daniel's 3 friends disobey the king. These three friends were not prepared to submit to the command of a mere mortal man when there was a greater principle at stake - "we ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5 verse29). These faithful servants of Yahweh are given a second opportunity to comply. They politely refuse and are cast into the furnace, which was so hot that it kills the officers who cast them into the furnace. The three faithful men walk around in the furnace. The king sees withthem a fourth individual - the angel of God. When they emerge from the furnace they were not even singed, nor could the smell of fire be detected. Nebuchadnezzar is astounded and commands that all of his realm the worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - read aloud verses 28-30 Pause and Ponder. (Daniel must not have been present in Babylon at this time). Acts is Luke's second account - compare Luke 1 verses 1-4 with Acts 1 verses 1-3. Luke 24 closes with Jesus' ascension compare that to account the Acts 1 account which commences with the same event. Luke's first record closes with Jesus praying as he is taken to heaven as does Acts 1. For 40 days Jesus spoke with his disciples of the kingdom of God on earth, as the reconstituted kingdom of Israel. The only question the Apostles had was "Is the time for the kingdom now?" The time, as verse 7 indicates, is known only by Jesus' Father. By AD 96 when the book of Revelation is written Jesus then knew this time. But based on Jesus' commission for them to preach to the entire world it would obviously be some time distant. And following the words of the angels in recorded in verses 9-11 that kingdom would not come until our Lord's return to earth. From verses 12 to 26 a replacement is appointed for Judas, whose behaviour was the subject of prophecy - Psalm 109:8 (in fact it is instructive to read the entire Psalm as it will provide us with an insight as to what motivated Judas). That successor is named as Matthias.

Hosea's first son, Jezreel, taught us of the day of judgment connected to the sins of Jehu. Hosea's first daughter, Loruhamma, teaches us of the contrast between God's rejection of Israel, and His mercy upon Judah in the day of Israel's destruction.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23. Our text today is Judges 6:33–40. Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. — Judges 6:33-40 The Valley of Jezreel was filling with enemy troops — Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern peoples. From a human perspective, this was overwhelming. But then comes a defining moment: “The Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon.” The language is vivid — God didn't just give Gideon a pep talk. He wrapped him in His own Spirit like a warrior putting on armor. Suddenly, the man who once threshed wheat in hiding is blasting a trumpet for war, summoning tribes from all directions to follow him. And yet… clothed in God's Spirit, Gideon feels the pull of the gap — that space between what he believes about God's promise and the confidence to act on it without hesitation. Twice, he lays out a fleece for reassurance. Twice, God answers patiently. It's a moment both victorious and vulnerable — a Spirit-filled man still learning to walk in the courage God has given. Most of us live with a gap — the space between what we believe about God and how we actually live it out. We believe He's faithful, yet we still fear. We believe He provides, yet we cling to our own protection. We believe He calls us, yet we cower when it's time to move. Gideon's story reminds us that the Spirit doesn't nullify our humanity. The Spirit equips us for the fight, but God's patience shapes us for it. He meets us in the gap — not to leave us there, but to move us forward. And here's the pivotal point: the way to close the gap is not to wait until you feel fearless, but to act with the faith you have today. Each step in obedience shrinks the distance between belief and boldness. So what's your gap right now — fear, control, insecurity, doubt? Name it. Write it in the comments. Write it into your journal. Bring it before God. Ask His Spirit to fill it and clothe you. And then take a step that puts your belief into motion. ASK THIS: Where is the gap between your belief and your obedience right now? How has God's Spirit already equipped you for it? How has God shown patience toward you in that gap? What step could you take today to close it? DO THIS: Name your gap, pray for the Spirit to fill it, and take one concrete action today that turns belief into boldness. PRAY THIS: Lord, thank You for clothing me with Your Spirit and meeting me in the gap between what I believe about You and how I live it out. Help me to step forward today, trusting Your power more than my fear. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Even When It Hurts."

Hosea marries a wife and has a child named Jezreel, connecting this name to the end of the line of Jehu, and to the Kingdom of Israel. We talk about the history of this important city in our time together.

THE END of Ahab's line came within a span of seven years. Jehu, an Israelite military commander under Ahab's son, King Jehoram (or Joram), was anointed king over the northern kingdom at the direction of the prophet Elisha. Jehu moved quickly to eliminate Jehoram and the rest of the sons of Ahab. We explain why Ahab didn't literally have 70 sons (the number 70 in the ancient Near East was not a quantity; it was a symbol that represented “all of them”). Jehoram's nephew, King Ahaziah of Judah, was also killed by Jehu as he fled in his chariot, finally dying at the city of Megiddo. Then Jehu went to Jezreel and found Jezebel, the queen mother, whose last act in this world was probably screaming after she was tossed out of a tower window by her eunuchs. That left only Athaliah, mother of King Ahaziah. Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, the sister of King Jehoram of Israel. When she heard that Ahaziah was dead, she tried to kill all of her grandsons. Why? She—and really, it was the Fallen realm motivating her—tried to eliminate the line of David (her husband, King Jehoram of Judah, son of Jehoshaphat, was a descendant of David) and replace it with the line of Ahab. Unfortunately for Athaliah, she missed one—an infant boy named Joash. Jehoiada the priest had secretly saved and raised Joash in the Temple. At the age of seven, Jehoiada brought him out, proclaimed him king, and, at his command, had Athaliah put to death, thus putting an end to the house of Ahab. Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! Derek's new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821)Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon)Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship JOIN US IN ISRAEL! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information and to reserve your place, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. NOTE: If you'e going to Israel with us in October, you'll need to apply for a visa online before you travel. The cost is 25 NIS (about $7.50). Log on here: https://www.gov.il/en/departments/topics/eta-il/govil-landing-page Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site! Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the left-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

THE END of Ahab's line came within a span of seven years. Jehu, an Israelite military commander under Ahab's son, King Jehoram (or Joram), was anointed king over the northern kingdom at the direction of the prophet Elisha. Jehu moved quickly to eliminate Jehoram and the rest of the sons of Ahab. We explain why Ahab didn't literally have 70 sons (the number 70 in the ancient Near East was not a quantity; it was a symbol that represented “all of them”). Jehoram's nephew, King Ahaziah of Judah, was also killed by Jehu as he fled in his chariot, finally dying at the city of Megiddo. Then Jehu went to Jezreel and found Jezebel, the queen mother, whose last act in this world was probably screaming after she was tossed out of a tower window by her eunuchs. That left only Athaliah, mother of King Ahaziah. Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, the sister of King Jehoram of Israel. When she heard that Ahaziah was dead, she tried to kill all of her grandsons. Why? She—and really, it was the Fallen realm motivating her—tried to eliminate the line of David (her husband, King Jehoram of Judah, son of Jehoshaphat, was a descendant of David) and replace it with the line of Ahab. Unfortunately for Athaliah, she missed one—an infant boy named Joash. Jehoiada the priest had secretly saved and raised Joash in the Temple. At the age of seven, Jehoiada brought him out, proclaimed him king, and, at his command, had Athaliah put to death, thus putting an end to the house of Ahab.

How does one of the greatest men of God crater so quickly?I Kings 18:46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak intohis belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.I Kings 19:3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.Elijah didn't stop believing in God.Elijah stopped connecting with God's people.I Kings 19:3-4 When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servantthere, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. He came to abroom bush,  sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have hadenough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” I Kings 19:9 And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here,Elijah?”I Kings 19:10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put yourprophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,I Kings 18:12b-13 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 ofthe Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, andsupplied them with food and water. 3 Reasons We Isolate1. We grow comfortable with ISOLATION and being ALONE.God may PREPARE you in solitude, but He will SUSTAIN you in community.The root cause of most issues in our life a lack of a strong CHRISTIANCOMMUNITY.Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return fortheir labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyonewho falls and has no one to help them up.'Hebrews 10:24–25 ‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on towardlove and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit ofdoing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Dayapproaching.'CONNECT GROUP QR code slide on screen2. We believe the LIE that no one can RELATE to my situation.Your feelings are REAL, but they are not always RIGHT.1 Corinthians 10:13 ‘No temptation has overtaken you except what is common tomankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you canbear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you canendure it.'James 5:17 ‘Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that itwould not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.'3. We forget how many PEOPLE God has FOR US.I Kings 19:13 Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah.”I Kings 19:14 “I am the only one left.”1 Kings 19:15 “The Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came,I Kings 19:18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have notbowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.'”Proverbs 27:17 ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.'Galatians 6:2 ‘Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the lawof Christ.'1 Kings 19:11–12 “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in thepresence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerfulwind tore through the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but theLord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lordwas not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was notin the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

Everybody wants to reap a harvest in life. You do, I do. But sometimes, our lives feel a whole bunch more like a drought than a harvest. So exactly what is my drought about? What exactly is your drought about? Why is God letting this, this drought happen, to you and to me?   Another Drought This week on Christianityworks we are continuing with the series called, “Reaping God's Harvest in My Life.” We all want to reap a harvest but sometimes, well, sometimes life is a bit more about drought than it is about harvest. Why is that? What's going on when we are going through a drought? Maybe you're going through a drought; a dry time; a difficult time, a time where things aren't just going the way you'd like them to go and when that's happening, it's dry and there's no rain and in a lot of countries there are famines when there are droughts. And when there's a drought on, what everybody is hanging out for is what? Well, of course we're all waiting for rain when there's a drought because we know to have a harvest we need rain. It's a very simple cycle – you buy some seed, you plant it, you wait for the rain, the rain comes and then the seed grows into a harvest and then we send out the workers into the field and we gather a harvest. No rain, no harvest! That's right isn't it? Well, let's see. Let's have a look. Last week we looked at Isaac's experience when - if you have a Bible, you can go back and look at it in Genesis chapter 26 – he went and did some silly things but then he went and sowed some seed in the middle of drought and we're told that his harvest, he reaped one hundredfold. So he planted one seed and for every one seed he planted, he reaped one hundred seeds. Today we are going to look at another drought. If you have a Bible, grab it. We are going to go to First Kings chapter 16. This is a time when Elijah, the Tishbite, got involved in a drought because one of the Kings of Israel was doing some silly things. If you have a look in First Kings chapter 16 verse 29, it says this: In the thirty eighth year of King Asa, of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab, son of Omri, reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty two years. Ahab, son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who went before him. Now remember, in the history of Israel, by this time they were in the Promised Land, but the twelve tribes of Israel had split. The ten tribes to the north were referred to as Israel and the two tribes to the south, Judah and Benjamin, were referred to as Judah. That's why we have two Kings that the writer is here talking about. We're talking about Ahab who reigned over Israel, that's the ten tribes to the north and this guy was a bad dude. He was just not one of the good Kings; he did some terribly bad things and so God decided to deal with him by sending a drought. And this is where we see Elijah come, in the beginning of chapter 17 of First Kings and this is what happens. Now Elijah, the Tishbite, of Tishbe, in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. The Word of the Lord came to him saying: “Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself in the Wadi of Cherith which is east of the Jordon. So Ahab did bad things; he married Jezebel, he worshipped another god called Baal and so God's response was to send God's man, Elijah, a prophet, to say to the King: “Listen, I am going to send a drought, not only on you but on your whole country.” Now what's going on here? God is a God of grace but He is also a God of great wisdom. God's blessing rains down on us when we are living in His will, when we are living obedient to Him, when we're living in a relationship with Him. He is like any dad, Dad wants to bless His kids but when we rebel, as the King did here, as Ahab clearly rebelled by worshipping other gods. What does God do? Does God throw a tantrum? I mean, is that what God is doing here? No, no! God is being like any father and saying, “Well, if you are going to rebel against me, my heart is to bring you back.” There are consequences to your rebelling, so when we rebel, as Ahab did, against God, God turns the blessing off sometimes. The blessings stop raining down from heaven. If you're a parent who's brought up a teenager, you know that you want to bless them. Don't you? I do! I have a wonderful daughter and I love to bless her but when they rebel; when they turn against us, when they do things that we say "you shouldn't do" because we know that there'll be consequences, well, sometimes we have to withdraw some of the blessings. Why? To be mean? No! To help them to grow; to help them to lift up, to help them to learn that there are consequences to rebellion. And it's the same deal with God, the original Father, sometimes, sometimes our drought is about that very thing. What about your drought? What is your drought about? What droughts have you got in your life at the moment – in relationships or maybe they're in a financial area of your life or maybe in an emotional area of your life? Stop and think for a minute and say, “Where are the areas in my life that I would say – well, I'm not really reaping a harvest there? That part of my life is going through a drought.” Ok then, is there anything that you are doing or not doing in those areas that might have caused God to be a good Dad and stop raining down His blessings on that part of your life? Is God trying to get your attention? We are not doing a guilt trip here. We're not saying, “Well, you know, if I don't do everything a hundred percent perfectly, God's going to come a whack me over the head with a big stick.” No! God's Dad! Jesus referred to Him as ‘Abba‘, Dad. God is a loving Father so we are not doing a guilt trip number. Ok? This is a realistic assessment of our lives and I want to ask you, “Is God speaking to you today and saying, “There is something that you need to turn away from?” Maybe you've got some financial issues and I would ask you, “What does your giving life look like? How much are you giving to God‘s work? How much are you giving to the poor because so often, when we stop giving our very best; giving the top of what we earn to God's work, all of a sudden our finances turn to a mess because God's plan is to use God's people to fund God's work and when we stop giving to God‘s work, then God says, “Well, you know, your life's out of balance,” and all of a sudden we seem to be having a financial drought. Sometimes we're having relationship problems or maybe a problem in a marriage and maybe God's saying, “Well, what's your relationship with me looking like? How come we're not spending any time together at the moment? What drought are you walking through right now? And let me ask you: exactly what is your drought about? I think it's a good question. Not every drought; not every difficult patch; not every wilderness experience that we have in our lives, is because we have made some mistakes. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes other people do things and things are just happening and it's the way life is, but I gotta tell you, sometimes we are doing things that rebel against God like Ahab and God allows drought to come into our lives. The question is what can we do about it? We are going to look now at how Elijah went to be with a neurotic, suicidal widow and we will see exactly what God did.   The Suicidal Widow We are talking this week about reaping God‘s harvest in my life, in your life and sometimes we go through a period of drought in our lives and it's Dad's way of getting our attention. God's way of saying, “Look, there's something in your life that's not quite right.” That's why we need to ask, when we are going through a time of drought, “What is my drought about?” But in a drought, we can spend our whole time hanging out for the drought to break and the drought breaks when? When the rain comes! We have seeds, we plant the seeds and we know we will need rain before the harvest will come. We can be so busy moaning and groaning about the fact that there's no rain, that there's a drought but we miss the whole point of the journey that God has got us on. Elijah was God's man, he didn't do anything wrong. He was God's man in the middle of this drought and he had to get some food and He did provide for him when he went down to that Wadi at Cherith which was east of the Jordon. God said, “You will drink from the Wadi and I'll command the ravens to feed you,” and that's exactly what happened, but eventually the water ran out, even in the Wadi and God said, “Well, you know, Elijah's my man, I am going to provide for him,” and he also had a plan to provide for a woman, a widow. Let's have a quick read of what exactly happened. This is coming from First Kings chapter 17, beginning at verse 8: The Word of the Lord came to Elijah and God said to him: “God now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon and live there for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” He's thinking, “Yes, yes! God has given the food to this widow and she's going to feed me and it's going to be fantastic.” So he goes down there. He sets out to Zarephath and when he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there, gathering sticks and he called her and said: “Bring me a little water in the vessel so that I might drink.” As she was gong to bring it, he called to her and said: “And bring me a morsel of bread in your hand,” but she said: “As the Lord, your God lives, I have nothing baked only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I'm now gathering a couple of sticks so that I can go home and prepare it for myself and my son that we may eat it and die.” Aw, fabulous! Elijah goes all this way down to this Zarephath place and he thinks God's going to provide for him and God gives him an neurotic, suicidal widow, who's about to have her last meal and die. Aw, fabulous, thank you, God! But Elijah says to her: “Do not be afraid. Go and do as I have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me and afterwards make something for yourself and your son, for thus says the Lord God of Israel: “The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain of this earth.” She went and did as Elijah said so that she, as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the Word of the Lord, that He spoke through Elijah.” This is God's amazing provision. If drought was God's way of getting our attention to bring us home, doesn't it follow that He'll sustain us during the drought? If we die in the middle of the drought, it's punishment. If we survive and we learn and we change, that is grace. That is God's blessing from the God of grace. Elijah was a prophet but the drought still affected him and he goes down there and he goes to this widow and he demands something amazing of this widow. He says to her, “Look I know you've got almost nothing left. I know you're about to die and your son is about to die, but first, from the little bit that you have left, cook me something to eat and I promise you that God's blessing will chase you down and your food will not run out until the day that the rain comes on this land.” Can you imagine if you were that widow or I was that widow and this man says, “Gimme, gimme! Gimme what you've got,” and the widow has a choice, either to withhold it – and we now know from this story, if she had withheld from the man of God – she and her son would have died because they would have run out of food. Or she had the choice to give and take a "faith risk". She was sowing seed in drought and she chose to give to Elijah. Question: what's the point of the widow's story? Why is it included? Because if you look at the few chapters around the particular chapter in First Kings, there's a big macro level story going on. There's a King who had sinned, a land full of famine and drought and just after this – we're not going to have time to go there – there's a big picture story where Elijah has a showdown with the prophets of Baal. All this big stuff going on here and we think this macro level is important but at the micro level God tells us here about this widow with no name who is dying, who in faith plants seeds and takes risks and experiences God's blessing. And what God's saying is that the little story is as important as the big story. Here's a guarantee – in the midst of your drought; in the midst of my drought, the Word of God will reach out to us, somehow in some little way and there might be some much bigger things going on as there were here but God will come along and say, “Plant a seed here and now.” A faint whisper, a prophet, the Holy Spirit stirring in our hearts, “Plant seed here and now,” and you know what I've noticed? – often we have a problem; an area in our life where there's drought and God says, “Plant a seed, not in there, not is that field, plant a seed way over here in another field,” and we think, “Hang on a minute, God, these two things have got nothing to do with each other. I need to plant into my field, I need to feed my need,” and God say, “No, don't feed your need, plant my seed.” That's really important – “Don't feed your need, plant my seed.“ The widow could have feed herself and her son first and God said, “No, feed my prophet first.” “God, why do you want me to plant over there, my problem's over here? Why, this is crazy, this doesn't make sense? Why?”   The Lord's Rains Well, we are looking at reaping God's harvest in our lives and we've been looking at the story of Elijah and the widow and this drought and in the middle of this drought, when she had nothing left, God called the widow to sow the very, very little bit of food she had in her hand and give it to the prophet. Now she had a choice – she could have kept it. She could have said, “No, I need to feed my need,” but through Elijah, God said, “Don't feed your need, plant my seed over here, where I tell you.” And so the widow gave Elijah food. She sowed into his belly not her own belly and we saw as we read that story before, that God made sure that she was provided for. That none of her food ran out. Why is that? Why did God say, “Plant your seed over here – not in your need, not is your field – not where you want, do it the way I want you to?” Well, I think what's going on here is that God says, “Put me first.” We want to sow into our belly and that's not God's plan. This little story of this widow – we don't know her name - and Elijah is God's story. It's God's story of grace. It's a fabulous, wonderful miracle that she steps out in faith with her last little bit of food and she ends up with an endless supply of food to carry her through the famine. Isn't that a great story? God does that! When we honour Him, when we put Him first, He blesses us and she must have thought, “Fabulous, everything is going to be wonderful from here on in and then “Bang”! If you have a look at chapter 17, beginning at verse 17, we see that all of a sudden her son dies. After this, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. His illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him and she then said to Elijah: “What have you got against me O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son.” But he said to her: “Give me your son,” and he took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber, where he was lodging and laid him on his own bed. He cried out the Lord: “Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” Then Elijah stretched himself upon the child three times and cried out to the Lord: “Lord my God let this child's life come into him,” and the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah and the life of the child came into him again and revived and Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and gave him to his mother and then Elijah said: “See, your son is alive,” so the woman said to Elijah: “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Word of the Lord in your mouth, is truth. Isn't it amazing how  we are going through a drought and God does some miracles along the way and we think, “Fabulous, we're on easy street and all of a sudden "whack"! It's like three steps forward, five steps back. It happens sometimes. It's often the way – miracle, calamity, another miracle. Why? Well, have a look at what it says in verse 24. Now I know that you're a man of God and that the Word of the Lord, in your mouth, is truth. The reason God lets this happen is so that we learn faith and so that we learn that God will provide; that God will come through. There's so much more in this story that we can't go through in the next chapter, chapter 18 – we don't have time for that but there's God's powerful showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. I really encourage you to read it in chapter 18. But eventually, eventually, the drought comes to an end. This is what happens. Picking it up in chapter 18, verse 41: Elijah said to King Ahab: “Go up and eat and drink for there is the sound of rushing rain.” So Ahab when up to eat and drink and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees and he said to his servant, “Go up now and look forward to the sea.” And the servant went up and looked and he said, “There is nothing.” Then he said go again seven times and at the seventh time the servant said: “Look, a little cloud no bigger than a persons hand is rising up out of the sea,” and then he said: “Go say to King Ahab, “Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.” In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind and there was a heavy rain and Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. But the hand of the Lord was with Elijah and he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab, to the entrance of Jezreel. There's a drought. There's been a drought for three years. Nothing's been happening and all of a sudden, it's time for the drought to come to an end and this man, Elijah, speaks the Word of God and says, “There's going to be rushing rain, there's going to be a flood, get home before it happens.” He spoke those words before even one cloud appeared, because he serves the God who calls things that aren't as though they are. What about your drought – your relationship drought or financial drought or health drought or whatever it is – we are walking through life and we are travelling along and we have this sense that – "nothing is really going right for me" – and the Holy Spirit comes along and says, “Plant a seed in another field.” He whispers that into our hearts and we do that and we just decide to be obedient to God and we plant that seed and maybe there's some other big spiritual battle going on, we don't really understand and we think, “Well, God's got to worry about that because I've got to let Him fight that, I can't deal with that.” And one day in your heart, one day in your Spirit, you'll sense that the drought is about to break. Why? Because you've figured out what your drought was about and in your heart you see that little cloud; you see a cloud no bigger than a persons hand is rising out of the sea and in your heart you can rejoice. Before the rains even come, we know. We pray in faith; we give thanks because God takes us through the drought and like that widow, He calls us to plant a seed, to take a risk, to take a step of faith because in the middle of the drought God wants to change us because in the middle of the drought, God wants to grow us because right in the middle of the drought God wants to bless us. And so we experience His blessing in the drought and there are ups and downs and there are days we want to cry and days we want to laugh, but one day the drought finishes. One day when we've figured out what God is doing and we bend our will towards His and we obey Him and we plant a seed in another field. When we finally figure out we have to stop feeding our need and start planting God's seed, then God says,“He's learnt what I wanted him to learn; she's learned what I wanted her to learn.” And then it's time for the drought to break. It'll take time. Droughts always take time and when we're in the middle of the drought it's never a lot of fun. But when the rain comes, it's God's rain. When the blessing comes, it's God's blessing. See if we had planted the seed in our own field, we'd be able to say, “I did it!” but when we take this seed, this Spiritual faith decision that God is calling us to – whatever it is – maybe it's forgiving someone, maybe it's giving money to some ministry, maybe ... whatever God calls us to do. When we plant His seed, in the field of His choosing and the blessing comes and the rain comes and He changed our heart along the way, we know that it's the Lord's rain, we know it's the Lord's blessing and we know it's His flood-tide, and that's so much greater and better and sweeter than you or I could ever do. So let me ask you - what exactly is your drought about?

Jehu Destroys Ahab's Family (vv. 1–17):Jehu writes letters to Samaria, where Ahab's seventy sons live, challenging the leaders to make one of them king and fight for the throne. Fearing Jehu, they refuse and pledge loyalty to him. Jehu orders them to kill Ahab's sons and send him their heads, which they do. Jehu piles the heads in two heaps at the city gate, declaring that God's word spoken through Elijah has been fulfilled. He continues to kill all remaining relatives and supporters of Ahab in Jezreel and Samaria.Jehu Slaughters Ahaziah's Relatives (vv. 12–14):On his way to Samaria, Jehu meets relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and has them executed.Jehu and Jehonadab (vv. 15–17):Jehu meets Jehonadab son of Rechab, a respected leader, and invites him to join in his zeal for the Lord. Together, they continue wiping out Ahab's family.Jehu Destroys Baal Worship (vv. 18–28):Jehu tricks the Baal worshipers by announcing a great sacrifice to Baal. He gathers them all in the temple, ensuring none of the Lord's servants are present. Once the temple is full, Jehu's men kill everyone inside and destroy the temple, turning it into a latrine.Jehu's Reign (vv. 29–36):Although Jehu eradicated Baal worship, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam (the golden calves at Bethel and Dan). The Lord commends Jehu for carrying out judgment on Ahab's house and promises that his descendants will rule Israel for four generations. However, because Jehu did not fully obey God, the Lord begins reducing Israel's territory through attacks from Hazael of Aram. Jehu reigns in Samaria for 28 years, and his son Jehoahaz succeeds him.Key Themes:Fulfillment of God's judgment against Ahab's dynasty.Zeal for God must be wholehearted—partial obedience is not enough.The danger of replacing one false worship with another (Baal destroyed, but golden calves remain).God rewards obedience but also disciplines incomplete faithfulness.

Jehu Destroys Ahab's Family (vv. 1–17):Jehu writes letters to Samaria, where Ahab's seventy sons live, challenging the leaders to make one of them king and fight for the throne. Fearing Jehu, they refuse and pledge loyalty to him. Jehu orders them to kill Ahab's sons and send him their heads, which they do. Jehu piles the heads in two heaps at the city gate, declaring that God's word spoken through Elijah has been fulfilled. He continues to kill all remaining relatives and supporters of Ahab in Jezreel and Samaria.Jehu Slaughters Ahaziah's Relatives (vv. 12–14):On his way to Samaria, Jehu meets relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and has them executed.Jehu and Jehonadab (vv. 15–17):Jehu meets Jehonadab son of Rechab, a respected leader, and invites him to join in his zeal for the Lord. Together, they continue wiping out Ahab's family.Jehu Destroys Baal Worship (vv. 18–28):Jehu tricks the Baal worshipers by announcing a great sacrifice to Baal. He gathers them all in the temple, ensuring none of the Lord's servants are present. Once the temple is full, Jehu's men kill everyone inside and destroy the temple, turning it into a latrine.Jehu's Reign (vv. 29–36):Although Jehu eradicated Baal worship, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam (the golden calves at Bethel and Dan). The Lord commends Jehu for carrying out judgment on Ahab's house and promises that his descendants will rule Israel for four generations. However, because Jehu did not fully obey God, the Lord begins reducing Israel's territory through attacks from Hazael of Aram. Jehu reigns in Samaria for 28 years, and his son Jehoahaz succeeds him.Key Themes:Fulfillment of God's judgment against Ahab's dynasty.Zeal for God must be wholehearted—partial obedience is not enough.The danger of replacing one false worship with another (Baal destroyed, but golden calves remain).God rewards obedience but also disciplines incomplete faithfulness.

Dog Food 2 Kings 9 Chew the Bible S3Jehu Anointed King (v. 1–13):Elisha sends a young prophet to secretly anoint Jehu, a commander in Israel's army, as king. The prophet declares that Jehu is chosen by God to destroy the house of Ahab and avenge the blood of the prophets and servants of the Lord shed by Jezebel. After the prophet departs, Jehu's fellow officers at first question him, but when Jehu tells them the message, they quickly proclaim him king.Jehu Kills Joram, King of Israel (v. 14–26):Jehu immediately acts. King Joram (son of Ahab) and King Ahaziah of Judah are at Jezreel, where Joram is recovering from battle wounds. As Jehu approaches, Joram rides out to meet him and asks if there is peace. Jehu replies that there can be no peace while Jezebel's idolatry and witchcraft continue. Realizing Jehu's intent, Joram tries to flee, but Jehu shoots an arrow through his heart. Jehu orders Joram's body thrown into the field of Naboth, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy of judgment for Ahab's family.Jehu Wounds Ahaziah, King of Judah (v. 27–29):Ahaziah tries to escape but is wounded by Jehu's men near Ibleam. He flees to Megiddo, where he dies.The Death of Jezebel (v. 30–37):Jehu then enters Jezreel, where Jezebel awaits him. She paints her eyes and adorns her head, mocking him from a window. Jehu commands her attendants to throw her down, and they do so. Jezebel's blood splatters on the wall and horses, and Jehu tramples her body. Later, when servants attempt to bury her, they find only her skull, feet, and hands, as dogs have eaten the rest — fulfilling Elijah's prophecy that Jezebel's body would be like dung on the field in Jezreel.Key Themes:God's judgment against Ahab's house fulfilled.Jehu as an instrument of divine justice.The certainty of God's prophetic word (everything Elijah foretold comes to pass).Your words were found and I ate them

Jehu Anointed King (v. 1–13):Elisha sends a young prophet to secretly anoint Jehu, a commander in Israel's army, as king. The prophet declares that Jehu is chosen by God to destroy the house of Ahab and avenge the blood of the prophets and servants of the Lord shed by Jezebel. After the prophet departs, Jehu's fellow officers at first question him, but when Jehu tells them the message, they quickly proclaim him king.Jehu Kills Joram, King of Israel (v. 14–26):Jehu immediately acts. King Joram (son of Ahab) and King Ahaziah of Judah are at Jezreel, where Joram is recovering from battle wounds. As Jehu approaches, Joram rides out to meet him and asks if there is peace. Jehu replies that there can be no peace while Jezebel's idolatry and witchcraft continue. Realizing Jehu's intent, Joram tries to flee, but Jehu shoots an arrow through his heart. Jehu orders Joram's body thrown into the field of Naboth, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy of judgment for Ahab's family.Jehu Wounds Ahaziah, King of Judah (v. 27–29):Ahaziah tries to escape but is wounded by Jehu's men near Ibleam. He flees to Megiddo, where he dies.The Death of Jezebel (v. 30–37):Jehu then enters Jezreel, where Jezebel awaits him. She paints her eyes and adorns her head, mocking him from a window. Jehu commands her attendants to throw her down, and they do so. Jezebel's blood splatters on the wall and horses, and Jehu tramples her body. Later, when servants attempt to bury her, they find only her skull, feet, and hands, as dogs have eaten the rest — fulfilling Elijah's prophecy that Jezebel's body would be like dung on the field in Jezreel.Key Themes:God's judgment against Ahab's house fulfilled.Jehu as an instrument of divine justice.The certainty of God's prophetic word (everything Elijah foretold comes to pass).

2 Kings 10 tells of the fear from the rulers of Ahab's household of retaliation of Jehu upon the eunuchs who brought up Ahab's sons in Jezreel. Jehu tricks the eunuchs to kill Ahab's 70 sons in order to save their own lives. Jehu now conceives a plan to Jehu follows this by telling Jehonadab of his zeal to fulfill the word of Yahweh. Jehu next slays 42 of Ahaziah's relatives, before carrying out his great ruse to eliminate Baal worship in Israel. All of Baal's worshippers who were beguiled into believing that Jehu intends to become the greatest of Baal's worshippers. These deluded worshippers of Baal come into his house and are slaughtered to the very last person by Jehu's appointed executioners. Jehu was promoted by God and promised to have a dynasty of four generations because of the service done that he did for the Almighty. However, Jehu himself did it not out of zeal for God but for himself. Sadly, Jehu perpetuated the calf worship of Jeroboam 1st of Israel - the man who made Israel to sin. Ezekiel is the priest of Yahweh and is introduced to us in chapter 1. His name means 'El establishes'. He was a prophet among the Babylonian exiles in Chebar who had been taken to Babylon approximately BC 606. The prophecy opens with the wonderful vision of the four living creatures, or cherubim, these creatures are symbols of Yahweh's vehicle for accomplishing His purpose. The presentation put before us in chapter 1 is a mathematical impossibility. But this is not so in the divine scheme of things. The theme of the cherubim permeates Scripture from Genesis 3 to the book of Revelation. The eyes of the four-faced living creatures portray Yahweh's Omniscience - symbolised in the eyes within the wheels. 2nd Corinthians 5 outlines the Almighty's Word, or His campaign for the reconciliation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection are its foundation and form the logical and heart-binding basis for our attachment to the great salvation of God. We become in Christ part of God's new creation. The Apostle Paul urges his readers to take up this ministry of reconciliation as Christ's ambassadors. In chapter 6 the great Apostle outlines his faithful commitment to the task of preaching the saving gospel message. Paul also establishes that this work is a call which embraces each believer in becoming a child of our Sovereign king. On our part we must embrace a complete commitment to holiness as God's beloved children. In the seventh chapter Paul entreats the Corinthians to find a place in their hearts for those whose love for them was unquestionable; and to embrace wholeheartedly the great task of receiving back into fellowship the repentant brother who had been disciplined by the ecclesia in the hope of restoring the erring brother to the company of fellow believers - the saints in our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 13-16 speak of Paul's joy at receiving the news from Titus that the ecclesia at Corinth had followed the Apostle's advice and through ecclesial discipline achieved the result that Paul had hoped.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow at https://christadelphianvideo.org/christadelphian-daily-readings/

Hi welcome to Christadelphian video.org Thoughts on the Bible Readings September 5th (2 Kings 10; Ezekiel 1; 2 Corinthians 5, 6, 7)2 Kings 10 tells of the fear from the rulers of Ahab's household of retaliation of Jehu upon the eunuchs who brought up Ahab's sons in Jezreel. Jehu tricks the eunuchs to kill Ahab's 70 sons in order to save their own lives. Jehu now conceives a plan to Jehu follows this by telling Jehonadab of his zeal to fulfill the word of Yahweh. Jehu next slays 42 of Ahaziah's relatives, before carrying out his great ruse to eliminate Baal worship in Israel. All of Baal's worshippers who were beguiled into believing that Jehu intends to become the greatest of Baal's worshippers. These deluded worshippers of Baal come into his house and are slaughtered to the very last person by Jehu's appointed executioners. Jehu was promoted by God and promised to have a dynasty of four generations because of the service done that he did for the Almighty. However, Jehu himself did it not out of zeal for God but for himself. Sadly, Jehu perpetuated the calf worship of Jeroboam 1st of Israel - the man who made Israel to sin. Ezekiel is the priest of Yahweh and is introduced to us in chapter 1. His name means 'El establishes'. He was a prophet among the Babylonian exiles in Chebar who had been taken to Babylon approximately BC 606. The prophecy opens with the wonderful vision of the four living creatures, or cherubim, these creatures are symbols of Yahweh's vehicle for accomplishing His purpose. The presentation put before us in chapter 1 is a mathematical impossibility. But this is not so in the divine scheme of things. The theme of the cherubim permeates Scripture from Genesis 3 to the book of Revelation. The eyes of the four-faced living creatures portray Yahweh's Omniscience - symbolised in the eyes within the wheels. 2nd Corinthians 5 outlines the Almighty's Word, or His campaign for the reconciliation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection are its foundation and form the logical and heart-binding basis for our attachment to the great salvation of God. We become in Christ part of God's new creation. The Apostle Paul urges his readers to take up this ministry of reconciliation as Christ's ambassadors. In chapter 6 the great Apostle outlines his faithful commitment to the task of preaching the saving gospel message. Paul also establishes that this work is a call which embraces each believer in becoming a child of our Sovereign king. On our part we must embrace a complete commitment to holiness as God's beloved children. In the seventh chapter Paul entreats the Corinthians to find a place in their hearts for those whose love for them was unquestionable; and to embrace wholeheartedly the great task of receiving back into fellowship the repentant brother who had been disciplined by the ecclesia in the hope of restoring the erring brother to the company of fellow believers - the saints in our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 13-16 speak of Paul's joy at receiving the news from Titus that the ecclesia at Corinth had followed the Apostle's advice and through ecclesial discipline achieved the result that Paul had hoped.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow at https://christadelphianvideo.org/christadelphian-daily-readings/

From Lo Debar to the King's Table • Friday Service Website: www.PastorTodd.org To give: www.ToddCoconato.com/give 2 Samuel 4:4 (NKJV) Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9:4 (NKJV) So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” 2 Samuel 9:5 (NKJV) Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 2 Samuel 9:6-7 (NKJV) Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” 2 Samuel 9:8 (NKJV) Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” 2 Samuel 9:11 (NKJV) Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons.” 2 Samuel 9:12 (NKJV) Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9:13 (NKJV) So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet. Ephesians 2:4-6 (NKJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

What is God saying?

Have a question or comment for Pastor Plek or one of his guests. Send it here.362: Dive into a fascinating biblical mystery as Pastor Plek and Pastor Holland unravel a perplexing passage from Hosea that seems to contradict God's earlier commands. Why would God punish Jehu for bloodshed in Jezreel when He had specifically ordered him to eliminate Ahab's descendants? The answer reveals a profound spiritual principle about following God's commands while missing His heart.Ready to join the conversation? Send your questions to 737-231-0605!Like, share, and subscribe! We love seeing and responding to your reviews and comments.Support the show: https://wbcc.churchcenter.com/givingSupport the show

There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.JOS.17:2 There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.JOS.17:3 But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.JOS.17:4 And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.JOS.17:5 And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan;JOS.17:6 Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.JOS.17:7 And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah.JOS.17:8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;JOS.17:9 And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:JOS.17:10 Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.JOS.17:11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.JOS.17:12 Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.JOS.17:13 Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out.JOS.17:14 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?JOS.17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.JOS.17:16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.JOS.17:17 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:JOS.17:18 But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.

After experiencing the power and authority of the God of Israel on top of Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice, the prophet runs to Jezreel ahead of King Ahab. Upon hearing Jezebel's threats to execute him, Elijah then flees in despair to a distant mountaintop. Later, King Ahab of Israel goes to battle with Ben-Hadad of Aram. The Lord sends an unnamed prophet to alert Ahab that the Lord will win the battle for Israel so that Ahab will know that He alone is God over the whole earth. Then, when Ahab disobeys the Lord's command and spares Ben-Hadad instead of destroying him, the Lord sends another unnamed prophet to pronounce judgment.1 Kings 19 - 1:06 . 1 Kings 20 - 6:29 . Psalm 119:49 - 17:45 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

SHOW NOTES   In Podcast Episode 329, “The Lord Is Never 'Slow' in Keeping His Promises,” Kim discusses the challenge of waiting on the Lord to fulfill His promises. In today's story, we see the long-awaited fulfillment of the Lord's promise to destroy Queen Jezebel for her lifetime of evil deeds.   Our focal passage for this episode is 2 Kings 9:1-37, with 36-37 as the focal verses:   36 When they returned and told Jehu, he stated, “This fulfills the message from the Lord, which he spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: ‘At the plot of land in Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel's body. 37 Her remains will be scattered like dung on the plot of land in Jezreel, so that no one will be able to recognize her.'”     WEEKLY ENGAGEMENT FEATURE:   Spend a few prayerful moments pondering the sometimes perceived slowness of the fulfillment of the promises of God.   Additional Resources and Scriptures:   20 “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord's sight. 21 So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! 22 I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.' 23 “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel's body at the plot of land in Jezreel.' 24 “The members of Ahab's family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.” (1 Kings 21:20-24) 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:8-9) EMAIL — encouragingothersinlovingjesus@gmail.com TWITTER - https://twitter.com/EOinLovingJesus INSTAGRAM -  https://www.instagram.com/encouragingothersinlovingjesus/ “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus” YouTube Channel: Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@EncouragingOthersInLovingJesus     I WANT TO BEGIN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.   RESOURCES USED FOR BOOK OF 1 & 2 Kings PODCASTS: “The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament OT in One Volume” “Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings” by Tony Merida “The Tony Evans Bible Commentary: Advancing God's Kingdom Agenda” “Life Application Study Bible” “The Swindoll Study Bible: NLT” by Charles R. Swindoll Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary “The Baker Illustrated Bible Background Commentary” by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays (Editors) Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): Old Testament, 2004, by Kenneth L. Barker, John R. Kohlenberger, III.     "Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus" Facebook Group:   Our Facebook Group is devoted to providing a place for us to encourage each other through all the seasons of life. Follow the provided link to request admittance into “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus”—https://www.facebook.com/groups/encouragingothersinlovingjesus/ Feel free to invite others who will be good encouragers and/or need encouragement to follow Jesus.   This podcast is hosted by Kim Smith, a small town Country Girl who left her comfort zone to follow Jesus in a big City World. Now, she wants to use God's Word and lessons from her faith journey to encourage others in loving Jesus.   In each episode, Kim will share insights regarding a portion of God's Word and challenge listeners to apply the lessons to their daily lives.   If you want to grow in your faith and learn how to encourage others in loving Jesus, subscribe and commit to prayerfully listening each week.   Remember, “It's Always a Trust & Obey Kinda Day!”   If you have questions or comments or would like to learn more about how to follow Jesus, please email Kim at EncouragingOthersinLovingJesus@gmail.com.     National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline   988   https://988lifeline.org/   Reference: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004.   Podcast recorded through Cleanfeed and edited through GarageBand. The soundtrack, entitled “Outlaw John McShane” was obtained from Pixabay.         The HIDDEN Episodes:  If you can't access episodes 1-50 on your podcast app (the podcast was then entitled "A Country Girl in a City World - Loving Jesus"), you can get all the content at my Podbean site at https://acountrygirlinacityworldlovingjesus.podbean.com/  

After experiencing the power and authority of the God of Israel on top of Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice, the prophet runs to Jezreel ahead of King Ahab. Upon hearing Jezebel's threats to execute him, Elijah then flees in despair to a distant mountaintop. Later, King Ahab of Israel goes to battle with Ben-Hadad of Aram. The Lord sends an unnamed prophet to alert Ahab that the Lord will win the battle for Israel so that Ahab will know that He alone is God over the whole earth. Then, when Ahab disobeys the Lord's command and spares Ben-Hadad instead of destroying him, the Lord sends another unnamed prophet to pronounce judgment.1 Kings 19 – 1:09 . 1 Kings 20 – 6:35 . Psalm 94 – 18:23 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

"And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it." 1 Kings 21:1-16

Website: ESM.USPastor Mark BiltzDownload Notes:https://esm.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/05.17.25-Congregational-Notes-2.pdf-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Torah Portion:פָּרָּ שַׁ ת אֱמֹורEmor“Say”Leviticus 21:1-24:23Ezekiel 44:15-31Matthew 26:59-66Leviticus 21:1,2 And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to thepriests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall nonebe defiled for the dead among his people: except for his relativesthat are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, forhis daughter, for his brother.Luke 10:30-32 Yeshua said, A certain man was going downfrom Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who bothstripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: Andwhen he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And in likemanner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him,passed by on the other side.2 Samuel 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lameof his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Sauland Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled:And it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, andbecame lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.