Most of the verses from here to the end of the chapter refer in some way to the rewards of righteous living. It begins with a contrast between men and women. The gracious woman is able to retain honor, whereas the energetic man is able to retain riches (v. 16). It seems th …
Noah lived faithfully for over 600 years but he was not perfect. Noah plant¬ed a vineyard and drank of the wine (vv. 20-21). He was drunk and naked in his tent (v. 22). Ham saw his father drunk and naked. This destroyed his respect and relationship with his father. When Ham reported it to his …
The writer asks his readers to pay attention to the truth they have heard so that they won’t drift away into false teaching. In chapter one we saw Jesus as the Son of God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, the heir of all things, seated at the right hand of the Majesty o …
The great mountains of the land of Basham (v. 15) no doubt refers to Mount Hermon, the highest snow capped peak in the Middle East, just a few miles north of Basham. The psalmists intent was to show that Israel would be victorious by divine design (sovereignty), rather than by hu …
Since it was Passover, there were probably about 2 million people in and around Jerusalem. This crowd was composed of Jews who lived in Jerusalem and those from Galilee and the surrounding countryside. Jesus and the disciples were approaching Jerusalem from the east as they came up the …
Christians must not force their opinions on others. There are certain foundational truths that are essential to our walk with the Lord. However, there are many other matters of honest disagreement that must not be a test of our faith. We must not try to force our convictions about these matters …
After Jehoiada the Priest died, the leaders of Judah talked Joash into doing what they wanted (v. 17). The people soon stopped worshiping in the temple and started worshiping idols and symbols of the goddess Amaziah (v. 18). This made the Lord very angry with the people of Judah …
Does God hide (vv. 1-4)? At the very beginning the psalmist was not complaining, but simply asking God to hurry to his aid. Because it looks like the wicked may triumph, he asks the Lord two big questions …
The Feast of the Unleavened Bread began the fifteenth day of the first Jewish calendar Month (our April) and continued for seven days (Leviticus 23:4-8). This, along with the one-day feast of the Passover, was sometimes called “the Passover” an …
The eighth judge of Israel was a man of great character, by the name of Jephthah. In his early life he was despised by his half-brothers as an illegitimate son of their father, and he became an outcast, exiled to the land of Tob (vv. 1-5). It was a normal practice to send away illegitimate children in …