Though some have suggested that 1–2 Kings preserves a record of an angry and unforgiving God, the opposite is true. As Peter Leithart says so well, “A careful reading of 1–2 Kings reveals a God who is always giving more than people ask, imagine, or deserve (…), a God of infinite, uncanny, unnerving patience” (1… Read More »
Don’t read this verse too quickly: Then you [Saul] will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. (1 Samuel 10:3).… Read More »
I really don’t know how many readers here also read the BiblePlaces Blog. My sense is that many of you do not, and for that reason on the rare occasion when I post something there that could equally belong here, I may link to it.
Perhaps you recall my post a few years back about a commentary on 1 Kings that I really wanted but that cost $2,736.18. This is a good commentary, but it’s not old and it’s not made out of gold. It was published by a major company (Anchor) in my sons ‘ lifetime (2001). It has… Read More »
1 Chronicles This book takes you all the way back to the beginning, all the way to Adam! The first nine chapters are rather boring genealogies, but they were important if you needed to know who your family was! Why would this matter? Well, you couldn’t serve in the temple as a priest if you… Read More »
1 Kings This book tells about what happened after David died. It’s mostly a sad story, because most of the kings disobey God. When the kings disobey, most of the people disobey. That means that God is going to punish them. Pay attention to chapter 11, because this explains that because Solomon was wicked, the… Read More »
1 Samuel The book starts off with stories about Samuel. This is important because it proves that Samuel is speaking for God (he is a prophet). Therefore, when he anoints Saul king, we know that is what God wants. When he rejects Saul and anoints David instead, we know that that is what God wants.… Read More »
It struck me recently that I’ve spent a lot of my life in the 8th century BC. It was quite the 100 years. Near the beginning of the century, Jeroboam II became ruler of the Northern Kingdom and he reigned for 41 years (793-753). My earliest intensive acquaintance with the 8th century was courtesy of… Read More »
This evening’s quotation comes from a book that came in the mail today. At every point early Christians attempted to understand their Scriptures in the new light of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They used the Old Testament to prove their Christian theology and to solve Christian problems. The Old Testament provided… Read More »
This morning I begin 1-2 Kings. Here’s how the book looks in Wordle. Today is the first day since I started this project that I have been on schedule. That won’t last long if I continue to find distractions like Wordle.