"God was very clear when He distributed the land to the tribes of Israel. There were twelve tribes of Israel and each one was given assigned land according to what the LORD had spoken to Joshua. Rather than a territory of land like the other tribes of Israel, the Levites were only given cities am...

"A main challenge or question that people have when it comes to God is: If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why is there evil and suffering on the earth? It is interesting to me that when people think of an all-loving, all-powerful God, their immediate conclusion is that God would think l...

"There is no question in my mind that God can deliver anyone from anything, and any nation from any other nation. The Bible demonstrates this here in the book of Judges, as well as in Esther, Daniel, Ezra, and throughout the New Testament – take your pick. Even in modern times, we have seen how t...

"The Nazirite vow is described back in Numbers 6, and it was a way that men and women could temporarily commit their lives to God in a special manner. With the stipulations of Numbers 6 as our background, it is curious that God calls on a person not yet born to be a Nazirite from birth. To do thi...

"The Nazirite vow was an important vow made to the God of heaven and earth. This is important to remember when we consider that Samson, born from his mother’s womb as a Nazirite, and the fact that his strength came from never cutting the hair on his head. The book of Judges tells us that Samson a...

"Judges chapter 18 continues to reveal just how deep Israel had fallen into sin and evil. They knew who God was, they knew some of His laws, but they applied them however they wanted. Even the tribe of the Levites who had been charged with maintaining proper worship of God had become wayward, ser...

"The Philistines were known enemies of Israel. They likely originated from Greece and made their temporary home in Canaan. For reference, we call that area the Gaza strip today. In ancient times however, Israel was called to rid the nation of those invaders under the leadership of Samuel, the las...

"Fourteen judges were called and sent by God to deliver Israel from bondage and lead them in the right ways. Samuel was the last of these judges. They led Israel at a time when there was no king. When Samuel was old and gray, God told him to anoint a new leader over Israel. But Israel desired a k...

"Saul had made his mark as Israel’s first king. But something wasn’t right about him. Saul would ignore the commands of God and do things that seemed to be right and take the glory for victory. King Saul spent the last part of his reign chasing after God’s next chosen king, David. The desire to b...

"What does it mean to be doomed by man and loved by God? That is the life David, the future king of Israel, had to live through. Anointed to be king, yet enemy of the crown. Jonathan had spoken to his father Saul about David and tried to help him deal with his jealousy of David. It worked for a t...

"Things have gone sideways for ancient Israel. David, Israel’s up and coming king, was running for his life. In our reading today, we find David coming to Nob, the place where Ahimelech the priest was stationed. Not wanting to reveal the real circumstance for his arrival, David tells the priest t...

"After Saul’s death, there were about seven and a half years of unrest within the house of Saul. There was power to be taken and the role of a king to fill. Meanwhile, David had prayed and inquired of God about where he should go and what he should do. The answer was Hebron. David moved to Hebron...

"David was the first king in his family; he had not been raised to be a king. He was the son of Jesse, he was the youngest, a shepherd tasked with tending the livestock and sending messages and provisions to his older brothers. However, God had prepared David in many ways. David’s life under Saul...

"What does it look like to do the good and right thing? That depends on how you define good and right. In our culture, we too often think that what is good and right is determined by our feelings or desires, or by what is practical and pragmatic. When it came to the household of King Saul, David ...

"David was a good king! But David broke the Law –– he had many sons with many wives. His family ended up becoming a problem that rattled the kingdom of Israel. Absalom, a son of David, killed his half-brother, Amon who raped Absalom's sister, Tamar, also David’s daughter. Why did Absalom do this?...

"When a nation wins a war, victory parades cover the streets and celebrations fill the city. But the LORD who is sovereign over the whole earth, over every nation, tribe, and tongue, over every single person who breathes, over life and death itself, does not celebrate the way we do. The LORD cele...

"King David's time on earth was coming to an end, yet he had failed to publicly declare the next king. Absalom’s younger brother Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, was next in line to the throne and declared himself king without David’s permission. But God said He would establish his kingdom thr...

"The Bible tells us that Solomon was an amazing architect. Everything he built was magnificent! The work that he did throughout the kingdom of Israel was unprecedented. Solomon was an extravagant king. But extravagance is not the way to gain the favour of God. There is nothing wrong with building...

"King Solomon reigned in the golden age of Israel. The nation became wealthy and powerful under his leadership, but he became distracted and worshipped other gods. He was steered off course by his wives, because in ancient royal marriages the husband swears allegiance to the wife’s religion, and ...

"The golden years were over. Taxes had become a heavy burden on the people, and Solomon led people into apostasy. He was swayed by the false gods of his many foreign wives and concubines. Now the kingdom falls to a man named Rehoboam, son of Solomon. And Rehoboam travels to Shechem to take his ne...

"There is no question in my mind that the best time to be alive in ancient Israel was during the peaceful years of King David’s reign. After this, even his son King Solomon, though extremely wealthy and wise, still had his mind scattered by foreign gods from his wives and concubines. The kingdom ...