The Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonian empire as the final act of God’s judgment against His sinful nation.  They had turned to idolatry and trusted more in man than they did in God.  They had rejected God from their lives and their hearts, so God rejected them.  After 70 years in captivity, God’s people returned to their land.  When the…

This is a lesson that God wanted Israel to learn.  The first generation that came out of Egypt failed to appreciate all that God had done for them and all that God was promising to do for them.  When the second generation was on the verge of taking the Promised Land, God reminded them frequently that all they had and all they…

In John 6:66, the Bible tells us, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”  Why would folks withdraw from following the Son of God?  Many of the disciples had complained that some of Jesus’ teachings were difficult to hear.  Verse 61 states, “Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained.”  Wow!  How could He…

Have you ever missed an exit while driving down a highway?  It can be very frustrating, especially if the next exit is miles away.  Even when there is plenty of warning (with miles and miles of signs preceding the exit), sometimes our minds wander and we drive right by it. But sometimes missing an exit is a good thing.  (In fact, it…

Read these verses from Psalm 47 and 1 Samuel 8.  How glorious are the words of the psalmist!  How wretched are the words of the people! “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth…God has gone up with a shout, The Lord with the sound of a trumpet…For God is the King of all…

If someone outsmarted the smart man, what would that make him?  Wouldn’t that make him smarter than the smart man?  If someone outgrew the tall man, what would that make him?  Wouldn’t that make him taller than the tall man?  If someone bound the strong man, what would that make him?  Wouldn’t that make him stronger than the strong man? When Jesus…

It is certainly the best thing to do.  However, it is also a very hard thing to do. Call it whatever you will – rumor, gossip, innuendo, hearsay, news, scuttlebutt, grapevine, story, buzz, dirt, juicy morsel, the lowdown, inside story – there is nothing good that ever comes from the spread of these matters.  Let me say it again – there is…

“I feel bad for you…I hate that you’re having a hard time…I’m really sorry things are so tough for you right now…BUT I CAN’T DO ANYTHING!” It is one thing to possess feelings of sorrow or sympathy for another, but it is a completely different experience to actually do something about it.  Such is the story of the priest, the Levite and…