1 Kings 1:11 King David had become old and advanced in years. Meanwhile, Adonijah exalted himself and prepared himself to be the king. Joab and Abiathar also followed him. The Bible tells us that “He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Solomon” (1 Ki. 1:6). He sacrificed sheep, oxen…
Jonah 4 We have been following Jonah for quite a while now. Now, at this point, Jonah was filled with rage. He was sent to Nineveh to proclaim its destruction. But it did not happen. Jonah was furious and asked God to take his life (Jon. 4:3). He said, “O Lord! Is not this what I…
2 Sam.24:24 David had consolidated his position as king. He was now resting. As he rested, he wanted to know the strength of his army and he sent Joab (who was reluctant) to take a census of Israel and Judah. Spending nine months and twenty days, they returned and told the king that there were…
Jonah 3:5-10 As we follow Jonah, we see him entering Nineveh, the big city. He went into the city and proclaimed, “Fourty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jon. 3:4). Nineveh was such a big city that it took three days to go through. The king must have also been one great person. But,…
Jonah 3:1-4 Jonah had attempted to run away from God, but ended up inside a fish. When the fish vomited him out, the word of the LORD came to him once more. Now, Jonah did not attempt to run away anymore. Instead, he “obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh” (Jon. 3:3)….
Jonah 2 Jonah had attempted to run away from God. Because of this, he was thrown from the boat into the sea. There, a big fish swallowed him and he stayed in the belly of the fish for three days and nights. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to God (2:1) and prayed that he…
3 John 1:9-10 Diotrephes is rarely mentioned in the church today, and rightly so. This is because he was a troublemaker. 3 John 9-10 says, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading…
Jonah 1:1-3 Jonah was commanded to go to Nineveh to tell them of their sins and to repent. But Jonah went to Joppa where he boarded a ship to go to Tarshish. We do not know of any difficulties as he ran away in the beginning. In fact, it was more likely that he easily…
Deut. 15:10 Deuteronomy 15:1-11 tells the Israelites about the year of pardoning or cancelling debts. It also instructs them about helping the poor and the helpless among them and to give to them what they need. It clearly instructs them to do so “without a grudging heart” (Deut. 15:10). As I read this, I began…
What is repentance? Repentance, in common usage of the term, means (1) regret (in thoughts, action and behavior) and (2) to rue and turn away from what we were and what we did. It can also mean to stop what we used to do or think. Delving deeper, we can also understand it as turning…