2024 Commentary on Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles

Deuteronomy 34, Joshua 1, Joshua 2, Joshua 3

Joshua was commissioned to replace Moses as the mediator between God and man, and God advised him that Moses had died gazing out on the land he would never step foot in—not a day in his life. While Moses had fallen short, he remained faithful to the LORD all the days of His life, knowing that this life was not His end goal. In Hebrews 11:26, we read, "Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Messiah as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." His reward will not be given apart from us on the Last Day, but he indeed ran the race all the way to the end. We look up to Him as our model: keep your head down, recognize this life does not have any reward for us, do what the LORD requires, for the next life is our reward.

As the LORD told Joshua, the one who came next, so He tells us: "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, for the LORD your God will be with you everywhere you go." This is a commandment, not a suggestion. The cowardly will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:8). We must be bold for the LORD!

When judgment looms on a land, as it did on Jericho, the people of the land know it is coming in the same way we do right now in America. It's a false hope to think God will redeem a nation that has turned its back on Him. He will not. In the midst of our coming judgment, we must be like Rahab and cling to the LORD, doing His will in all things, even it means risking our lives. We must be prepared to bring everyone into our household—the church—so that when judgment comes, we will be brought out. When God is in our midst, because we love Him and keep His commandments, there is nothing that can stand against us. We will pass through impassible borders to make it into His Kingdom, because the LORD has said He would do this for us at the appointed time.

Joshua 4, Joshua 5, Joshua 6

The fall of Jericho is a prophetic template for the Last Day. See Revelation 11, and particularly verse 15: "Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah; and He will reign forever and ever.” The two witnesses who had been slain are led into the Kingdom first, and then all of the Earth is wiped out, leaving behind only those who worship the LORD. In Joshua, the two witnesses go into the city and remove Rahab and the assembly she had gathered together, bringing them into Israel. Rahab is recorded in Matthew 1:5 as the wife of Salmon, mother of Boaz, grandmother of Obed, great-grandmother of Jesse, and great-great grandmother of King David. His seed would never die out, but He would always have a king on the throne of Israel. This King, who endures forever, is Yeshua. Yeshua, who is prophetically foretold in Joshua (Yehoshua), will return to lead His people into the Promised Land, to miraculously pass over an insurmountable barrier between Heaven and Earth with all of the people of Israel, and to bring out everyone who belongs to Israel from the world before destroying the world and bringing in the Kingdom of our LORD.

Israel celebrated Passover when they first came into the LAND, which is something foretold by Yeshua at the Last Supper (a Passover Seder). He said, "for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Lk 22:18). The 4rth cup of the Seder is the cup of the kingdom, and the prophetic template for God's kingdom had come. The marriage supper is foretold by this Passover celebration outside the walls of Jericho. We will eat the Passover supper in the Kingdom with Yeshua right before He comes to destroy the world and bring in His Kingdom. He stands ready, with the double-edged sword, outside the city, ready to lead His army to burn up all who do not keep the commandments of God and have faith in Him. He gave no partiality to the man Joshua and the people of Israel when He approached them, answering the question, "are you for us or against us" with a "No." He is only for those who follow Him, those who forsake everything else besides Him. With His sword, He will separate "soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow" for He "is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). All who come before Him will bow down and say, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty!"

Joshua 7, Joshua 8, Joshua 9

Jericho was a fortified city with some of the best defenses and armies of people that Israel destroyed with ease with God by their side, because they were obedient to the voice of the LORD, but Ai, a small little hamlet with no defenses was able to destroy the men of Israel because they were living in disobedience to the LORD. One man within the camp had disobeyed the voice of the LORD and the whole camp fell. This is how seriously the LORD considers sin within the Body of believers. It MUST be dealt with. It must be removed. Even the Apostle Paul makes this clear to us in 1 Corinthians 5. God will not fight our battles with us if we are in disobedience to Him. If we confess our sins and repent, He will return to us and walk along side us, bringing us to victory. In the midst of our spiritual battles, we also have to be careful to seek the LORD for council, for we can do nothing without relying on the vine for our nourishment.

When Joshua allowed Gideon to live without consulting the LORD, he created a stumbling block for Israel. While the LORD had commanded Israel to rid the land of all of its inhabitants, Israel was now bound by oath to allow some of them to live. The LORD will use this for good, as He later says in Judges 3:1-3, that He left some of the peoples to test Israel and train them up for war. We still have Satan's demons around us now for the same reason, to test us, and to train us up for war, so we can fight on the LORD's side with confidence and trust in Him, and He can include us in the final battles leading up to His Kingdom. Those who fail to stand in trust with the LORD amidst these spiritual hosts of wickedness will not make it, for the cowardly will not inherit the Kingdom of God. We have to stand firm against these forces of wickedness, with all trust in the LORD that He will deliver us.

Joshua 10, Joshua 11

Joshua and all of Israel at the command of the LORD destroyed all of the hybrid demon-men of Canaan and the regular men who had defiled themselves completely in total opposition to God and all of His ways. This is a prophetic template for the end of days, and perhaps the LAST Day will be extraordinarily long also to enable all things to be accomplished that the LORD desires. One day in Heaven is like 1,000 years on the Earth, according to 2 Peter 3. Joshua/Yehoshua, a prophetic template for Yeshua, was completely obedient to the LORD God and fulfilled His will, cleansing the Promised Land from evil, just as Yeshua will burn up all evil on the Last Day, coming on the clouds with thousands of His Holy Ones. Gideon is a template, like Rahab, of those Gentiles who graft themselves into Israel as servants to the LORD. They will become a part of Israel and inherit the land right alongside their new brethren. When the LORD is on your side, the enemy stands no chance. When we act according to the will of God, all will be accomplished in His name. Praise and glory be to His mighty name Yeshua!

Joshua 12, Joshua 13

In the Kingdom of the LORD, which is Israel, the LORD Yeshua said He would prepare a place for us among our brethren, for the LORD is the inheritance of all who call upon His name and keep His commandments. We are grafted-in to Israel, and there is a place for us there, in the LORD. There remains among us chaff that will grow up next to us as we produce wheat, for to tear out the chaff ahead of the harvest would destroy us. Just know that the day will come when the chaff will be burned in the fire and the wheat will be collected into the barn, and that barn is Israel, where the LORD dwells.

Joshua 14, Joshua 15

Caleb's faith never waned in the 40 years he wandered the wilderness after pronouncing his belief that Yahweh would stand with Israel against the inhabitants of the land, and he was one of two men who left Egypt with Moses who made it into the Promised Land on account of his faith. Five years after the conquest began, he brought a request to Joshua, his brother in faith: Let me take the high ground, the most difficult land to conquer, because there the sons of Anak live, and God will help me. The sons of Anak were giants; they were half human, half fallen angel, and they were the very reason God had sent Israel to cleanse the Promised Land. Their pedigree and their influence on the Canaanites had to be annihilated, because they were standing directly in rebellion against God Most High. Now 85 years old, Caleb went up to these fortified heights and took them from these powerful giants, because the LORD was with him. The best land in all Israel now belonged to the man with the best faith, and this is a lesson for us that we cannot miss. Matthew 11-12 comes to mind, for Caleb had been persecuted for his faith, but his reward was great in the Promised Land, but even more so, Matthew 6:19-21 comes to mind, for Caleb didn't store up treasure in Egypt or the wilderness, but desired the Word of the LORD, and he was thus rewarded according to that Word.

Likewise, Caleb's much younger brother exhibited faith alongside him, and went up to take the land next to Hebron. Caleb gave his daughter to the man who stood up with him in faith. His daughter asked for land with water, and Caleb granted it to her. The LORD Yeshua said, ask anything in my name and it will be given to you. When the church asks for living water, the Holy Spirit of Truth, the wisdom of God, and we pursue it with all of our hearts, it is granted to us. This is what's going on here on a prophetic level.

What about the Jebusites in Jerusalem, which wasn't conquered until King David's time? What about the Jebusites who remained, maybe even to this day? The LORD later said he left some of the peoples among Israel to test them, so that He would know if their hearts would remain with Him or fall away after the gods of the land. The Jebusites were among the people left. The rabbis say that Abraham had made a pact with the Jebusites when he purchased the cave of Machpelah, and this is why Israel could not yet conquer the city. Why was David able to do so? There's more to study here.

Joshua 16, Joshua 17

I see a little bit of entitlement coming into play in the children of Joseph, whose father received a double inheritance, and this is a lesson for us as Christians. We ought not take for granted the grace we have in our salvation through Messiah Yeshua, for we too receive a double inheritance: we are saved from the condemnation of sin here and now and given the Holy Spirit as a down-payment of our eternal reward, and if we endure in faithfulness by then walking according to Torah in the same way our Master fulfilled the Torah, then we will receive eternal life and rewards of many treasures in the life to come that we could only dream about here in this place.

Our job as Christians is to fulfill the Great Commission, to make disciples of all peoples, to baptize them as willing disciples to Yeshua, and then to teach them the commandments of God from Torah so they can keep them. To do this, we have to clear the forest of the Canaanites with their iron chariots, which are the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, through our "ministry of reconciliation," which is to bring all whom the LORD provides to us under the authority and in faith to Yeshua. Joseph's children were warriors, and so they were given this land where they would need to do battle. We are called to be warriors, and to do spiritual battle for the LORD day in and day out, even going up to the very gates of Hell at Bashan and proclaiming victory for our LORD Yeshua, provided He sends us there.

Joshua 18, Joshua 19

At Shiloh, Joshua sent seven more tribes out to map out their inheritance, and then all would be perfect. The children of Israel obeyed the LORD through Joshua at this point. They were living in the Promised Land and conquering it, just like the LORD has said. How could they not believe the MOST HIGH who had delivered on all that He said he would. Simeon, Benjamin and Dan received smaller inheritances. Simeon was ruthless with his brother Levi, who did not receive an inheritance except the LORD Himself. Dan had to fight to obtain more land, and yet he is not named in Revelation among the tribes inheriting the eternal Promised Land. We can see a prophetic template here of the tribe's ultimate demise. Benjamin was humble, the youngest, and the father of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. Much more could be said. For now, we should take note of these chapters for they are reference points for all the rest of Scripture and will help us understand.

Mike: ”So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?“
Joshua 18:3 ESV

The work of God suffers when we become slack or complacent in our faith. Having previously accepted the Salvation of Christ, I have just returned to God myself after a mysterious 3-years of wandering nomadically, as the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were doing here in the new territories given them.  It is good to be home. God has embraced me already and has remained ever truthful to His promises. His strength in my life is felt undeniably!

Joshua 20, Joshua 21

With the cities of refuge, the LORD established a justice system to prevent sin. Clearly emotions run hot in the midst of a loved life lost by accident; the LORD ensures by allowing refuge a way to prevent sin multiplying into more sin. There they would await trial and only two or more witnesses could judge whether there was murder guilt or not. The LORD had already commanded that His people refrain from bearing false witness. If everyone were to obey God’s commandments, the guilty would be properly punished by death by the judges and the innocent would face time away from their life to contemplate the loss of life but eventually they could return home. Our justice system used to work like this and there was less sin then.

When we read that the LORD gave rest all around, fulfilling His Word, we ought to note this purpose for the Book of Joshua. When we pray, we can look back to Joshua to see: “Not one good thing that the LORD had spoken of to the household of Israel failed to happen; it all took place.” This is also true for us. When we look to Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20, Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9 and even the LORD’s prayer in Matthew 6, we can see how each prayer begins by praising God and all of the things He has accomplished for His people. Next, the prayers continue by stating in faith all of the things God has promised to us. It is in this type of faith in Yeshua’s accomplishments and promises that we can face the challenges and spiritual battles in our lives, even suffering, with the knowledge that the LORD will do all that He has promised at the appointed time for those who love Him with total faith in His Name and therefore do what He has commanded us to do. When we ask for the LORD’s will to be done in this way in our lives, He will answer our prayers according to His will to accomplish His purposes, and we owe Him nothing but praise for this. His will is always best and worthy of praise, even when we don’t understand the steps to get there.

Joshua 22, Joshua 23, Joshua 24

We see here that a replica of the altar is an acceptable witness as was the memorial stone Joshua set up—these memorials help remind the people of their covenant with God. This is the spirit by which any image of anything in Heaven or on Earth may be made. However, the moment an image like this is used for prayer, ceremony or worship, it is an idol and it must be destroyed.

The LORD said: “I gave you a land where you had not worked and cities you had not built, and you live there. You eat fruit from vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ “Therefore fear the LORD, and serve him truly and sincerely. Put away the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD! If it seems bad to you to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you are going to serve! Will it be the gods your ancestors served beyond the River? or the gods of the Emori, in whose land you are living? As for me and my household, we will serve Adonai!”

This is akin to the LORD saying, I came in the flesh and taught you how to live by My Word and My example, and I died sinless on the cross to free you from condemnation, and I rose from death to my place at the throne in Heaven to make a way for you to obtain eternal life; therefore put away your own practices and your own thoughts and your own ways and follow Me by keeping My commandments, My Word and My Way so you may live. As for me and my house, we shall serve Yeshua!

Judges 1, Judges 2, Judges 3

Judges begins the long saga of Israel's apostasy and return following the generation of Joshua and his children. These beginning stories set the stage for some more interesting episodes to come, but fundamentally: The LORD allowed the nations of Canaan to keep a remnant in the Promised Land to test Israel, to see whether they would follow Him, the one who saved them out of Egypt and carried them on Eagle's wings to the Promised Land, or whether they would commingle with the unbelievers and follow after demon-gods, instead. Through intermarriage, many of the children of Israel were unequally yoked, and their wives led them astray. Yahweh then fulfilled His promise to turn away from His people who had abandoned Him, and they suffered judgment, but when they cried out to Yahweh in repentance, He returned to them and helped them. Judges began leading Israel in the ways of God, and this is when Israel prospered. When those leaders died, the people like sheep went astray without their shepherd. We have one eternal shepherd Yeshua to follow all of our days, and He lives forever. Let us not turn our hearts from Him and wander amidst the enemy and his devices, but turn in to Yeshua with fervor and walk with Him into eternity.

Judges 4, Judges 5, Judges 6

At the time of Deborah, Israel had no righteous man, no man bold enough to stand up for God. What a tragedy, and one we are at risk of repeating in America amidst the feminization of society. In Revelation 21:8, we read that the cowardly and unbelieving will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. When no man was strong and courageous enough to stand with the LORD—not even Deborah's husband—God saw the heart of Deborah and met with her. Not even Barak was courageous. When God ordered him through Deborah to march on Mt. Tabor with 10,000 men against Sisra, even stating clearly that He would bring victory, Barak said no: "If you go with me, I'll go," he said to Deborah, but "if you won't go with me, I won't go." We've heard Moses say to the LORD, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?" (Exodus 33:15-16a). But now Barak said this same thing to a woman, disregarding God's message for him. It's a sign of God's grace and mercy that Barak was not struck dead, but Deborah's message was clear: Because of your cowardice, you will not take part in God's glory, but that glory would be given to a woman.

In Israel's weakened state, it wasn't even a Israeli woman who would vanquish the enemy, but a Kenite woman Jael (Ya‘el), the descendant of Jethro/Rauel, Moses's father-in law. This is not the first time the Kenites showed faith in the LORD beyond Israel, and it won't be the last. Within this message is also positioned a prophesy of the time when Gentiles would exceed Jews in doing the work of the LORD, a time that is sadly coming to an end, for the fullness of the Gentiles are about to come in during our day. In any case, Jael, the Kenite woman, took out Sisera, and Israel was preserved to return their hearts to the LORD.

And it is clear that a remnant of men came out of this generation, for the LORD would call Gideon out of the next generation of men, and He would answer the call of the LORD. Now it might appear that Gideon was also cowardly in that he tested the LORD, to see whether God had truly called him, but this test is Scripturally valid, for we are commanded to "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1), to make sure they are from God, and Gideon did this very thing. The LORD called on Gideon because He could see his heart; He called Him a "mighty man of valor." He knew Gideon was right with the LORD, and would rise to the occasion.  

Judges 7, Judges 8

Gideon was right to test the spirits to make sure he knew Yah was calling him into battle against his enemies, but now Yah would test Gideon by winnowing down his army from 30,000 to 300. With 1 percent of his men against a horde, the LORD of Hosts had the victory over Midian and Amalek. Note that Gideon carried shofars and torches, representing the voice of God and the Holy Spirit. He went in with worship, prayers and faith, and God did the rest.

The story is prophetic for the End Days, for those tribes of Israel who refused to fight against the enemy were destroyed upon the victory. In the same way, Yeshua said we would sit with Him on thrones judging those who did not turn toward Him on the Last Day.

With each story of our heroes, who represent the coming Messiah, we are reminded that they are not the Messiah. Gideon made a vest of gold made from golden crescent earrings; these should remind you of the pagan symbol for Islam, because that is exactly what they are. Unfortunately, he erred in this, even though he rightly said that God would rule Israel as their king rather than he.

Judges 9, Judges 10

Before we leap to judgment about Avimelekh being the son of a slave woman, just wait until Judges 11 tomorrow when the story of Jephthah shows us how God treasures the son of a slave woman whose heart is to serve Him and put Him first. Avimelekh was simply a bitter and angry man with hate for his brothers in his heart, and he represents Antichrist in prophetic terms, for this is the same type of man that Antichrist will be. Jothan brings one of the best prophetic words in all of Judges when he speaks to the briars ruling over the trees, and bringing fire upon them all, for we know that theologically speaking, "thorns and thistles" are demonic spirits or the people who are possessed by them. Dealing with these spirits until Messiah does away with them forever is among the curses we now suffer because of our original sin against God. Why do we also suffer from the original sin? Because we all have hearts that rebel against His Word, which are "desperately wicked," until He looses us from the bondage of sin and death through our faith in His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection into new life. All will perish who put their faith and trust in the ways of this world, whether they practice these ways themselves or approve of those who practice them. We must hide ourselves away in Messiah Yeshua, for this is the only path toward life.

The LORD, for His part, does tire of our rebellion against Him, but especially our repeated and intentional sin. The LORD tested His people Israel by leaving the Canaanites in the land, and they failed the test. The LORD said with the same frustration that we might have toward a wayward child: "you abandoned me and served other gods; therefore I will not rescue you any more. Go and cry to the gods you chose; let them rescue you when you’re in trouble!” My heart breaks to see the LORD's heart in this. How could Israel abandon the one who saved them?

I remember upsetting my father and mother to the point where punishment was really not on the table, but I saw their disappointed eyes and faces and felt such regret in my heart that I didn't want to continue hurting them as I had done. We have to have a repentant heart before our eternal Father, saying as Israel did: “We have sinned! Treat us in whatever way seems good to you, but save us today, please!” We ought to say this every day!

Judges 11, Judges 12, Judges 13

Remember: every single story in Judges is a prophetic template for Yeshua. Jephthah the Gileadite is the representative in Judges 11. He was rejected by his brothers, born by a woman in apparent disgrace and sent off to fight against the enemy with a band of "worthless" men, just as Yeshua was born out-of-wedlock from Mary (by the power of the Holy Spirit, in His case), and He was rejected by His brothers, and He also went off with fishermen who had been rejected as students of Torah to fight against the enemies of God in spiritual places, casting out demons and bringing in disciples to follow after the LORD. Just like Jephthah was invited back by his brothers to defeat the enemy on the condition of being king over them and also offered up a burnt offering to the LORD for the victory, so too did Yeshua offer Himself up as a burnt offering to the LORD, and at the end of days, His brothers in Israel will say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD" and ask for Him to return amidst great tribulation, and He will return at that time, delivering them, and serving as king over them and all of us.

Many grossly misinterpret the story of Jephthah, believing that he offered up his own daughter as a burnt offering on fire, but this is far from reality as well as the heart of our God. We know from Psalm 141:2, Revelation 5:8, and Revelation 8:3-4 that prayer is a burnt offering to the LORD. Jephthah dedicated his daughter to a life of prayer, not a gruesome death on a pyre. He wasn't a pagan! He served Yahweh! The girl did not resist her father's vow, but simply said—Give me two months so I can "weep for my virginity" with my friends. She wasn't weeping for her life. A woman's number one value in Hebrew society was to marry and have children to fulfill God's commandment. She was weeping for her virginity because her life would be set aside to celibacy and prayer alone in the mountains. This is further shown when Scripture reemphasizes that "she had never known a man" and it also says "it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.” This custom does NOT still exist. The daughters of Israel only did this while Jephthah's daughter was alive. They visited her four days a year, and the rest of the year she prayed alone, a virgin.

Jephthah later encounters jealousy among the other tribes of Israel. The man did not have a son, and now his daughter was confined to a life of prayer, he had no heir. The jealousy is unfounded. He had just saved all Israel from the enemy and now they were ready to burn down his house. They said he abandoned Ephraim even though he was defending both Ephraim and Manasseh. There will be men of the physical Israel who reject Yeshua in the Last Days when He returns. Most will accept Him, and "all Israel will be saved," according to Paul in Romans 11. But this Israel, of which all will be saved, is spiritual Israel, those Jews and Gentiles who accept Messiah Yeshua and keep His commandments. Those who get upset that Yeshua destroys the enemy will be caught up in that destruction with the enemy.

The pronunciation test is still somewhat of a mystery to me: Shibolet (שִׁבֹּ֜לֶת) means ears of grain, branches, or tributaries of a waterway, while Sibolet (סִבֹּ֗לֶת) means only ears of wheat and does not have the fuller meaning. Perhaps we must confess "shibolet" because we need the bread of life, the living water, and to be a part of the vine to be saved, and we cannot just confess the name of Yeshua to be saved, because many who say "LORD, LORD," but do not "do the will of the father," will be asked to depart from Him when He comes. We must both confess and do the will of the Father to be saved.

The story of Samson is more difficult to parse, though he too is a prophetic template for Yeshua, and the revelation of his birth to his barren mother and then his father are quite telling as a precursor for the divine birth of Yeshua from the woman Mary. Though Mary was not without sin, she was living a righteous and humble life following after the LORD in the same way as Manoah's wife. Their son was to take a Nazirite vote, which is not the same thing as being a Nazarene—they are different words all together in Hebrew. However, the Nazirite vow certainly does foreshadow the LORD's sinless life. Samson, for his part, was not at all without sin, just to be clear.

The angel of God's appearance to Manoah and his wife showcase a pre-incarnate appearance of Yeshua, and also serves as one of several significant examples in Scripture where it is shown that we can indeed see God and not die. God accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from the couple, and gave them a prophesy, indicating that their offering was acceptable to Him and that He had called them for His purposes. We know this appearance to be Yeshua, because only He is both God Himself and can also intercede between the Holy consuming fire of the Father and God's creation so that we can stand before God and live.

Judges 14, Judges 15, Judges 16

While God reduced Gideon's army to 300 men to defeat the enemy, so it could be certain that God gained the victory against more than 120,000 Midianites, Israel still fell away from Him. Now Samson, a man called from his birth, would go up against the Philistines on his own, just as our Yeshua will defeat the enemy on the Last Day while we all look on praising Him. Samson, like Yeshua, married a foreign woman against the protest of His people. The Gentile church would be killed off by the enemy just as Samson's wife. Satan would tempt Yeshua in the wilderness, just as Delilah would try to wear down Samson. We ought to be mindful of how relentless the enemy will be in destroying us, all while trying to woo us with false praise and flattery. Yeshua succeeded where Samson failed, but even in his apparent failure Samson had victory. He killed more of the enemy through his death than he had in his life, just as our LORD Yeshua achieved the one-time victory over sin and death as well as all of the power of the enemy in His death on the cross. There's a lot to learn from Samson, and here we have yet another prophetic template for our Messiah Yeshua.

Judges 17, Judges 18, Judges 19

In all three chapters, the LORD made it known, there was no king in Israel. This is not something new; there had not been an earthly king in Israel at any point. There were judges, but they weren't kings. God was the king. Thus, when combined with the words—"At that time there was no king in Isra’el; a man simply did whatever he thought was right"—we have to understand that this was a lawless time, God was not know by anyone, and everyone was acting according to the dictates of their own hearts. This leads to judgment, and judgment unanswered leads to destruction.

We see the signs of depravity. Micah made an idol to worship and a Levite agreed to worship God using that idol. This priest was so shallow he went with the tribe of Dan, stealing this idol to worship God with the whole tribe, looking to his own ego as the source of his decision making rather than the law of God. The tribes had degraded so much they were like Sodom, looking to commit acts of homosexuality against a visitor in Bethlehem amidst the Benjamites. By cutting her up into pieces and sending her to each the tribes, the Levite who lost his concubine was calling all the children of Israel to account. This evil would have dire consequences for the whole nation.

Judges 20, Judges 21

The people of Israel made things right following the grievous rape of the Levite's wife. They were still the people of God, and while no king reigned in Israel, they knew the law of God. The civil war against Benjamin was hard fought, and many in Israel fell in this travesty (perhaps for their own falling away), but Benjamin was reduced to 600 men. It would have been lost entirely without the mercy of the remaining tribes. To restore Benjamin, the rest of the tribes destroyed a village that had failed to answer the call to war, and the virgins went to Benjamin. It wasn't enough, and because the men of Israel had made a vow not to give their daughters to Benjamin in marriage, the remaining 200 of Benjamin stole away dancing virgins from the upcoming Holy Convocation day—something the tribes agreed to, and Benjamin was restored. These were dark days for Israel, but they still held onto some semblance of their morality.

1 Samuel 1, 1 Samuel 2, 1 Samuel 3

Eli said about Samuel's first woeful prophesy: "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him." The words of Eli were faithful here, and we ought to have this same attitude toward the LORD at all times. He knows what is good, and we ought to rejoice in His will. In addition to his faithful words, Eli raised Samuel properly according to the Word of the LORD, and this too ought to be credited to him. On the contrary, Eli neglected to raise up his own children in the way they should go, and God would resultantly do a new thing. God decided not only to take out Hophni and Phinehas in one day, but also to strip the Levites as a whole from having a priest forever serving the LORD. Instead, God would raise up "a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build Him a sure house, and He shall walk before My anointed forever." This high priest prophesied here is Yeshua, and when He comes to reign, even the remnant of Levites will beg to serve Him in priestly positions. It's interesting that Samuel is from the house of Ephraim, and was being trained up within the priestly order. Yeshua was of Judah—He was a Jew—and He now serves as our High Priest, interceding on the throne of Heaven for us.

Hannah was a woman reminiscent of Yeshua's mother Miriam, and her prayer echoes Miriam's prayer in Luke 1:46-55. She was barren, loved by her husband, a humble woman, seeking God in mourning for deliverance. God saw her humble heart and opened her womb. Through her obedience, God also blessed her with three more sons and two daughters. Her faithful obedience bore fruit. But what about the mocker?

There are two women like Hannah and Peninnah in the modern age. These two women represent the two types of believers in Yeshua, the two churches that exist: There is the woman who humbles herself before God and serves Him in obedience, giving Him the first and the best, and there is the woman who mocks the faithful woman, who appears to have blessings, but who actually rots out her soul in blindness and bitterness of heart—a sign of lawlessness.

Hannah comes from the Hebrew word "chanan," which means grace or graciousness. Peninnah comes from the Hebrew peninim, or ruby, identifying her as a fool. As Proverbs 3:15 indicates, "Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her." Hannah was the wise woman who waited on the LORD, and Peninnah the fool who traded her soul for worldly desire.

1 Samuel 4, 1 Samuel 5, 1 Samuel 6

The people of Israel fell to the Philistines because they depended on an outward religious act for their salvation, rather than humble themselves before the living God. God doesn't want our sacrifices, He doesn't want us to look to a church or an altar or even a Bible as our object of worship; He wants us to read His Word and seek Him by it, to lean in to Him in obedience and love, so that we can build our relationship with Him and become more like Him. The people of Israel shouted for joy at the arrival of the ark, but then wondered why their armies were destroyed. They should have humbled themselves before the LORD and made themselves right with Him, and God would have defeated their enemies. Yeshua is the vine, we are the branches, and without Him we can do nothing. When we attempt to use God as an object of our desires, we take up our own will and presumptuously assume God will aligns with ours. The opposite is true, and we will learn that we must bend to God's will and wait on His timing, or we will be destroyed in our own pride.

The LORD acted through this very same ark when the Philistines possessed it, because the Philistines had put their trust in idols. Yahweh showed Himself to be superior over the Philistine's demon god Dagon in a way they would understand; he cast down their idols and brought tumors. The plagues against the people became so profound that the Philistines desired to return the ark to Israel. They even remembered what Yahweh had done to Egypt, and did not desire to repeat this history for themselves. For their part, Israel mourned during the time the physical ark was captured, but they should have mourned over their separation from the Spirit of God. This is akin to when Paul said "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." The Spirit of God dwelt with Israel, and the ark was its physical memorial to remind Israel about the relationship with the Father they were called to build. God reminded Israel that He alone fights every battle, and all we need to do is remain still and know Him. Yah Himself brought the ark back to its place, bringing humility to all the people who encountered it along the way, as Yeshua will one day destroy all of His enemies on a single day, restoring what was lost to His people who remain humble toward Him.

1 Samuel 7, 1 Samuel 8, 1 Samuel 9

I mourn for our love-sick God who desired His people to love Him as He loved them, and yet they rejected Him, choosing instead to emulate the other nations that God had cast off at Babel. Such is the case for the majority of people who give God lip service today. In the days of Samuel, the nations had appointed kings who ruled under the power of principalities in the spiritual places, and these principalities had rebelled against God at Mt. Hermon. These demons had incited the Gentile kings against the LORD and the LORD's people, but this aggression would never be rewarded. The LORD was the King of Israel, and when Israel gave Him their trust, He brought His people to victory, to become a people set apart who would lead all of the other nations back to God. When they turned their back on Him, He left them to suffer from the consequences of their own doubt. Though the people had turned their hearts back to Yah and He had delivered their enemies into their hands yet again in 1 Samuel 7, they rejected Him yet again in 1 Samuel 8 and 9.

Their reasoning was ironic, as Dan pointed out. Samuel's sons were greedy, and Samuel, not the LORD, had appointed them to be judges—a lapse of judgment. The people rejected these man-appointed leaders in exchange for a more pernicious king. Rather than call the leaders to account, which was their right when walking with God, they sought a king like the Gentiles, a ruler who was ultimately led by demons rather than by God. And the people would ultimately get what they asked for, a king just like the nations who served demons, and yet God would suffer long for them out of His love for His people and rescue them. He later anointed David as King after teaching Israel about their failure through the failure of Saul. David would be a man after God's own heart. This is where the story really comes full circle. God intended for Israel to have a king, for He instructed Israel in Torah how a king ought to behave in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. David would serve as a prophetic template for Messiah Yeshua, while Saul would serve as a template for the Antichrist under Satan's authority, as we shall see.

While Saul came from humble beginnings, so did Satan—he was a covering cherub who was closer to God than any other being and more beautiful than any other created thing (Ezekiel 28:14-16, Isaiah 14:12). They both fell on account of pride, and this pride would be their undoing.

1 Samuel 10, 1 Samuel 11, 1 Samuel 12

The Holy Spirit of God and Yeshua, for Yeshua is the same yesterday, today and forever, came upon Saul, and Saul was a saved man who knew the LORD. Those who prophesy in the name of the LORD know Him, and it was no different in Saul's day than it is today. You cannot confess the LORD nor do His work without His Holy Spirit. This makes Paul's falling away later on much more relevant to us, but the evidence for it is here in 1 Samuel 10 and 11.

That being said, when Nachash the Amonite came up against Israel and attempted to humiliate God's people, the Holy Spirit of god grew furious and drove Saul to call all of Israel to war. Nachash is the serpent of old, the devil, so don't lose this context here. It was literally Satan who was standing against Israel here, and the Amonites were merely his followers. This is why the Holy Spirit was so incensed by this move of the enemy and drove Saul to act.

We ought to step back and consider that God had driven Israel to act through his mediators, the judges, starting with Moses, and the High Priest, starting with Aaron, and now He was acting through His king. The people lost some intimacy with God here. The mediator had captains of 1000s, 100s, 50s and 10s, and each would connect with God, but the King rules from the top down, and He would act on God's commands (if He obeyed the voice of the LORD, that is). Israel would now obey their human king who hopefully was in obedience to God, rather than obeying God through a personal relationship. God was angry about this, but He would use it to save His people also. Samuel called for the people to not give up on serving the LORD directly, even though they added the complexity of a king. Ultimately, the solution would be given as a gift from the Father. God Himself would come as the great King Messiah Yeshua and would reconnect with His people individually, and He would also serve as the High Priest, in the order of Melchizedek, thus He would be both King and High Priest, He would rule and intercede, He would offer righteous guidance and deliverance, and He would conquer His enemies while redeeming those who trust in Him and obey His Word.

1 Samuel 13, 1 Samuel 14

Saul's reign as a godly man who was anointed by God and filled with His Holy Spirit did not last. Just two years into his reign, Saul was already quenching the Holy Spirit; though He had not yet fully lost his salvation. Saul's main issue is the same problem for most Christians today; namely, they invent their own rituals to honor God that in fact directly violate the very commandments of God, dishonoring Him. He sacrificed burnt offerings against God's commandment; it was not his role nor did God give him authority to do this. Saul's hypocrisy is the very best example of the saying from Isaiah 29:13, repeated by Yeshua in Matthew 15: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.” Saul, held up to be a wise man by the people of Israel, would perish, while God would seek a man who followed His own heart, an obedient man who obeyed Him because of love, and David would be that man.

Saul had acted out of fear—one of the enemy's best weapons against us. He told Samuel that he saw the army drifting away from him and he sought the LORD's favor with a burnt offering and peace offering. But how does Saul or any one of us expect the LORD to offer favor to us when we deliberately disobey HIs commandments? When we seek God's grace by following our own heart, the only thing we ought to expect is eternal death, without meaningful, lasting repentance. Samuel explains this truth to Saul: “You did a foolish thing. You didn’t observe the commandments of Yahweh, which he gave you. If you had, Yahweh would have set up your kingship over Isra’el forever. But as it is, your kingship will not be established. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you did not observe what Yahweh ordered you to do.” The LORD will fully establish us, stand with us, and help us walk along the narrow path into His kingdom when we love Him by obeying His commandments (John 14:15), but He will turn His back to those who try to invent their own religious practices that the LORD did not command. This is idolatry and pride, which the LORD hates.

Jonathan was a man who loved the LORD and put Him first, he waited on the LORD's instruction. He is the living definition of what it means to "obey God and not man" (Acts 5:29). His father Saul had commanded his army to cower in fear, because Saul did not know the LORD and had just been rebuked for his idolatry. Now Saul was telling his men to fast before a battle? Enough was enough. Jonathan said, "My father has brought trouble to the land." When we taste the sweet honey that comes from God's Word, and when we nourish ourselves with it and obey the voice of the LORD that aligns with it, the LORD will lead us to victory over the enemy, just as He did with Jonathan. With two men, Jonathan lead Israel to victory and God went with Him, because He obeyed the LORD and put the LORD first. There is a time to disobey men, including kings, governments and even our own parents, and Jonathan's example shows us that the time comes when these men instruct us counter to the Word of God. We must obey God first, and when men contradict His Word, we have to disobey them, even if they have authority over us.

Saul, in his confusion, turned again to the ark of God and other religious activities, not realizing that obedience is what the LORD desires more than any man-made religious ritual. Because of Saul's false religious piety, the people following Saul were even resorting to slaughtering animals on their own and eating the meat with the blood, they were so famished. They were falling under the curse of Deuteronomy 28 because their king was leading them to sin. Sin multiplied into more sin.  Meanwhile, Jonathan had brightened the eyes of those who followed him to victory, for He knew what the LORD desired and did it. He was leading the people toward righteousness, and righteousness brings blessing from the LORD. What's ironic, and meant to be ironic, is how the people ultimately sided with Jonathan when Saul moved to execute him for disobeying his oath. If Saul was truly a man of God, he would have carried through with his vow, but it wasn't about that for him. It was all about seeking his own glory and going his own way. When Saul saw he was losing the people's favor, he couldn't take it, and he backed off from keeping his vow.  Saul only about popularity and public opinion; he cared nothing for the desires of the LORD our God.

1 Samuel 15, 1 Samuel 16

It strikes me that the battle against Amalek was a test for Saul, to see whether he learned his lesson from Samuel's rebuke regarding his battle against the Philistines and his profane sacrifices. The LORD still intended to use Saul for His purposes, but Saul would prove an unworthy candidate. He did not learn his lesson from Samuel's rebuke, and because of it, he would have the kingdom stripped from him, and he would now fall into a downward spiral of disobedience against God toward self aggrandizement and making himself a god, just like the kings of other nations. It's sad to see the level of depravity he falls to.

I gave an entire sermon on 1 Samuel 15 on March 23. I'm going to post the link to the PDF download as well as the video archive in the next two comments. If you care to study them, just copy the comment and paste into your browser:

https://youtu.be/FkfmD4NV8PI?si=P_kpCVsb6d8zapvM

https://tinyurl.com/5n7bfhxt

In 1 Samuel 16, we read that "the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul; instead, an evil spirit from the LORD would suddenly come over him." The LORD literally allowed Saul to be oppressed by demons because of his disobedience to God's commandments. This can happen to us, also. If we disobey God and quench His Holy Spirit, this invites temptation from the enemy, which can lead to demonic influence and ultimately demonic oppression and even possession if a person in the process fully rejects God. Be aware of this, because the same things applies today that applied in Saul's day.
We must walk the way Yeshua walked in order to endure until the end when He comes to take us home. Whether the end is our physical death or the very day of the resurrection, we must endure in our faith in Yeshua and our obedience to God in order to be welcomed as "good and faithful servants" into his Kingdom.

The LORD selected David to replace Saul as king, but it would take 20 years of training David up before he would take the throne. The LORD may have appointed us to certain tasks, but He will make sure we are ready for them before He gives us the responsibility. In the same way, He also gives us that training. David would become Saul's armor bearer as well as his musician to soothe his disturbed soul, and perhaps he helped Saul temporarily with this, but in the process David learned how to be a king. The LORD hand-selected David because of his heart condition—his heart to love the LORD and put Him first no matter what. The LORD said, “Don’t pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is ... the LORD doesn’t see the way humans see—humans look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Does our heart long for a relationship with Yeshua and think about Him first, day and night? Do we not only desire His presence, but also to do His will, to please Him? This is the heart the LORD desires. Saul's heart was self-seeking, looking to God for a gift that was undeserved as if it was owed to him. He did not ever humble himself, but sought his own way to worship—and his worship was ultimately self focused. David sought the LORD first in all he did, even sacrificing his own will for God's will.

Separately, I find it interesting that David was the 8th son of Yishai (Jesse). Seven is a number of completeness. The LORD did not find a worthy king among the complete number of sons that Jesse had offered to him, but the eighth son was the man after God's own heart. This points to several levels of prophesy and sets the stage for the rest of our Messianic imagery in prophesy. First, Jesse's family points to the seven days of creation—the seven thousand years, which include the millennial reign of Messiah in the last 1000 years. All 7000 years will be experienced in the insufficient fallen world of man apart from God, and even when God comes to dwell among us, man still would have a heart to go after His own way. It will only be on the Eighth Day, when God would bring all of His Saints into His Kingdom forever and ever, when He will ensure that we have the fullness of God living within us. This is when there will be no more sin, death, evil or even any other thought to go in that direction. David in his idealized image—which is looking forward toward his son in the flesh—the Messiah Yeshua—would represent this eternal kingdom of Messiah, and we can find this theme running throughout a good part of the rest of Scripture.

1 Samuel 17, 1 Samuel 18

In the iconic story of David and Goliath, David slew the half-man, half-fallen-angel through faith in God. He rose in fury that Goliath would insult the LORD and His people, a love he never let go of. He knew with faith in God, all things were possible according to God's will, and God's will was that His people would love Him and keep His commandments. David was a king in training. He led Saul's armies, becoming a champion for Israel, but he was only a champion because God was with him. Saul, whose heard had turned to self-seeking, self aggrandizement, hated the man who trusted in the LORD. Nonetheless, David's reputation grew, while Saul fell into the shadows. It would take many years, but God was preparing David to lead His kingdom, the man after His own heart.  

Dad wrote:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  John 10:11

Our Lord was speaking metaphorically.  We are the sheep and He is our Shepherd.  But David lived this life:

“ And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:  And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him”. 1 Samuel 17:34-36

From his humble days in the field, tending his Father’s sheep, the heart of David was firmly set with the Heart of Almighty God.  He loved The Lord and worked to please Him.  His reward was never set for fame or riches, but only to please God.

Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. Romans 12:11

1 Samuel 19, 1 Samuel 20

As Saul's heart grew murderous, he became a false prophet, speaking evil against David who was anointed by God to be king in envious hatred. He even attempted murder.

Meanwhile, David and Jonathan's brotherhood is on display. I've experienced this type of relationship. When two men love the LORD and His law and fully abide in it together, they become knit together like David and Jonathan and it seems like the brotherhood is eternal. When Yeshua says that the "Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand," this is what He meant. Thank God for these brotherhoods. Proverbs 18:24 explains: "A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." It is a joy beyond words to have such friends who know the LORD.

1 Samuel 21, 1 Samuel 22, 1 Samuel 23

Yeshua spoke about this time that David ate the shewbread in Luke 6:3, in which He taught the Hebraic concept of "pikuach nefesh," to "save a life/soul." This is also the same concept that can be applied to when David acted like a madman to preserve life amidst the king of the Philistines. He said, God desires mercy, not sacrifice, repeating the concept that Samuel had explained to Saul just a few chapters earlier. Mercy (eleos in the Greek, chesed in the Hebrew), means obedience to God's covenant, and David did not disobey the spirit of the law here. David was obeying God in the big picture, serving Him with love, and working to save the lives of his mighty men, thus he was able to eat the shewbread that was reserved for only the priests to eat. This also set up a prophesy of Messiah, who would be both a king and a priest. David, we see, speaking directly to the LORD as today's reading continues, rather than going through a priest, though he also asked the priest to be there with him and so he was not violating the law.

In gathering his Mighty Men at the cave together with him, David took in the worthless, the sinners and the debtors. This is another prophesy of Messiah, who would do the same, especially regarding the men He chose as Apostles to learn from Him directly and witness to the whole world what had happened according to their experience. These men did not go to "seminary," but they learned directly from their master. David's mighty men also were not worthy to be servants of the king in the eyes of the world, but they became servants of Israel's second greatest king nonetheless—second to Yeshua of course. The LORD desires we welcome in the fatherless, the widow, the downtrodden and the outcasts, and when they repent they will be elevated up to the position of sons and daughters. This is His Gospel, right here in Samuel's writing.

Doeg the Edomite, a son of Esau, has his father's jealousy toward Israel and Israel's righteous king. Saul, who had become a servant of Satan, sought to murder God's anointed king. The men of Israel refused to do what was evil, showing that Israel itself was ready to receive the king, but Doeg had no problem murdering the priests of Yahweh. Though David did nothing wrong by attempting to save his men and escape from the sword of Saul, who sought his death from envy, he still showed the compassion of our Messiah and took on himself the blame for these priests death. He humbled himself and atoned for the death of these innocent god-fearing men, mourning in the caves of Israel's wilderness. Many psalms are written during this time period, giving us an example of how to manage our own depression for the slings and arrows of life. Psalm 142 is the best example, where David wrote: "I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." We must have this hope when there is no other hope to be had, and the LORD will bring us through our troubles.

Lastly, and perhaps most powerfully in today's reading, we see in 1 Samuel 23 Scriptural proof of the dichotomy between God's omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotency as well as the free will that He gave to His creation. We also see how we ought to interact with the LORD before every major decision in our lives. Before David faced the Philistines, David asked the LORD whether he should even go into battle against them. God said yes, and also that the battle would be successful. David waited on the LORD's instruction, and did not simply act out in faith without first consulting the LORD. In ANY spiritual battle we face, we MUST follow David's example here. Yeshua is the vine and we are the branches, and without Him we can do nothing. Here's the best part: When David was hiding out in Keilah, which he had just delivered from the Philistines, David was told that Saul was aware of his location. He went to the LORD and asked, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard." The LORD said, "He will come down," and this event happened, but the LORD also said, "They will hand you over," and this event DID NOT happen. The LORD could see the future, but the future did not occur because David acted in his own free will according to what the LORD told him and avoided a potential evil future. We must do likewise, and we will live in the kingdom of God, which is at hand.

1 Samuel 24, 1 Samuel 25

As the story begins, the only thing we can understand that differentiates Saul and Nabal is that Saul is anointed as king and Nabal is not, but their behavior is identical. We know that Nabal is a Calebite, or of the house of Caleiv (See Numbers 13:30). Caleiv (Caleb) was the righteous spy who went up with Joshua; one of two men to survive the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Leb an identical word. Both mean the inner ,)לֵ ָבב( is the root word used for Calebite, also lebab )לֵב( man, heart, or will of a person. In other words, this is the place in our lives where either love or hate is rooted, which brings up either righteousness or lawlessness from a person. Thus, I believe the Lord is telling us that we need to pay attention to the heart condition here.

Jewish commentator Ralbag says Nabal’s evil nature was similar to that of a dog; he was stingy and refused to show hospitality. Yeshua had words to say about dogs. Consider Matthew 15:25-27, when Yeshua said “it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs,” but the women said “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” and Yeshua responded, “Your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.”

The moral of the story here, from my perspective, is that it doesn’t matter who your fathers are, whether you are a son of Caleb, who was one of the most faithful people to ever live, or a woman Gentile living in Israel whose fathers worshipped idols, what matters is the heart condition; what matters is the measure of faith we have in the Lord to do His will. Consider Mark 7:20-23: “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” This is Nabal. His heart is full of darkness. The Apostle Paul later teaches us in Galatians 5 that we cannot produce such fruit of the flesh and inherit the kingdom, but instead we must produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is Abigail, and she instructs David in this lesson in righteousness.

Read 1 Samuel 25:24-35. Abigail fell at David’s feet, humbling herself before her neighbor. Even though blameless, she took the blame for her husband Nabal. IMPORTANT: Consider that even if David had acted on his impulse to destroy Nabal’s entire house for Nabal’s stinginess, Abigail would have lived and would have been taken into David’s camp, potentially even as his wife. David says very specifically: “there certainly would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.” The females would have become wives of David and his men. At the end of the story, God arranges this same outcome, but through His own means, and not by David’s hand. I’ll return to this. Abigail, who knows the Lord intimately within the depths of her heart, acknowledges her husband’s evil. She says to David, don’t pay attention to it. Don’t let Nabal’s evil turn you evil, also, as we read in Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

As she continues, she pleads in the name of the Lord Yahweh that David not avenge himself by his own hand, but leave vengeance to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35). Had David acted to shed innocent blood, he would have become like Nabal, a sinner. Abigail continues in great humility by asking for forgiveness on account of her husband, and she offers David and his men the hospitality that a man or woman of God ought to offer to all who come to them, no matter who they are. This is righteousness at the highest level; it is Christ dwelling in her heart. (Ephesians 5:21: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”).

And David reciprocated, showing he is a man after God’s own heart when he says, “Blessed by the Lord God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me and blessed by your discernment and
 blessed be you who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.” Before this conclusion, however, Abigail spoke Truth to him, that later comes into play: “the Lord will certainly make for my Lord an enduring house, because my Lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days. Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling. And when the Lord does for my Lord in accordance with all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, this will not become an obstacle to you, or a troubled heart to my Lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my Lord’s having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my Lord, then remember your slave.”

David’s conclusion is to listen to this woman after the passionate impulses of his heart, because she spoke the Word of God to him. The Truth she spoke rung out in his heart as Truth, and it didn’t matter who the messenger was. Not only does the Lord honor David’s heart condition here, he brings judgment on David’s enemy Nabal by His hand and David followed through and honored the messenger who brought Him the Truth that saved Him from error by marrying her and making her his wife. David was marrying the Truth that Abigail spoke. He was bringing this Truth and making it a part of Himself. Later, the Lord continues to deliver David’s enemies into his hand in the land of the Philistines and no one can touch him, not Saul, and not the king of the Philistines, because the Lord was fighting his battles.

The Lord showed us how even the most righteous men are tempted to sin. While Saul’s anointing was a reminder to David not to sin against him, Nabal lacked this anointing, and David was thus overlooking the sin he was being tempted to engage in, potentially by Satan himself, for Nabal was “a man of Belial” according to 1 Samuel 25:25. As God does not show any partiality, we are also not to show any partiality between high men like Saul or lower men like Nabal. Abigail, who was a woman of great wisdom and beauty, because her heart was married to Christ, was sent by God to intercede and keep David from sinning. David, because he was a man after God’s own heart, was convinced by the Truth when he heard the Truth, and he thus turned away from the sin he was about to commit.

In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, Paul teaches, “For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges.” And in Deuteronomy 1:17, God explains how to judge those on the inside: “Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it." Jude gives us one more piece of insight in Jude 1:22-25: “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” Abigail pulled David out of the fire, because they were both beleivers, teaching him that God will judge the unbelievers, and He does. David learned that there is no partiality with God and His righteousness grew as a result of Abigail’s intervention.

1 Samuel 26, 1 Samuel 27, 1 Samuel 28

David had a chance to kill Saul, but spared him and instead continued to serve him and serve the LORD, giving us an inspiring example. Saul was chasing David, his loyal servant, in a murderous craze while David was out there slaying the enemies of the LORD—Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. This dichotomy is meant as a lesson for us.

David, living in the land of the enemy, spoke the truth in explaining to his enemy host: I have been fighting “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites,” but David was literally clearing these lands of the enemies of Israel while making an enemy of Israel believe he was fighting against his own people. It was inspired!

Meanwhile, Saul realized that the Philistines would be coming up against Israel and he no longer had any connection to the LORD due to his evil heart, and so he consulted a witch. While rebellion was "as the sin of witchcraft" when Saul sought God his own way, now Saul was directly engaging in rebellion against God by simply engaging in witchcraft. His sin begot sin unto death, while David suffered persecution and tribulation, but never gave up on putting the LORD first unto life.

“For God’s grace, which brings deliverance, has appeared to all people. It teaches us to renounce godlessness and worldly pleasures, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives now, in this age;” (Titus 2:11-12 )

1 Samuel 29, 1 Samuel 30, 1 Samuel 31

The LORD protected David from fighting against His own people and directed him to rescue his mighty men's wives, children and gear as well as other spoil. Even when we find ourselves in a tight spot—where both doing and not doing something is undesirable—when we trust in the LORD, He will fight our battles and align everything for us so that all can be restored. It is when we doubt the LORD or woefully resent our tribulation that things usually end up badly. We ought to rejoice always, and pray without ceasing with gratitude toward the LORD.

I don't understand why Jonathan died with his father and brothers, but sometimes even good people who love the LORD meet disaster or even their "untimely" end to make way for something the LORD is doing—in this case, setting up David as king. The LORD's ways are greater than our ways, and we must simply trust Him in all that He does. I believe Jonathan will be resurrected unto life on account of his faith in Yeshua, which he exhibited very clearly throughout his life.

Saul died just as the witch foresaw, and so even the accursed have spiritual power and we must learn to appreciate that. The moral, from my perspective, is that God has unparalleled spiritual power, and He desires life and good for his people, while the spiritual hosts of wickedness attempt to mimic this power, but their way leads toward death.

After Saul's sons fell, he was injured and became one of the very few men to commit suicide in all the Bible. Judas was another. Suicide, or self murder, leads to eternal death. When Saul wakes up in the resurrection, he will experience the judgment he tried so hard in life to avoid. Instead of follow Saul's example toward this fiery destruction, we ought to learn to embrace judgment by becoming truly repentant, and this means to turn away from our own path and to follow God's way instead. Our Father desires obedience, not sacrifice. He desires our heart, not the appearance of piety when none truly exists. We must love the LORD with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. Saul failed, but we can learn from his example of what not to do and actively decide to walk the narrow path toward life instead.

2 Samuel 1, 2 Samuel 2

The Amalekites did not know the Word of the LORD and nor did they have faith, so one young Amalekite thought David would rejoice at the death of Saul and his sons and took credit for killing him. That was a fatal error, as assassinating the king of Israel was surely punishable by death.

With Saul gone, the LORD was ready to move David into position and the people of Judah anointed him king in Hebron. He would serve eight years amidst civil war before Israel would also recognize him as king. When Yeshua came in the flesh, He was determined to unite all, Jew and Gentile, together as one people in Him, and while many Jews and Gentiles did unite as one people in Messiah, many did not. And the unbelieving Jews and the pagan Gentiles drove a wedge between God's people that still exists today. There have been 2000 years of war among the people whom God wants to be one, and this is a tragedy. At the End, when Yeshua returns, He will finish uniting Jews and Gentiles as one people, and the prophesy of David's ascent to the throne will be fulfilled.

2 Samuel 3, 2 Samuel 4

The men believed David would be like any other king and destroy the family of the former king to prevent rivals, but David was a different man—He was a man after God’s own heart. He judged the men who assassinated Saul’s son and general, and this was just and according to the law of God. Murder is one of the big 10, and breaking any of them with intention leads to death. David, as king, had the authority to carry out this penalty, and eternal death awaits the unrepentant sinners. Joab would not be punished until later, when Solomon became king. David gave him his whole life to repent, and he didn’t do it. Joab becomes another example of a world-centered man. For his part, Avner did a great good toward the end of his life and helped David unite Israel. I believe he awaits a happy day when Yeshua comes. The wicked man who repents from sin and does what is right becomes a righteous man—His sins are not remembered by the LORD (Ezekiel 18).

2 Samuel 5, 2 Samuel 6, 2 Samuel 7

David serves as our example on how to build a right relationship with the LORD, and this is the key to it all: David said: "Now, Yahweh God, you alone are God; your words are truth." If we can say this same thing, without any caveat, then we too are men after God's own heart. We ought to be like David, who went to God before doing anything, who went when the LORD said "go" and waited on the LORD when God said wait. For this, the LORD gave David the stronghold of Jerusalem as the city where He would put His name. Going up against the Philistines, we read: "David did exactly as Adonai had ordered him to do." Does the WORD of God say this about you? If it does, you are walking with God, as David did. If not, then the sword of judgment, which is the WORD of God, will come out from Yeshua's mouth and judge you on the Last Day, perhaps even to destruction. As we learned from Saul, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. The LORD desires our chesed, which is our mercy and grace toward Him and one another. To have mercy and love toward God is to obey His WORD.

David erred when bringing the ark up to Jerusalem. It's not a sin leading to eternal death—for David only did that once, with the matter concerning Uriah and Bathsheba—but it was error that needed correction. Uzah lost his life to this error, though perhaps he will be spared in the resurrection? The Torah outlines in detail how the ark was to be moved, carried by the Levites, but David had it put on a cart. When Uzah, who was not a Levite, touched the ark as it was being carried incorrectly, he was struck dead. This is akin to what happened to Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. We cannot worship God or follow his instruction in any way we choose, but we must treat Him as holy, for He is holy. We have to worship Him the way He has prescribed. When we do this, we can have total freedom. Look at David, dancing to the ire of his wife Michal as the ark was carried into Jerusalem properly. When we rightly follow the LORD and do His will rather than our own, we have total freedom to worship Him with as much passion as we desire. Scoffers may scoff at this, but they will ultimately be denied the life they could have had by their own darkened heart. We ought to endure in celebration, the LORD's way, as David ultimately did.

The LORD told David one of his descendants would build a house for His name, and while Scripture shows Solomon fulfilling this prophesy in the flesh, I don't believe Solomon was the ultimate fulfillment of this prophesy. Yeshua, our LORD and king, the Son of David, would build the 3rd temple for the LORD starting with His 12 Apostles, but this was the only temple the LORD ever desired, I believe. The LORD cannot be contained by a temple, though He does put His name inside our places of worship so we can have a set apart place to worship Him. There was value in Solomon's temple, and the LORD ultimately described exactly how it ought to be built. Nonetheless, the LORD is preparing a place for us, and in His kingdom there are many dwelling places—His royal throne will be established in our midst. To ensure our place in this kingdom, we must come to know Yeshua intimately, just as David had done. The LORD, for the sake of His WORD and in accordance with all of His heart, has done great things for us, and He has revealed it to His servants. There is no one like Yeshua, and no god besides Him. Everything we have heard confirms it, and nothing compares to His chosen people Israel, to which we must be grafted-in through Yeshua.

2 Samuel 8, 2 Samuel 9, 2 Samuel 10, 2 Samuel 11

Because David was a righteous man who led the nation of Israel in righteousness, he prospered and was blessed, just as God said in Deuteronomy 28. For example, verse 7 reads, “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face..." This is precisely what happened to Ammon, and any other enemy that came up against Israel as we read in 2 Samuel 8-10. Deuteronomy 28:9-10 reads, “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself ... then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you." He was on his way to establish the Kingdom of Israel all the way to the Euphrates River, just as the LORD had promised Abraham in Genesis 15:18, and he made many foreigners subjects of the kingdom, something they probably loved because "David administered law and justice for all his people." This was all because David and his subjects devoted themselves to God, they put Him first and they kept His commandments. As the prophetic template for our Messiah Yeshua, even David and his sons were rulers and priests before the LORD, but Yeshua in His second coming will ultimately fulfill what was promised to Israel through David, just like the LORD said.

The WORD of God does not lie. In 1 Kings 15:5, we read: "David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." This matter begins in 2 Samuel 11 today, and the conclusion of the chapter says this: "But the LORD saw what David had done as evil.” To do evil against the LORD leads to the second death, but we will see through David's great sin that the LORD is merciful and gracious, long-suffering and desires for His people who are called by His name to confess their sins and repent. David will ultimately do this, as we will read. However, we see how even the best among us can be torn away from doing what is right by the LORD and need the grace of God. Yeshua Himself said in Matthew 24: "If it were possible, even the elect would be deceived." David is elect. He was deceived by the allure of beauty in his eyes. His sin was to look at Bathsheba with lust in his heart, and Yeshua Himself called this adultery in Matthew 5. This evil heart-condition led to the actual act, and then the cover-up, which culminated in murder. As we will see, even the best covered sins cannot be hidden from the LORD. We must repent!

2 Samuel 12, 2 Samuel 13

Many argue that David got away with murder and adultery, but that is far from true. He pronounced his own judgment when he said: “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb.” The LORD said: “the sword shall never leave your house” and “I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it.” The LORD did this: David lost four of his sons to the sword and one of them—Absalom—slept with 10 of David’s wives in the exact spot where David first laid his eyes on Bathsheba while rebelling against his father’s crown. Matthew 5 is truly lived out here. David’s sin began with his eyes and in his heart, and God searches and knows the heart.

While the son of his illicit union was dying as the first of the judgment, David wrote Psalm 51. He truly repented. We see confession come first. David said to Nathan: “I have sinned against Adonai.” Nathan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin.” This is 1 John 1:9–a lesson for us. No matter how grave the sin, the LORD will heal us when we say “I did it” and then turn to seek the LORD with repentance. Nevertheless, we will be tested by the consequences of our sin, just as David would be. The situation with Amnon, Tamar and Absalom is just the beginning. But David will endure through it, and he won’t sin a second time. The LORD forgives us when we confess and turn back to Him, but He also test us and chastens us as sons to make sure we will endure in our faithfulness to the end. In doing so, we walk the narrow path into His kingdom.

2 Samuel 14, 2 Samuel 15

The LORD required justice against Absalom for the murder of his brother, for one sin ought not beget another sin. David brought this justice by exiling his son from the capital, and this was one of the just punishments that could be administered. David's heart was full of mercy, just like the LORD's and he took his son's word at face value, even though it was full of deception and self-interest. Absalom was a man just like Saul and he would suffer the same fate, also. Being the son of a righteous man does not make one righteous; one must be righteous on their own accord before God. To make matters worse, Absalom set fire to Joab's field to get the attention of David's general. Rather than restore the field as required in Exodus 22:6, Absalom demanded Joab further to act on his behalf. Absalom used the appearances of this subterfuge to gain favor with the people, and now he would bring rebellion directly against his father, who was also God's anointed. Absalom has an evil heart and deserved death, but David still wanted to offer his son mercy, even to the point of fleeing to prevent loss of life. David also knew that this sword was judgment for what he had done with Uriah the Hittite, and he was ready and willing to bear it.

2 Samuel 16, 2 Samuel 17, 2 Samuel 18

The story of Absalom is tragic; he was not the father of peace as his name implies, but the father of rebellion and pride, much like Saul. David was a father of peace and sought his son's well-being even while being betrayed. This is a prophetic template for the LORD Yeshua, who prayed for those who persecuted Him while He hung on the cross. In another template, Ahitophel, who was Bathsheba's grandfather, had given great counsel to David and was considered among the wisest of Israel. Instead of accept God's forgiveness toward David and embrace his granddaughter's role mothering Solomon who would become king, he turned against David and supported the rebellion of Absalom. He became the vessel to bring David's shame to the rooftop in the light of day for all to see. In the very same spot where David first laid eyes on Bathsheba and committed adultery in his heart, Ahitophel advised Absalom to sleep with 10 of David's concubines. But Ahitophel's devious wisdom was later rejected by the foolish Absalom, and Ahitophel realized the foolishness of siding with the king's son. He became the second of three men to commit suicide in Scripture. Like Judas Iscariot, Ahitophel would suffer the first and second death for betraying the king.

Another tragedy here was Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan David had sought after to reward in honor of his friend Jonathan. Now that Absalom had challenged the LORD's anointed with no rightful claim himself, Mephibosheth saw an opportunity to take the crown back for the house of Saul. His ingratitude was immediately punished by the King. Ziba, who was a servant of Mephibosheth, sought to honor the king with supplies in the wilderness, and David rewarded him by giving him his master Mephibosheth's lands. Ezekiel 18 bears truth again. The son will neither inherit righteousness nor wickedness.

Though he fled from his throne in Jerusalem, the king strategically sacrificed himself in yet one more prophetic template of Yeshua. Satan and his minions had no idea that crucifying Yeshua would bring about their own demise, just as Absalom and Mephibosheth could never have seen David's plan to mount his defensive once the evil ones revealed themselves to the world. David never wanted this end for anyone, but it was an end that was forced upon him. It was an end that he had to face on account of his sin, for the LORD promised the sword upon his house for his murder of Uriah the Hittite—a just and moral Israelite who loved the LORD.

David's restraint is remarkable as he faced traitor upon traitor and then Shimei the son of Gera followed after him hurling insults and stones. David endured this treatment from Shimei believing that the LORD would bring justice to the situation. David believed he deserved the treatment for what he had done, subjecting his sons to the judgment of God on account of his own sin against Uriah the Hittite. He believed that by loving, even his enemy, the LORD would sort out the details later and honor the righteous. David's actions here are also reflections of our LORD Yeshua. The Sons of Thunder asked Yeshua to bring down fire on the Samaritans who would not put them up for the night in Luke 9, but Yeshua sought restraint, desiring that all sinners be given an opportunity to repent. As Peter writes in 2 Peter 3, our LORD is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all will repent and seek eternal life. As we will see, all the men who were spared by David during his rule who did not repent would be later judged. This is the case for all men in the new covenant who refuse to turn toward the LORD in repentance and follow Him. We are in an age of grace, but that age is ending. Judgment awaits the unrepentant.

2 Samuel 19, 2 Samuel 20

As David returned to the throne, all of his detractors begged for mercy. Note that David would provide mercy, for he had the heart of the LORD. Would these people continue to pursue righteousness or was it lip service? This would remain to be seen.

David did not appreciate the heart of Joav who desired vengeance at every turn. He replaced him with Amasa. Joav would not accept it and assassinated his replacement. Rather than deal with this rebellion now, David would make Joav eat his words; David indeed showed Joav the same mercy as Absalom. We will see later that Joav never changed his heart and so he was ultimately judged at the end of the age.

Sheva’s rebellion reflects the hearts of men who want recognition from men rather than God. When they are not held up by the human leader they love as someone special, they turn against the leader. Joav in his continued rebellion would have destroyed all of Israel just to get to Sheva, but a wise woman of Israel took action to separate the one scoundrel from the innocent people around him. War would be ended globally if we had more wise women like her who look to rooting out evil in their midst.


2 Samuel 19, 2 Samuel 20

As David returned to the throne, all of his detractors begged for mercy. Note that David would provide mercy, for he had the heart of the LORD. Would these people continue to pursue righteousness or was it lip service? This would remain to be seen.

David did not appreciate the heart of Joav who desired vengeance at every turn. He replaced him with Amasa. Joav would not accept it and assassinated his replacement. Rather than deal with this rebellion now, David would make Joav eat his words; David indeed showed Joav the same mercy as Absalom. We will see later that Joav never changed his heart and so he was ultimately judged at the end of the age.

Sheva’s rebellion reflects the hearts of men who want recognition from men rather than God. When they are not held up by the human leader they love as someone special, they turn against the leader. Joav in his continued rebellion would have destroyed all of Israel just to get to Sheva, but a wise woman of Israel took action to separate the one scoundrel from the innocent people around him. War would be ended globally if we had more wise women like her who look to rooting out evil in their midst.

2 Samuel 21, 2 Samuel 22

Joshua had given his word to the Gibeonites that they could perpetually live as servants among Israel, and Saul in his quest for his own glory sought to destroy them. His children would suffer the consequences for his sin, just as David's children suffered for his. This doesn't seem fair from a human perspective, but God said it is our ways that are not just in Ezekiel 18:25. The commandment is clear in Exodus 20: The LORD will punish idolatry and will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the 3rd and 4rth generations of those who hate Him, but show mercy to thousands of generations who love Him and keep His commandments. Consider Ezekiel 18:4, the LORD says, "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die." Putting this all together, we can conclude that the sins of the fathers will cause generational curses (consequences) that will affect the children into the 3rd and 4rth generations. The children may break these curses by living righteously before God and trusting in Him in all His ways, but oftentimes they continue in their fathers' sins. These consequences are not caused by God, but by the rebellious hearts of men. God in His love for us allows free will to take its course, for those who choose Him will live forever with Him, regardless of what their fathers have done.

The Philistines are a constant reminder that Satan has not been removed from his dominion on the earth and will continue to put a thorn in the side of Israel until the end of the age. The giants are the descendants of the fallen angels who mated with human women and they continue to cause strife for the children of Israel. But with the LORD, no giant is too large to destroy and God continues to use the faith of His people to eradicate this stain on His creation. While David is now too old to fight in the battles around him, His army is well established and continued to prosper in the faithful light of their king.

David's song reminds me that when we trust in the LORD and follow Him in all His ways, there is nothing that can stand against us. Even death cannot defeat the LORD's anointed, for the LORD will resurrect His people from the dead on the Last Day. When we stand with the LORD, impossible things become possible, difficult tasks are overcome, and those who rise up against us will fall. He is our strong tower, our salvation and our hope. He will never leave nor forsake those who love Him by doing His will.

2 Samuel 23, 2 Samuel 24

David’s last words inspire us to emulate this man after God’s own heart; not in his sin, but in his desire to serve the LORD. David had murdered one of his own Mighty Men to cover up his adultery with his top advisor’s daughter, a sin worthy of the second death, but in his love for God he repented and was restored, exhibiting the grace and love our God gives toward those who are humble and contrite, but not without testing. The Apostle Paul had also been a murderer, even of early Christians, but God used him to spread His truth throughout the world, humbling him to total love and obedience. There is no sin too great that Yeshua won’t forgive; He just wants our hearts to return to Him, to walk in His ways instead of our own ways. David endured until the last day, and He will stand with the faithful in Yeshua on the Last Day, for these were his last words, and they ought to be ours also: “For my house stands firm with God — he made an everlasting covenant with me. It is in order, fully assured, that he will bring to full growth all my salvation and every desire.” This is faith! Those who reject the LORD or His Word will be burned up. Those who endure like David will be saved!

Both 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 are needed to understand the census incident. Though David assumed the sin onto himself, as did our Yeshua, he did not sin. The LORD was angry with Israel, presumably for a sin the people were doing; He was not angry with David. So He allowed the adversary,  Satan, to influence David to act against Torah to punish the people. Exodus 30:12-13 says: “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord.” David had not collected the half shekel, but the people should have known Torah and they did not. Torah says “every man shall give….” The census wasn’t the problem, only that every man did not give a half shekel, and the LORD knew the hearts of the men had gone astray. Thus, when David said, “Let us fall into the hand of Yahweh, because his mercies are great, rather than have me fall into the hand of man,” the LORD simply applied the very curse noted in Torah. David, in total humility, acting out like Messiah Yeshua in love for the people, took the sin he had not committed on himself, saying: “Here, I have sinned, I have done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please! Let your hand be against me and against my father’s family!” This heart is what the LORD desires from us: both humble and contrite. To point to the mercy He would have through Yeshua, the LORD directed David to establish the Temple altar at the spot where Abraham tithed to Melchizedek and where he bound Isaac. David would not take the spot as a gift, but offered full price for it. Yeshua had to pay the price for us so that we could enjoy the grace that came from His sacrifice. Our salvation was bought with a price.

1 Kings 1, 1 Kings 2

In his early days as king, Solomon prophetically represented the 2nd coming of Yeshua. While during David's reign even the evildoers of Israel lived in his mercy, now under Solomon all of those of Israel who did evil would be judged. Likewise, when Messiah returns, the age of grace will end and all who practiced lawlessness will perish, while those who did the will of the Father will live. David's fourth son would succumb to the curse of God for his sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah; Adonijah would attempt a coup, just like his older brother Absalom, but he would fail. David sent Solomon riding on a donkey into Jerusalem—a prophetic nod to Yeshua. Solomon was willing to show him mercy, but then he asked for Abishag, who had been associated directly with his father's last days as his nurse. Marriage to Abishag would have been seen by the people as a nod to Adonijah's claim to the throne, and so Solomon put him to death for his persistent political gamesmanship in the face of mercy. Solomon's mercy extended to Shimi who had cursed David on his way out of Jerusalem fleeing from Absalom, but Shimi could not even do the one thing that was asked of him; he rejected the mercy of the king. We must be doers of the Word, not hearers only.

Finally, and this is most important, Solomon executed Joab the general of David and put Benaiah in his place. David had shown Joab mercy all along in his career despite his insubordination and misplaced wrath. He had murdered two men; Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, so that he could retain the position of commander in chief, and while he backed David as he fled from Absalom, he backed Adonijah despite knowing David's wishes for Solomon to be king. Joab had a heart for the world and not for the kingdom of God. He followed his own way instead of following after the anointed king of Israel. Even when David disagreed with King Saul, even when King Saul sought his life and tried to kill him, David honored God's anointed king. Joab did not do this; but rather the opposite. At every opportunity he pursued what he thought was a better way, but it was the way of man and not of God. While David showed him mercy his entire reign, at the end he was cut down in the final judgment. Make no mistake: Joab's execution is what will happen to every Christian who says they follow King Yeshua, but who do what they think is right instead of what God has said is right. We must be obedient servants to the king to show our faith is real.

1 Kings 3, 1 Kings 4, 1 Kings 5

In admonishing those who reject Messiah, Yeshua said, "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." Solomon was the wisest man to ever live beside Yeshua. The first part of his life is a prophetic template for the rule that Messiah would have when He returns for His Millennial Reign. His first discerning act was to ask for wisdom rather than riches, fame or long-life, and because of his desire to serve God and do what was right for God's people, God gave him absolutely everything he could have ever desired. This is the key to understanding Solomon's life, because while Solomon did not always do what the LORD said was right, he had a heart for the LORD and the LORD's people, and this is what God wants of us—it is His greatest and second greatest commandment. In the end, Solomon would return in repentance to the LORD. Though God had given him every earthly thing to enjoy, it was all worthless compared to knowledge and obedience to the living God. Solomon's last words: "fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all." Yeshua said likewise.

Solomon's kingdom extended from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt, and the people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as sand grains on the seashore. They ate, drank and enjoyed themselves. The LORD had fulfilled all of His promises to Israel through King David and his son Solomon. There has never been a greater kingdom on all the Earth than Israel during this time, and there never will be a greater kingdom until King Yeshua returns to rule as King over all the Earth. King David's words to his son were the key to it all. He said, "Be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” Yeshua said to us, be not afraid. To inherit eternal life, give up all you have and follow after me. He said: deny even yourself, even your very life, and you will be granted eternity with Him. To deny ourselves, we ought to pick up the light yoke of God's commandments; they are easy to follow—a very light burden indeed. When love God, we ought to do His will and then His boundless glory will be shared with us.

1 Kings 5b, 1 Kings 6

The Bible and some other ancient cultures give us an accurate timeline of when things took place, and a key verse in 1 Kings 6:1 explains very clearly that in Solomon's fourth year of his reign, it was 480 years following the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. We read in the CJB: "It was in the 480th year after the people of Isra’el had left the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Shlomo’s reign over Isra’el, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of Adonai." Now, all we have to do is compare notes and use a little logic, which this article does very well: https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/how-we-know-when-solomon-ruled/. From the article, Solomon's reign began in 971/970 BC, and so if you add 476 years to that number, we can deduce that the Exodus occurred around 1446 BC. Why is this important? Because modern archaeologists have looked for evidence of the Exodus roughly 250 years following 1446 BC during the reign of Ramses II (1279–1213 BC) and they have not found any. This is because Exodus 12:37 uses the word "Ramses" to describe the city which was near Goshen, the region in which the Israelites lived, even though they actually lived near ancient Avaris.

Why might that be? For comparative purposes, this is similar to us explaining that New York City became a bustling center of commerce as early as 1653 because the Dutch ended the monopoly of the West India Company and opened up the city to competitive traders around the time that it was first chartered as New Amsterdam. And while we would never refer to New York City as New Amsterdam today, the city was called New Amsterdam during its establishment as a center of commerce. It was the city's name prior to its conquest by England in 1664. Similarly, the Israelis lived and prospered in Goshen near Avaris for many years prior to their enslavement, and then they left around 1446 BC per Scripture precisely as Exodus (and 1 Kings 6) explains. When Biblical archaeologists look at the evidence around 1446 BC, we can see that the ʿApiru (Ugartic) or Ḫabiru (Akkadian), which we would call Hebrews in English, were absolutely living in the region and then left for Canaan as freed slaves amidst miracles. Upon long periods of transcription, Scribes may have changed (or omitted) the city name Avaris to Rameses over time so that "modern" readers would be able to understand what area they had previously populated before they entered Canaan.

We can see similar parenthetical statements, such as Genesis 28:19, which reads, "He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz." Might a more modern translation just say, "He called that place Bethel" and omit the name Luz? It's harder to do when a verse is devoted to the name change, but maybe not when it was simply a parenthetical statement. A Scribe might make a decision on which word to use and which to omit. It's possible that Exodus references to Rameses previously included similar explanations regarding Avaris that were later omitted. In any case, we can be certain that the Exodus historically occurred around 1446 BC, just as Scripture explains in 1 Kings 6:1, and the best part is that the archaeological evidence matches this time frame and provides great evidence for the validity of God's Word. Scripture is not just Jewish lore; rather it is God's story and a true account of what is important about living here on planet Earth, which God created for us so that we can be co-rulers with Him. Praise be to the LORD that He will allow His holy people, who trust Yeshua and keep God's commandments, to rule with Him again in the New Jerusalem, and we can count on it because every single Word of God is True.

Meanwhile, Solomon was busy putting people to work building a temple for the LORD and He was using great commerce within the region to make it happen. He interpreted the LORD's prophesy to his father literally, and was thus taking action on it. According to the WORD of God, the LORD accepted this interpretation but made sure to remind Solomon of what He really meant. He said, according to the CJB, "Concerning this house which you are building: if you will live according to my regulations, follow my rulings and observe all my commandments and live by them, then I will establish with you my promise that I made to David your father—I will live in it among the people of Isra’el, and I will not abandon my people Isra’el.” The LORD's message is identical before the Temple, during the Temple and after the Temple, and it is this: If you love Me and obey My commandments, I will dwell among you. Didn't Yeshua say exactly the same thing in John 14:15-18: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." Yahweh is the same yesterday, today and forever, and today His name is Yeshua.

1 Kings 7, 1 Kings 8

In Daniel 6:10, we read: "Now when Daniel knew that the writing [prohibiting prayer to anyone but Nubuchadnezuar] was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." There was no temple in Jerusalem in those days. Babylon had destroyed the beautiful dwelling place that Solomon had built. And yet, Daniel turned toward Jerusalem to pray, just as Solomon had instructed, because God had put His name there forever, and there His name still reigns, even though there is no temple today. And so, when we pray, we ought to pray toward Jerusalem, per Solomon's prophesy: “Also the foreigner who does not belong to your people Isra’el—when he comes from a distant country because of your reputation (for they will hear of your great reputation, your mighty hand and your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house; then hear in heaven where you live, and act in accordance with everything about which the foreigner is calling to you; so that all the peoples of the earth will know your name and fear you, as does your people Isra’el, and so that they will know that this house which I have built bears your name."

Today, we worship "in spirit and in truth," not in Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim, for Yeshua said the time for this was "now here" to the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4). Paul said, "don't you know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells within you?" Yeshua, the son of David, is building this third temple, and we may worship God in spirit and in truth from wherever we stand, but we still ought to pray toward Jerusalem as a reminder of where God chose to put His name. He wrote His name on you and me, for we are "Christians," meaning "little Christs." We, as followers of Messiah Yeshua, can now walk the way He walked, pray the way He prayed and do the things He did, and in this we also ought to recognize what Solomon said: "But can God actually live on the earth? Why, heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain you; so how much less this house I have built? Even so, Adonai my God, pay attention to your servant’s prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying before you today."  Can our bodies collectively contain God Most High? While the Spirit of God dwells in us, we know He is greater than all of us combined, and so we ought to praise Him by looking toward His name.

One day, Yeshua will return to bring all of His set-part Holy people together and the temple of God will be complete, but even then all of God's people will not contain Him, for He will provide light instead of the sun and we will be with Him for eternity, learning more and more about Him with each passing moment of forever. Knowing this, we ought to recognize that our prayers ought to be humble and contrite, just as Solomon's were. When we sin; when we are suffering in the judgment of famine, pestilence, the sword, or the systems of men that can never be called anything greater than a beast that oppresses us and tries to replace God, but can't, we ought to turn toward Jerusalem and confess our sins and pray for deliverance by God's Holy name—the mighty name of Yeshua—the name that God called His Son who came into the Earth and died for our sins in Jerusalem—the one who rose from the dead to make a way for us to the Father—He the God who saves us, the one who delivers us, and we ought to call out His name by facing the place where He chose to put His name forever and ever. He is the King of righteousness and the King of peace and in Him alone we will find our rest. And so we ought to worship Him and Him alone.

1 Kings 9, 1 Kings 10

When the LORD appeared to Shlomo (Solomon) the second time, He warned the king that his wisdom and prosperity were rooted in the love of God and obedience to His commandments. If man was capable of righteousness on His own, Israel would still be ruling the world with more wealth than any other nation, and all the kings of the world would serve the king in Israel with gladness, just as described by the Queen of Sheba, who said: "your wisdom and prosperity surpass the reports I heard. How happy your people must be, how happy these servants of yours who are always here attending you and get to hear your wisdom!" But the wisdom wasn't Solomon's. Rather, it was a gift from God that could be lost through apostasy. When Israel rejected Yahweh and served other gods, not only would the people be thrown out of the land but the House Solomon built for God would be destroyed. Why is there no temple in Jerusalem today? "It’s because they abandoned Adonai their God, who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and took hold of other gods, worshipping and serving them."

We ought to learn from Solomon, for our eternal life and wisdom are rooted in the love of God, which is obedience to His commandments. Only King Yeshua will rule as Solomon did over Israel, for He exceeds Solomon in wisdom and righteousness, and it is by His free gift of this wisdom to us through our faith in Him that we can live prosperously in the kingdom to come. It is only by following after Him, with His help, that we will be happy servants of the King forever and ever. He will never leave us nor forsake us, and so we must be careful never to leave nor forsake Him, for in Him there is abundant life, but apart from Him there is nothing.
 
1 Kings 11, 1 kings 12

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the LORD gave instruction to the men who would assume the throne in Israel and Judah, and Solomon disregarded this law from verse 17a: "Neither shall [the king] multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away..." King Solomon took 700 wives and 300 concubines and turned away from Yahweh, God Most High who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, and worshipped God's creations, Ashtoreth (Ishtar/Easter), Milkom/Melcom, Chemosh and Moloch/Molekh, divine beings who had rebelled against God at Mt. Hermon. I don't even want to get into the evil details that people who worshipped these demons promoted, but abortion, transgenderism, homosexuality and cult prostitution were among many sins. Solomon's first sin multiplied into the sin of bowing down and serving these evil beings, and this would have consequences for his sons to the third and fourth generation as well as for all of Israel. Never again would Israel have a united kingdom in all its territory until Messiah Yeshua arrives to rule at the end of the age. Because of His promise to David, God would preserve an heir from David's line until Messiah Yeshua was born, so forever David would have an heir on the throne just like God promised.

The LORD raised up Jeroboam to rule over Israel's 10 tribes in stripping away the Kingdom from Rehoboam, Solomon's son,  on account of Solomon's sins, and Jeroboam could have had a lasting dynasty if he had simply stuck with the commandments of the LORD, but He quickly fell away and worshipped the holy with the profane, even setting up golden calves for worship. He changed the laws and the seasons for the holy convocations to suit his own political power and thus he would establish his own destruction. Meanwhile, Rehoboam was a fool so far away from his father's wisdom that he took the advice of young foolish men to treat his servants harshly. Solomon had given his servants their due and they served him gladly, but now they would abandon Rehoboam and chase him back to Jerusalem to rule over the single tribe of Judah. The kingdom would expand a bit to include Benjamin later. While good kings would come and go in Jerusalem, there never would be another like David until Yeshua. Israel's covenant was ultimately broken by the people who went astray and God went to work on the long-game, prophetically setting up the new covenant that allows us to come near to Him through Yeshua and the commandments written by the Spirit on our hearts.

1 Kings 13, 1 Kings 14

1 Kings 13 is amazing! A man of God came to Jeroboam to proclaim judgement against the king for his grievous sins against God's commandments, but rather than repent and return to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jeroboam doubled down and so the prophesy against him came true in every way. Remember how David asked God whether Saul would come down and fight against the city and whether the people of the city would turn him over in 1 Samuel 23? David heard the LORD and moved to leave the city and avoided the word concerning his destruction, saving himself by the Word of the LORD. Jeroboam on the other hand did not heed the Word at all, but sought to kill the man of God who had prophesied to him. His hand shriveled up at once, a curse for his murderous heart.

The Man of God also proclaimed, "A child, Joisah by name, shall be born to the house of David, and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you." Read 2 Chronicles 34: In the eighth year of King Josiah's reign, when he was still young, he removed all the high places and dug up the bones of the priests who had sacrificed to demons and burned the bones of them on their own altars, fulfilling this prophesy and cleansing the land. We know God because He always fulfills His promises, and so we have faith and hope in Him alone.

The man of God was true to the LORD, He did what the LORD asked and confronted the king. Yeshua said in Matthew 10:18, "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." We will be in this man's spot, and believe it or not, this is an end times prophesy and warning for us. Yeshua also warned in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no one deceives you." While the man of God delivered the Truth to the king, and he even held onto the LORD's commandment, "You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came,'" when facing Jeroboam, he was deceived by a false prophet in Bethel,  who said, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ (He was lying to him.)" Yeshua said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." We must beware of them because if we listen to false teachings rather than the Word of God and disobey the commandments of the LORD, then we will be devoured by the lion, just like this man of God. In 1 Peter 5:8, we read: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." If we do not keep the commandments of God while professing faith in Yeshua, we will be devoured by the lion to our own destruction.

1 Kings 15, 1 Kings 16

It seems like Asa is the 4rth generation following Solomon, followed by Rehoboam and Abijah his father, and both his father & grandfather were evil following Solomon's idolatry; God had said He would visit "the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me." Generational curses are real, and Solomon's idolatry had caused them. It would take a man to fully rebuke the deeds of his fathers to completely break these curses, and the curses of Solomon began to dissipate with Asa, yet he was still affected by his father and grandfather's evil deeds. The LORD was faithful to the promise He made to David and kept a man on his throne, because "David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite" (1 Kings 15:5)—David had a heart to put the LORD first, and thus He was saved by God's grace. Did any of his sons have that same heart? Yes. Solomon returned to it at the end of his life, for his last words were, "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." (Ecc. 12:13). There's no word on Rehoboam or Abijah's return, and so we can conclude they were lost.

As for Asa, "Asa’s heart was loyal to the Lord all his days." What a beautiful testimony. Unfortunately, Asa had a death-bed conversion and he lost his salvation after running the race with endurance the whole time. He had banished perverted people from the land, removed all the idols of his fathers, he even removed Maachah his grandmother from having any position of prominence because of an obscene idol of Ahserah she made; he burned it up and destroyed it. Asa was setting the stage for the next generation to prosper. Unfortunately, due to his heart wandering off in old age, he became diseased in his feet and died. His apostasy is not recorded in 1 Kings 15, but it is recorded in 2 Chronicles 16:12-13, where we read: "And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign." This is not a criticism of the use of physicians, but it absolutely is a condemnation of Asa's heart condition. His heart was with the world. He went to the physicians first before he asked the LORD for healing or direction for repentance. Prayer cannot be the last thing we do; it has to be the first thing. The LORD's testimony through Asa is that even in sickness or trouble, we must first seek direction from the LORD. Perhaps the world's solution will not be what He asks of us, and we must follow Him.

King Omri of Israel established the city of Samaria for the nation's capital. Omri comes from "omer," which means to bind up sheaves of grain, and figuratively means to chastise. Samaria comes from the word/name Shemer, which means lees or dregs, as in the settlings of wine, or possibly shamar, which means to keep, watch or preserve. Israel's kings to this point, every one of them, was evil and causing the people of Israel to sin. In this way, Omri certainly bound up the sheaves of grain in Israel and prevented the people who would serve the LORD from doing so. As for Samaria, the meaning "to keep" could have positive or negative connotations, for we can keep the ways of God or the ways of the world and the demons that have governed it. So far, the negative connotation has more realization in Israel's history, and Israel became the settlings of the wine until Yeshua brought new wine and put it into new wine skins. Whatever was left of Israel's faith was stale and misappropriated to worshipping demons. Was there anyone with faith in the land? As we will see, Elijah will ask this very question in just a few years, and yes, God has preserved a remnant of believers in Israel. I understand what this feels like; it is a joy to serve the LORD but a sorrow to lack fellowship of many others willing to give Him everything. The depravity that results is expected, but a terrible burden to endure. Count it all joy, the Apostle Paul said, for the faithful will be delivered.

1 Kings 17, 1 Kings 18

When Ahab (אַחְאָב) Achab, meaning "Father's brother," who was a false prophet worse than any other king in Israel, rose to the throne in Israel, God sent one of his most powerful prophets since Moses to confront him and stop up the heavens with drought, an obvious curse of the LORD from Deuteronomy 15:24, which explains that if the people of God disregard His commandments, "The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed." Elijah (Eliyahu—אֵלִיָּה), meaning "Yah is God," trusted in Yahweh fully. While the rest of Israel suffered from the curse, God fed His servant with bread from ravens and water by the Vadi Cherith, and when the brook dried up he went to a widow in Sidon and asked her to trust in the LORD. In Luke 4:25-26, the LORD Yeshua said, "But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow." In Luke 18:8, making the same point, the LORD asked, "when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Among his people there were none who had faith, but Elijah and this widow in Sidon. Though her faith stumbled from hardship, Elijah was able to heal her son and keep the bread and oil flowing just as Yeshua multiplied the fish and loaves on account of faith. He testified to this Gentile woman about the LORD, for at this time the people were still falling into total apostasy. The LORD knew the widow's heart, and He also knows ours today. Will He find faith in our hearts amidst the tribulation that is coming? Will we endure through it as Yeshua asked us to do in Matthew 24? Will our love endure? Will we keep the commandments of God when the punishment is death for doing so? Jezebel, the evil witch attempted to murder all of the prophets of Yahweh, and she was after Elijah also. This is a sign of the end when the Spirit of Jezebel seeks to destroy all who testify to their faith in Jesus AND the commandments of God that He taught us by example. He warned us that we will face tribulation in this life—in fact, if we are truly Christians following Yeshua, it is a sign of our faithfulness. John 16:33: "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” If we endure until the end, we will be saved.

After the LORD had determined to let up on His drought (was faith growing in Israel?), He sent Elijah to make things right. Elijah would demonstrate to the people that God had power over all the Earth, and we ought to have the same faith in Yeshua when facing up against the spiritual powers and principalities in this world. These spiritual hosts of wickedness and their witches are powerless before Yahweh the Father, Yeshua the Son and His Holy Spirit that He has given us as a down payment and seal of promise, if we only endure in our faith despite the hardships that we face. Imagine going up one against 450 witches. Could we stand like Elijah? Only if we humble ourselves before God and recognize He is the vine and we are the branches and apart from Him we can do nothing. Ba'al was made powerless by Yahweh to demonstrate His superiority in every way. I love God's sense of humor that He showed through Elijah, when he said to the enemy, hey, where's your god, is he sleeping, maybe going to the bathroom? They could slash themselves and bleed out all day long, but only Yahweh would respond to the prayer and worship of His prophet this day. This is the power of prayer, worship, praise and faith, and we ought never forget it.

"Hear me, Yahweh, hear me, so that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back to you.” Yes, this is the prayer we ought to have for our countrymen today, for they are worshipping  Ba'al, Ishtar, and Moloch, the unholy trinity, while forsaking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who will crush them on the Last Day. Here we see that the people's whose hearts returned to the LORD, saying, "Yahweh, He is God, Yahweh, He is God," would live another day, but those witches and warlocks who led Israel astray would be totally destroyed. Not a single one of them would be spared. With this declaration came the rain and the people were given the blessing of the LORD God through faith. We must all preach, "Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6), for one day it will be too late. Those who call upon the name of Yeshua and "do the will of the Father" will make it into the Kingdom of God, but those who say "Lord, Lord," but "practices lawlessness" will be destroyed (Matthew 7:21-23). The day is coming quickly. We must turn our hearts fully to the LORD and walk after Him, putting Him first before all else.

1 Kings 19, 1 Kings 20

Following a victory, it's easy for us to look at the scenery atop the pinnacle of success and see nothing but the expanse below—there's nowhere to go but down, we might think. What adds to this feeling is the enemy, who often takes the opportunity to build up the fear of pending failure, which leads to doubt. Jezebel said she was coming after Elijah and would see to his death. What was he afraid of? He had just watched the power of God work through his own hand to defeat 450 prophets of Ba'al. What was it to God to defeat one miserable witch? Instead of recognize the power of God through faith, Elijah succumbed to the fear caused by the enemy. The LORD cared for His anointed one during this time, even preparing him with what he needed to go off in the wrong direction so he could survive. The LORD cares for us even when we stumble. But when Elijah finally got the chance to compose Himself and go to the LORD in prayer, the LORD whispered, "What are you doing here Elijah?" When God asks this question, we know we're off track from the mission He has called us to fight with Him—with faith in His strength. Elijah would need to get back out there to do the will of God and face his fears, and we are reminded of the need to do this also.

The LORD cares about His glory and His people. He is a jealous God. Any chance there is to show He is the ONE who created the Heavens and the Earth and everything in them, that He is the redeemer who saves us from our sins, or that He is the deliverer who vanquishes the evil one, He will do so. Particularly after Israel was judged and reduced to 7,000 men who honor God, the LORD would have to come and redeem His people. With such a small number the LORD defeated Assyrian forces twice, and both times to show His glory and restore His people. King Ahab, who had not yet been dispatched, was given one final chance to redeem himself by eliminating Ben-Hadad of Assyria, but just like King Saul who spared King Agag of Amalek and was dethroned for it, so too will King Ahab be dethroned for making a covenant with Ben-Hadad. The LORD even destroyed a man who refused to strike a prophet for God's purposes, feeding him to a lion. The LORD desires our obedience, and not our sacrifice; our love, and not our lip-service. To get in close with the Father and show our love for the Son, we ought to obey Him and desire to please Him. When we do not do this, there will be consequences in this life, and perhaps the next.

1 Kings 21, 1 Kings 22

Jezebel's villainy was so profound that she used the law of God against Naboth so she could steal his vinyard for Ahab, all the while violating a whole litany of God's laws. We know that by two or three witnesses a matter is established, and so Jezebel forged her husband's name and found two good-for-nothings to testify against Naboth in a way that would require him to be put to death. Leviticus 24:15-16, reads, "Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death." But Jezebel was deceivingly using her husband's name to bear false witness and induce other men to bear false witness to effect murder so land could be stolen. Clearly, she is a picture of pure evil and would be destroyed for her foolishness, but Ahab was also caught up in this. Numbers 30:6-8 indicates that when a husband becomes aware of a vow his wife has made, he must renounce it to prevent the blame from falling on him. Ahab embraced it, thus solidifying what Jezebel had done and putting the judgement on his own head. When confronted with his evil, Ahab seems to repent, and the LORD relents of immediate judgment.

It wouldn't be too long; however, until the LORD would fulfill His promise and remove Ahab from the throne in Israel. When a war broke out to reclaim Ramoth in Gilead from the Assyrians, God would finally end the evil king's life while Jehoshaphat from Judah would ride away in victory. The LORD's methodology was notable. He allowed a deceiving spirit to misguide the majority of Israel's prophets to coax Ahab into the war that would kill him amidst Israel's victory. We need to pay attention here, for this is a lesson for us. Specifically: when we find ourselves "practicing lawlessness," we open ourselves up to demonic attack. We cannot be fence sitters—wishy washy, luke warm, sinners on the weekdays who repent after the weekend—we cannot be lukewarm, for the LORD will vomit us out of His mouth. We cannot allow sin to continue around us, especially not in a situation where we have the authority to stop it, and expect to walk into the Kingdom of God. God will not even hear the prayers of people who turn their back on Him over and over again, but He will restore His people who develop a heart to serve Him. God allowed the deceiving spirit to destroy Ahab, who deserved it, but He rescued His people Israel who had been restored by Elijah earlier. Let our hearts fully surrender to the LORD and all His ways to prevent the enemy from getting in the door.

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8

Christ does not save those who "practice lawlessness." They can say "LORD, LORD" all they want, but if they do not confess their sins and walk away from them to follow after Yeshua in ALL of His ways, helped by the Holy Spirit, there is no hope but destruction for them. One must have a testimony of two to make it into the kingdom, which is faith in Yeshua AND heart obedience to God's commandments (Revelation 14:12).

2 Kings 1, 2 Kings 2

What gods do we call out to before we look to Yeshua our KING Messiah for His deliverance? Do we ask for health and pursue it with physicians and pharmakeia? Do we ask for wealth and pursue it with unrighteous deeds? Are we looking for fame, seeking it with unrighteousness? Do we put everything before the LORD in prayer and wait on His response, or do we seek the untenable results we desire by our own strength? The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Ahaziah literally sought after Ba'al Zebub, the LORD of flies, the devil or Satan, when he fell through a window and fatally injured himself. This is an extreme, but it's meant to show us the point above. And perhaps there are people we know who use New Age "you have all the power within yourself" garbage theology or even witchcraft, the weakened power of impostors, rather than appeal to the power of the God who created the Heavens and the Earth and everything in them. The LORD responded through the prophet Elijah with certainty: Because you have pursued Ba'al Zebub and not Yahweh, you will die. This was physical death fulfilling prophesy and the second death. It's a warning to us.

We have to have the heart of Elisha, who would not leave his master's side no matter what, when it comes to our pursuit of our Master Yeshua. He knew his master was going to be taken up from him and retired directly by God, but he would not leave him. He even desired a double portion of prophetic power from God Most High. This is not a self-seeking request, but rather the acceptance of persecution and infamy among the godless in the world in order to deliver those who are truly seeking the Father through the Son. He saw Elijah brought up into the clouds of heaven in a fiery chariot and he parted the waters of Jordan just like Elijah had just done, a sign of his prophetic succession. The garment he inherited and carried was the righteousness of faith in the LORD and an acceptance of His will and His way, which Elisha had agreed to walk in. He healed the waters that were barren and brought God's judgment on some youth who were calling good evil and evil good, beginning the ministry of reconciliation that He was called to. God's glory will follow in his wake, for there is no other reason to serve the LORD than for this.

Did Elijah go to sit in the Heavens with God? Did he actually appear with Moses when Yeshua was transfigured? These are assumptive interpretations common to the church, but I'm not convinced. Enoch "was not," we read in Genesis, often interpreted as the same type of rapture, but the words "was not" means "died" in every other use of the term. Was Elijah translated as Philip was translated in the Book of Acts, and then later died in whichever unreported place he went to retire? It's much more likely, in my opinion. Matthew 17:3 in the Greek reads: "Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him." The word "appeared" means "as in a vision" similar to a vision that Peter had of sheets drawn down from Heaven later in Acts. It's the same word. While it's possible that Enoch and Elijah are exceptions to the rule that our soul sleeps in the grave when we die, and perhaps Moses also, for Scripture is clear that he died, I don't think this explanation is needed. I believe all three are dead and sleep in their graves awaiting the Last Day resurrection of the dead that is widely prophesied in Scripture. Peter, James and John saw a vision of them to signify the law and the prophets being embodied in the Messiah's life, words and deeds.

The idea that we go to Heaven when we die is pagan. Scripture predominantly foretells a Resurrection of the dead on the Last Day—the good to eternal life, and the evil to eternal damnation. It is for this eternal life that we now live, and eternal life is this: that we live with Yeshua in intimate relationship with Him as His bride. To be in relationship with the bridegroom, we must please Him, and we please Him by keeping His commandments. Any verses that say otherwise require a bit more exegesis to determine their true meaning. Eisegesis has brought us much of what is considered on these issues. It's imperative that we consult the whole counsel of God and the Holy Spirit on these issues, for the LORD is consistent and does not lie throughout His entire Word.

2 Kings 3, 2 Kings 4

The prophet Elisha showed many signs that God was with him, from filling ditches with water for the armies of Israel, Judah, and their animals; to defeating the armies of Moab on behalf of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, despite the prophet having no desire to help the pagan king Jehoram of Israel. We might wonder why the King of Moab's sacrifice of his eldest son proved successful in stopping Israel's advances beyond their victory with Judah. It was because Jehoram of Israel was a pagan king following in his father Ahab's footsteps, and he did not have faith in Yahweh. Thus this Moabite King's act that called upon his nation's principalities was successful in overriding the actions of Israel, because Israel's king was not with Yahweh and thus was powerless without Him. Evil flourishes when God's people turn away from Him. What a sad state of affairs.

Elisha continued his ministry by helping a woman protect her sons from slavery, multiplying her oil; by bringing a son to the Shunammite woman and then healing him from apparent death; by restoring stew with wheat; and by multiplying barley to feed 100 men. We can see that God was truly with him.

The Shunammite woman's humility and faith was admirable and a worthy model for us. She was content with the life the LORD had given her, and she went above and beyond to support Elisha's ministry to the point where Elisha asked the LORD for His favor to give the barren woman a son. When her son died, the woman told both her husband and Elisha's servant Gehazi that all was well with her. When tribulation comes our way to this extent, could we maintain our contentment as she had? It wasn't until she reached the man of God that she mourned the death of her son, asking him why the LORD would give the son she had not asked for and then take him away from her. At the same time, she had faith that with Elisha, anything was possible with God, and all would be well despite this setback. Elisha sprung into action, caring deeply for this woman who had cared for him and his ministry, and through his faith and persistent prayer the LORD answered his prayer to save the boy's life. She gave honor to the prophet and thanks to the LORD for His mercy and grace.

2 Kings 5, 2 Kings 6

The story of Na'aman is a story about influence, faith and the condition of the heart. A servant girl from Israel was able to move an entire kingdom to send a leprous general for healing in Israel—healing which he received through faith. But first, Na'aman doubted. It was the influence of his servants who went with him who caused him to reconsider how easy it was to have faith in Elisha's instructions to complete a baptismal mikvah in the Jordan rather than some of the alternative he might have imagined on his own. He obeyed the instruction of the prophet and was cleansed.

He was so elated that he desired earth from Israel so he could worship what he perceived to be Israel's territorial "god," even though God Most High is the only God who created the heavens and earth and everything in them. In these days, the gods of other nations were confined to their territories, and they did not go beyond them. These same principles apply to demons in our world. They are territorial. But this territory can be claimed for God Most High, because God is without territory and does not require a piece of earth to be worshipped. Nonetheless, Elisha allowed the man to bring the Israeli soil back to Aram so he could worship God with his whole heart. Why limit him in this? He sought to worship the Father of Spirits in his heart so he could live; he was not looking to worship the earth, but the God who made it!

Meanwhile, Gehazi sought to worship the things of this world, and he sought after Na'aman with a covetous heart seeking earthly reward from the man who had just found God. He then lied about his heart condition to Elisha the prophet upon his earthly success. Can one lie to a prophet of God and get away with it? Can one lie to God Himself, the one who knows the hearts and minds of everyone who lives? Upon Gehazi's return, he received Na'aman's leprosy, which is metaphorical for sin that wastes away, anesthetizes and ultimately destroys the human heart. While Na'aman's ultimate faith healed him of leprosy, Gehazi's faith in the things of this world brought leprosy upon him. This ought to cause us deep, radical conviction if our heart in any way is tied to the things of this world. Our LORD and Savior told us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you"—in the kingdom to come, of course. This is NOT a time "to receive silver and clothing and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female slaves?" This is the time to forsake the world and seek after God with everything we have.

When we are facing an enemy in this world, it's sometimes hard for us to consider that there is a spiritual battle going on around us that overrides everything we can see. In which side do we trust? Elisha showed us that even while our enemies surround us, our God is watching over us and He has full power and authority to lead us through the tribulation to the fulfillment of His will on the other side. In whom do we put our faith and trust? In that which we can see, or the Father of spirits who has power, authority and dominion over all things? If the Father wills it, through Messiah Yeshua we can lead our enemy blind into a position where they have no option but total surrender. And in this position, we can show them the love of our savior and send them back with a new understanding of who truly rules, hopefully to share it with others. Love is the only force more powerful than hate, and only love can overcome all efforts to steal, kill and destroy.

Mike Baase: "As one of the sons of the prophets of Elisha was felling a tree, his axe head launched into the Jordan, as they were beside it. He was most distraught as this axe did not belong to him, and in again in this rather minute case, the Lord was there. I always remember this story as it characterizes how personal the Lord’s relationship to us can become if we seek Him out always. He is there for us even in the littlest of things. In the name of the Lord, as His will allows, if you ask, you shall receive."

I love Mike's comment about the ax head. The LORD who sees, El Roi, was there for this man, whose heart was love for his neighbor. He had borrowed this ax from another. How could he restore the ax as the law required when he wasn't even wealthy enough to own his own? The LORD would provide for the work he needed to do as well as to restore to his neighbor all that belonged to him.

2 Kings 7, 2 Kings 8

The episode in 2 Kings 7 exhibits the benefits that come when leprous men develop repentant hearts and turn back to doing the will of the LORD. In the midst of Israel’s wishy-washy relationship with the LORD, God had allowed the Syrians to lay siege on the city of Samaria leading to a severe famine. We know that this was a judgement against Israel for sin, because in 2 Kings 6:27-29 we see a discussion about cannibalism described in its gory detail. God promised in Deuteronomy 28:54-57 that Israel would have to resort to such cannibalism when they turned their hearts away from serving Him with joy and gladness of heart. In any case, as the city of Samaria fell into ruin, a group of four lepers stood outside the city gate and debated whether to die at the gate, die inside the city or to chance surrendering to the Syrians so they could eat. The lepers decided to surrender, but upon their entry into the enemy’s camp, they found that the LORD had delivered them by chasing the Syrian army away. At first, the four of them raided the camp, taking silver and provisions for themselves, a sign of selfish ambition and hatred toward their brethren, but then they had a change of heart and we can read about it in 2 Kings 7:9: “Then they said to one another, ‘We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.’”It’s unclear whether the lepers motivation was pure here, for they seemed to act righteously because they feared punishment, and the LORD desires that we act righteously on account of love for Him as well as our fellow man, but there does seem to be a measure of repentance here. We don’t hear anything else about these four in the story, so it’s unclear whether their action led to healing or not, but one thing is certain: The LORD proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’" (Isaiah 52:7)! The lepers in this story did this very thing. In His long-suffering and mercy for Israel God had ended the judgment of Israel, and He used the lepers to bring this good news of salvation to the city. Though we don’t know the disposition of these lepers, we do know that this episode prophetically points forward to the first coming of Messiah Yeshua, who would heal the lepers so they could proclaim the good news of the Gospel.

Amid other events, we see that Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat reigned in Judah and brought evil to the kingdom on account of his marriage to Ahab's daughter, who had clearly brought her mother's curse from Israel to Judah. Despite future kings of Judah restoring God's glory to the throne, the people would begin to wander on account of this apostasy. It's a very sad decline to watch, and one that looks all too familiar outside our own doors today in America. What's fascinating about this catalyst of destruction is that a significant prophesy is fulfilled at this time. In Genesis 27:39-40, Isaac prophesied the following over Esau: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.” We read in 2 Kings 8:20-22 concerning Jehoram, the descendant of Jacob: "In his days Edom revolted against Judah’s authority, and made a king over themselves. So Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah’s authority to this day."

Despite the apostasy of Jehoram and the subsequent fall of the people of Judah, remember that Judah's authority ultimately comes from God, and the LORD has very clearly positioned the Jews to be His people forever; i.e., Numbers 24:9: “Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.” Edom represents the world in Scripture; that older brother in Yeshua's Prodigal son story who never understood the Father's Kingdom was always present and thus he never obtained it. He rebelled against the Father, refusing to come in to celebrate the restoration of his younger brother Judah. Judah, you see, had rebelled and gone away squandering his Father's wealth on loose living, but ultimately realized the Father was what mattered most and returned to Him, desiring to dwell among Him even as a servant. Judah will one day cry out, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD," and on that day Yeshua will return to judge the living and the dead, to protect and lift up His people Israel while destroying ALL who come to oppose her. Those grafted-in to Israel through Yeshua, both Jews and Gentiles, will rise to glory that day, while those grafted-in to Edom and the ways of the world, both Jews and Gentiles, will rise to destruction.

2 Kings 9, 2 Kings 10

In Matthew 10:28, Yeshua said, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." When the LORD Yahweh, not a different God, but one in the same God with Yeshua, said to Yehu, "attack the house of Ahab ... the entire house of Ahab will perish .. every male, whether a slave or free in Israel," Jehu was right to completely obey the LORD. This is what King Saul was instructed to do with the Amalekites, and his failure led to great suffering of many of Israel's descendants, and he also lost his throne and salvation. Jehu so fully carried out the commands of the LORD that he even destroyed all the priests of Ba'al at once, just as Elijah had done on Mt. Carmel. He destroyed Jezebel, the chief witch who had set up this apostasy in Israel, and all of God's prophesies were fulfilled, but at the very end of his obedience, he failed to go further and turn Israel toward obedience in the LORD. Rather, he continued to half-heartedly serve the LORD. The false, substitute religion of Jeroboam, in which he mixed the holy with the profane, continued. In this lukewarm state, God began to dismantle Israel. Yeshua wants a people who are all in; He is a jealous God.

When we profess Yeshua is God in our hearts and believe He is our risen Savior, we must then eliminate every bit of idolatry out of our hearts and out of our lives. Everything that is not of God and His Word must go, we can't even leave a small remnant of evil in our lives, and we ought to seek God's Holy Spirit to help us continue this sanctification process each and every day of our lives until there is nothing of the world, the flesh or of pride left in us. And in doing this, we also ought to turn toward the LORD to keep His commandments and teach others to do the same. This IS the Great Commission, the very last thing Yeshua said to His disciples for them to do; namely to preach the good news of redemption, to baptize new believers into their new life following Yeshua in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a confession of our one God's complex unity, and then to make them disciples by teaching them the commandments of God which He explained to us in His Word. This last part is what Yehu/Jehu missed, and it is what many who say they are Christians miss today. We can't keep living like pagans or in sin and expect to inherit Heaven. We have to turn away from our former way of life and live the way our Master lived.

Dad wrote the following:
"Evil King Ahab married Jezebel, herself the daughter of evil kings,  in order to secure and consolidate his power.  Jezebel was the real power behind the throne, controlling Ahab with her physical beauty and her cunningly evil mind. They worshipped the devil called Baal and they themselves are evil spirits.

The spirit of Jezebel will submit to anyone in order to gain control.  It will find a weakness to exploit.  It will get its way through all sorts of manipulation, which might include alluring beauty, sex, temper tantrums and all sorts of evil scheming. She assailed Elijah with demons of fear that sent him into a fearful depression and caused him to run for his life.  Her power was and is real.

She loves to be praised, even adored.  She will never apologize since, in her pride,  she believes she is never wrong.  She will cheat and she will tell lies.  She will discourage and she will cause confusion. She will profess false witness.  Nothing is off limits for her.  She will create dissension in families, in governments and in churches. She will create a stronghold.  She is a destroyer and we must learn to recognize her when we see her.  

Elijah knew this evil.  It tormented him by control, manipulation and fear.  He knew it had to be eradicated if God’s purpose for Israel was to survive.   In the same way, we must come to recognize this spirit of fear which can lead to discontentment and sinfulness in our own lives.  The spirit must first be identified in order to eradicate it.  

With the Grace of God this can be accomplished by refreshing His Word in our minds and hearts, by staying in prayer and by calling on the Sword of The Spirit to do this battle with evil on our behalf.

"These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze. I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. 22Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. 23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." (Revelation 2)"

2 Kings 11, 2 Kings 12, 2 Kings 13

Athaliah the witch sought to capture Judah as Jezebel had captured Israel, but the priests of Judah would not allow it. The leadership of Jehoiada kept one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, and hid him away for six years in the temple until he was old enough to become king at the tender age of seven. Then, the men rid Judah of Athaliah and all of her cohorts, elevating the youth to the throne. Of specific note is how one third of the priests kept watch over little Joash during this period, giving us an important lesson. God gave David the promise that he would never lack a descendant who could sit on the throne in Judah until Messiah would come to sit eternally. If Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, had not hidden Joash, and if the priests had not dedicated one third of their efforts to protecting him, Athaliah the witch might have been successful in destroying God's anointed line of David. God didn't let this happen, and God protected the line, but He used a woman and a group of men to execute this plan. We must be responsive to the LORD, to what He asks of us, for who knows if we have been born for such a time as this to help keep the Gospel of our Messiah and the commandments of God alive until He comes. How many will yet be saved?

2 Kings 14, 2 Kings 15

This section of the history disturbs me, but I think it's a good thing because it highlights the insufficiency of man to restore himself to the goodness of God on his own. Even the good kings couldn't remove the high places, where many men and women went to worship in a way that God did not desire. But these years were also the doldrums. It's as if there were years and years where evil leaders in Israel, so-so leaders in Judah and civil war between them were catalogued by the scribes in a way that yearned for the times of David when the nation was united and full of hope while looking forward to the coming of Messiah who would make everything right. Israel's kings from the very beginning of their division from Judah could not get anything right, and ultimately God tired of this and allowed Assyria to take the people into captivity. But Yeshua went first to visit with these Samaritans, the children of the cross-bred Israeli people and Assyrians, and called them to follow Him. These were the lost sheep of Israel, and the LORD's heart never abandoned His people. Only when the LORD returns will the miserable patterns we're reading about come to an end; because His Spirit will lead all people who desire Him to do what is right.

2 Kings 16, 2 Kings 17

Israel was taken captive in Assyria and replaced by the peoples of other lands, just as the LORD had promised, because they did not keep His commandments. God would judge the conquerors also, for He said whomever curses Israel would be cursed. It’s astounding how the people who came in and ultimately turned toward Yahweh only did so half heartedly. It’s the curse of all men who do not form a personal relationship with the LORD—and the LORD has said He would vomit the lukewarm out of His mouth.

Meanwhile King Ahaz in Judah made a deal with the devil and contracted with the Assyrians to defeat Syria. He was so impressed that He built an altar for the pagan gods within God’s temple. This would later be removed, but a foothold for the enemy was established in Judah and this would ultimately lead to the end of Judah also. The culture corrupted, only total destruction would bring the people back to their knees to fear God and keep His commandments.

2 Kings 18, 2 Kings 19

Know that when we repent and turn fully toward the Lord as Hezekiah did, Satan is coming with his adversaries to test us and try to break us from our loyalty to God Most High. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent Rabshakeh to taunt Judah and blaspheme the one true God, saying that no other nation’s “gods” had helped them as they moved forward on their path of conquest. Hezekiah turned to prayers and fasting, and the Lord heard his prayers. The prophet Isaiah explained that God would preserve Judah on account of Hezekiah’s faith, and Assyria would be rebuked by the circumstances of war; the king himself would be assassinated when he returned to deal with the distracting issues. Historians might say Assyria was fighting a war on two or more fronts and this saved Judah, but we know that the Lord orchestrated Assyria’s rise to judge Israel and its fall because Assyria failed to give Yahweh the glory. Judah stood as a sole remnant at this time. Sennacherib’s attack is told in greater detail within the book of Isaiah 36-38, and we can see very clearly that the general of Assyria uses deception, subterfuge and propaganda to attempt to drive Jerusalem off course.

You’ll note that Hezekiah humbled himself and turned to prayer and fasting, and he also asked for God to honor His own great name by refusing to allow the blasphemy. Is this our heart? Do we care about God’s reputation more than our own like Hezekiah? We ought to. Moses did the same when God offered to make a great nation of him because Israel sinned against the Lord. Moses said that on account of the name of Yahweh and His fame, God ought to save Israel despite their sin, and God agreed. Hezekiah, after praying a prayer in the same model as the Lord’s prayer, says, “Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.” The Lord responded affirmatively, stating “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.” We must appeal to the “zeal of the Lord” and be zealous for his Great Name, Yeshua, and defend Him with testimony every chance we get, and thus the Lord will deliver us with His salvation.

As Hezekiah took the throne, "he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan." This was the serpent that God Himself had asked Moses to construct in Numbers 21, so that when the people looked upon it they would be healed of the poison of the fiery serpents that God had sent to judge them after their doubts and complaints. This serpent was also a prophetic template for Yeshua, who had to be lifted up so that all who look upon His death on the cross would be healed from sin, as we read in John 3:14. The LORD told us in Exodus 20:4-6 that we ought not make a graven image to bow down to it or serve it, but that wasn't the purpose of the bronze serpent at first. It was a sign for faith in God's healing power. The moment the people began to worship it, though, it had to be destroyed. This gives us insight into the difference between an idol and a memorial. The first is prohibited, but the latter is OK, and sometimes even encouraged. Jeroboam's golden calves were evil, because he worshipped them, but Judah's golden calves under their water lavers were part of God's design. The cherubim over the mercy seat was yet another example of this. The prohibition is against worshipping idols, not against making images.

2 Kings 20, 2 Kings 21, 2 Kings 22

Hezekiah's pride cost Judah in the long run, for Babylon began plotting against Jerusalem on that day that he showed the Babylonian servants all of the finest goods of the Temple and Kingdom. The LORD prophesied Judah's captivity at that point, knowing the hearts of the people then and those who would come. After Manasseh served 55 years in Judah, and his son Amon another two, the people were corrupted in their hearts. The good King Josiah could not bring enough righteousness to turn the LORD away from the calamity he had planned for the land, but not until Josiah went to his grave in peace. It was during Manasseh's wickedness—he did even more wickedness than the Canaanite people before him—that the LORD explained He would bring calamity on all of Judah. It was a sure thing. Manasseh had spilled too much innocent blood of children in the sacrifice to demons, and there was no recovering from it. The whole people would suffer. In like manner, America has spilled far too much innocent blood. About 65 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973. This is not recoverable. The nation will be judged for this. When it will happen, only God knows, but it will happen.

Note that when God spoke about the judgment that would come on Judah, he explained that He would "abandon the remnant of [His] heritage, delivering them into the power of their enemies—they will be a pray and plunder for all their enemies," because they did evil from the time they left Egypt until the great evil of Manasseh. In Revelation 13:7, we see that God will give the evil rulers of the final days authority to judge even His people who are Christians: "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation." Thus, when God comes to judge, there is no quarter for His people. We will have persecution, tribulation and even death. God said so, but those who endure until the end will be saved, Yeshua said. Whether the end of the age, or the end of our lives, this is what we must do. As we read in on Scripture, we will see that even God's saints were taken captive in Babylon. How good then was Josiah, who recovered the Scripture from the Temple and read it, tearing his clothes. We must be humble and contrite of heart like him, for when we do this the LORD will give us His protection, even amidst the coming judgment.

Mike Baase: "In spite of the magnitude of Hezekiah’s prayer, The Lord restored his life for another 15 years from an otherwise untimely death. We should never lose hope as we bring our biggest requests before the Lord. Nothing is too big for the Lord. One Generation from Hezekiah to Manasseh was all it took for Jerusalem to fall. We should do well to raise our children in Christ and give them the best chance to lead Godly life and lead others to Christ. It only takes a generation to completely change the beliefs and behaviors of a family or even a kingdom."

 
2 Kings 23, 2 Kings 24, 2 Kings 25

Josiah's wonderful reign is truly a testimony to the desires of a good leader to restore righteousness, and we might still have such a leader emerge in America, but it is unlikely. Josiah fulfilled prophesy and desecrated the graves of the former leaders who led Israel and Judah astray, He restored all that was good and even set aside the Feast Days to the LORD. While this desire to obey the LORD landed Josiah Himself in the good graces of God, he did not have the power to save the totally depraved masses. Only by the LORD's grace through Yeshua is there any hope for such to repent, but even then it is not enough to hold back the final judgment that is coming upon on a land that intentionally sheds innocent blood. The LORD was "unwilling to forgive" Judah because of the innocent blood that Manasseh had shed, and nothing has changed in that regard. A nation that stands by and allows abortion will not stand. What does that mean for the whole world? Only that at the end, when God's patience runs out, a global ruler will subdue all of humanity under his iron fist, and all will succumb to his power until the judgement is complete. After this, the LORD will return for His saints who endure through it, or those who were snuffed out in the process, and bring them into His kingdom. Pray to be among them.

Mike Baase: "Josiah could not change the ill fate of Judah. Judah's destiny had been sealed by the wicked men who reigned before him, but he made Judah a godlier place during the years he was on the throne. Each of us alone is not going to be able to fix every need in our broken world or all the needs within the Church, but don't let that paralyze you into inaction. With the Lord’s  help, we can work towards solutions to some of those needs. We aren't responsible for fixing the entire world, that is the Job of Christ Jesus, but each of us should do what we can to make the world a godlier place during our lifetimes."

Chronicles 1

When we want to know who someone is in Scripture, we ought to consult Chronicles, which keeps a good account and helps us put the stories together. It requires significant study, but it is a true account and thus we ought to study it.

Chronicles 2, Chronicles 3, Chronicles 4

David's lineage is emphasized in the line of Judah because Messiah would be born from this line, through Joseph, Yeshua's step-father. There is no major reason for this other than to fulfill prophesy and identify Yeshua as the Messiah. However, this book is a great source of information about where other Biblical characters fit in.

Chronicles 5, Chronicles 6, Chronicles 7

Joseph received his the birthright of his father Jacob, meaning that he received a double portion of the inheritance. Thus his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, each received their own tribal lands. But Judah took on firstborn status, because he rose above his brothers Reuben, who had sinned by committing adultery with his father's concubine, and Simeon and Levi, who had sinned by murdering the villagers of Shechem because the king's son had slept with their sister. God allowed for this all to happen so Joseph could symbolize the first coming of Yeshua as the suffering servant and David of Judah could symbolize the second coming of Yeshua as the conquering king. That being said, this also goes to show the complete destruction that comes from sexual immorality. It is a sin that multiplies into more sin. God considers idolatry a type of adultery against Him, and treats this sin with equivalent vengeance. It leads to destruction. We must avoid both and treat them with the highest aversion.

Chronicles 8, Chronicles 9, Chronicles 10

The LORD ensured the genealogy of Saul of the Tribe of Benjamin was listed twice; in chapter 8 and 9. It's interesting how the genealogy is traced down through Jonathan, the righteous and faithful friend of David, for many generations. Was he an ancestor of Saul the Apostle, another man of the Tribe of Benjamin who turned toward the LORD with all his heart?

King Saul, for his part, put his faith in worldly things and his own way rather than the way of God, and for this he was removed from authority. His crown was given to David, a man after God's own heart, and David's seed would ultimately lead to Messiah Yeshua, who would forever rule the throne of Israel. The Apostle Saul would repent of his ancestor's heart and take on the heart of David's seed, the Messiah Yeshua, must like Jonathan humbled himself before the LORD and the chosen David.

Chronicles 11, Chronicles 12, Chronicles 13, Chronicles 14

David, after so many years, finally took Jerusalem for Israel and made it the nation's capital city; just as Yeshua will ultimately take Jerusalem for His throne at the appointed time. Much celebration ensued; all were devoted to gratitude and thanksgiving toward the LORD. As the LORD willed, David united Israel, much like Yeshua will also do at the end.

David was also a man who erred, whereas Yeshua did not and will not err. When David put the Ark of the Covenant on a new cart, he violated Torah and lost a man to his own disobedience, which crushed him. But David's ultimate obedience to Torah would allow him to set up God's tabernacle in Jerusalem. In fighting the enemies, obedience to God would always bring victory, as it does for us.

Uriah the Hittite, whom David would later murder, was one of David's closest allies and fought in his army as a Mighty Man. When we recognize this, it makes the sting of David's latter sin with Bathsheba all the more outrageous, and yet with humility and repentance he was healed.

Chronicles 15, Chronicles 16, Chronicles 17

When we do things God's Way, they are established. When we do anything our own way, they fail. David learned this lesson when things did not go the way he thought they would with his original mission to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. After studying the Word of God, he learned that God desired the Levites to carry the Ark, not a donkey pulling a cart. Now that He was transporting the Ark properly, He prepared much worship and thanksgiving and praise to go alongside this momentous occasion. God allows us to add our own creativity that He created to His Way, and He desires that we express the individuality that He made in us for His glory, but first we must align ourselves to do things God's Way; our freedom stems from our initial obedience. The celebration that ensued was warranted and likely took place on one of the Feast Days of the LORD, further aligning the hearts of men to what God desires.

Again David proposed to do something the LORD had not commanded; namely, to build a house for the LORD to dwell in, but the LORD said "No." The LORD is Spirit and cannot be confined to a house like the temples the created gods of the surrounding nations possessed. God had come to visit His people in tents to symbolize the temporary dwelling that He has among His people in this fallen world. It will not be until the Son, Yeshua the Messiah, would come into the world and establish the everlasting kingdom that God would dwell in a house that Messiah would build. This house is literally built out of believers who keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Yeshua; these would experience the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit within them, the Temple of God. God permitted Solomon to build a temple, and then instructed Ezekiel concerning a second temple, but this temple would only be temporary, for God's Son Yeshua, also a son of David, would build the everlasting Temple for the everlasting Kingdom, and He is doing that now within you and me.

Chronicles 18, Chronicles 19, Chronicles 20, Chronicles 21, Chronicles 22

David was victorious wherever he sent the armies of Israel because he and the people had a heart to keep the Torah of God. He administered law and justice for all of his people, because he did what the LORD commanded, and all the people were blessed because of this.

When we read that the Adversary rose against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel, we must note that taking a census is not against Torah and it is not sin. In 2 Samuel 24:1, note that it was God Himself who was angry with Israel, because the people had fallen into sin, and it was God who incited David to number Israel and Judah to bring judgment on Israel. In much the same way that God allowed Satan to incite Job, he also allowed Satan to whisper in David's ear to incite him to conduct the census. This was according to God's will. It seems David was ignorant of Torah in this area, as he had been in moving the Ark on a cart earlier. If only he had asked the people to do what Torah instructed, there would not have been a plague. The LORD must have known about this, for His goal was to judge Israel, and not to cause David to sin. The LORD does not cause His people to sin.

When we read Torah on this matter, Exodus 30:12-13 is clear: "When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord." Thus, the census was not sin, but neglecting to pay the tribute would bring a plague, and this is exactly what happened. We must deduce that the people of Israel had sinned in some manner and now the LORD was bringing this judgment upon them. The census provided the occasion to bring this judgment, because the people neglected to offer the required half shekel to the sanctuary. David did not sin, but in his humility he desired to take the sin of his people upon himself as a prophetic template for the LORD Yeshua. The plague was simply the consequence God had already said would happen without the tribute. Had the people fallen into pagan worship as they had in the past? It is not hard to believe this was the cause of the whole episode.

The Temple would be built on a threshing floor as a result of this, and David would help his son Solomon prepare to build it. Dad presented an excellent interpretation concerning this component of our reading:

"For years, David had in his heart the desire to build a temple for God[, and]... The Lord told him where the temple should be built. God did not choose the most exquisite of venues. This would not be a place with a million dollar view but a humble place which reminds us of the birthplace of Jesus. A place where hard and necessary work was done that benefitt[ed] many people. A threshing floor. A place where wheat is separated from chaff.  “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17). We can have confidence that God knows our hearts, and in His time, He will separate the Faithful from unbelievers with his “winnowing fork.” Those who Love Him and follow Him with all their heart, soul and with all their mind and strength will never be separated from Him."

1 Chronicles 23, 1 Chronicles 24, 1 Chronicles 25

David instructed 288 well-trained men to sing in a choir to the LORD continually led by Asaph, who wrote many of the psalms in Scripture. Those he didn't write were either written by David himself, Moses, or the Sons of Korah, and all were used in worship set up by David. We can still sing these songs of praise to the LORD today because the Hebrews wrote musical notes into the Masoretic text of Scripture, which have since been interpreted into modern tones. How amazing it must have sounded when the praises to the LORD were continual in the hallowed halls of the temple, for "the LORD inhabits the praises of His people" (Psalm 22:3)! The music of praise never stopped, just like in God’s Kingdom, where God's divine creations sing "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God Almighty" without end (Revelation 4:8)! The prayers of the saints also rise continually as a sweet incense to the LORD, as a sweet smelling aroma, and the prayers never ceased. No wonder Israel was so blessed under King Solomon! We have a lot to learn from our father David!

David also arranged order for the Temple service from the descendants of Eleazar and Ithamar, and this detail is critically important for us. You see, we learn here in 1st Chronicles 24 that Abijah was in the eighth division, and this was a specific time period of service for the year, and when we recognize that God’s year begins in Nissan/Aviv, we can pinpoint what time of year these service periods took place. “They were assigned [periods of service] by lot, the one group equally with the other, since both the descendants of El‘azar and the descendants of Itamar had officers of the sanctuary and officers of God.” 1 Chronicles 24:5, and in verse 10: "the eighth for Abijah (Aviyah)." The significance of this follows:

In Luke 1, the Apostle explained that he was writing "a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us." He said that he had "perfect understanding of all things from the very first," which is why he was able to "write to you an orderly account." He did this so we "may know the certainty to those things in which you were instructed." Then, in the very next verse, Luke introduced "Zacharias of the division of Abijah," whose wife was a daughter of Aaron and they were both righteous before God, "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the LORD blamelessly." It was when Zacharias "was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood," when the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced his wife would bear a son. ...

... Right after returning home from this division of service, he knew his wife and she conceived John the Baptist. It was in the sixth month following this that the angel visited Mary (Miriam) and she conceived Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit. She said, "Let it be to me according to your word." Presuming Yeshua was born nine months later, he was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and circumcised on the Eighth Day. John wrote, corroborating in John 1:14,  "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us,..." Yeshua was born at the Appointed Time, and He always does His Work on these Most Holy Days, which He asked us to celebrate forever.

1 Chronicles 26, 1 Chronicles 27, 1 Chronicles 28

As king, David ensured there were overseers over the faith of all the people in all the tribes of Israel. These were spiritual leaders. Yeshua will be both King and High Priest when He reigns on the Earth during the Millennium in similar fashion and will appoint rulers over all of the provinces of the earth to encourage Torah observance.

The king also had an army to fight all of the hosts of wickedness that might come up against God's order. We too need deliverance ministry within our congregations. In Yeshua and under His authority, He has given us power to tread on snakes and scorpions, and we will be successful when we do so from a place of righteousness with total dependance on Messiah.

David called a sacred assembly to plan out the work that would be done for the Kingdom. This is why we gather every Sabbath and Holy Day, to build one another up per Hebrews 10:23-25, to prepare our hearts for war as we go out the other days of the week to do the work of God. As we go out, we ought to remember this exhortation of faith: “Be strong, be bold, and do it! Don’t be afraid or become discouraged! For Adonai, God, my God, is with you."

1 Chronicles 29, 2 Chronicles 1, 2 Chronicles 2, 2 Chronicles 3

The humility of David and Solomon is what led to the abundance of blessing God gave them. They led the people in righteousness, for the people gave willingly of their riches to the LORD. We ought to give with this same heart: "Adonai our God, all these supplies that we have prepared in order to build you a house for your holy name come from your own hand, all of it is already yours. ...  I have given all these things willingly, in the integrity of my heart; and now, with joy, I have seen your people who are present here give willingly...." We might also pray with such contrition: "guard forever the inclinations of the thoughts in the hearts of your people; direct their hearts to You..." Solomon said likewise: "give me wisdom and knowledge; so that I will be able to lead this people. For who is equal to judging this great people of yours?” God resultantly rewarded both with knowledge, wisdom, riches, wealth and honor. Even the people of the surrounding lands could see the hand of God was upon them and turned their hearts toward honoring the LORD God. In this way, David and Solomon would serve as a prophetic template for the Messiah who was to come, build a Temple of living souls devoted to God, and bring all nations under His rule.

2 Chronicles 4, 2 Chronicles 5, 2 Chronicles 6

The temple was finished and Solomon prayed earnestly before the LORD, pleading with Him that when all people—whether of Israel or of the Gentile nations—when anyone repents and turns toward "the place where God has chosen to put His name"—toward the East for us—toward Jerusalem—then God will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin and bring mercy and forgiveness upon us. The glory of the LORD had filled the House Solomon built for the LORD, and thus we know that the LORD certainly affirmed his effort to build the temple. That being said, God's prophesy to David would have both a near-term and long-term fulfillment, as all prophesies do, and Yeshua the Messiah, David's son, would also build the House for the glory of the LORD to dwell in; namely, the Body of Believers who trust in the LORD and testify to the name of Yeshua and keep the commandments of God. This temple would have no end and would not meet destruction.

2 Chronicles 7, 2 Chronicles 8, 2 Chronicles 9

Solomon dedicated the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, and the LORD came to dwell among Israel in a monumental way during this time. The glory of the Father filled the temple and His Spirit consumed the offerings, but more than this, the Son, Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, "appeared by night" before Solomon in his pre-incarnate, visible form and confirmed that His prayer would be answered, by saying: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the sky, so that there is no rain; or if I order locusts to devour the land; or if I send an epidemic of sickness among my people; then, if my people, who bear my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears will pay attention to the prayer made in this place." The eyes of the LORD are always on Jerusalem and it is toward Jerusalem, and her King Yeshua, that we ought to direct our prayers, just as the LORD has said.

Solomon ran Israel perfectly—according to the law of God—as the temple was completed and the whole plan of God for physical Israel was fulfilled. There never would be a greater time in human history for the law to be followed more accurately by a man who was not God, but alas it did not last. Solomon would ultimately look away from the LORD, on account of his many wives, but as he began to reign and served the law with total focus, he set up the template for Yeshua who was to come. Perhaps his later fall was a sign that there was yet another Son of David to arise. This later Son would bring all eyes on Him, and He would keep the law perfectly, without error, and give us the power to do so also by His Holy Spirit when our hearts are fully aligned with Him.

Solomon, his wisdom and his reign serve as a prophetic template for the Millennial Reign of Messiah Yeshua, when One more wise than he will come down to rule forever. There was never a more glorious kingdom built by men aided by God than Solomon's Israel in all of world history—not even America in all its greatness was as good—, but yet there is a more glorious time yet to come—one that will not end. This Kingdom of God will be superior to any that man could build.

2 Chronicles 10, 2 Chronicles 11, 2 Chronicles 12, 2 Chronicles 13

Rehoboam made the wrong choice to treat his servants harshly, but this was to fulfill the Word of the LORD to Solomon that his many wives and their evil paganism would infiltrate into the land and have its affect in the next generation. On account of syncretism—that is mixing the holy with the profane, or putting holy names on unholy practices—Israel was split in two.

Rehoboam grew wiser after he saw this terrible event, and he indeed returned to the LORD twice. Once, in his obedience to God when the LORD told him not to fight against Israel, and Second, when he humbled himself in the face of an attack from Egypt. The nation of Judah was born, but subdued, and yet it grew to be strong because the people put Yahweh first and did not serve other gods like Jeroboam did in Israel. Judah effectively became the nation of Israel, as we read:

"The L’vi’im left their pasture lands and property and came to Y’hudah and Yerushalayim; since Yarov‘am and his sons had thrown them out, not allowing them to function as cohanim for Adonai, and had appointed for himself cohanim for the high places and for the images of goat-demons and calves that he had made."
"Those from all the tribes of Isra’el who had set their hearts on seeking Adonai, the God of Isra’el, followed them to Yerushalayim to sacrifice to Adonai, the God of their fathers. For three years they strengthened the kingdom of Y’hudah and made Rechav‘am the son of Shlomo strong, because for three years they followed the way of life of David and Shlomo."

When Abijah took over from Rehoboam, Israel attacked Judah, and note that God allowed this battle, but didn't allow the first, because self defense is righteous, but aggression is not. Because Judah put God first and trusted in Him, Judah—though smaller—routed Israel. Remember: When we serve God, one man will chase after 1,000 and win for the glory of God. We saw a literal fulfillment of this prophesy from Joshua 23:10 in Judges 15 when Samson destroyed 1000 Philistines with a jaw bone. Here, Judah fulfilled this prophesy in defending themselves against pagan Israel. This scenario is also a prophetic template for the times of the end, when the true church will be a remnant and will withstand the onslaught of the pagan church, which is the deceived majority. The path is narrow through the narrow gate into God's Kingdom, and only few will find it.

2 Chronicles 14, 2 Chronicles 15, 2 Chronicles 16, 2 Chronicles 17

Asa is a sad story. He devoted his life fully to the LORD and prospered Judah greatly on account of this, and the LORD sent all of Judah's enemies fleeing because Asa and all of Judah trusted in Him. At some point, for some reason, he sought the help of Ben Hadad, King of Aram in Damascus instead of from the LORD to defend Judah from Israel. It doesn't matter if we faithfully follow the LORD our whole lives if we turn away from Him at the end. If we do not endure until our last day, then we can die like Asa, taken out because he trusted in the physicians rather than in the LORD. We must put devotion to the LORD first, and trust Him in all things, and then we will endure until the end.

Jehoshaphat turned back toward the LORD after his father's late apostasy and taught Judah Torah from a preserved Torah scroll. The LORD abundantly blessed Judah on account of this.

Dad said: "Today, Israel is at war again.  It is natural to consider the relationship this Nation currently has with The Lord. The Lord has allowed enemies to attack, inflict damage and do great harm to His People but the world should remember that they were chosen by God from the beginning. They have been given a covenant which will forever remain unbroken."

"God has elected a number of these people to return to Him, to come to Jesus and to accept Him as Savior and Messiah. This will happen in His Time for the sake of their patriarchs, Moses, Abraham, Jacob and David. We wait expectantly for them to come to know The Lord, The Messiah who was born a man and lived in their midst. His promises are unconditional and irrevocable. Many are coming to know Him now and it is wonderful to see."

"The Apostle Paul himself, suffered persecution at the hands of the Jews. He explained that Israel has become an enemy of The Gospel of Christ yet all feelings of animosity or hatred toward them are contrary to the Heart of God and will never stand against them."

“Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers."  Romans 11:28"

2 Chronicles 18, 2 Chronicles 19, 2 Chronicles 20

Jehoshaphat (Y’hoshafat )was a great king of Israel who trusted in the LORD and put Him first, yet he erred in allying with King Ahab, and this would have later consequences for Judah.

In the episode where Judah and Israel joined in battle, the big lesson here is that 400 prophets prophesied falsely, saying "Peace, Peace, when there was no peace" for Ahab. Only one prophet spoke the Truth of God's Word for the situation. From this we learn that we should NEVER trust in a majority of people on matters of faith, and from my experience, the majority is usually detrimentally wrong, but we should always trust in the Word of the LORD and those who speak it. In our modern day, the majority of Christian churches prophesy falsely about the LORD and His Torah, and we must have the discernment to listen to the Word of God instead.

In Judah's battle against Amon, Moav, and Edom, we can see the power of prayer come into play, and King Jehoshaphat showed us an early example of the LORD's prayer that He gave to His apostles. The model is there: Praise to the LORD. Asking for His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Asking for a petition and a deliverance from evil. Praising the LORD again and showing full trust in Him. Following his marvelous prayer, Jehoshaphat sent the worship team first into battle and God Himself fought for Judah—the enemy that had come to destroy Judah destroyed themselves. I think God's Saints will see this very same thing at the End of Days as they observe their enemies destroyed and the enemies observe the Saints preserved.

2 Chronicles 21, 2 Chronicles 22, 2 Chronicles 23, 2 Chronicles 24

For at least 15 years, Judah was under the rule of evil kings and the Queen Mother, resulting from Jehoshaphat's bad decision to ally himself with Ahab. His son Jehoram took fancy in one of Ahab's daughters and she brought the evil witchcraft of her mother Jezebel to Judah. God used His own authority to judge Judah's king and took him out after just eight years with a bowel illness. Neither he, nor his son Ahaziah, who was taken out in battle by the LORD after just one year, were buried in the kings' grave. Athaliah, the witch Queen Mother for the short-lived king, ruled another six years, and Judah was in misery, but God had something planned. A godly daughter of the king had saved Joash from execution by his grandmother and the priest Jehoaida raised him up hidden away in the Temple. God preserved Jehoaida 130 years as the moral compass for Joash, knowing the young king lacked his own bearings, even prompting the king to remove all Ba'al worship in Jerusalem. But after the priest's death, Joash also fell into evil, influenced by those older men who had known the evils of before. He died with dishonor. Today in America, we know what it is like to live in evil days like these, and prayer is the answer for God's deliverance.

2 Chronicles 25, 2 Chronicles 26, 2 Chronicles 27, 2 Chronicles 28

Amaziah (Amatzyahu), Uzziah (Uziyahu), and Jotham (Yotam) were half-hearted kings, simply giving lip service to the LORD, but they were not invested in building His Kingdom. Rather, they desired to build their own Kingdom in this world. Ahaz was outright evil and so the LORD brought judgment upon him and his people from their relatives in hostile Israel. Even the people of Israel had mercy on their captives from Judah. Dad's insight about the Good Samaritan story is quite appropriate.

Dad said: "Oded was like “The Good Samaritan,”  who, In spite of great personal cost and jeopardy, recognized a wounded soul and was moved, by The Spirit, to help.  He was able to return the captives safely to Judah." — “(The Israelites) took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow Israelites at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria." (2 Chronicles 28:15) — “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” (Luke 10:34-35)

2 Chronicles 29, 2 Chronicles 30, 2 Chronicles 31

Hezekiah's heart condition was to confess sin, repent, and seek the LORD in all things; also to lead others to do the same, and this was aligned with the Great Commission extended by Yeshua. When any of us make a covenant to follow the LORD rather than our own way, He will bless us bountifully and offer His grace that covers us. "Adonai your God is compassionate and merciful; he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”

The burnt offerings, "which are the prayers of the Saints," were offered along with worship and praise music, just as David had taught his children, and this brought sudden joy, for God inhabits the praises of His people.

Hezekiah restored the feasts of the LORD, for previously only a remnant had kept the feasts. Because it took too long to prepare for the Passover during the First month, he followed Torah and celebrated the second month, and Torah makes provision for this in Numbers 9. We ought to restore God's Way with the same humility and vigor.

We also need such humility as offered by the Levites: "Ashamed of themselves, the cohanim and L’vi’im had consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of Adonai. Now they stood at their stations, as prescribed in the Torah of Moshe the man of God..." When we come before God in humility, confessing our sins, He will hear our prayers, and then we ought to obey Him and "go and sin no more."

God also heard Hezekiah's prayer: "May Adonai, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God, Adonai, the God of his ancestors, even if he hasn’t undergone the purification prescribed in connection with holy things.” We are purified in this same way, by the Holy Spirit, because we do not have a Temple built by men but one that Messiah Himself is building.

After we fully come back to the LORD and are following Him, the next step is sanctification. We must remove from our lives any idols that we have elevated above God, and then we can have rest. We read: “After all this was over, all Isra’el who were there went out to the cities of Y’hudah and smashed the standing-stones, chopped down the sacred poles, and broke down the high places and altars throughout Y’hudah, Binyamin, Efrayim and M’nasheh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Isra’el returned to their own cities, each to his own possession." Abundance follows obedience: "Adonai has blessed his people, and what is left over is this massive supply.”

2 Chronicles 32, 2 Chronicles 33, 2 Chronicles 34

Hezekiah turned to prayer and full trust in the LORD to deliver him from all of his enemies, but later he became proud after the LORD preserved his life. Manasseh was born after this time, the son of a man who believed the kingdom was only life on this earth. Manasseh went astray, pursuing all of the things in this life that are opposed to God, from abortion to witchcraft to idolatry, and to blasphemy. Only after God judged him and brought him with a hook in his mouth to Babylon did he humbly seek forgiveness. His prayer is available and beautiful to read, and his life ended with honor on account of true repentance. His son Amon, even named after pagan peoples, didn't learn from Manasseh's repentance, but from his evil doing, and much of Israel followed suit. Even though Josiah reigned for many years and brought purification to the land, God would not relent from His judgment against the people. Though Josiah tried to enforce righteousness, and he himself was rewarded for it, we cannot force righteousness on others; they have to choose it through faith. The people were doomed to destruction from their corruption of heart.

2 Chronicles 35, 2 Chronicles 36

Josiah was a good king who led Judah in righteousness and obeyed the LORD in all things, except at the very end when he followed after his own heart and aggressed unnecessarily against Egypt. We must be mindful not to fight a battle the LORD has not called us to fight, because it can destroy us if we do. We ought to listen to the LORD always, and wait on His direction so that we might do His will. Josiah's presumptuous action had consequences. His sons were evil like their grandfathers and one after another fell to subjugation under Egypt first and then Babylon. Their poor leadership, because their father wasn't around to adequately train them up, led to Judah's demise. Ultimately, Babylon destroyed the Holy City as God had warned would happen back in Deuteronomy, and Jeremiah's 70 years would have to be fulfilled before Cyrus would call for the Temple to be rebuilt for God Most High. As also prophesied. Daniel explained that Messiah would come after seventy "sevens," or 490 years. The "sevens" must refer to Shemitah years, which occur every seventh. Yeshua did indeed come at the appointed time, which is why Daniel's disciples, the wise men from the East, were ready for Him and waiting to bring Him gifts from Daniel's estate.