Hezekiah was king of Judah when the new superpower, Assyria, conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and scattered its inhabitants across Mesopotamia (2 Kings 18:9-12) . “That which He could no longer do through them in the land of their fathers He would seek to accomplish by scattering them among the heathen. His plan for … Continue reading –>
Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. Proverbs 16:32 NLT David prayed for deliverance from his enemies. He also prayed they would not disgrace him. David faced Goliath, but Goliath did not turn out to be too much of an enemy as he fell by the first stone … Continue reading –>
Elijah the Tishbite has to be one of the most colorful characters in Scripture. We first meet him standing before a startled king and telling him there will be no rain for the next three years (1 Kings 17:1) . It was not easy either to approach a king or to escape from him, but … Continue reading –>
Life is complicated, and that’s because, as humans, we are complicated. Imagine-creatures made in the image of God, the Creator of the universe, who then corrupt themselves. No wonder that our potential both for good and for evil can reach remarkable levels. And it isn’t just that some people attain great levels of “goodness” while … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Sam. 17:43-51, 2 Sam. 11:1-17, 1 Kings 18:21-39, 2 Kings 19:21-34, Esther 3:8-11, Nehemiah 1. Memory Text: “And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, ‘Let … Continue reading –>
The Bible is known for not glossing over human sin, human evil. If it did, how could it, and portray accurately the state of humanity? An especially sharp depiction of human evil is found in 1 Samuel 2:12-25, when the sons of Eli are presented in contrast to the young Samuel. 1 Samuel 2:12 reads, … Continue reading –>
Why did God need to make peace with heaven? (1 Col 1:19-20) This verse may help us understand just how real the war in heaven was: For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth … Continue reading –>
We have a full cast of characters to study this week. Deborah, Gideon, Sampson, Ruth and Samuel. Each found themselves in pivotal positions at times of conflict and crisis. God used them to do extraordinary things. These are heroes of the Bible, but all heroes are first ordinary people just like you and I. Let’s look at … Continue reading –>
What does the beginning of the book of Samuel have to do with the great controversy? There is no obvious threat to the created order, and there are no vast armies at the border. The attack of evil is more subtle but no less real. Read 1 Samuel 2:12-25. How do we see the reality … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Conflict and Crisis” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV Sabbath School … Continue reading –>
